Kathy Feigenbaum Chapters 2 and 3
I always enjoy getting to know my students at the beginning
of the year, as well as ongoing throughout the school year. I make a point of
learning all their names (120+) the first week of school, and in the past few
years we have used pets as a topic for introductions. It seems that everyone is
more comfortable telling stories about their pets than they are talking about
themselves. In an intangible way, I have always felt like knowing something
about my students (beyond their names) helps me be a better teacher. In chapter
2 of Project Based Thinking Through Learning I see that familiarizing
myself with my students’ interests will help me give them “voice” in the
learning process. Personal relevance can help students retain what they learn
because they care about the things that are more relevant to them.
In table 2.1 : I am concerned about the statement “all
brains are not equal because context and ability influence learning.” I would
like to know more about how I can challenge students who need it, while
supporting students who need more help – all within the same PBL… I wonder if this was covered in the class
discussion that I missed due to Open House. I have not completed the baseline
data; I am not sure where to go for that information related to my subject. I
use 504’s and IEP’s to accommodate students as required, but I have not gone
more in depth with students’ histories. I think I could use a recap of the 5 W's.
Having a safe place for thinking is what school is all
about, right? I really like the idea of “thinking out loud’” in which I
envision Winnie the Pooh tapping his head and saying “think, think, think.” Flexibility
enhances the work environment, but I have a very small classroom. This year I have grouped my students into desk pods of
four (which can easily be broken into pairs in two ways.) I have extended our
work zone to the library, conference room, hallway, and even outside the
classroom to the picnic tables. My students enjoyed the Gallery Walk in the hallway, which I told them to pretend was an actual museum, so they had to be serious and quiet as they observed and took notes. I also really like the idea of the refrigerator box
as a photo booth! I am trying to
remember to “act positive and excited” - which is, of course, easiest at the beginning of
the school year.
I wonder what an example of immersive environments is?
Hi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteAs a middle school Spanish teacher getting to know each of your students individually can be a challenge especially considering you teach over one hundred of them. Seeing your "Deep Data At A Glance" charts from our second class showed how serious you take the challenge of getting to know them so that their "voices" are represented in both the pbl process and in the culminating products.
You shared how the statement in chapter 2 that "not all brains are equal because context and ability influence learning" was concerning to you because typically our pbls are created to address both standards and students' interests and abilities and their unique need to knows. Knowing that even though our standards may be for sixth grade Spanish all of our students are not on sixth grade levels. Some are way above, some are way below, and many are unique combinations all in the same classroom. Your baseline data for your class may be most effective as a pretest like the over arching question we discussed, "Why should we learn Spanish" as a quick write at the beginning and then as an extended response at the end can help you determine lots of different interests/abilities/previous knowledge, etc. Effective baseline data doesn't have to be standardized test data.
I am also glad that you liked the idea of "thinking aloud" in the chapter 3 section you read for your reflection. This strategy can work regardless of the physical classroom environment size. From being in your classroom for the first pbl observation I can see how the pod arrangement has helped you to maximize your space and I was glad to hear that you were able to utilize hallway spaces for the gallery walk as well. I look forward to hearing about your ideas for your next pbl.
Sincerely,
Dawn