Yes - I think that Chris and Bonnie's ID of both the ISW and the MORE (U Sask) programs both hit the key element.. build some relationship and communication with students prior to jumping into the curriculum. Thanks for the info - and I always enjoy checking out the instructional videos! - n
neil SMITH
Posts made by neil SMITH
Balance between energized passion a being fried... a great question...
The thing that keeps me excited about working with practising teachers is the increase in energy and passion as they develop over years the habit of continually taking on measured challenges. Certainly, I have seen this orientation derail people and move them into the zone of major stress when they take themselves TOO seriously and expect perfection the first time through.
My experience in the past tells me our students APPRECIATE efforts to explore different forms of instruction, taking personal risks, because they recognize that at the heart of it, we know our curriculum, are not afraid of making some errors along the way, but are clearly committed to their learning. When the students see me getting formulaic, overly predictable, or worse, when it all starts to look the same to ME..I know that I need to launch into something more challenging - for the students and me.
I think burnout comes when we become too perfectionistic, when it all starts to look the same, when all risk is removed from our agenda, and we get too wrapped up in the tight fidelity and control of our curriculum areas, or just as badly, the purity of our pedagogy - rather than being responsive to what and who are students are... my thoughts..
That said, the first year prof often needs the basics - to build a safety zone initially around a few simple instructional basics. I always need to remember that the risk and responsibility in teaching a hundred undergrads is daunting enough!
- N
The thing that keeps me excited about working with practising teachers is the increase in energy and passion as they develop over years the habit of continually taking on measured challenges. Certainly, I have seen this orientation derail people and move them into the zone of major stress when they take themselves TOO seriously and expect perfection the first time through.
My experience in the past tells me our students APPRECIATE efforts to explore different forms of instruction, taking personal risks, because they recognize that at the heart of it, we know our curriculum, are not afraid of making some errors along the way, but are clearly committed to their learning. When the students see me getting formulaic, overly predictable, or worse, when it all starts to look the same to ME..I know that I need to launch into something more challenging - for the students and me.
I think burnout comes when we become too perfectionistic, when it all starts to look the same, when all risk is removed from our agenda, and we get too wrapped up in the tight fidelity and control of our curriculum areas, or just as badly, the purity of our pedagogy - rather than being responsive to what and who are students are... my thoughts..
That said, the first year prof often needs the basics - to build a safety zone initially around a few simple instructional basics. I always need to remember that the risk and responsibility in teaching a hundred undergrads is daunting enough!
- N
Thanks Deirdre for passing along the chart that expands the traditional Bloom's taxonomy with activities and updated assessment methods. The way that they have fleshed out CREATE is really useful - and great examples of alternate assessment throughout the chart. I still would add in what I believe are critical elements of pure inquiry into the EVALUATE category.. adding decision making, solving problems, taking positions, and most importantly the skill of justifying them....
My biggest challenge in my current teaching is the commitment to build into my assessment full opportunities for cyclical projects and assignments, where the chance to build on and revise first time learning and attempts is always built in. I thought that on the top of the website Deirdre sent us ( CHART) these words were right on the money... may be the most useful guiding paragraph for modern assessment: THANKS!!!
One of the best ways to function as ally or coach is to role--play the enemy in a supportive setting. For example, one can give practice tests where the grade doesn't count, or give feedback on papers which the student can revise before they count for credit. This gets us out of the typically counterproductive situation where much of our commentary on papers and exams is really justification for the grade---or is seen that way. Our attempt to help is experienced by students as a slap on the wrist by an adversary for what they have done wrong. No wonder students so often fail to heed or learn from our commentary. But when we comment on practice tests or revisable papers we are not saying "Here's why you got this grade." We are saying, "Here's how you can get a better grade." - Peter Elbow in Embracing Contraries
Thx for the great ideas...N
Hi Sue - Thanks for the comments, and welcome in from northern Ontario!
I understand your point about lack of articulation of specific outcomes for the session, but we decided to keep the sessions purposefully open - inviting people to pick up on the themes most important to them, the learning outcomes being more"expressive" in nature. At the end of the three weeks our hope is that participants would have reflected on their own instruction, picked up some ideas about how to build on their existing practice, and importantly thrashed about in a good debate about best instructional decisions for different practice.
While the ISW BOPPPS provides the organizing framework, we find in our sessions the most powerful learning comes from peoples' sharing of experiences that build on parts of the DVD that they find most relevant.
So - we are open... which, by the way, does not preclude our critique of the DVD. That we would really welcome as well, given that we are midpoint in the development of a second DVD in the series based on Inquiry.
Thanks Sue - hope you are able to join us Monday once again. - Neil
I understand your point about lack of articulation of specific outcomes for the session, but we decided to keep the sessions purposefully open - inviting people to pick up on the themes most important to them, the learning outcomes being more"expressive" in nature. At the end of the three weeks our hope is that participants would have reflected on their own instruction, picked up some ideas about how to build on their existing practice, and importantly thrashed about in a good debate about best instructional decisions for different practice.
While the ISW BOPPPS provides the organizing framework, we find in our sessions the most powerful learning comes from peoples' sharing of experiences that build on parts of the DVD that they find most relevant.
So - we are open... which, by the way, does not preclude our critique of the DVD. That we would really welcome as well, given that we are midpoint in the development of a second DVD in the series based on Inquiry.
Thanks Sue - hope you are able to join us Monday once again. - Neil
Thanks for the feedback Therese, and good to see that eventually you were able to join in. Were you able to access the recording OK? Hope to "see" you on Monday... Neil