Module
8: Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences
Pages 87-104
4 Access Points
1. Modeling of critical thinking
2. Guided instruction
3. Collaborative learning
4. Independent learning
Teacher
Modeling & Think Aloud
“Thinking is invisible, so teachers have to talk about their
thinking.”
Independent Learning
Task
Share a "light bulb moment",an "aha", from this module!
Video Resources:
Video 8.1 Module 8 Overview
Video 8.2 Module 8 in Action—Elementary
Video 8.3 Module in Action—Secondary
All 4 Access points are equally important. Students need a model through think alouds and should be given different perspectives or opinions of what is taking place in the story or text. It is just as important for students to have a clear understanding of what the story is about and to make sure that they are on the right track to mastery through guided instruction. Students can also collaboratively learn from one another or reread the text independently, use strategies of underlining and circling key points and come to their own conclusions. All 4 access points should be used to ensure that student learning goals are met. With such a diverse group of learners in our classrooms, each student may latch on to a different access point for use in mastering learning goals.
ReplyDeleteTamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
Hi Tamekia,
DeleteI appreciate how you mentioned that our group of diverse scholars may latch on to different access points during the lesson. This is such an important point, some students may latch on and understand exactly what to do just from watching the teacher modeling, and other may latch on after the collaborative learning. It really just depends on their background knowledge and what information they are entering the lesson with.
I agree that all four access points are important when teaching students. I also thought your point about students latching on to different access point is important to note. I also feel that the various ways the access point can be used can also help with the different way students may learn. For example, when watching the video on Thinking Aloud there were several examples for using this access points which could help different learners master the information in different ways. S.Duff
DeleteMy "a-ha" moment came in the Collaborative Learning section of the text. In my previous teaching experience, I taught and the students listened. I don't think that will work effectively in all cases. I know that I could teach the same subject matter over and over while breaking it down to the simplest terms, but some of my students still would not get it. When I tried having other students explain what they needed to do to one another, it was an entirely different scene. Students learn some things better from the teacher, but they oftentimes learn something from their peers that no educator could explain in the same way. I love the idea of collaboration. Especially in our current culture where technology is such a wall between face-to-face interaction, we must collaborate and teach the students how to have actual conversations with one another.
ReplyDeleteZach Brubaker - 5th Grade - GVP
I have seen collaboration as a very effective teaching method even with my Kindergarten students. They have truly enjoy working with each other and "showing off" their skills. My students are great at letting me know when they are ready to teach one another by stating "I already know this" or I hear them saying "Let me show you how to do it". This has shown me that it is okay to take a step back and just listen in.
DeleteTamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
I appreciate that you noticed this about collaboration. I love having scholars work together and teach each other. This also allows for scholars to master a concept. When they can explain a concept and teach it to others that shows a deeper understanding than just memorizing what something is. This definitely creates critical thinkers.
DeleteI too have sat and just talked at scholars with most of them not understanding what I what them to learn. Then adjusting my teaching style to fit these access points has helped myself as well as my scholars.
Thank you for your aha!
Charlene Long-Trix Academy
I have seen collaboration as a very effective teaching method even with my Kindergarten students. They have truly enjoy working with each other and "showing off" their skills. My students are great at letting me know when they are ready to teach one another by stating "I already know this" or I hear them saying "Let me show you how to do it". This has shown me that it is okay to take a step back and just listen in.
ReplyDeleteTamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
Tamekia,
DeleteThat is my favorite part of teaching... stepping back and listening in... watching them teach each other! Isn't it great to see how excited they are to share their knowledge & teach their new skills?!
Thanks for highlighting this very important aspect!
Tamekia, I have also seen the effectiveness of student collaboration. It reminds me to, as you wrote, "take a step back and just listen" It is then, by listening to them, you get a better sense of what the students processed and how they like it. Thank you.
DeleteMy "Light Bulb" moment came during the "Think-aloud" part of the module. It reminded me of how even toddlers teach each other as they are building with blocks, playing with trains, or pretending. I have found that if showing a whole class does not work... I find a quiet table group and I actually do what they are suppose to be doing and think aloud... pretty soon the most or all of the class shows up at that table group... quietly listening and discussing. It's a great strategy that we sometimes forget to use to help students focus too!
