Ch. 7 Reflections

          Ch. 7 provides many practical guidelines and examples for teachers when planning and overseeing projects. The book outlines that teachers should determine the level of their involvement based on the ability of the students but in general, it should be mostly supportive (give clear instructions, help identify roles of students within the group and goals). Also, it describes that good projects have stages: preproduction stage (set clear guidelines and a general plan), production stage (creation of project) and postproduction stage (edit, respond to feedback and finalize project). After reading the chapter it seems to me that it is very important for teachers to plan the project guidelines thoroughly and be very organized but open to student suggestions and criticisms. (pp. 182-192)

(http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/gastudiesimages/Oglethorpe%20and%20Tomochichi.htm)

Project Idea:

8th grade Georgia History students will work in groups of 5 to create a video intended (and will show to) for elementary school children (authentic audience) on different interactions between Oglethorpe and Native Americans. 

Guidelines: 

• Choose one interaction between Ogelthorpe and a Native American that your group thinks is historically significant (Stage 1). 
• Research using internet and library sources (Stage 2). 
• Student begin writing script of the video (Stage 3). 
• Before production, the students will have opportunity to peer review and receive peer reviews from two other groups on their script. After corrections from peer reviews have been made, teacher will go over script and ideas. (Stage 4).  
• Students will create sets, props, costumes and record video. The video should be edited and burned to a DVD. (Stage 5)
• The students will present their videos to the elementary students on Georgia Day (February 12th).   
• Video must be at least 5 minutes in length but no more than 10 minutes. 
• Re-creation must be historically accurate. 
• After students complete video and present to intended audience, they will write a 2 page paper explaining their role in the group and their thoughts on the experience overall. 

For more ideas on creating class projects, please visit:  http://www.edutopia.org/mountlake-terrace-geometry-design-how-to
 

Ch. 5 Reflections

    The topic of Ch. 5 is how teachers can support student creativity. The book defines creativity as "the creation of ideas, processes, experiences or objects." This expands on Ch. 4 because critical thinking is evaluating a creative process or final product. One way that teachers can encourage creativity is by allowing students to choose their own tasks. For example, a teacher could allow the students to choose from a list of tasks, such as, the topic of a paper or assignment or give the topic but allow students to choose from options of how to complete assignment (i.e. power point presentation, website, blog, paper, etc.) The book offers a guideline to help teachers to design creative tasks. 

Characteristics of effective creativity tasks:

1. Focus on content: work from what the students already know. 
2. Emphasize divergent thinking: allow the students to hypothesize, experiment, suggest. 
3. Incorporate strategies: make students aware of how creativity happens. 
4. Engage students: use authentic content, examples, and resources. 
5. Provide Informative Feedback: help students understand their strengths and weaknesses and exercises on how to improve them.

(p. 131)

 And Ch. 5 offers a process to guide student creativity.

 Process to creativity: 

1. Warm up: clarify/review
2. Deepen expectations: identify/restate
3. Extend the learning: develop/test

(p. 133)

I could use these steps to creativity in my class to practice and go over before assignments are given. For example, if doing an assignment about Oglethorpe's relations with Native Americans, first we'd review the content (warm-up). Then, we would identify significant relationships he had with Native Americans (i.e. Tomochichi, Mary Musgrove) (deepen expectations). Next, I would instruct them to develop a hypothesis about his relationships --was he fair, was he unfair, or was he both? . . . etc. Then, using library research or internet research they should test whether hypothesis was correct by reviewing credible sources (extend the learning). Lastly, they can make either a powerpoint presentation or another mode of media support to present their findings and explain the process it took to find a conclusion. 

Please see this link to read more on cultivating creativity in the classroom: http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Encouraging_Creativity.htm

 Textbook: Supporting Learning with Technology by Joy Egbert (pp. 131-133)

Pearson Education, Inc. 2009 

Chapter 4 Reflections

(http://austhink.com/critical/pages/teaching.html)

I believe one of the most important purposes for education is to learn how to think critically and so it is essential for teachers to know how to foster these skills in their students. Students who can think critically will be better citizens, make better life choices, have an advantage in their careers, and will be able to learn and apply more complex material. Chapter 4 of the text gives practical guidelines and examples for enhancing the critical thinking skills of the students in regular classroom uses and when using technology.


