Activating Prior Knowledge and Meaningful Assessment

Activating Prior Knowledge and Meaningful Assessment

It's more than a test!

Activating prior knowledge, in my opinion, is one of the most important components of teaching a successful lesson. In my current placement, the student’s experiences are significantly different than my own. I am from a small town where I can relate farming terminology and Walmart jokes into my lessons and my peers would understand. The student population I currently serve has grown up in the city and many students come from a lower income household. If I am talking about combines in relation to a social studies lesson, my students (for the most part) would have no idea what I am talking about.

Setting the stage for learning new knowledge is a must! As a pre-assessment I like to use the K from a KWL chart. The K stands for “what we want to Know” and helps me assess where my students are starting and what they already know about something. The L stands for “what we want to Learn” and helps me direct my lesson in the direction of student interest. I think this part relates well to Project Based Learning because I can focus on what the students want to find out about a topic. My W serves as my meaningful assessment at the end, and stands for “what we Learned”. This portion of the KWL allows me to evaluate the effectiveness of my lesson and whether my students met our objectives.

In relation to our project, I cannot simply assess a student on his or her prowess for acting or the ability to hit all the high notes; I have to look at multiple areas of assessment. I am more concerned about the effort put forth, the attention to what needs to be done, not merely the performance aspect. Furthermore, high stakes testing is not the "way to go" when aiming for meaningful assessment.

Before and After: Prior Knowledge and Meaningful Assessment

Before any project, large or small it is important to establish an understanding of where each student is coming from. I've definitely experienced this in classrooms. Just recently, in fact, I was working with a group of students who were reading a selection and were then supposed to answer questions. One of the questions had to do with the game of chess, and it was asking a rather abstract question that even I had difficulty understanding. The student didn't know what chess was, which obviously caused an even bigger damper on her understanding of the question. One great way of establishing prior knowledge is using a KWL chart. A KWL chart is a place for students to organize what they Know about something, what they Want to know, and after the lesson, what the Learned about the topic of study. Establishing this prior knowledge is so important, because it helps us understand where each student is coming from...where they're "anchored". When it comes to the conclusion of any lesson, the authors point out that assessments need to be meaningful. They cite an example of a student who turns in a research paper late, and is given a much lower grade than what the writing exemplifies. The paper is late, yes, but has it's tardiness contributed to the quality and content of the writing? No. Grades should be based instead on multiple categories, with student work ethic being only one. This makes a tremendous amount of sense, especially when considering my own project. When doing something like a musical, inevitably, there will be areas where some students excel and others...not so much. As an educator, I cannot base Susie's grade on whether or not she can hit a high A or not; but maybe Susie works really well at organizing things for the backstage crew, or even being a chorus member on stage. Using multiple categories for assessment makes so much more sense than one aspect of the student's abilities compromising their entire grade.

Digital Story :)

I composed a digital story about dance and choreography: a brief introduction to the different styles we might be using to choreograph our show!

Expanding...

When I think about real learning...real, deep learning, there's one thing that comes to mind: relevance. So often, students ask us questions that we don't know how to answer this. I think of my own students, and their lamenting: "When will we ever use this in the real world?" It is a legitimate question, and one that should not be brushed off. Students need to see the real world connections between their learning, and real life. One way that many teachers across the world are achieving this, is by branching out with their classrooms. Any teacher can make connections with experts and other schools. It takes time, but a teacher can generate a list of experts who are willing to help. Another way, is by connecting students to other classrooms around the world. Some classes have even made connections with university students who provided elementary students with feedback on their projects via comments on the students' blogs. The EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) initiative model of learning is a technology and collaboration based model that allows for project-based learning to occur using student driven learning. One of the most important aspects of this initiative, is the idea of student driven learning. As teachers, if we see potential in a student to excel at something outside the box, we should let them! Not only that, we should be thrilled that they want to take the information and run with it in a way that makes sense to them. We don't have to "micromanage" as one educator put it, because the outlines we have for projects will not always fit each individual student. I think it will be interesting to see how students respond to our project using "My Fair Lady". Connecting with the class in Europe will definitely be helpful, and we'll work on trying to get ahold of an expert in this field, perhaps a former star of the show, or a historian who knows all of the ins and outs of the show itself. Furthermore, students will always be encouraged to expand their knowledge in their own way...even if it means stepping out of the box and trying something completely different.