ReplyDeleteThis works extremely well with my ELL students. I am learning from my bilingual students and non-Native English students are learning from each other. The students become eager and excited to teach me something new.
DeleteTamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
The days of students working silently from textbooks are long gone. Collaborating learning is a 21st-century skill at the top of most districts curricula. When they work collaborative it promotes out of the box learning for the scholar as well as the instructor. I found some great games to help scholars succeed in class. One is called What's in a name? Ar the beginning of the school year I'll pair up scholars to discus their names. Some questions I would like answered are: What's the meaning of their name? What are some unique spellings of their name? Why were they given that name? Were they named after someone in their family? How many vowels and consonants are in their name? After discussions, each partner will introduce their partner to someone else. This is a great activity for all grade levels. TEACHHUB has wonderful ideals!!! Libby Taylor Jones Clark Elementary PLA
ReplyDeleteHey Libby!
DeleteI totally agree with your thoughts on collaborative learning. I have also seen a great success in collaborative learning. I really like your beginning of the year collaborative lesson. It is so important to create a culture early in the year. Also, I have never heard of TEACHHUB before and I can't wait to check it out!
Thank you again!
Paige Palmer (PLA103)
Hi Paige! Hope you like TEACHHUB!
DeleteHi Libby,
DeleteGreat idea for the name game, I think that is adorable! I also agree with you that integrating 21st century skills, especially collaboration, is an extremely important criteria to have in all lessons. I also believe that when students are able to collaborate together it helps ease their anxiety or worries in presenting their findings to the class.
Libby
DeleteI love the name game idea!!!!!! This will be something I will try with my students. It not only allows students to collaborate together, but it also will help them learn and remember each other’s names much sooner. Additionally, it will be a creative way later as we are learning about vowels and consonanents to build activities that uses their own name, spelling their name practice, and seeing the immediate value of classroom lessons being applied in real life situations.
The "aha" moment that came to me while reading this module was the collaborative section. It is so important that students are working together because most of the time, they learn from each other rather than from the teacher. The way that the module set up the progression the teacher can use during the lesson is exactly how I teach throughout the week. I have seen the most impact through this model, and I think that it works because there is a constant in the subject matter, but a change in how it is taught.
ReplyDeletePaige Palmer PLA103
I absolutely agree with you Paige that the collaborative piece is important. When students have time to share their thoughts other students can learn from them. This just happen today while teaching summer school students. One child shared a new way to memorize your nine times tables.
DeleteHeather Griffin @Sheehy
Carissa Gangi - Foster Elementary
DeleteI completely agree with you that the collaboration between students is so important. This module made me go from the mindset of "I do, We do, You do" to "I do, We do, Ya'll do, You do." I think this extra "ya'll do" (I'm not sure if I had read that somewhere in the past or made it up.. :p) section is so important to incorporate into the progression of the lesson because of a number of reasons. We know some students, no matter how confused they are after the "I do" and "We do" portions will still not raise their hand to ask for help. I think this extra "Ya'll do" is great to give them a chance to maybe ask a friend they're comfortable with for help, AND a great opportunity for building social skills! :)
Carissa Gangi - Foster Elementary
I agree that collaboration is so very important. I always tell my students that you can learn so much more from each other then you can learn from me! :)
DeleteJoanne Mathers
Oak Park Elementary school
Module 8}
ReplyDeleteThe ideal learning experience for scholars would be to use all "4 access points" in each lesson we plan. Our end goal is the "gradual release of responsibility" but I would start with the focused instruction of the learning intention reading comprehension. Modeling in the K-2 Reading by retelling important events and characters in a story. Next is the guided instruction which is connected to the success criteria of the lesson. A good time to check for understanding where students can ask questions and get answers.
Then comes the fun part, collaborative learning with their classmates. They can pair up and discuss the main idea of the story. Or think about their favorite characters and share. Finally, the independent learning access point brings on the assessment opportunities.
