Monday, July 2, 2012

Hindsight #2

So I've spent a lot of the month of June just dreaming about what my classroom will look like next year; how can I do things better, how can my classroom run more efficiently, and how can I reach every student? 

If you want to see my previous reflections, check it out here!

I'm also reading this book called "Never Work Harder Than Your Students." It's really helping me to reflect. I'm not even through chapter 3, and the book is already falling apart like I've been reading it for years. I recommend it to all teachers, no matter how many years you've been teaching! (It was suggested by a great co-worker of mine!)

#2 Keep the learning goals first.
This was a serious gut-check when I read this. Simply putting objectives on the board is not enough...and I am very guilty of this. It does no good to slap the phrase "students will know how to..." on the board and not address it at all throughout the class period.

It does the students a disservice to list out the activities you want the students to complete with no learning goal. Again, I'm guilty of this. "Your goal is to finish the lab by the end of the period." Yeah---I've actually said that and called it the objective of the day! Oh, embarrassing!

They have no idea what the purpose of the lab is, why we are performing the lab, or what they should learn in that 48 minutes. I would want them to keep the learning goal in mind as they do the lab (that's the point!) Never, never, NEVER again will I fall into this habit!

This book put it simply: "Think about planning this way: learning goals that lead to objectives that lead to assessments that lead to learning activities."

Learning goals are not the same as learning activities.
Learning activities help students achieve the learning goal.

Yup. Slowly...slowly I'm learning.

If I can keep this at the forefront of how I plan, things can run so smooth!

2 comments:

  1. I have awarded you the ONE LOVELY BLOG award. Zip over to my blog for details!

    Lara Chapman
    Organized Teaching Addict
    www.orgteachingaddict.blogspot.com

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