Monday, March 31, 2008
My contribution to the class WebQuest wiki
I contributed to the WebQuest audience page. My contributions were the Bloom's Taxonomy graphic, a link to a brief GRASP overview, and a link to the WebQuest resource page. I also contributed some Role ideas to the Reality TV page.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Chapter #10: Going Beyond the Classroom
"Steer us toward summer and enrichment programs." (p. 179) A lot of learning, if not most learning, happens outside the classroom so find ways to connect this to your subject and students.
This is a good idea but may require more financial resources than are available. With budget cuts and rising gas prices teachers will have to see potential in activities closer to home. The idea of going to the park for science class was great.
This is a good idea but may require more financial resources than are available. With budget cuts and rising gas prices teachers will have to see potential in activities closer to home. The idea of going to the park for science class was great.
Chapter #9: When Things Go Wrong
"Without giving up their human side, teachers have to put aside their fear and do the job, even as their teenagers students test them again and again." (p. 168) On the other hand you do not want to become to buddy buddy because then the students will take advantage of you.
This is a scary place for me. I know that to be a good teacher I am going to have to develop a tough skin and still be nice. I have always bees sensitive and I am not going to be able to allow this in myself anymore. I have to remember it isn't about me... it is about them. Whatever it is, it is about them.
This is a scary place for me. I know that to be a good teacher I am going to have to develop a tough skin and still be nice. I have always bees sensitive and I am not going to be able to allow this in myself anymore. I have to remember it isn't about me... it is about them. Whatever it is, it is about them.
Chapter #8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English
In this chapter it was mentioned that "teachers should stay extra aware of the emotional fatigue that language minority adolescents experience every day." (p. 154) The strain of sitting through a class where they don't understand everything they hear is considerable.
This is so true. My daughter couldn't hear the first year of school and the strain of trying to understand what was going on around her was so much that I had to keep her out of school a lot just so she could catch up with herself. It would be the same with students who are still learning English. The uncertainty that adolescents already feel is only multiplied when this stress is included.
This is so true. My daughter couldn't hear the first year of school and the strain of trying to understand what was going on around her was so much that I had to keep her out of school a lot just so she could catch up with herself. It would be the same with students who are still learning English. The uncertainty that adolescents already feel is only multiplied when this stress is included.
Chapter #7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material
"Finding real people to come and talk about their experiences makes history come alive." (p. 141) When students can see the material and not just read it they are much more likely to remember and connect with the information.
As I read this I couldn't help but think about my cousin's involvement with the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) where they reinact the middle ages. I got to go to some of their events when I was in high school and if they were integrated into that unit at school I would have learned so much! There are chapters available all over the United States (each state is part of a country) and the world. Here are a couple links if you are interested.
http://www.sca.org/ (SCA)
http://www.eastkingdom.org/ (Eastern US)
As I read this I couldn't help but think about my cousin's involvement with the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) where they reinact the middle ages. I got to go to some of their events when I was in high school and if they were integrated into that unit at school I would have learned so much! There are chapters available all over the United States (each state is part of a country) and the world. Here are a couple links if you are interested.
http://www.sca.org/ (SCA)
http://www.eastkingdom.org/ (Eastern US)
Chapter #6: Motivation and Boredom
"Just teaching "by the book" bores anybody, not only teenagers." (p. 105) We are constantly talking about motivating students and wondering how to do it. A look at what it takes for you yourself to be motivated might be a good place to start looking for ideas.
This is such a simple idea but it seems to be overlooked in a lot of academic circles. I know that if information is in and of itself boring to me (like the study of electricity) then it will take more than reading about the theory for me to understand it. However, if the teacher can bring that knowledge to life and show me how it works then I can be very interested in a topic that I thought that I would never like! It doesn't need a lot of extra work but it may need some movement outside someones comfort zone. Think about it. It really wouldn't be hard to role play a lot of the history that is taught everyday in the classroom. That doesn't even involve technology but could reach so many more students than reading and reciting back facts.
This is such a simple idea but it seems to be overlooked in a lot of academic circles. I know that if information is in and of itself boring to me (like the study of electricity) then it will take more than reading about the theory for me to understand it. However, if the teacher can bring that knowledge to life and show me how it works then I can be very interested in a topic that I thought that I would never like! It doesn't need a lot of extra work but it may need some movement outside someones comfort zone. Think about it. It really wouldn't be hard to role play a lot of the history that is taught everyday in the classroom. That doesn't even involve technology but could reach so many more students than reading and reciting back facts.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group
Have a meaningful product that the group will create and give everyone in the group a specific role. Remember that everyone needes to be assessed individually in comparison tho themselves so assess the individually and the product separatly.
When the students don't feel that that there is a reason for their group work they will not put the effort into it that the teacher wants. It is almost a matter of respect to have a defined product that the students are working on. Students will feel more valued and not like they are wasting their time this way. They also need to know tha tthey are going to be assessed individually so that they have a reason to do their share of the work and not take advantage of the worker bee of the group.
When the students don't feel that that there is a reason for their group work they will not put the effort into it that the teacher wants. It is almost a matter of respect to have a defined product that the students are working on. Students will feel more valued and not like they are wasting their time this way. They also need to know tha tthey are going to be assessed individually so that they have a reason to do their share of the work and not take advantage of the worker bee of the group.
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