One of the big aha moments that I had in reading this module was when the book said, “We’re not simply looking for students to replicate the work of the teacher, but rather to explore the ways that other people think”. This stood out to me because it is important to remember that when we model for our students, it really does help them learn how to get where they need to go with a specific learning task.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of modeling and think aloud’ does not stop at academics. I use modeling when I teach expected behaviors and rules as well. I think about when I initiate daily 5 in my classroom. I will typically hold a think aloud with my students to discuss the roles of teacher and student during each station and to model the expected behaviors.
What I thought was interesting was when the book stated to resist the urge to give corrective feedback during the metacognitive/cognitive stage. It is important to use questioning to help students come to the answer. In other words, we must prompt students to engage in a productive struggle rather than simply give them the answer.
I appreciate how this module indicated that if a student is not quite getting it after the prompting, then it is important to give a direct explanation to that student.
Hayley Long
1st grade
PLA Jones-Clark
Everyone including us as adults need a model to fully understand what needs to be done. It always seems easier when someone is there showing/explaining what to do. It makes it even more fun when you're working on putting something as simple as bookshelf together as a team. Collaboration is definitely my favorite of the 4 Access Points.
DeleteTamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
Haley
DeleteI agree that point stood out for me as well. Simply replicating the teacher’s answer is not learning. As the text stated, understanding the “why” or “how” is the way students can develop their own road map to the answer.
The aha for me was including the “why” or “how” I got the answer to aide students in seeing my thinking and my learning process.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy Aha moment was during the reading of guided instruction. As educators we can learn a lot about the students understanding by asking questions. As a teacher we need to ask strategic questions that will trigger cognitive and metacognitive thinking. Not only do we need to ask literal questions but we need to ask inferential level questions that allow students to synthesize information.
ReplyDeleteHeather Griffin @ Sheehy
Heather Griffin I agree! We need to focus on all types of questions. Teaching with metacognitive question reminds me that there is an underlying focus on the individual learner. It is almost the "listening to" vs the "listening for" of a lesson.
DeleteMarsha Leibson
Foster Elementary
As I read through this chapter, I have to say that all 4 access points of learning should be the goal in every classroom. Students have to have time to understand why as the text stated. For example, when looking for key details, they need to be taught why this is an important skill in helping them to understand the overall purpose of the reading. But taking it even further, why is learning the purpose of reading important.
ReplyDeleteThe way we metacognitively process information must not be an excuse to not explain it orally to help students see this thinking happening. Often, it can be assumed that others understand our thinking. As with adults, misunderstandings can be cleared up if we would be willing to listen to the other person's train of thought. A lot can be learned through watching someone else complete a task with verbal instructions which makes it much easier for us to attempt on our own. Additionally, it creates opportunities for us to develop our own way of accomplishing the same task and it provides a model for others to be confident to recognize the greatness is differing methodologies.
Collaboration allows students to build respect and relationships in the classroom setting. It also creates a team approach and appreciation for each component every student can add to the learning environment.
Focused instruction becomes much more intentional when we consider their thinking and need to assistance. It allows for us to plan for the areas that may cause concern and ways to help them talk through solutions more independently.
If our students can not complete the tasks we are teaching independently then they have not mastered the content, which is our sole purpose; to ensure they can demonstrate their learning. They may not all master at that same time, which is ok, but it does allow us to hear and see their misunderstanding so that those gaps can be filled through additional practice and time.
Hi Ms Overstreet
DeleteThe point you made regarding students understanding why they must learn certain subjects, is a great one. Reading is a good example because it is so complex. Before we get into the story I like to focus on the author and illustrator/photographer. I want students to see the perspective of the person who actually wrote the story they are about to read. Then when they finish the story they understand why the author wrote it.
And, your thoughts on "focused instruction" really are on point. I think this comes into play once you get to know what your students know and don't. You rightly said our purpose in the lesson is to make sure students are able to demonstrate their learning. This can be done in a variety of ways.
PLA103
Hi Ms. Overstreet,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your response! It is an important component for students to be able to demonstrate their learning independently. I always find it interesting to see how students interpret new content and listen to find out what they deem as important. When students are able to show mastery of their learning it becomes much more important, meaningful and useful for them.
Tamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
While my attention truly stuck with the discussion on collaboration causing me to ponder how to structure my lesson so that there remains sufficient time to regularly embed this in lessons, my "AHA moment" came with the text's statements regarding "listening to" and "listening for." While I intellectually know the sentiment and while I agree with it, I to infrequently "listen to" and go searching for "listen for." Retraining myself to truly spend time on the "listen to" will allow me to strengthen connections and therein communications. This new focus or refocus is a must.
ReplyDeleteMarsha Leibson
Foster Elementary
Carissa Gangi - Foster Elementary
ReplyDeleteMy main "Ah-ha!" from this module was about WHY teachers have to explain their thinking during lessons. "Thinking is invisible, so teachers have to talk about their thinking." I always have been told this is important, but this module really helped me to understand just HOW important and necessary it is to help the children succeed. The author stated, "Effective modeling includes an explanation of why the teacher is doing what he or she is doing so that students understand how the teacher was thinking." I had never thought too much about the WHY part of this. Not only are we to state WHAT we are thinking as we work through a math lesson or do a think-aloud, for example, but they need to know WHY we are thinking that way. I truly believe incorporating this into my teaching style will help the students develop an even deeper understanding of each lesson.
Carissa Gangi - Foster Elementary
Mackcine JordanPLA@103
DeleteHello Carissa Gangi,
I relished reading your post. My thinking world was turned around when, I read the statement, "Thinking is invisible." My response to your blog post is, "Ditto!" This is one phrase that I will continue to ponder as I work on sharing by "Thinking Aloud!" Well done.
Reply by: Mackcine Jordan@PLA103
Task: Mackcine Jordan@PLA103: Module 8: Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences
ReplyDeleteShare a "light bulb moment”, an "aha", from this module!
My light bulb moment came while reading the first part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility instructional tool. When I perused, “Thinking is invisible, so teachers have to talk about their thinking,” the light bulb came on. Thinking aloud was and is something that I struggle with. I was always taught, “Keep your thoughts to yourself!” However, this module taught me that this is a way to support students is their cognitive processes. The authors summed it up this way, “By listening to a teacher think, students are supported through the same cognitive processes that the expert uses, as if they were apprentices.” I got it!
Mackcine Jordan@PLA103
I love the idea of students being apprentices. You are so right about students needed to hear your thinking. A lot of times they don't "get it" because they don't understand how to get there. Opening your thinking to students shines light on how you arrive at answers, helping them learn how to do it independently.
DeleteSharron Cruz, Sheehy Elementary
My "Aha moment" would be the first access point which is modeling of critical thinking using think-alouds. While reading a story with my own child, I feel like I used think-alouds during that time but during my class I don' feel like I used them much or at all. This is something that I will have to focus my attention on and use this during lessons. I can see how this can help students to copy how to do something or learn something. This can be especially helpful when using the word because, because they will learn why I see it the way I see it. S. Duff PLA@103
ReplyDeleteI agree, I realized think-alouds were something my students really enjoyed so I began to do it more but I know I didn't do it enough.
DeleteI agree also, Think -a loud's were something my younger students loved to do at my board as a group. It began with a few students and then it grew as the year went on. They like to see each other have success - so then it builds self motivation which turns into confidence even when they struggle - My scholars are determined by the end of the year.
DeleteIts always an eye opener when you observe your kids doing their own "think aloud" during independent reading time. I have heard some very interesting thoughts and perspectives from my "non-readers' about what was taking place in the story and why.
DeleteTamekia West, Oak Park Elementary
My "Aha" moment from this module came in the Teacher Modeling and Thinking Aloud section. It reminded me as an educator I have to explain why I am doing what I am doing,so the students can understand how I was able to think.This teaches the students to be able to think for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn "Aha" moment for me was the guided instruction section because it reminded me as a teacher that guided work makes such a difference. I found towards the middle of the second semester that guided reading and math was the best thing I was doing for my kiddos and wished I had done it and knew of it from the beginning so it will be something I will implement from the first week. I have loved this PD book, it has given me such amazing insight to teaching and some awesome knowledge to move forward with.