The overall advantages for students to think critically when using technology are:

1. Ability to determine the credibility of electronic sources.
2. Able to identify claims, evidence, assumptions and conclusions.
3. Analyze the quality of the argument.
4. Create and provide evidence for a position on an issue.
5. Ask appropriate questions to clarify.
6. Develop experiments and analyze design.
7. Define terms that relate to the context.
8. Maintain an open mind.
9. Purpose to be well-informed.
10. Draw conclusions with caution when necessary.

(p. 101)


These skills help students to evaluate about the media they use. Then, they are concerned with who is the author, what images were created to attract their attention, other possible views, the type of perspectives, values and cultures represented or excluded, and what is their motivation for promoting this topic. (p. 103)

_______________________________________________


Chapter 4 also deals with the critical thinking process and general steps to take. Because students use different methods to think critically, a systematic, overall guideline is helpful for teachers to inform their students of and guide them through the process.


Basic critical thinking steps:

• Review your understanding of the material and identify the problem. Is more information needed?
• Analyze the material --organize it into groups and identify which ones are the most important.
• Synthesize your answers. Why is it important? How can it be used? What are the effects? What parts do not fit into the larger theme?
• Evaluate the decision making process.

(pp. 105-106)


If students follow this guideline for almost every assignment, they will develop the skills to think critically. I think it is important to note that students must have a concrete understanding of the material in order to move on to the critical thinking portion. Therefore, teachers must ensure content (declarative knowledge) is covered first before giving critical thinking assignments or the students may feel overwhelmed and confused.

__________________________________________________________________


Another part of Chapter 4 provides a guide to the teacher's role in the critical thinking process for students.


Teacher's role in critical thinking:

1. Clearly and effectively explain what students need to do and why.
2. Encourage the students to think for themselves.
3. Admit and correct any mistakes made on teacher's part.
4. Remain sensitive to students feelings, capabilities and goals.
5. Allow a democratic system in the classroom.
6. Ask the right questions.
7. Assign work that is an appropriate level of challenge.
8. Teach critical thinking strategies.
9. Encourage curiosity.

(pp. 107-108)


I think the challenge for teachers here is to foster critical thinking skills without doing too much --otherwise the students will not do a lot of thinking on their own and it defeats the purpose. I believe that if teachers stick to these guideline they will remain within the boundary.



For further discovery, read an article from GSU Teacher's Master program by Harvey J. Brightman. Here's the link: http://www2.gsu.edu/~dschjb/wwwcrit.html

__________________________________________________________________

Textbook: Supporting Learning with Technology by Joy Egbert (pp. 101-108)

Pearson Education, Inc. 2009

Ch. 2 Reflections

(http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-thought-process-made-transparent.html)    

 I think teachers get so caught up in the material that they neglect to consider how their students learn. For example, an English Literature teacher could focus on just putting literature into their students hands without teaching them how to go beyond reading and think critically about what they are reading. This scenario could be applied to any discipline as most teachers are passionate about their subject. Chapter 2 of the textbook describes three main levels of content learning with practical examples of how to help the students go beyond. The three levels of knowledge are:

1. Declarative Knowledge: information that helps students identify things and events (i.e. word definitions or facts, such as state capitals). This level is where most teachers focus, however, it is not to be taken lightly because it is the foundation for all other types of knowledge. 

2. Structural Knowledge: understanding how parts of declarative knowledge fit together (i.e. a key is needed to open a lock or that evaporation is related to liquids). For example, a teacher could use concept mapping software (like Inspiration) to group nouns or democratic governments throughout the world. 

 3. Procedural Knowledge: action or knowledge of how to do something (i.e. how to make a pulley or how to use a computer system). For example, a teacher could assign an essay, project or presentation for students to complete with technology. Knowledge is to know and understand what to do with it --procedural knowledge helps students understand how to use the declarative and structural knowledge. 

For further discovery, click this link: Procedural knowledge --example of how one teacher created an activity to have students make a pulley.

Textbook: Supporting Learning with Technology by Joy Egbert (pp. 39-40)
Pearson Education, Inc. 2009

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http://shrewdnessofapes.blogspot.com/

American History Now (U.S. History Blog)

http://amhistnow.blogspot.com/