SIOP Feature 24 says that the teacher should provide language objectives and content objectives for themselves, as well as the students during each lesson. These objectives should be directly stated, and students should be able to clearly see them throughout the lesson. At the end of the lesson, the objectives should be discussed and the teacher should determine whether the students met the objectives. If the objectives were not met, the teacher should discuss this with the class and attempt to pinpoint the exact reasons. While many teachers prefer to just keep the objectives in mind during a lesson, this article stresses the importance of orally and visually presenting them to the students.
SIOP Feature 25 says that teachers should be sure that students are engaged for 90% to 100% of the lesson. Students should be actively listening and remaining on task throughout the lesson. Teachers must find ways to ensure that students are learning what they are suppose to learn, while making lessons engaging and interesting at the same time. The article talks about the importance of time in the classroom, and how little time should be wasted during a lesson, especially with English learners. When students are bored or off-task, or the teacher has not planned the lesson effectively, then learning time is lost, which can be very detrimental to English learners who need to take in as much material as possible. This feature also discusses the three aspects to student engagement that teachers should keep in mind: allocated time, engaged time, and academic learning time. Allocated time is how long the teacher decides to spend teaching a certain topic, and how long students are given to complete a task. Lessons must be created to use time efficiently. Engaged time is when students are actively participating in the lesson. This is important because when students are engaged, more learning is usually taking place. Academic learning time includes the tasks that students perform to ensure that they come to a better understanding of the material.
SIOP Feature 26 deals with pacing a lesson based on students' ability levels, and the content to be covered. Teachers must account for English learners and keep in mind that the pace of the lesson may need to be altered to ensure that the information is not being taught too quickly or too slowly. When teachers begin to familiarize themselves with each student's ability level and learning speed, it can become easier to effectively pace a lesson in a way that maximizes time.
Task: Look back on some lessons that have been taught to you in the past. What were some specific techniques or activities that were effective for you? What were some that were not effective and why? Which strategies would you want to use in your future classroom?
All hands on activities or techniques were effective for me as a learner. I also really benefitted from class or group discussion. It can be really hard to use activities like this though, because it can be difficult to monitor every student in the class and to make sure they are engaged and learning the material.
ReplyDeleteStrategies that were usually not as effective for me were worksheets, or reading and filling in blanks. Writing spelling words or listening to lectures also weren't very effective for me. Listening to lectures is still difficult for me as a learner.
I would want to use a variety of strategies in my future classroom, because every learner is an individual. Different strategies work for different students so if I were to only use a few strategies it is inevitable someone in my classroom wouldn't be learning. I would try to do a combination of group and individual work, as well as doing both hands on activities and worksheets. I would hope that by using several strategies I would reach each person in my classroom.
Alice Wilcox - 002
ReplyDeleteFor me, it is always very useful when teachers do a brief review or summary of what we learned in the class period before. When they do this, it kind of primes my mind so I know what I should be thinking about, and it helps to make connections between new and past learning. I have been in classes where the teachers don’t do this and I find it hard to get started. My mind tends to wonder and isn’t as focused or as ready to learn as it should be. I also find it very helpful after the teacher explains a new topic to do a few practice problems or a worksheet or just something that reinforces the new idea. This helps me to know what I have learned, or have not learned, and allows me to ask questions before moving on to a different topic. I know there isn’t always enough time to do this or the lesson doesn’t necessarily allow for it, but when a lot of new material is presented without any practice, I can feel overwhelmed or lost. It is nice if it can be broken up by activities.
In a classroom I would try to use both of those techniques. I would make sure to review previous learning and not just lecture for a long time without giving the students time to practice the material. Since not all students learn in the same ways, I would always try to use a variety of other strategies to keep the students engaged throughout the entire class, like lecture, group discussion, individual and group work, and hands-on activities. Using different ways to present the material will hopefully keep students active and engaged.