ReplyDeleteBriana Porter
PLA@Jones-Clark Elementary
I completely agree with you! My scholars love guided reading, and I do too! I find that they can connect with scholars who are on a similar level as themselves and it feels more comfortable to learn in a small group setting. I love to use games and manipulatives during small groups to get my scholars excited to learn.
DeleteBrianna Cosgrove
George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy
Marty Castellon - Trix Academy
ReplyDeleteMy "Light Bulb" moment came during the "Think-aloud" part of the module how they were teaching each other, or making things up. In my years of teaching I think that if showing the entire class is difficult then -Break it up and do group work -or small "Pods" I call it - They will eventually understand and then you see the entire class merge together, learning and asking questions which then leads into discussions. Soon, most or all of the class shows up at that area as a group... quietly listening and discussing.
Why - Because they all want to learn - It has been a successful learning tool for me.
4 Access Points
1. Modeling of critical thinking
2. Guided instruction
3. Collaborative learning
4. Independent learning
All 4 points are extremely important - even in a Gym setting.
The critical thinking in my class comes when they are all reading and trying to figure out the "Learning Target" for the day. Why do I say that- Well when I print up Standards by the state - they are expected to read it and understand it. I push my students to be able to read the large and big words that they might not have ever seen before and to try and comprehend it.
During Guided instruction - I have always showed my class a example of the day and weeks agenda - but Ive always had a student leaders in my class also - so that they learn from there peers.
Collaborative learning is really important so that I can tell if they really understood what I was trying to teach. It helps the student or the students get it and I can work with them as a group or one on one with what is taught for that week or day.
In the gym I have a lot of students who like to Independently learn and most of them get it - but I do have a handful who like to work with others until they feel confident to go out on their own and show me that they get it.
I have notice that the same students who struggle with any of these concepts in the Gym will struggle with them in the classroom. I like collaborating with the Teachers to help out all of the students to making sure they are on the right path to succeed.
Marty Castellon - Trix Academy
ReplyDeleteMy extra point -For me - This was a reassurance that what I have been doing in the classroom was right-
It helped me re-evaluate the positives and negatives - but made things more clearer that they way I was teaching was correct.
My "aha" moment was also, Thinking is invisible. This is something I ask my students often when they answer a question, (right and wrong answers). I know how powerful it is to understand what you thought, but can be extremely hard to do. For example, my favorite response from students when I ask how they got their answer... "I thought it in my head" I always chuckle, but then it's a struggle to "show them" how it got in their head. Lol. This module reminded me to share more examples, using the comprehension strategy of predicting.
ReplyDeleteI did not really think about this part. It's true, though. It's almost as though they need to be taught how they think, which is a benefit of the teacher thinking out loud. It allows the student to follow our thought process and the path we take to get to the final answer.
DeleteI had 2 aha! moments during this chapter.
ReplyDeleteThe first was the realization of how important teacher think aloud is for student learning. I never connected myself thinking aloud about the process as something that would be beneficial for my students, but it gives them insight into what I am doing, how I am doing it, and why I am doing it.
The other was how important student collaboration is. I thought collaboration was not as important as independent work, but after reading this chapter, I can see that it is just as important as independent work. It gives students the chance to share ideas and help each other. This is beneficial because sometimes students understand material explained better from their peers than the teacher.
I regularly include think alouds and collaborative work in my teaching and use the Gradual Release of Responsibility model. The "aha!" moment I had during this module was in reference to the guided instruction. I realized that I have not been faithful to the GRR model and guided instruction has bled into both the collaborative and independent portions of my lesson. I use a lot of open ended questions to stimulate students' thinking. Upon reflection, I realize that I am using the questions too often and I should be allowing my students to struggle a little more when working collaboratively and independently. I am going to work on this next year and try to keep my questions limited to the guided instruction portion of my lesson, only stepping in when they are almost frustrated by their efforts.
ReplyDeleteSharron Cruz, Sheehy Elementary
I like how you reflected on your own instruction when you were reading. I think its very important as educators that we frequently reflect on what we are doing and find ways to improve instruction!
DeleteMy aha moment came when I read the think aloud section. I use think alouds often in my teaching, but I never realized that doing them activates the ability of humans to learn by intimidation. It makes me realize just how important and valuable for teachers to show our students our thinking so that they can try the same skill!
