This is your last assignment for this course...all assignments are due 12/5...thanks for participating!!!
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 Dto the blog. We’re trying to make the blog more user-friendly and easier to read. Thanks!
Assignment #10: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 10: Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers.
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 Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers 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 of using cues and questions in your classroom?
• Study the research results in Figure 10.1 for "Cues and Questions." In your experience, what makes some experiences with cues and questions better than others?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 10 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers. You may want to consider the point below in your reflection.
• Many teachers who are aware of the research on the use of "wait time" will confess that they do not use it often enough. What do you think are some of the reasons that might explain why teachers do not use this strategy systematically and effectively?
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 reflect upon how you would use this strategy in your classroom).
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 Ten: Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers 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:
• Research confirms that advance organizers are powerful when they help students focus on what is important, not on what might be unusual. All the different types of advance organizers described in this chapter, however, require up-front planning on the part of the teacher. How would you respond to a teacher who complains that there just isn't time to prepare the organizers?
• What will you do to improve the effect of using cues, questions, and advance organizers in your classroom? – Will you make changes?
• How might you monitor the effects of cues, questions, and advance organizers on student learning?
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4 comments:
Chapter 10: Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
I enjoyed reading this book for this class. I have learned something new in each chapter and I have applied it in class. I am aware that my ongoing learning process as a teacher should always be enriched by new techniques, strategies, methodologies, ideas, that will enhance my job to become more effective. I am also aware of the different learning styles and I always try to be sensitive about this. I want to ensure that my students are exposed to different teaching styles to improve their success. As I was reading this chapter I was refreshing my concepts about constructivism and how fundamental it is, that the learner plays an active role in their learning process. By asking higher level questions we can guide our students into their own learning at the same time that we provide them with the tools they need to comprehend and manipulate new concepts. I have to admit that sometimes I feel very limited as far as asking more questions in class since my first grade students have a somewhat limited knowledge of what they know about their world. However, I always strive to get as much as I can from their prior knowledge about a particular theme. Today, for example, we started a new theme in our reading class: communities. Each week our reading program gives us a question for the week that we use to develop the reading skills. In today’s question, what do families do together? Students were asked to think about all the possible activities or events that a family will do together before looking at the pictures provided by the book. I encourage the children to think of all the things they would do with their families. Students always provide more than what the book suggests which amazes me; they have more ideas than the ones proposed in our reading program. I write the main question on the upper part of a poster paper and I complete a graphic organizer with the ideas given by the students. I connect the main question with the answers given by the students by using lines and/or arrows. Students are used to this type of organizers as I always introduce the question of the week by asking them what they already know about it. Once the graphic is finished, students check the pictures given by the book and we complete or add new ideas if it is needed. I think that by using this type of questions and organizers students are not only motivated and engaged for class by they are also exposed to different techniques to present and organize information. Besides, students become an active part of the learning process which makes it easier since they understand the relevance of the concept. This is what I would tell a teacher that complains about not having enough time to plan this type of activities. Questioning to activate prior knowledge and organizing the ideas will make the teacher’s job easier. Nevertheless, I would like to try some of the questions that elicit inferences in class. Once students are used to the patterns of the questions, their thinking process will become familiar with this type of questioning and therefore their answers will become easier to be formed. I will monitor the students’ learning by challenging them to organize the information they might know about a particular theme on a graphic organizers or by telling a story about it and sharing it with their peers. This is going to be a long process with a lot of modeling and repetition since my first graders are still working on formulating and answering questions about a particular concept by I am sure that at the end it will be worth it.
Liliana, we're glad you enjoyed the text and found new ideas to implement in your classroom. You've completed all the assignments and earned an A for the course. Have a great holiday.
Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers: As I was reading this chapter about types of questions to have students answer I thought of my unit on Charlotte’s Web. I have tried to ask students questions to think on a deeper level about friendship than simply that Wilbur and Charlotte are good friends. I want them to explain why they are good friends and prove it from parts of the book. Once they have done this I desire them to relate it to their own friendships and how they can better those friendships. I have paused a lot more for students to look back through the chapter to answer the questions more effectively. This has taken some time to explain exactly what my expectations are. Some students have difficulty thinking on a deeper level and we are working as a class to analyze different aspects of information we are learning. I appreciate the lists of different types of questions that could be used. I am reminded of the difference between inference and analytic questions and how they can be helpful for different uses.
I believe that my students would benefit from different types of advance organizers. Most of my students would need to be taught how to look at the information and how it is beneficial to their learning. I know my students would remember information better if I created narrative stories to gain prior knowledge before a lesson, students would be more interested in learning more distinct facts. I need to remember to take the time to begin lessons with cues, questions or advance organizers to either gain prior knowledge or review from previous lessons students would greatly benefit. There are many times that I need to remind students to read the entire instructions for themselves. When they take the time to do this their answering of questions is so much better. I have also found that if they are able to discuss the question with the entire class or in a small group they are better able to organize their thoughts. This is beneficial to answering questions or creating graphic organizers. I would like to use advance organizers as a way for students to prove they understand what we discussed the day before. My hope would be that this would be a unique way for students to show that they understand a concept.
This books has reminded me of some things and shown me some great new things to use in my classroom. I am glad that I have taken this course and thank you for your input!
Hello Karissa,
Charlotte’s Web works well with this section. The book is wonderful for so many things. We're glad you were able to take some time in this course to be reminded of some things and to learn new ideas. You've completed all the assignments and earned an A. Have a great 2012!
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