Classroom activities and lessons that utilize supplemental materials other than the classroom textbook or workbook have always been more effective and engaging for me personally. When teachers are able to incorporate a number of different small-group pairings, as well as other hands-on or authentic language activities, demonstrations, realia, etcetera, it helps student to learn in a more engaging environment. In addition to activity types, one technique that many of my teachers have utilized in a language class is that they involve students during the lesson. They ask several open-ended questions to the class as a way to help motivate them to participate. In doing so, it helps to make the class maintain a strong rhythm and helps to make it more engaging overall for the students, which in turn, makes a language class more fun, interactive and effective.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to strong and effective teachers, I have had classes that were less than enjoyable and not effective at all. All of these classes contained certain characteristics, one of which is that they utilize activities that solely stem from the textbook or workbook. These activities are neither helpful nor engaging to students when they are used alone. Workbooks are meant to help assist and guide the lecture in a particular direction, but are not meant to be the only material used to teach a class. Especially since foreign language instruction has shifted from its beginnings of grammar-translation to a communicative approach. Therefore, when classes use only worksheets that are based on grammar-translation, students are not able to manipulate and use the language in a realistic context. They become bored, making it overall non-effective. In addition to poor activity development, teachers who do not engage students in the lesson and lecture for a majority of the class without prompting students to participate makes for an ineffective classroom. Students need to be able to participate and use the language through several mediums. In a foreign language classroom specifically, students are learning the language as a way to gain communication skills. Therefore, if they are never given the opportunity to use the language, then they will become unresponsive to the class and teacher. They will not be engaged in the classroom and lose overall interest in learning the language.
Overall, for my future classroom, I would like to create and maintain a fun environment for students. I want to create a classroom where they feel confident to participate in the classroom, one in which they are involved during class lectures and lesson, as well as one that helps them to use the language in authentic ways. I want to be creative when developing my lesson plans, and in doing so, I will keep my students I mind so that I will be able to design an overall interactive and effective classroom.
I find that some strategies that teachers use are either very beneficial or don't help students at all. For me personally i learn by doing and by visual representations. I found this out as i learned through the years that the materials i learned the best were from hands on activities. For instance i once had a teacher who made sure that every student got the material by teaching it in different ways. She would lecture on it for those that had listening, printed out what she was lecturing for those that liked to read and look back, and then we would do a visual or hands on activity.This way she hit all the major types of learning. I also figured out from another teacher that lecturing does not always help me because one class all the teacher did was talk in front of the class and i never truly learned the material. This makes me believe that in my classroom i will implement a variety of teaching techniques so that i can reach all of my students. I also want to make it creative and fun for them to learn because by lecturing students get bored and stop paying attention. By making it fun and creative they are more likely to learn and enjoy the subject.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best ways I learn is by visual aids and hands on activities. This is because its easy for me to see the material right in front of me as I hear it verbally as I follow along with the teacher and the lesson. When it comes to filling out worksheets, I like having visual materials such as the book, to help guide my thinking, and control my understanding of the material. Therefore visual guides of all sorts are very essential in many students learning. Though this may only be one beneficial way for students such as myself to learn, it also helped getting down and dirty in a hands on activity. In some cases, my teachers have been able to incorporate a lesson to real world situations. Therefore, students not only understand better but they can also see why they are learning this and how it will help them in the future. When students can see connections, they become more interested in the material and more eager to learn as they can think “yeah, this makes sense.”
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, some techniques such as group work and worksheets were not beneficial to me. I mostly believe I didn’t enjoy group work as much as others did, mainly because I was the one doing all of the work. In my case, I would become extremely frustrated as my group mates would be engaged in a conversation while I was expected to finish something we were all supposed to be a part of. This not only applies pressure on individual students, but it makes that student not want to be involved in future activities, afraid of being in the same position time after time again. Worksheets on the other hand, can be beneficial while at other times not. I believe they are less beneficial because it is extremely easy for a student to become off topic and unfocused. This not only disadvantages that individual student, but also students around. I also think worksheets are busy work, so if students could be more actively watched and observed to make sure they remain on task, I believe this isn’t much help to any of the students.
