Sarah+K

Constructivist Conversation and Observations

NTASC Standard 5 Motivation and Management – The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. To Sir With Love The new teacher sees that he is inheriting a highly dysfunctional classroom where the students show absolutely no respect and are utterly unmotivated as learners. This situation is still all too common today. I think the teacher is just observing for a bit and trying to be non-reactive but will need to develop strategies to ENGAGE the students quickly and also he will need to establish new rules/norms and show no mercy for a time as they are not used to any boundaries or consequences.

Power Teaching


 * INTASCS**: **5. Motivation and Management**-The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment taht encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self motivation. **3. Diverse Learners:** The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

[] Whole Brain Teaching: The BasicsContinue Editing In this clip, Biffle uses Power Teaching strategies to teach about Power Teaching. There is much intense rapid energetic interaction between students and teacher and each other too. Great energy!~ I was smiling and laughing and wanting to be part of it. I would use his version of reality checking with partner for constant reinforcement. I like the humor.

[] How to Begin... Biffle teaches Power Teaching to middle school students. Clearly it is a great technique for this age group--kinesthetic. The students are attentive. I may try these strategies in my next middle school sub job. He covers the 5 rules which will give the class structure and discipline.

[] Lesson ! Power Teaching Biffle describes how to introduce Power Teaching mid semester--with confidence! Not tentatively, but as if it were always in the plan. I want to try using the "Class-Yes" attention getting strategy for sure--seems fun and effective. Student engagement is the main point of Power Teaching. [] Lesson 2 The Rules Biffle introduces the 5 rules of Power Teaching and emphasizes the importance of practicing them in fun engaging (of course) ways with students. I think the rules are fairly good--2 of them very general to cover anything, and 3 more specific. I want to remember the importance of reinforcing rules/norms with students-- How to do so effectively with high school kids, I'm not sure.

[] Lesson 4 Biffle explains how to make kids follow Rule 2 (Raise your hand to speak) by pracitcing interruption and having rest of class call out the Rule upon your prompt--this way, it's not you against the kids --it's the kids correcting each other in a fun way.

-ask, what were some foolish choices you could have made? some smart ones? etc.
Lesson 7 Rule 5 Make your Dear Teacher Happy!

-no arguing with this rule - you are the authority (-: no loopholes -never engage in back and forth arguing / negotiating with students -say, when you are learning, I am happy... says it all....

Lesson 8--Review of Power Teaching -use class/yes to review/teach linked concepts: T: Capital of CA! SS: Sacramento!


 * [[image:../../i/c.gif width="10" height="21" caption="c.gif"]] ||  || [[image:../../i/c.gif width="23" height="21" caption="c.gif"]] ||>   ||   ||

-important to practice the rules a lot
-Teaching is repeating yourself so get used to it or get out!!!!

.

Sarah Knox

Thematic Units Ch. 1, 2 and 3—Jigsaw reading /discussion, 9/23/10 INTASC: 4. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills. •Important to incorporate current technology into classroom; webquests, communication with students in other countries, etc. •Constructivist theory supports the concept of integrated curriculum and interdisciplinary thematic units; interrelated ideas are easier for a student to learn. •Overview of NCLB—accountability! •Select a theme, consider scope and sequencing. Collaborate with other teachers. •Get student input –they should be interested in the topic, or theme, and help name it. •Objectives vs. goals; goals general, ideal and they guide instructional methods; objectives are specific and measurable—actual performance students are expected to display after learning unit. •Objectives should reflect the 3 different domains of learning: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. •Use taxonomies when writing objectives to be sure and include higher level thinking/learning skills. •Studies support that students learning from integrated curriculums and interdisciplinary units do as well or better than from other curriculums. Also, art and service learning enhance learning and grades.
 * Ch. 1-Introduction to Integrated Curriculum and Interdisciplinary Units ** —Wayne
 * Ch. 2- Initiating an Interdisciplinary Unit ** -Stephanie
 * Ch. 3- Developing Objectives- ** Ryan (my chapter too)

• One purpose of assessment is to communicate with your students’ parents and include them in their child’s learning. •A 3-step process of assessment is recommended including a diagnostic step first, also called preassessment, a formative step second, which is assessment strategies used during instruction, and a summative assessment last, which assesses learning after instruction, and may take the form of a chapter end test or a course grade for example. •Teachers also need strategies for assessing student //behavior//, both verbal and non-verbal.
 * Bullets from Ch. 4 ITU—Chris’ presentation**

Sarah Knox •A lesson plan template for an integrated thematic unit is provided on page 162 and 164 and includes sections for procedures as well as objectives and a rationale. •Include out-of-class (ie: homework) tasks in your lesson plans. Write them on the board and leave time to talk about them.
 * Bullets from Ch. 5 ITU—Jen**

1. [] The speaker contrast Blooms vs Anderson’s (more recent) Taxonomies—The latter has more of a vocational or applied slant. Surface learning is facts, rote, short-term memory. Deep learning is about understanding, meaning vs detail. SKA- Skills, Knowledge, Attitude. Keep these concepts in mind when designing lesson plans. [] Knopp introduces the 3 domains of learning: Cognitive, affective and psychomotor. He goes on to delineate the 6 levels of learning in the cognitive domain, from lower to higher levels of learning and thinking, from basic knowledge (facts) to synthesis and evaluation. Very useful review—good to bear in mind while planning lessons. 2. [] This was a visual cake- shaped illustration of Bloom’s (with Create in place of Synthesize) taxonomy for review. It said you could click on one level to review but it did not work. Moved too fast to reade verbs and products. [] This speaker lays out Vella’s (1994) 12 principles of good effective teaching: needs assessment, safety (emotionally speaking), sound relationships, sequencing, praxis, ideas, immediacy, clear roles, respect, team work, engagement, accountability. I was happy to learn the meaning of praxis—the linking of theory and practice; good concept for lesson planning. [|B1 BloomsDomainsOverview.pdf] This is a very useful page which delineates all the levels in the 3 domains of learning from Blooms taxonomy. The affective domain includes receiving, valuing, responding, organization, characterization. The psychomotor domain includes these 6 objectives: reflex movements, basic movements, perceptual abilities, physical abilities, skilled movements, and non-discursive movements-(ability to communicate through body movement). [|B2 ObjectivesAndQuestions.pdf] Shows level of abstraction of question types. Very useful structure for categorizing test questions. Also gives question cues or verbs and words that represent that level of question. For example, at the evaluation level, question cues include convince, judge, rank, recommend and more. [|B3 BloomsMethods.pdf] Wonderful page showing application in teaching of Blooms Taxononomy! Tells what teacing tools to use for a given level as well as how to recognized observed behavior desired at that level. For example, at the “analysis” level, use graphsm surveys, diagrams, quesstionnaisres and so on and observed behavior includes classify, dissect, advertise, survey and the like. Very useful page for lesson planning. [|B4 Ecology Sample and Special Needs.pdf] This is an example of using Blooms Taxonomy in a working curriculum unit—science in this case. For each level, it gives “simple” and “extended” activities appropriate for the theme(Eco Systems) and the level. This could be a useful lesson planning tool as well. [|B5 Writing Objectives Specifics.pdf] This page shows a comprehensive list of verbs appropriate for each level of the cognitive domain of Blooms taxonomy. This will be very useful in planning writing assignments and I have seen it used in Language Arts classes.
 * BLOOM"S TAXONOMY**