What is engaging instruction?
First Reactions to our readings & TED Talks
Angela Maiers -You Matter TED Talk - "No matter what I do, No matter what I accomplish today is there anyone that is going to notice? Is there anyone that is going to care that I got up, and showed up today?"
In My Class: Similar to knowing each student's name and saying "I'm glad to see you today" we can step further into helping our students see that we notice them. By implementing a noticing notebook in class, I can acknowledge my students small daily accomplishments. Slipping these points that I noticed into my classes will make the students realize I care about their actions.
A question I ask of my readers: How do I know when to use the student's name when I notice their actions? Would announcing to the class "Erin did a fantastic job at asking important questions" or "Someone asked really great learning questions, I'm thankful to see everyone thinking so critically" be better?
Kate Simonds - I'm Seventeen - Why aren't our students taken seriously, why do we dismiss their thoughts?
In My Class - Mastering Inquiry based learning is something I aspire to reach. Teaching students through suggestive questioning and allowing them to inquire about knowledge rather than spoon feeding gives autonomy back to the students in their learning.
A question I ask of my readers: When is it appropriate to adjust classroom management techniques? Kate Simmons mentioned, We have to raise our hands to go to the bathroom yet in 3 months we are expected to go to college or have a full time job?
Methods of Teaching Agriculture: Newcomb, Et al.
Meaningful objectives (which fall into the categories depicted) must connect to the content we teach. Motivating students through a thoughtful interest approach to hook students will generate curiosity in the "why" or our lesson.
Strategies for Great Teaching: Reardon & Derner
E-moments aid students to connecting chunked knowledge. The pedagogical theory behind E-moments comes from Caine and Caine's 12 principles of Brain/Mind Learning; this book combines some principles to condense them to 9 Principles.
KEY QUESTIONS
1) How does the uniqueness of our learners impact lesson planning?
Our learners strengths are on a sliding scale for 8 multiple intelligence, these impact their Learning Modalities. With this in mind we can adjust out instruction and e-moments to fully engage our students to learn the content we are trying to convey.
2) How does “e-moments”, multiple intelligences, domains and modalities impact instructional
design?
Our instructional design should be framed around our students and their needs. As a teacher we must learn our students needs and adjust the lessons as we gather information.
On the first day of class we won't know how our students learn or their individual needs. Although, we will know that they all learn in different ways and we should plan to vary our methods of instruction until we figure out what works best for our students in that specific class.
Lisa, you posed GREAT questions and I am definitely sticking around to hear the answers! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Victoria that you asked great questions because they are difficult to answer and will probably vary person to person. I find myself using names when I am positively reinforcing a behavior or action to the entire class in transition. I try to ensure it is not always the same students though and that everyone gets recognized throughout the semester. Walking around a room during "work time" and individually encouraging and challenging students is where I feel at best with recognition. For classroom management, I have asked my self this question with being a "young teacher". I have found that you can switch up a procedure for class with a few reminders and repetition but behavior and respect is very hard to change if you do not start off with the expectations set high and a consistency. I have found classroom management is something you learn from experience and that is why many first year teachers struggle with classroom management but set the bar high, find what works with you, and stay consistent and it gets easier after year 1. Remember every teacher is different in how they manage their class and you will find your own jive but doing your homework and asking how other teachers do things will help you develop your management style.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this input Mrs. Ranck! I definitely foresee making stricter/structured procedures and easing up on a class by class basis. I reflect back on my high school career and the same teachers would have different procedures for different classes depending on the style of the students.
DeleteLisa, using a student's name can be an important personal connection when used appropriately. In your example, using a student's name to recognize something they publicly did well, such as "Kim, thank you for posing such a great question" or to recognize a student for being brave enough to try something, even if they do it wrong such as "Kim, thank you for being brave enough to volunteer to show us your work for the ration balancing problem" is a great way to show that you value their contribution to the class and their willingness to engage. This type of positive reinforcement can help students who are eager to engage to keep doing it regularly, and can also serve as a way for those who are less likely to share to want to do so because they know that it will be celebrated.
ReplyDeleteThank You for your input Ms. Morey,
DeleteI think where my question was rooted is, is there ever a bad time to use the student's name in praise? I would hate to use it meaning well, and backfiring because the student doesn't want to be viewed as a teacher's pet.
There is no simple answer to public praise for students. You have to know yourself and you have to know your students. That public recognition can just as easily shut down one student as it will lift another up. Know your audience. Similarly to Mrs. Ranck, I find that the individual acknowledgement or recognition with a small group during work time is more effective. I would also add that how natural the process is for you makes a big difference. Students need and deserve our sincerity. It is probably the item I hear them complain most about in teachers. As you plan what you want to do in your classroom, also remember that you want to be able to maintain what you start. Be careful not to heap too many initiatives on yourself initially.
ReplyDeleteThis is great advice. Thank you Mrs. Barzydlo. I think praise comes naturally to me t give out frequently because I myself loved being validated for trying, even if I was wrong. I worry my over-validation on praise would decrease the effectiveness of the praise.
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