ReplyDeleteI use think-alouds almost every day in my classroom. I use them when I read aloud, model a lesson, and during the gradual release model. My aha moment came when I realized how is that collaborative groups can be used during the guided learning portion of the gradual release model as well as the independent practice portion of a lesson. I need to remember that it is okay for students to struggle and work through their understanding of a topic and that working through the lesson in a collaborative group can help solidify the information by allowing students to talk it through with their peers. Meaning is often made through discussion and I need to provide more of those opportunities for my students.
ReplyDeleteMy aha moment was when I read the Think Aloud section. By thinking aloud as I read a text shows scholars what good readers do as they read. This helps them to understand that they have to think while they read in order to build comprehension. Also, as scholars learn to think out loud, it helps me as the teacher to observe which strategies they use and to assess individual scholar's needs and provide the appropriate instruction.
ReplyDeleteMy aha moment was when I read the Think Aloud section. By thinking aloud as I read a text shows scholars what good readers do as they read. This helps them to understand that they have to think while they read in order to build comprehension. Also, as scholars learn to think out loud, it helps me as the teacher to observe which strategies they use and to assess individual scholar's needs and provide the appropriate instruction.
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
DeleteYes, Think Alouds are important. Modeling for the students how to think critically is supportive for a student’s comprehension. The more we model how to think, the better problem solvers they become.
My "Aha" moment came in this chapter when I read about the teacher think alouds. I never thought about how this may benefit my scholars to be able to hear about my train of thought. Scholars are always wondering about what I am doing or how I would do something, they are very curious! Thinking aloud and giving the scholars a glimpse of how I think through solving a problem. I want the scholars to be able to find what works well for them, but I want them to also have an idea of what works for me.
ReplyDeleteBrianna Cosgrove
George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy
Hi Brianna,
DeleteThat is also an area I hope to improve in. While I do spend a good amount of time on modeling the lesson, I often neglect to show my students the thinking aloud portion.
Tiffany Sanchez
Kindergarten
Sheehy Elementary
My "Aha moment" as with others was the Think Aloud section. Even though I have always used Think Alouds in teaching, reviewing it reminded me how much Think Alouds affect reading comprehension and ultimately lead to developing the thinking process. Scholars are able to think and verbally talk through the thought process. The more teachers model this practice in lessons, the more the students will also use this process.
ReplyDeleteModule 8
ReplyDeleteAll of the phases of Gradual Release of Responsibility are very vital to the learning of students. Our goal as educators is for the students to reach the phase of Independent Learning .
Oftentimes I think we don’t devote enough time to the first three access points which will ensure the students reach the independent level and be very proficient at that level.
The section that was an eye opener for me was the strategies rouse for resolving errors or misconceptions. I do use some of these strategies but not with purposeful planning with intention. I plan to add cues and prompts to the Guided Instruction/Collaborative Learning or Independent Learning.
Angela Posey @ Phalen Academy 103
Sounds like your on a roll, I can't wait to work together again. Sometimes time gets the better of us, and we don't ensure the process is done correctly, great idea in using the prompts and cues to ensure fidelity.
DeleteA Light Bulb Moment:
ReplyDeletefor a teacher to model a think aloud, they can't just say what they are thinking, they have to say how they were able to think. This way the students learn how to do this process on their own. I love the example in the text: I can make the prediction _____________- because the author told me ______________.
Joanne Mathers
Oak Park Elementary School
This entire chapter was pretty much a collective “a ha” moment. As a history teacher, one of my main objectives is to get students to think. I want my students to see history as collective knowledge to be questioned and challenged, as opposed to a collection of facts to be memorized and regurgitated. I have found it difficult to achieve my main objective because, as the book explains, “thinking is invisible.” I realized that when I explicitly teach topics, side bars are not enough to get students to understand my thinking and instead, I need to incorporate more explicit “think alouds” that break down how I arrived at my conclusion. As I went through this module I kept asking myself how to achieve this without giving students the impression that they should arrive at the same conclusion as I have since history is to be personally interpreted. I realized that I need to focus more on the skills of reading, writing and interpretation, rather than the content knowledge.
