Graphic Organizers are a great way to organize thoughts and ideas. I love them because they are to the point and usually easy to follow. Graphic organizers are also very good for visual learners because they get to see how the ideas work instead of just reading or hearing about them. I think that the conversational round table is such a fun idea to do for reading assignments. I have never done one before but i think it would be a fun activity to go along with any reading and to get students to think in a different perspective than they usually do. Interactive notes are a good way to teach students how to take notes. So many people, even college students do not know how to take good notes so all of these methods are a great thing to teach students at a young age so they can use what works best for them. I would use the evaluations checklist if i was having a student in my class that was difficult or giving me a little bit of trouble with their behavior. Creating learning goals and making sure they are clear is very important for both teachers and students. Teachers must know what they want their students to learn from the lesson they are teaching and have to have steps to help them get there. I loved the chart on page 125 and 126 this is a great way to easily start a unit idea on and know what you want from the unit and what to expect from your students after the unit and during it. Learning menus are so fun! I love the idea of letting your students choose from a list of things to do and no matter which one they choose they will still be learning the same concept as the other students. This is a great way for students to feel like they have a say in their learning and have a choice in what they do. For me it makes me feel like I am having more fun with my assignment because I chose what I was going to do and I wasn't told what to do. The main menu and side dish ideas are so great. I wish my teachers would have used this when i was in school it seems like it makes the ideas of assignments so much more fun.
Complex instruction reminds me of investigation teaching. Students seem to not like this because they don't know exactly what is being asked of them and how to get to the end result, but I also think that these types of activities are the ones that students learn the most from. Students can learn so much from one another that it is important to have them work together often so that they get that experience. Task Specific general Rubrics make assignments easier because the student knows exactly what is expected of them so they know if they do not get a good grade it is their fault and the teacher can use the rubric to expain the students grade to them. I really like the ideas in this reading. There are so many different ideas that can be used in teaching. It really scares me sometimes because I feel like their is so much to learn about how to be a good teacher and so many ideas to try, but not enough time to learn it all and try it. At the same time I get more excited when I learn new ideas because I want to try it out in my classroom.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tiering
From the reading I understand tiering as a step to teaching students in a differentiated way. Tiering, like differentiation is absolutely neccesary when teaching children. No one learning a particular subject is going to be on the exact same level, but in a classroom there are groups of students who are on similar learning levels. But there will be a gap in learning abilities from group to group. To help students learn in the best way possible without pushing them to much and just frustrating them, but pushing them enough that they are learning tiering must be used. Tiering allows multiple levels of students to be taught the same thing and do the same lesson activity, but it alters exaclty what each student does just enough so it fits that particular student's learning level and ability.
The example Think-Tac-Toe in the book is tiered because first it states what the students should know and although the activities are very similar, they are altered so that the more advanced students will get the second version and the less advanced students will get the first version because it has a little bit simpler ideas, but the two are similar enough that they are still the same lesson. I think this is a great example of a tiered lesson. I was thinking though that there might need to be three levels instead of two because of the range of students that most people have in their classroom.
The Raft Activity I do not think is tiered. It does state what the students should know and I like that the students get to choose the activity they do, but the activities are not assigned to certain students based on their learning level. In a tiered lesson the lessons are tweaked in order to fit everyone in the class and even though students have a choice, their choice is not based on their abilities. To make it tiered the teacher could pre asess the students and see where they are at and then assign them a particular project based on what they need to learn and what they already know. I might be wrong, but that is what I think about the two lesson examples.
Learning Contracts are a good way to help students understand what is expected of them and have them follow through with it. I think learning contracts are tierable because each contract is made up for each student so each one may be changed a little bit to fit that particular students needs.
ThinkDots are a great review or study activity. This is easily tiered because the questions on the cards can be changed for any students on any level, but can still ask similar questions about the same topic. Teachers can have a different group of think dot cards for different levels of students too. Depending on the level of the student they can be assigned a certain (color, size, number ect.) type of think think dots and that will coincide with their learning level and ability.
Multiple Entry Journals is already a tiered lesson example. There are different levels of questions for each level of students. The students are still doing the same activity they are just thinking about and answering different levels of questions that are best suited for them.
The example Think-Tac-Toe in the book is tiered because first it states what the students should know and although the activities are very similar, they are altered so that the more advanced students will get the second version and the less advanced students will get the first version because it has a little bit simpler ideas, but the two are similar enough that they are still the same lesson. I think this is a great example of a tiered lesson. I was thinking though that there might need to be three levels instead of two because of the range of students that most people have in their classroom.
