Sunday, September 29, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Blog Post #6
What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher? According to “The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom” by Mr. Ben Johnson, some teachers may ask questions to check for understanding from their students. In most cases this is more beneficial for the teacher than it is for the student. Asking the question “Does everybody understand?” can result into a negative outcome. Sometimes students are unaware that they don’t understand something. If they are unaware that they do not understand, then how can they answer a question about what they do not know? An effective approach to asking questions is using questioning strategies by Mary Rowe. Mary Rowe proposed that teachers simply ask a question, pause for about three seconds, and then call on a student by name. This approach will automatically have all of the students thinking about an answer because a different student will be called on after each question. “Asking questions to improve learning” states that when you ask questions in a classroom you are modeling a process students can and should use themselves. Some general strategies to follow for asking questions is to keep in mind your course goals. The questions you ask should help them practice the skills being taught. Also, avoid asking your students “leading questions” . A leading question is phrased in such a way that it suggests its own answer, which results into students being discouraged from thinking on their own. Next, always aim for direct, clear, and specific questions. Ask a mix of different types of questions, such as: closed questions, open questions, and managerial questions. Closed questions are questions that have a limited number of correct answers. Open questions prompt multiple and sometimes conflicting answers. These questions are the most effective in encouraging discussion and active learning. Managerial questions ensure that students understand an assignment or have access to necessary materials. In the process of asking questions the teacher should always wait for a student to formulate a response, do not interrupt them, show that you’re interested, and develop a response to keep them thinking. “Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom” provided three actions that could improve questioning. The first action is preparing questions. If a teacher just randomly ask students what comes to their head first it could cause a lot of confusion amongst the classroom. Therefore prepare a set of questions that will be asked pertaining to what is being taught. The second action is playing with questions. Playing with questions means leaving them unanswered for a while and using strategies that encourages students to think about them. Last, the third action is preserving good questions. Good questions can be kept and used in a subsequent class and be revised so that they accomplish the good question goals even more effectively.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Blog Assignment #4
Before this blog post assignment I had never been aware of Podcasting. But after reading several pages from Langwitches blog, I became very interested. I think that it is very important to be involved with your students. The first post I read, Podcasting with First grade, showed that children as young as six years old were enthusiastic and eager to record their own voices. Not only were the first graders eager to record, they were eager for a crowd. They wanted their recordings on other people's computers and ipods, which caught my attention. The students wanted to be heard and this method broke a lot of them out of their shells. It also said the first graders were more attentive an cooperative during the recordings, even when it wasn't their turn.Podcasting can be so engaging for students that it will make them put more effort into their work/recordings. Students were also eager to take part in the editing process of the prodcasting. Blog post, First Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audio Book, explained students learning how to read by using podcasting. The class created a read-along audio book and followed along with their fingers moving across their booklets from word to word. The first graders experimented with the frequencies, pitches,emotions, and volume of their voices during the recordings. It was amazing how the students were so engaged in recording an wanting to perfect their work. Listening- Comprehension-Podcasting discussed the importance of hearing. Hearing the context of a word, the melody of a sentence, and the sounds of the letters, embraces the word. It showed me that the recording and editing process of prodcasting are great tools for language learners. The second grade students in this blog post used prodcasting to help them learn the hebrew language for a class assignment. As a student I know that podcasting can be very helpful when learning a different language, it gives you the abiltiy to correct yourself on mispronouncing words and makes you more comfortable using them. I think prodcasting is a very positive resource in education. Not only can podcasting help a student who's stuggling in reading, it can improve their speech, and work effort. I hope to one day use podcasting in my classroom of elementary students.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
C4T#1
" Teacher Education Starts in Kindergarten", discussed the importance of modeling effective teaching. The first point made by Mr. Jared Kruse was that teachers create their own profession. He also stated that as soon as a person enters education, teaching begins. In the blog, there are a list of questions that one can ask themselves to ensure that they are modeling effective teaching. In the list of questions, the term explicitly is used. Explicitly is defined as expressing something fully and clearly. Mr. Kruse stated that teaching did not seem like an interesting option in his life. But he was wrong. Mr. kruse is currently teaching 8th grade science along with researching, editing, and writing.Could his assumption about teaching not being an option in his life been influenced from poor modeling of effective teaching? It all depends on his past educators.
My Response: Growing up, I don't feel as if my high school teachers modeled effective teaching. To be honest,I only remember most of my teachers complaining about their career choice. As a student, I did not feel as if my teacher payed much attention to their students reactions to the subject being taught. Sometimes it was like we were all there because we had to be. My opinion is that teaching isn't a job, if you love doing it. When teaching, I believe you have to express your passion for it. All in all, if the teacher isn't passionate about their work, the students definitely will not be either. It is important to be a good role model in whatever you're doing. You never know who's watching!
C4T#1,comment2:
Mr. Jared W. Kruse has yet to update his blog. Therefore I went through his past posts an chose a particualr topic that our EDM310 class discussed at the begining of the semester. During Mr. Kruse's summer ED Tech course he discussesd the topic, Critical Curiosity on new technology. After observing his students, he noticed that too many of them were going to " what's wrong with this picture" line of thinking. Basically, Mr. Kruse wanted his students to take a turn and think about the positive aspects in the use of new technology. Critical cuiosity was his goal with technology in education. He wondered how technology might get used in a classroom and how it could reinforce traditional teaching practices. Mr. Kruse also wonders if technology can reduce the intellectual level in the classroom.
My Response:
The use of new technology in education has it's pro's and con's. Speaking for myself, I personally prefer hand written assignments and learning out of a text rather than reading off computer monitors. This may be because of the way my generation was taught in school. Today, in the 21st Century, most schools are replacing their textbooks with Mac books, Ipads, tablets, and laptops. All of the students assignments are to be done online. Personally, I would not choose this route. Simply because I do believe that it will reduce the intellectual level in a classroom. I believe in students being involved with their peers and instructor in discussions, rather than completing something individually online. Communication is very important and I think the use of some technology in classrooms take that away. There are some positive aspects to the new developments of technology as well. Technology can provide a student with a variety of information on a topic within seconds. I was actually indeed surprised that your students went with the " what's wrong with this picture?" line of thinking. Most students enjoy the use of technolgy. Some find it as the easy way out in education
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Blog Assignment #3
Have you ever written or typed something and realized a few mistakes you've made? The mistakes can be as simple as a misplaced period or the misspelling of a simple word. Peer editing can be a very positive resource to your writing. Peer editing consists of helping someone your own age, improve or revise their writing. There are three important steps to follow when peer editing. First, it is very important that you always remain POSITIVE! Taking feedback personally is a good way to ruin a quality peer review. The three steps to peer editing are making compliments, suggestions, and corrections. You can make compliments by pointing out an idea that stood out the most and why. When making suggestions, they should be specific and detailed. Make suggestions on their organization of ideas and choice of words. It is also important to be specific on what is being corrected. Locate any grammar and punctuation errors with editing marks. I think peer editing is a very helpful method that will be used in EDM 310. It will allow my peers and me to improve our writing. Critiquing another individual's work may seem harsh. But I think it is important that we get comfortable doing so, because of our field choice. My peers and I will need to be strong leaders and good critics in order to bring up a well educated generation of students. I will deliver my feedback in a public and private manner. Delivering feedback publicly can help another individual out, rather than just one.
