This is your last assignment for this course...all assignments are due 12/3...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 D to 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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3 comments:
Advance Organizers
I think that it’s unfair for a teacher to ask a student to, for example, read an article and take notes on the “important” information. What’s important to the teacher may not be what the student selects. As I got past the first few years of teaching, I found it useful to ask myself “WHY am I doing this?” for many of my assignments and activities. If I couldn’t explain to myself, I was pretty sure that my students wouldn’t see their importance either. It’s important for a teacher to clarify what information the class is focusing on. If a teacher doesn’t have time, I would wonder if he/she really knew what the purpose of the assignment was. Also, I think that when students can see the pattern of the piece they’re reading, or if the day’s schedule is on the board, it makes them confident that they can fill in the blanks. This also makes me think of my own children at home. When they know what to expect and we follow a pattern for the day, they are happy and easily moved from one activity to the next. However, if we stray from that pattern (or, heaven help me, there’s no pattern at all), my kids are more likely to fall apart.
Using cues, questions, and advance organizers
I feel pretty confident in my use of advance organizers - - it matches my desire to see patterns and be organized. However, I was shocked when I read that 80% of my classroom time might be spent with cuing and questioning. This means that I need to take some time to ensure that I’m doing this effectively. I’m familiar with the Three Levels of questioning. However, I imagine that I might need to step from Level One to Levels Two and Three more frequently. Level One questions are good to check students’ basic knowledge, but I was intrigued by the idea that “questions designed to help students obtain a deeper understanding of content will eventually increase their interest.” I also know that I need to improve my wait time. Often I forget that the students are just now processing the information that I’ve been working with for years. I also would like to work with the students who are always chiming in during class discussions. Asking them to wait might do two things. First, it will give students who need a little extra time to process and then participate. Also, it might allow the chimers time to develop their own thinking. I wonder if I’d get more in-depth responses.
I use a lot of Narrative Advance Organizers with my students. I find younger students learn more from my lessons if I have started the unit/lesson with a story that relates to the topic at hand. Similar to the example about tornados, I have used my own personal experiences to describe what we will be learning about. I try to find visuals (pictures, video clips, books) to use as props when explaining the story. I find that the visual prop along with my story helps the students to grasp what we are going to learn- it is also an effective way to introduce a lesson to my ELL students. I haven’t created any Expository Advance Organizers for first graders. Even though I have not done them before, it does not mean I would not use them. I could definitely see how creating an organizer that has words/pictures on it to hand out before teaching the lesson could be very beneficial. We have an upcoming math unit on sea creatures and I could make an organizer that has pictures of each of the mammals that we learn about and their characteristics. This could be something they keep in their math folder to access and add information to as the unit progresses.
As teachers, we know there is not enough time in the day to do everything for everyone, but somehow we do find the time. If a teacher thinks there is not enough time to create advance organizers, then I would wonder where is their time being spent and is that spent time be used effectively. I would try and help that teacher by sharing ideas on how to create the organizers or just lending an ear. Sometimes when teachers say negative comments it is because they need to vent, not necessarily because they are unwilling or not wanting to do something. I do believe that the vast majority of teachers are doing their job and sometimes need to get their frustrations out.
I try and use a lot of cues and questions in my teaching. I believe as a teacher you have to activate prior knowledge before teaching a lesson and if students do not have that prior knowledge, you have to teach them. As I mentioned earlier, I work at Title 1 school with 60% on free and reduced lunch. We also have a large number of ELL students. Many of these students do not have the prior background needed for our lessons. I have to help build that “prior knowledge” before I teach my lesson. I also have a system for questions. Two years ago myself and a few other teachers worked on a “Bloom’s Taxonomy” of questions. We created questions that hit each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. We use these questions during reading to help deepen children’s understanding of the text. Since I have implemented this I have noticed my questioning has gotten much better in all areas. I really tuned into what I was asking and why I was asking a question.
Absolutely Sarah! Teachers need to clarify what the focus of the assignment is.
I would like to see more training for teachers in developing higer order questioning and assignments (or the Three Levels of Questioning.) You are not alone feeling like you are asking a lot of the basic quesitons of your students. It takes time and planning to really develop engaging, deep questions and assignments.
Personally, I think a lot of teachers just don't know how. Sure we've all heard of Bloom's Taxonomy, but how many people can explain with the differnece is between knowledge and understand. Or analyze and evaluate?
Oh wait time. :D I actually count in my head to give students the time to process and formulate. I'm a blurter. :) It's very difficult for me with my in-laws (who I've know since I was in high school) because they speak s-l-o-w-l-y and are very deliberate with their words. I want to jump in and finish their sentences but know this isn't really polite. (I could go on and on but my loud Irish up-bringing is in sharp contrast to my husbands quiet German up-bringing.)
I've become pretty interested lately in Total Participation Techniques. These are methods teachers use to include and involve ALL students in the class. Not just the two who always know the answer. (A quick example is Think-Pair-Share or Thumbs up/thumbs down.) There are many others but it's more of a shift in our thinking and planning to find ways that all students are engaged and having time to reflect and process the information.
Visual supports are so important for all students, but especially our struggling, SPED and ELL students.
Yep, I agree. There are times we need to vent. (Out of student or parent's earshot.)
Funny I hadn't read your comment about Bloom's until after I wrote the above. Great minds...
Thank you both ladies. You've both completed all the course work and earned A's for the class. Have a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2013!
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