Describe:
This week’s readings focused on the creation of effective
lessons. Within the chapter, Slavin (2012) details direct instruction as well
as whole and small group discussion. Direct instruction is a teaching style in
which the teacher presents information to students. The teacher is the main
focus of the lesson and controls all conversation. Direct instruction is best
used when teaching standards and factual information that students must learn.It
is the easiest way that teachers can get information to students. Slavin (2012)
presents several components of direct instruction that are most effective. The first
is stating the lesson objectives. It is important for students to know what
they are expected to know before they are presented information. Second,
teachers must review prior knowledge. If the teacher discovers that there are
misconceptions contained within students’ prior knowledge, this is his/her
chance to help them correct their thinking. In order to learn new information,
students have to be in tune to what they already know about something. The
students are then able to build their schema on the subject instead of getting
confused or lost by trying to develop an entirely new schema. After reviewing
prior knowledge, the teacher can introduce new material. It is critical that
the teacher has a clear and well-organized plan for presenting this new
material, and that they are prepared to correct any misconceptions and answer
any questions. In order to help students learn, teachers should conduct
learning probes as they teach new information. Learning probes can take many
different forms, including questioning, quizzes, and even acting out. All of
these forms of probes help teachers to know where students are struggling to
understand, and they also help students to process information.
After presenting the information,
teachers should then give students independent practice. This practice can be
done in many different ways, but no matter what form the practice is in the
teacher should always provide feedback on it. After looking at students’ work
and providing necessary feedback, the teacher should again address misconceptions.
After misconceptions are addressed, students should be given more opportunity
to practice. This practice can also take different forms and may include
homework.
Once students have grasped the
objective and are able to demonstrate their understanding of a concept, it is
time to move on. According to Slavin (2012) we often spend too much time on one
concept. It is important that when students are ready to move on that they
indeed move on. Spending too much time on one thing can make the students bored
and disinterested.
Direct instruction is the most in
depth planning that teachers do. In direct instruction, teachers present
information to the class in a way that is organized, makes sense, and keeps the
students’ attention. Another approach to teaching and lesson planning is
through discussion. Discussion is a way to shift focus off of the teacher and
basic information and place that focus on questioning, critical thinking, and
student interaction. During whole group discussion, the teacher acts as a
moderator and leads students through discussions about material. During small
group discussion, focus is completely on the students and their interactions.
The teacher may provide questions, but it is the job of the students to answer,
respond, and learn from one another’s ideas.
Analyze:
This
chapter shows the importance of thinking through lessons and considering what
is most effective for the students. The chapter showcases different approaches
to teaching and what the teacher’s role is in each of them. During our
discussion this week, I enjoyed reading my group’s responses. Whitney stated, “our
preparation directly leads to a student’s success or failure.” I think that she
is exactly right. Our level of preparedness always affects how much the
students learn. It is critical that we always take our audience into account
when planning and that we keep in mind how best they learn. If I had an older
class, I might rely on whole group discussion and small group discussion to
help students to develop deep understandings of concepts. As I teach Pre-K, it
is most effective for me to use direct instruction and be sure to plan out most
moments. I do, however, enjoy asking my students critical questions. I always
have to be prepared for what answers they may give, what misconceptions they
might have, how to best clear up those misconceptions, and what questions they
may ask.
Reflect:
Significance
of the concept concerning the context my classroom…
In my own classroom, it is critical that I know
exactly what I am going to do as soon as I walk in the door. I have to be
prepared to answer questions and explain any and all misconceptions that my
students may have in a given day. Having a layout for how direct instruction
lessons should be taught will help to keep my thoughts organized and my
teaching to flow better.
Handling
a situation differently based on this learned information…
This
chapter helped me to remember that the activation of background knowledge is
key. Sometimes I talk about things that my students do not know or understand.
I then wind up backtracking and giving them background knowledge after I have
already taught new information. After reading this chapter, I will be sure to
tell students what is expected and inquire about their background knowledge
before proceeding with new information.
My
learning confirmed my knowledge about teaching…
Reading this chapter confirmed that planning is
essential. Even if the plan for the day is to have students in small group
discussions or in discovery centers, it is important the the teacher has a plan
and knows what they are talking about. Teachers must anticipate questions that
students may have. They must also be prepared to smoothly navigate students
through their misconceptions about concepts without explicitly telling them
that they are wrong.
How I
feel about the concept…
I feel that students in higher
grades most benefit from whole group and small group discussion. In lower
grades, it is important that a teacher is there to guide thinking. The teacher
must be there to constantly ask questions and help students to come to conclusions
about their learning or exploration. In higher grades, students have developed
the ability to think abstractly and see the view-points of others. Therefore,
students in higher grades would most benfit from discussions and students in
lower grades benefit more from direct instruction.
Reference
Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology:
Theory and practice (10th ed.). Boston, M
No comments:
Post a Comment