Wrapping It Up...

What I have taken away most from this class is how to look at my lessons.  I took a lot from looking at each of the learning strategies and finding new and easy ways to apply them, without having to reinvent the lesson.

When I evaluated the lesson that I modified for our final project, I found so many simple and quick ways to address the learning goals and student needs.  When I saw the reactions of my students when I taught the mini-unit to them and the pride that they seemed to feel as they took control of their learning made me so excited.

I look forward to looking at many other lessons and units in this same manor.  It isn't realistic to recreate and reinvent every bad lesson so that it can be great.  But we can adjust details of it.

Ways to Hold Students Accountable...

The three focus areas for this week really seem to be ways that we, as teachers, can give students more control of their learning, which, at the same time, holds them more accountable for their learning and contributions.


Testing Hypotheses…

I really like the idea of giving the students the privilege of setting the goal(s) and desired outcomes of a unit/lesson/activity.  Allowing them to have that control helps them develop a higher interest level in the activities and process, as well as for having a higher sense of accountability to accomplish the set goal(s).  Younger students would need a bit of practice doing this, but reviewing how to set learning goals and set learning objectives would be something that all students should review each year.  Reflection will also be a huge part of this process so that students can see what worked or didn’t work and be expected to look at what the causes may have been, as well as what changes may be needed for future success.  Understanding and having a purpose for what they are doing is a driving force for successful learning.

Homework and Practice…

Many schools are changing the way that both students and teachers use homework.  The validity of traditional homework is being questioned.  Homework at the higher grades is being used in the way that homework for primary grades has been being used for years…as effort and extra practice.  Homework can provide inconsistent and inaccurate feedback of a student’s understanding.  Factors of a student’s home life can also be contributors to poor homework performance, which isn’t always a fault of the student.  Simple, interactive homework opportunities, that could even be done at school during study halls, seem to be much more fulfilling and provide a much better picture of student understanding.  One great example would be to have students complete blog posts on a topic or on a choice of questions, similar to the homework we have for our courses, and expect interactions among peers by commenting requirements.  This would allow for students to contribute their thoughts and to have dialogue with each other, without a teacher directing it.

Similarities and Differences…

Discussion of similarities and differences occur constantly, sometimes formally, while others are informal. Organizers are often used in the younger grades, where higher grades may be expected to submit more written responses.  Using metaphors is something that I introduce to my students, but it can be a bit difficult for them to use as a tool to compare until late in the school year.  One tool that I really find useful for them to use is analogies.  We constantly use analogies to compare the similarities between things.  It really helps students understand the concept we are learning about or the function that is happening. One example I use in my class is to have students look at the levels of the human, and ask them how they levels of our school compares (ie: cells = students, tissues = classes, organs = grades, systems = schools, human body = district).

Cooperative Learning

I use cooperative learning quite a bit in my classroom.  The goal of the cooperative activity varies.  Sometimes it focuses more on the academic component and practicing a skill with one or more peers, while, for other activities, the goal is more to encourage and provide opportunity for students to work on social skills in an academic setting and communicating with others.  The reason this is important is simply to make other learning experiences more successful.  I often find that students come to my 3^rd grade room, not sure how to share and/or support their thoughts or ideas. The goal of a lot of my lessons is to get students talking so that their interests and ideas carry and direct the majority of our classroom conversations.

Reinforcing Effort

Reinforcing effort can happen in so many different ways, however, it is up to the teacher to determine which way works best and delivers the desired and appropriate message.  Reinforcement can come in the form of a sticker or high-five, it can be an example for others to follow, or even a follow-up question or response to a statement or question that a student may make.  There are times when we, as teachers, need to see the students as individuals and treat them as such (using the types of reinforcement that works best for him or her), however, it is also important to take time to see all of the students as a whole and also treat them as one unit. This may bring about another reinforcement strategy of using their peers to encourage or redirect their responses and actions.

Clay Shirky videos

When I watched the Clay Shirky videos, I had an extremely difficult time staying focused and being able to apply it.  They seemed to be disconnected from where my expectations thought the videos would be going.  I am person who likes simplistic vocabulary and they seemed to be a bit overwhelming with the amount that the viewer needed to keep track of. I had a hard time finding a connection to the school setting and experience, which is probably why I struggled to follow them.  Maybe, if I watch them at another time, when my world isn't totally focused on school (beginning of the year is so busy and demanding), then I might hear the big idea a bit more clearly.  However, in the mean time…I don't think that Clay Shirky is my cup of tea.

Concept Mapping Services

Bubbl.us, Webspiration, and Exploratree are all programs that provide users with a free service that allows them to create concept maps to use individually, or with cooperative groups where multiple users can access the document at the same time to edit work.  Projects can be saved to the user’s account.

Bubbl.us doesn’t provide templates for users to use.  Very little guidance is provided on how to use and manipulate the program. 

Webspiration seems user-friendly, for all ages, even thought there are versions designed that are more tailored to children, Inspiration and Kidspiration.  There is help provided to guide users on getting started and how to make the most out of the program.  Examples are also provided to help spark ideas.

Exploratree is similar to Webspiration because it provides examples and templates.  However, with Exploratree, users can edit the examples/templates to fit their individual needs. It is also possible to create your own map from scratch.  Exploratree is appropriate for all ages to use. 

I look forward to finding ways to use these services in my classroom.  I see them being great for discussions prior to lessons and adding ideas and thoughts as the unit goes forward.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback...

I really enjoyed reading the article, Feedback That Fits.  As I read through it, I was pleased to identify situations where I can remember using some of these techniques.  However, I was really excited to read about how else I could be implementing some of the other feedback strategies that were shared.  I feel as though I had great instruction on giving feedback during my practicums during college (by cooperating teacher and the college instructor/observer).  I also feel that having numerous students with special needs in my classroom throughout the years has also lent itself to having strong feedback skills.  Often, when you have students who have special needs, you need to be prepared to let them share their thoughts and handle a correct or incorrect answer.  The same thought process on giving feedback needs to be the same no matter who the student or what the needs are.  Keep them encouraged and keep them thinking!