Assignment #8: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 8: Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback.
Remember: Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part C and D. We’re trying to make the blog easier to read and more user- friendly. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategy of Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment.
• What is your purpose when you set objectives and/or feedback in your classroom?
• How do you set objectives in your current classroom instruction?
• When and how do you communicate classroom objectives to your students?
• What kind of feedback do you provide for your students?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 8 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback.
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to try out with your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom). Please post a brief reflection of how this went to the posting labeled Week Eight: Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback. Click on the “comment” link below.
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Eight: Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• The generalizations related to setting objectives explain that goals should be clear and specific, but also flexible enough for students to personalize the goals. Consider the objectives you are expected to use, that is, those provided by your school, district, or state. To what extent do you feel they meet the criteria of clarity, specificity, and flexibility?
• How does the information in Figure 8.3 about "Corrective Feedback" shed light on your own experiences with giving and receiving feedback? For example, does it surprise you that research indicates that simply telling students whether an answer is right or wrong can have a negative effect on their achievement?
• How might you change how you communicate objectives to students and parents?
• How will you monitor how well students are meeting their learning objectives?
• How will you engage students in the feedback process (consider use of rubrics)?
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3 comments:
C. Classroom Practice in Goal Setting: Specific but Flexible Goals
I chose goal setting to use as a strategy in my classroom. In the past, I have always provided the specific target goals but never considered having my first graders set their own personal goals for the unit of study.
This past week we were beginning a unit on frogs.
My overall goals were for the children to know about:
1). the characteristics of an amphibian 2). the habitat 3). lifecycle 4). food chain.
As we began the unit and discussed each goal I encouraged my students to set their own goals about what they wanted to learn about amphibians and frogs in particular. I provided them with a sentence stem: "I want to know more_____."
My first graders really liked that they could choose to learn "more" about frogs or other amphibians by going to the library and looking for books or going on the internet to find out more. They started out a bit timid with their "I want to know more" and it has branched out into a few of my students continuing to research and presenting their findings in the form of student-made books and posters.
D. Reflection: I really liked the idea of encouraging my students to adapt our classroom goals to fit their own personal needs and I will include this piece when I discuss our learning goals with parents through my weekly newletters and at conference times. Providing feedback in a timely manner and the idea that feedback should be "corrective" in nature is a great reminder. I am in the process of creating a rubric with my students as they complete an end of unit project for amphibians.
C. I too chose the strategy of Goal Setting with specific targets that were flexible. My fourth graders have been studying Lewis and Clark. Our over all theme is focused on the expedition of the Corps of Discovery and their exploration and discovery of the continent: from St. Louis to the Pacific Coast while looking for a Northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. Whew that's a mouthful.
With the year coming to a close I know I do not have time to go in depth with every aspect of the expedition. I asked students to think about what area of the expedition they wanted to learn more about. The choices I gave them to consider were the the various Tribes/people the Corps encountered, Plants (flora) and Animals (Fauna) they discovered, the Land forms, Geography and Transportation. My students are excited about having choices. There is a Buzz in the classroom that is quite frankly encouraging. Kids are busy but it is not chaotic ( which I enjoy. ) Especially since so many kiddo;s have checked out. Some students have chosen to create time lines, books with drawing of boats or plants and animals. I want to create a Scoring Guide to provide feedback where students are scoring themselves as well as my input. These individual projects are going to be more meaningful to students as they share with their peers and families.
D. I agree the feedback should be immediate and specific. Students have been recording their own rates and times for multiplication/division facts. Students are trying to beat their individual scores each time. Charting scores has been such a positive experience for my students
I loved the way you both incorporated student goals (and student choice) into your units of study on frogs and Lewis and Clark. Having them be able to research what their personal interests were, truly made these inquiry based units. How exciting (and powerful) for the students to be able to have control over their learning within the umbrella of an over-arching curriculum. Paula - this is the perfect project for a rubric. If you create it this year, you can share a similar one with your students next year, to show them what their expectations are and what they need to work towards. Grace - I'm excited that the recording/charting of the multiplication/division tables has been successful for your students!
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