As I take time to look at the standards
which I am planning to use to strengthen myself as a teacher, I think about my
GAME plan and exactly I what I will do to carry it out and ensure that it is a
success. I have been taking a lot of time to reflect on what I have done over
the past school year. With the year ending in just a week and a half, I have
from now until August to plan my methods of teaching and make changes to ensure
that my goals are met for next year when it comes to my GAME plan.
The two standards I want to work on go
hand in hand. I would like to design or adapt relevant learning experiences
that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and
creativity and design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments. At this point, my principal and grade level
team are discussing exactly what the plan is as far as instruction is concerned
for next year. I may be teaching all subject areas like I have been or we may
block and I will be responsible for math.
Until I know what I am doing for sure I do not know exactly what I will
be doing for my GAME plan and have not planned specifics yet. However, I would
like to incorporate more digital tools such as wikis, blogs, Voice Thread,
podcasts, Jing, and concept mapping through websites such as Spider scribe to
create more project based assessments. There are many tutorials available
online which explain how to use the digital tools which is very helpful because
they are easily accessible and students would be able to refer back to them at
any time if they were to forget or have questions about how to do something. I
am hoping that I will be responsible for teaching math because I would like to
create projects which would enable my students to learn math in a real world
context such as a career which may use fractions a lot or a career where
multiplication is used daily. Creating projects which students can do requiring
them to apply mathematical skills and concepts would be a great hands on
approach to learning the material and seeing the relevance of math. Students
can be creative and come up with a role playing scenarios where mathematics
must be used to solve a problem and it can be recorded using audio and video to
be presented to the class. There is a wide variety that can be done and the
wheels are turning in my mind. I just have to know what I am responsible for
teaching next year so I can go ahead and start planning for sure some things
that my students will be doing.
I really would like to go away from the
paper and pencil based assessments especially in math and do more projects
based assessments because I truly believe that if students learn a concept and
are given the opportunity to be hands on and apply what they have learned to
create something, than they will remember it more. Does anyone have any suggestions on maybe a
project I can have my fourth graders do in math?
References
ISTE.
(2008). NETS for teachers: advancing digital age teaching. Retrieved on May 9,
2012 from: http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx
Leonor,
ReplyDeleteProject Based Learning is an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. These activities are designed to answer a question or solve a problem and generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom.
Project Based Learning is synonymous with learning in depth. A well-designed project provokes students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline.
Project Based Learning teaches students 21 st century skills as well as content. These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, and group participation and leadership skills.
Project Based Learning is generally done by groups of students working together toward a common goal. Performance is assessed on an individual basis, and takes into account the quality of the product produced, the depth of content understanding demonstrated, and the contributions made to the ongoing process of project realization.
Finally, Project Based Learning allows students to reflect upon their own ideas and opinions, exercise voice and choice, and make decisions that affect project outcomes and the learning process in general.
Nice ideas!
Wow awesome response Jessica. You sound like a book! Definitely intellectual. Thanks for taking time to post on my blog.
DeleteLeonor,
ReplyDeleteI think that your thinking is right on with using more project based assessment and learning. Many schools are really focusing on this type of learning so instead of teaching multiple theme lessons they are trying to establish one thing and focus on it for an entire year using multiple different teaching styles and multiple different ways of teaching. Also this way of teaching allows the students to be more creative and display different ways of presenting information.
I also have just finished up the school year and look forward to next year when I can implement my new resources that I have found and to try new and different ways of teaching. I hope you have a great summer and it really sounds like you are focused on what way you want to begin next year
Thanks Tricia! I look forward to the new school year as well so I can implement some things I've learned. I think allowing opportunities for students to use thier creativity more in instruction and projects will keep them more engaged and lead to better results.
DeleteLeonor,
ReplyDeleteI think you idea of integrating PBL learning into a math class to provide more real world connections is wonderful. Some real world situations involving math would be to design a supermarket trip with a certain amount of money and coupons for the students to use within a budget to prepare a day's worth of meals. Students could research how much it would cost to supply the classroom with needed supplies and present to PTA or administration. Students could also raise money for a charity and keep a spread sheet on fundraising to display in school to show how a community can pull together to make a difference. I wish my math teachers had provided more real life situations when I was younger, because I always remember saying, "How will I ever use this in life?"
Cindy
Cindy I used to make that same comment as a child and I know some of my students also wonder that very same question at times as well. Thanks so much for your ideas!!!! They are wonderful. I will definitely find a way to incorporate them into the classroom. All great!!!
DeleteUsing project- or problem-based learning in math is excellent for building students' understanding of concepts and skills taught. You might consider consulting with your team on a way to integrate, for example, what they are learning in science, with what you are teaching in math. In my second grade class, we grew plants in science to study the life cycle of flowering plants. We used the data we created in math to write and solve two-step math problems. This data could also easily be used in graphing and data representation and analysis. My advice would be to be creative with your curriculum. Sometimes the students will even come up with great ideas for projects. Project- and problem-based learning can help kids make connections between what they are learning and the world, answering the age-old question, "Why do I need to learn this?" By giving students an authentic learning experience, they should see the relationship themselves.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thanks for the comment. You are definitely right. Math can really be integrated into a lot and graphs can be made to show a lot of data in every day scenarios. I just need to look around a little more. Thanks a bunch!
DeleteDo you have any idea on what you might include in your wiki, blog or other technology implementation devices? It seems like knowing what you want to teach before trying to figure out how to use the technology rather than the other way around.
ReplyDelete