Digital Story!

I will be doing my digital story on how to read music, focusing on different kinds of notes and their values.

Let's Keep this Project in Motion.

Let's Keep this Project in Motion!

The most frustrated I ever felt during my schooling years certainly had to be in eighth grade. I hated when Miss M got rolling with questions, because they were always pointless. Why do we do math? Why do we do English? I wanted to say "I don't know, you tell me!"

Asking the right questions, and more importantly, asking pertinent questions, can keep our students rolling when working on a project. To me, nothing was more frustrating then being half-way through our math lesson and Miss M starting in with the stupid questions. No, I don't care why I have to know how to find the mean of these numbers, let me stumble upon it when putting my mind to use in a project!

As teachers we are not the sage on the stage, and we need to hand those reigns over to our students. Why shouldn't our students be asking each other questions and opening up to each other during our projects? I want my students to communicate among themselves and know which resources can help them do this.

I have a fear of whole class conversation. In the classroom I currently serve, we have several students with receptive learning disabilities. This basically means that when I stand there saying something, the student hears what I am saying, but the process of understanding is not happening, and my words are not being stored in the child's long-term (or even working) memory. I don't want these students to be left out in the dark when it comes to group discussions. I like to use think-pair-shares. I tend to start these off with a question I pose to the class, and then have them think independently, share with a partner, and then share out. This gives all of my students a chance to process and think.

Allowing our students to be in their groups during instruction time (while working on a project based learning excursion) can be beneficial for all. Our students will be thinking and discussing among themselves and can apply what we talk about to each groups' topic.

As teachers how do we progress monitor without interfering? I like the idea of an exit slip. Ask the students if they feel their group is making progress, or if they need any help. Every student needs to hand in a response in order to leave class, and now the teacher has information without being invasive in the group process. Teachers can encourage student reflection without being invasive as well. A five sentence summary in an individual journal at the end of a week of work can be an excellent way to gain insight and make decisions regarding the groups.

Lastly, teachers have to expect those speed bumps.We don't want our students to feel frustrated or discourage during the project, and our discreet progress monitoring can help prevent these issues from emerging. But what if something slips under our radar? I see this everyday in practicum. My students get frustrated with the work and shut down. With our topic, musicals can provide many opportunities for set backs. Lines to memorize, music to learn, dance steps... it can be daunting! We need to be prepared to address these issues and keep our students positive.

Keeping the Project Moving

There are tons of ways to generate productive classroom discussions. The key is asking good questions: questions that might just generate some discussion, and several plausible answers. A teacher-to-teacher discussion involves talking about the nuts and bolts aspect of a lesson. "What might we do tomorrow?" "How do you think that lesson went?" "I noticed that many of the groups are struggling with this concept. Perhaps we should go over it again." Basically, the teachers are maintaining communication with one another either face to face, or by using class wikis and blogs. Students also need plenty of opportunities to communicate with one another both as teams, as well as with other teams. Students should be discussing learning experiences, and talking about how they are thinking about their project. It is also beneficial for students to practice giving constructive feedback to one another, learning to do so by having the skill modeled to them by their teacher(s). Whole class conversations give teachers the opportunity to talk to their students. Traditionally, teacher to student discussions are reserved for a lecture format. With project-based-learning, a class may only use whole group conversations to make specific announcements or introduce new skills. Generally speaking, however, in this particular learning environment, the teacher is more likely to be making rounds from group to group, checking their progress periodically within the class period. While the teacher is circulating, he/she is likely to be asking important questions of the different groups. Several types of questions can be beneficial for checking the progress of the student groups. Teachers should be ensuring that the procedural aspect of the project is progressing by asking questions like "Do you guys feel like you're making good progress?" Another aspect is whether or not the team is working well together by asking questions like "How are you dividing your work up? Are you getting along well?" There should be a safe environment where students feel free to raise concerns regarding their group, or to talk about their team's progress. Teachers need to also ask questions to check the student's understanding. "Did you think about trying out a different site?" Teachers can base the questions they ask on the observations they make of group dynamics, and work progress. Finally, students should be asked questions that encourage them to be reflective. This can be achieved by maintaining a project blog or journal where students can talk about their frustrations and challenges, and ask any questions they feel uncomfortable asking in class. Using technology like a project blog or class wiki can be beneficial to students when they're working on a project. It is important, however, to ensure that the technology is being used appropriately by students. Are they staying organized? Are they able to use technology outside of the classroom? Are they getting distracted while working on more creative aspects of the project? (A google search on "awesome animal facts" could yield some very interesting results...and many rabbit trails through cyber-space.) In general, we need to ensure that the technology is benefitting the students, and they aren't getting bogged down in the process. There are some things which can send a seemingly well-planned experience down a path of destruction. A set-back in the project process can inhibit and discourage students. Teachers need to prepare students for these unforeseen detours, and instead teach them the joys of being flexible in a real-world situation. This seems a trouble likely to surface during our project, as we will be dealing with areas that some students don't know anything about, and where some students might feel intimidated. In a musical setting, there are bound to be some students who excel, and some who don't get the part they want because someone else seemed a better fit for the role. This of course can also lead to conflict within the group. We have to prepare our students for these inevitable circumstances, and teach them how to deal with them appropriately both at school, and in their future.