As for strategies in my classroom, I’m sure I’ll be biased to teach how I learn best, but I will try extremely hard to mix in some of the non effective strategies that didn’t benefit me. Seeing that students learn in many different ways, I have to be open minded on how and what I present to my students. Therefore, with a tuned ear and eye on individual or group discussions, I will make sure all students are on task and contributing their part. I will incorporate visual aids and materials, worksheets, hands on, and group work into my classroom. Though this may be difficult at times, I will always state my objectives orally and visually before class, during, and have a small discussion at the end of the lesson to talk about what was achieved.
I have never truly found my personal favorite method of instruction. Some people are visual, some are hands-on, some are auditory. I feel like I learn best when I have a variety of instruction from the teacher, and I also think it depends on the class and subject matter. Generally, in my Teacher Education classes, group discussion of articles, activities, ideas or assessments is really key. Being able to talk about the subject and gather new information from the teacher and my peers is really helpful and probably the best way that I remember information. I don't think that there is a specific form of instruction that is NOT helpful. However, I think that whatever type of instruction is taking place in the classroom, it needs to be meaningful. I think that listening and repeating tapes, doing worksheets, reading, writing, listening and group projects and activities are all helpful strategies for teaching/learning within any classroom, so I know that I will try to incorporate all methods within my future class. I am a big believer in having all types of instruction available to students because everyone learns differently.
ReplyDeleteI learn best when there are hands-on material and class discussions rather than reading and doing worksheets because when given a worksheet, I focus on finishing the worksheet to get a good grade more that I focus on actually learning the material. I also like when the teacher makes connections to previous classes because I know what to be thinking about and how to make sense of what we're learning. Classes that are based purely on lectures have never been effective for me personally because I tend to work on other things or just browse the internet because the teacher is not grabbing my attention or making anything interesting. Classes where my opinions and views can be challenged are more enjoyable. In my classroom I would like to incorporate a variety of strategies so that every learning style is being addressed. What works for one student might not work for another and this is definitely an issue in most classes because teachers become so accustomed to their own way of learning and teaching that they don't always focus on the needs of the students.
ReplyDeleteTask: Look back on some lessons that have been taught to you in the past. What were some specific techniques or activities that were effective for you? What were some that were not effective and why? Which strategies would you want to use in your future classroom?
ReplyDeleteFor me personally any techniques that involved writing worked the best for me; worksheets, papers, writings things out, etc. I’m not sure exactly why but when I write something down I remember it as opposed to simply listening to a lecture or “hands-on” activities. I also think that this strategy works for me because it holds me more accountable to learn something and turn it in for a good grade.
For me hands-on activities are not effective because in all honesty I don’t try at them; in almost all cases of hands-on I was working with other people and they either distracted me or worse just did the work for me. Even individual hands-on activities I find distracting if other people are talking- I need silence to really focus.
In my future classroom I would like to utilize all kinds of activities; though there are strategies that I love or strategies that I hate I know that different things work for different people and plan to offer my students as many opportunities to help them learn as possible.
I have never enjoyed history lessons and I think that part of the reason is because it is so difficult to engage students in a subject that they see as unrelated to their own lives. Most of the history lessons I sat through were based on lecture or videos. There were not a lot of hands-on activities and it was easy to lose focus and tune out. On the other hand, I had some creative science teachers that were able to effectively engage me in the material. I remember one experiment in which we grew different plants in my fourth grade classroom. Each table group had a specific seed that they were in charge of growing and observing. We became experts of our specific plant, learning the optimal environment to grow it in, what it looked like, stages of growth, etc. Each group member had specific jobs in taking care of the plant, measuring, watering, recording observations, etc. I remember feeling like my job was so important and enjoyed contributing to such a practical experiment, eagerly and “accidentally” learning the science material along the way. Since each group had a different plant, at the end of the unit, we gave presentations to the rest of the class to teach them about the plant that we had become “experts” on. In my own classroom, I hope to give my students a lot of practical applications in all subjects – whether through experiments or other engaging activities. The best way to get students to learn the material is to get them excited about it and give them opportunities to experience it first-hand.