The Raft Activity I do not think is tiered. It does state what the students should know and I like that the students get to choose the activity they do, but the activities are not assigned to certain students based on their learning level. In a tiered lesson the lessons are tweaked in order to fit everyone in the class and even though students have a choice, their choice is not based on their abilities. To make it tiered the teacher could pre asess the students and see where they are at and then assign them a particular project based on what they need to learn and what they already know. I might be wrong, but that is what I think about the two lesson examples.
Learning Contracts are a good way to help students understand what is expected of them and have them follow through with it. I think learning contracts are tierable because each contract is made up for each student so each one may be changed a little bit to fit that particular students needs.
ThinkDots are a great review or study activity. This is easily tiered because the questions on the cards can be changed for any students on any level, but can still ask similar questions about the same topic. Teachers can have a different group of think dot cards for different levels of students too. Depending on the level of the student they can be assigned a certain (color, size, number ect.) type of think think dots and that will coincide with their learning level and ability.
Multiple Entry Journals is already a tiered lesson example. There are different levels of questions for each level of students. The students are still doing the same activity they are just thinking about and answering different levels of questions that are best suited for them.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Chapter 5 & 6
Chapter 5
I enjoyed reading chapter five and finding out what is really important when teaching student.s Like the chapter says, "there is so much information to teach and not enough time to teach it all" I have been so worried about this when I become a teacher and I don't know what to do. This chapter did a very good job at helping me understand what I should do. It is so imortant for each and every student to feel welcome and important to the classroom so that they want to learn. Teachers need to focus on the information that is most important and teach that info well adn not try to just rush through everything just to get everything taught. Teachers also need to know where their students are at in their learning so they do not waste time teaching things they already know or teach too far ahead and then have to play catch up. Also knowing how to teach each student in the best way for them to learn will cut time on teaching and will help the students actually learn and remember the information. Students need to be pushed and have their work be difficult and demanding, but not too much for them to handle. Before a subject is taught or understood the teacher must provide the scaffolding necessary for the studnets to understand what is being taught. Teachers should also help students know why they are learning what they are and how it will apply to their lives and their futures.
Chapter 6
This chapter also provided some very helpful knowledge on how to ensure that my students are learning and enjoying the fact that they are learning. I think when student know why they are learning and enjoy it they will do better at paying attention, doing their work and retaining the information learned. Throughout this chapter it talked about ways to engage students. First the teacher must be prepared so that they know how they will teach and what they expect from students. Teachers can also get students curious about what they will be learning if they are prepaired and know what they are going to teach. The main idea i really got from this entire chapter is to use a variety of ways to help your students really learn. Students must be interested in the subject and know and understand why it is important for them to learn. Teachers should keep students interested and use a wide variety of ways to teach, also push students to learn and grow and help them understand that you believe in them and that as long as they try their best they are succeeding. Make sure students know what is expected of them so they are pushing themselves and are not lost in the subjects and assignments. Make sure students are also helping one another learn and are involved in their peers learning and success and need to help each other.
I enjoyed reading chapter five and finding out what is really important when teaching student.s Like the chapter says, "there is so much information to teach and not enough time to teach it all" I have been so worried about this when I become a teacher and I don't know what to do. This chapter did a very good job at helping me understand what I should do. It is so imortant for each and every student to feel welcome and important to the classroom so that they want to learn. Teachers need to focus on the information that is most important and teach that info well adn not try to just rush through everything just to get everything taught. Teachers also need to know where their students are at in their learning so they do not waste time teaching things they already know or teach too far ahead and then have to play catch up. Also knowing how to teach each student in the best way for them to learn will cut time on teaching and will help the students actually learn and remember the information. Students need to be pushed and have their work be difficult and demanding, but not too much for them to handle. Before a subject is taught or understood the teacher must provide the scaffolding necessary for the studnets to understand what is being taught. Teachers should also help students know why they are learning what they are and how it will apply to their lives and their futures.
Chapter 6
This chapter also provided some very helpful knowledge on how to ensure that my students are learning and enjoying the fact that they are learning. I think when student know why they are learning and enjoy it they will do better at paying attention, doing their work and retaining the information learned. Throughout this chapter it talked about ways to engage students. First the teacher must be prepared so that they know how they will teach and what they expect from students. Teachers can also get students curious about what they will be learning if they are prepaired and know what they are going to teach. The main idea i really got from this entire chapter is to use a variety of ways to help your students really learn. Students must be interested in the subject and know and understand why it is important for them to learn. Teachers should keep students interested and use a wide variety of ways to teach, also push students to learn and grow and help them understand that you believe in them and that as long as they try their best they are succeeding. Make sure students know what is expected of them so they are pushing themselves and are not lost in the subjects and assignments. Make sure students are also helping one another learn and are involved in their peers learning and success and need to help each other.
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