Got the Kinks Worked Out :)

Sorry about my posting difficulties, y'all! My brother Aidan is my computer savior right now, he got everything working again for me. Something about cookies or cache or some other work that sounds like food but really isn't... anyways I can get all my posts up now! Woot!

Ch 5. - Project Management

            On the very first day of my Special Education courses, I remember a list of important components of a great teacher being generated. Number one on every list: a great teacher has excellent classroom management skills. When considering the word “managing” I also go to time management. Classroom and time management are both key components of successful project management when undertaking an excursion in project based learning activities.

            The teacher is present to teach. The teacher coordinates the project, provides a contemporary and pertinent topic, and creates an environment conductive to learning experiences. The students have to think about time management. How will I divvy up my time allotted to complete everything we need to successfully complete this project?

            Student stress is never productive. We as teachers can limit this stress and provide project management skills by simply providing the students with a time table and a rubric of expectations. I think this is where the number of steps and due dates we use comes into play. Too many steps or dates become overwhelming and too few become stressful. Consider the needs of the students in your room, and create groups where students bring different strengths into the equation. The students could even create a link on their blog or webpage to help keep track of important dates.

            The second most important teacher attribute on that list we created on my first day in the SPED program: a great teacher is a master of organization. Lack of organization can lead to chaos, and when undertaking major project lack of organization can lead to failure. How can we help our students be better organized? Think about the group itself. Make sure the students complement each other and consider student strengths. Also, think about how your group structures coordinate with due dates. Is this a group undertaking, or is this individual work time?

Ch. 4 Reflection - Potential Pitfalls

The word “pitfall” simply sounds awful, like the pit falling out of the bottom of your stomach. I tend to associate this word with failure. When I feel like I did poorly on a test or when something goes wrong, I get that terrible feeling deep down in my tummy. I am going to be responsible for a classroom of eager learners, little blank slates I am going to guide and expose to new ideas, thoughts, and teachings. I am going to be dreaming up and providing access to project based learning, and there are some potential pitfalls and snares along the way.

I think the pitfall I am most concerned about is “long on activity, short of learning outcomes”. Right now in our Special Education department, we have been focusing on building S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely) to ensure significant and positive learning outcomes. I don’t want to waste my students’ time. When I create a project, I need to have smart planning and S.M.A.R.T goals in place to ensure successful learning. We are always striving for higher-ordering thinking in terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy. I want my students to be analyzing, creating, and applying their knowledge to new thinking.

I think that step-by-step guidance can be important for working with our students, especially our students with disabilities. We need to break things down into smaller chunks, but this is not helpful to all students. Too many steps and too many details can be overwhelming, and Boom! We’ve lost them.  This can be a giant pitfall when trying to engage the class in active and creative learning. Too many steps can cause confusion and frustration. With many of our students, frustration is a giant pitfall. We cannot bring some students back once they “turn off” to learning for the day.

So how can we prevent these potential pitfalls? Well, of course it starts with me, the teacher, and the planning and effort I put into our projects. I need to allow my students to make real life connections present in the 21^st century and remember each child’s learning strengths. Nobody learns in the same way, and multiple means of representation and expression are paramount for learning.

Brainstorming about Lighting Design