ReplyDeleteMy "aha" moment in this module was during the first access point. I think we all understand the need to model for students but the thinking aloud part, while I know it is necessary, is a lot more difficult for me. While modeling I always explain my thinking in terms of steps for the kids (especially in math) but usually forget the "because" or why. This module helped me realize this and understand that I need to do a better job of explaining why I am taking certain steps to solve something if I want the kids to have a better understanding of the concepts.
ReplyDeleteTammy Ahern- Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Elementary
Being a newer teacher I think this has been the most reflective passage for me to read. As much as I think modeling and guided instruction is important for students.. I think it's important for me as a teacher to model how I want to teach new content. When planning lessons in new content areas such as my first year in 5th grade I did a lot of modeling, and talking myself through how I would explain and teach my students the content. I really liked the passage about "prompt for cognition or meta-cognitive work". I liked the sentence that says "resist the urge to give them corrective feedback"
ReplyDeleteAlexa Stewart pla 103
My "aha" moment was in the first sentence of the teacher modeling and thinking aloud section. It stated "effective modeling includes an explanation of why the teacher is doing what he or she is doing so students understand how the teacher was able to think, not just what the teacher was thinking". For me this really made me think about my modeling and how to improve it. I know that I model everything I do in my classroom but I know I could use some more practice with explaining the why. The why has been mentioned quite a bit during this book and I'm definitely going to focus more on the why this school year. This will allow for more student connections as well. Although that stuck out to me I also focused on how important it is for every access point to be present in the classroom. This module was very effective and eye opening for me.
ReplyDeleteCharlene Long-Trix Academy.
My "aha" moment was in this sentence about teacher modeling and thinking aloud. The sentence states, " Effective modeling includes an explanation of why the teacher is doing what he or she is doing so that students understand how the teacher was able to think, not just what the teacher was thinking in ways the students can understand, so that the students are able to imitate their teachers thinking. I try to make sure that I explain what I am thinking when I am trying to explain a new concept to my students. I also want to hear how they might be able to explain how they came to that answer. I might be able to explain it one way and someone else be able to explain it a different way. This module made it clear that I need to be able to explain the why as well as the what when it comes to explaining new concepts to my students.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Edwards- Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Elementary
One very important piece of information I picked out of module 8 is that scholars need to hear the explanation of the teacher's expert thinking. I find this step to be extremely important. If not done correctly, students will not have three foundation to collaborate with their peers accurately. I think back to my daughter one evening as we were going over some reading comprehension. She started mimicking her teacher as she thought through weigh answer choices needed to be eliminated or thought about more carefully. She used explanations that made sense. This is a child that struggled with reading all year and finally, it clicked. Nothing else made sense to her until she was able to think aloud and explain why certain things made sense, while using clues from the text. She used the words "because" and "the text said". Collaboration is a critical step but it cannot happen without proper modeling.
ReplyDeleteGuided instruction, I feel, is my weakness. I have had a tendency to rush right on from modeling to collaboration. However I do understand that this step allotted the teacher to uncover any misconceptions. This is also a step I would perform during collaboration. I now feel like if the guided instruction was thorough, the collaboration would be more meaningful. This is defintely an area for me to improve on.
My "aha" moment is when it explains in detail the I do part of a lesson.
ReplyDeleteI am always trying to think in what is next, and I can easily forget a step or two while teaching. Using the method of explaining how I am processing a math problem, or figuring out how to find the character traits in a story; is a great clue of how to process information for my scholars. I know thinking cannot be seen, but it is easy to forget that we need to explain why, and how we are obtaining the information needed.
Also, it helped me understand that it is important to go over the information in different ways, to be able to reach all scholars.
As a first year teacher last year, the two areas I feel I had more success in were the first two access points...the teaching modeling and think aloud and the guided instruction aspects. Perhaps due to my lack of experience, I was hesitant or not sure when to cut the cord, to allow for more independent learning opportunities. My "aha" moment of the module was realizing I need to allow for more collaborative learning and independent learning opportunities during the upcoming school year, which will allow me to see if my students truly understand what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteSheehy Elementary
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