ReplyDeleteThe bit about 'clearly stating lesson objectives' really makes sense to me. I remember in my own education receiving oral and visual expectations for each days' lesson in elementary school. Reflecting back now, it seems like around the 6th or 7th grade my teachers stopped doing that sort of thing. Interesting. I suppose some teachers feel that writing objectives on the board is a bit...elementary...but it really is a great benefit to students. This is true in non-English language classrooms as well. I think the way one delivers the 'lesson objectives' from grade to grade can be adjusted, but there still needs to be some sort of acknowledgment of 'this is what we will know after this lesson.' It seems like too often teachers assume the students know what is expected of them or what is expected to be learned from the lesson. As the reading suggests, this is usually not the case. I'll definitely write this stuff down on the board in my classroom, ESL or otherwise. The more information the students get about their education the better.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my education, I have experienced a variety of different teaching techniques. One technique I do not prefer that has not been beneficial to me as a learner is when the educator provides power point slides from which they read/discuss and go through at a very fast rate. In such situations, it is the responsibility of the student to read the information displayed and listen to what the teacher is saying all while recording everything that is written and spoken. It is nearly impossible for a student to absorb or even process the information being presented. It seems that some teachers choose to use this technique when instructing in an attempt to cover a large amount of material in a short amount of time, however, the technique is only overwhelming and confusing for the student. I feel that power point slides can be very beneficial for student-learning if they are made available to the students via the Internet or in hard copy in addition to be presented during class. Teachers should never read from power point slides but rather use them as a reference for both himself/herself and the students. In closing, I feel that power point slides are an excellent way to present new information in a visual manner, but every educator who uses them needs to practice discernment so that the students can actually reap the benefits of such technology rather than miss out on the opportunity to learn visually.
ReplyDeleteThere are several different types of lessons that I found beneficial. Hands-on/physical assignments work great for me because it gives me a chance to interact with the assignment and figure things out on my own. Teachers who showed us demonstrations, but did not let us do it on our own did not seem to have effective lesson plans. Our class averages were lower and everyone seemed confused. On the other hand, teachers who let us do hands-on activities seemed to have higher class averages.
ReplyDeleteAnother effective thing that has been done in my previous classes was giving us a brief overview of the lesson so that we could prepare ourselves for what was next. This was very helpful, and it prevented me from feeling completely lost when the teacher started lecturing. Being in classes with teachers who do not clearly identify the objective(s) is very frustrating, and I would never do that to my students.
With all of the new technology in today's society, it is hard to keep the attention of all of your students, especially if they are college students. I would use a method that many of my teachers used, which was randomly calling on people to answer questions. This could minimize the computer and cell phone usage.
The lessons that were not effective were the one's that involved strictly lecturing with no class discussion. Everyone would fall asleep or talk to their friends instead of paying attention to the lesson. Students need to stay engaged or move around every one in a while, so this strategy did not work.
In my future classrooms, I would clearly state my objectives and do a lot of hands-on or class participation assignments. I would also try to incorporate assignments that are suggested by the students so that they will feel more involved in the classroom.
I am currently working towards an elementary degree in math and TESOL. In a college math class my teacher used a technique that was extremely effective. The class had around 25 people in it and the professor would assign homework after every class. He would not collect the homework (answers were in the back of the book) but if we had questions on the problems we could ask them in class. Before class started (people would get there early) students could write problems on the board that they had questions on. Then if another classmate understood the problem s/he could explain it to the student who had the question. If there was any confusion about the question after classmates talked then the question remained on the board for the professor to explain.
ReplyDeleteMy professor said that it cut down on class time (going over problems that not everybody needed to hear because some might have understood the problem) thus increasing learning time. It also helped reinforced the knowledge when the student was teaching the concept to his/her classmate.
This was extremely effective. It helped students understanding math in a deeper way. Students were able to increase their math vocabulary by explaining problems to other classmates. It also freed up time for the teacher to stay focused during the class and teach us new material.
I think this technique can be great for native English speakers and ELL students, because the students feel more comfortable writing the problem on the board rather than raising their hand in a classroom. It also increases mathematical vocabulary and verbal skills. I think this technique can be used in elementary and high school and be applied to other subjects.