Today was the first lesson taught and while the class was small and consisted of two students it was very beneficial for everyone. Students were given the option to choose (based on when they arrived to class) which vegetable they would like to research in regards to their community garden. The options were Spinach, Lettuce, Kale, Rainbow chard, and Radishes. In front of them consisted of a sheet of paper with five pre determined questions that they needed to research about their specific vegetable.
One of the things that was done different with this is that computers were already set up randomly throughout the computer lab and preset on a specific kid friendly search engine website. The purpose of this was to move students away from one another to avoid disruptions of their time in the computer lab as well as to guide them away from the simple use of Google.
I believe that this lesson went really well. I could easily see the two student working diligently on their questions and asking when something did not make sense or when they could not find any results. When results were not found however, we sat together and discussed how we might reword our search in order to possibly find it another way without altering websites.
One student finished early and began using the desired website to create a digital poster (Glogster.edu).
From this lesson I did learn that it is important to word things as simple as possible. There was one predesigned question that confused students on what they should be researching. After discussing it and explaining what I was looking for, both understood. It really goes to show how easily our brains think in different ways. Something that makes sense to me will not always make sense to someone else, including my own students. Clarification is the key!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Tech Club Observation
The first initial meeting and observation with Amy Wood, the Tech Club teacher at Chief Joseph Middle School, went extremely well. While there Amy and I discussed which days would be good for teaching tech club based upon their attendance on certain days followed by what would work well with my own schedule. We have decided upon Thursdays hopefully being the best day to attend, interact, and teach the students. We also discussed flexibility if Thursdays will not work due to my work schedule- she has stated she is flexible and has no problem with that if a problem arises with Thursdays.
During my hour observation I noticed that while it is an after school program there is quite a bit of structure to this program. For the first 30 minutes of the 2 hour long Tech Club program students are given, actually instructed, to work on their homework and show their planners to the teacher in charge. The point of this is to instill structure and responsibility upon the students to use their time wisely to complete assignments and get any help while still in the school building before going home without additional resources at their fingertips. The idea of working in silence to encourage work is also instilled, they are asked to eat a snack (which they receive upon showing their planner for the day) in quiet while beginning their homework. If students do not have homework they need to be studying for any upcoming tests. There is little area for students to give an excuse. The teacher knows that either they have homework or there is some test for every student coming up that needs to be studied for.
Prior to my observation I was informed by Amy that during the spring semester several practicum students helped establish an idea that was implemented for Tech Club. These students are going to be building a community garden that will inform the community of the health benefits of different plants, allow for locally grown vegetables, and cut costs. She has asked me to continue this idea of implementation with Tech club. Already we have discussed using a student friendly search engine for students to document their work of what each plant is, how it benefits the community from growth, and how it benefits the body from consumption.
During my hour observation I noticed that while it is an after school program there is quite a bit of structure to this program. For the first 30 minutes of the 2 hour long Tech Club program students are given, actually instructed, to work on their homework and show their planners to the teacher in charge. The point of this is to instill structure and responsibility upon the students to use their time wisely to complete assignments and get any help while still in the school building before going home without additional resources at their fingertips. The idea of working in silence to encourage work is also instilled, they are asked to eat a snack (which they receive upon showing their planner for the day) in quiet while beginning their homework. If students do not have homework they need to be studying for any upcoming tests. There is little area for students to give an excuse. The teacher knows that either they have homework or there is some test for every student coming up that needs to be studied for.
Prior to my observation I was informed by Amy that during the spring semester several practicum students helped establish an idea that was implemented for Tech Club. These students are going to be building a community garden that will inform the community of the health benefits of different plants, allow for locally grown vegetables, and cut costs. She has asked me to continue this idea of implementation with Tech club. Already we have discussed using a student friendly search engine for students to document their work of what each plant is, how it benefits the community from growth, and how it benefits the body from consumption.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)