The first class was an 11th grade American
Literature class with Nick Wilson. Mr. Wilson used Google Classroom to provide
resources and student documents. I found that the use of Google Classroom was a
common link between all three classes I attended. Mr. Wilson reviewed the entire
summary of the day’s course work (including what would be assigned for
homework) at the very beginning of class so that students could ask questions
before diving into the individual assignments. Following this overview,
students broke into small groups to work on vocabulary exercises. Mr. Wilson
was frequently encouraging his students to communicate with one each other,
even requesting that they make sure to say hello to one of their fellow
students when retrieving their vocab books. The class progressed with an
explanation on annotated reading and a video on colonial history. Mr. Wilson
would often pause during his instruction to check that the class understood the
concepts; this was usually assessed by a show of hands.
The second class, with Ms. Jayne Sheltra, was a 10th grade
English class learning a unit on propaganda. The entire class time was spent in
small groups, with 4-5 students reviewing commercials on their chrome laptops
and determining what elements of propaganda would be utilized. Ms. Sheltra told
me that this lesson would then be used in the larger context of learning
rhetoric and in their reading of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
The final class was with Ms. Veronica Foster, where her class
was about to begin Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”. She introduced the topic by
activating background knowledge around the concept of “what is community” and
the students’ current knowledge of the Salem Witch Trials. She then had the students go around the room to different stations that included pertinent information to the story (the town layout of Salem, religious and philosophical views of the time, etc).
Will this is an interesting post. One thing I really like that you mentioned in this post is the use of Google Classroom. I think this is an excellent use of technology and a way for the english department to make sure that they are all teaching the same content. That is what is so difficult in high school: each teacher goes at a different pace and then each class ends up learning different material. I think this is a good way for people to make sure that they are all learning what they need too for the standard! I also like how Ms. Sheltra's class used the laptops for commercials. This is a good way for students to connect to a text and relate it to themselves better. The last class I like how the teacher used background knowledge to introduce the topic. I think this allows the students to link the new material and comprehend the material better. This relates to what we discuss in class because the teachers are using differentiation to help the students learn the material better. Another way this connects is by using engaging activities in the classroom that are out of the ordinary. I like how the teachers all used different materials in their classes and have planned their lessons creatively.
ReplyDeleteI would really like to see how Google Classroom is used--I have heard about it but I have not seen it myself. What are some of the things that you have seen with it that you like and dislike; and what are some ways that you find it to be useful in the classroom? I also really like when a teacher tells the students the day’s agenda, as you have probably read/seen in some of my blogs, I observe a teacher that does this as well. For the other class, I really appreciate that the teacher broke up the class into small groups, I find a lot of benefit for both students and teachers to have small groups. Peer learning, as well as sometimes just talking through your thoughts can be helpful. As for your third class, I also appreciate the stations that the teacher uses. With stations, the students get to do multiple little assignments in “short” periods of time rather than one thing for the whole block of class--which can be mundane for some students.
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