845-1015 Language Arts
1015-1115 Social Studies
1245-145 Math
145-245 Science
Your class schedule may or may not look like this, but most classes seem to have this common theme: separation of the core subjects. This may seem like an odd question...but WHY? Isn't our goal as teachers to have students connect what they are learning in class and be able to apply it to real world situations? Unless I live in a different reality than everyone else, none of these core subjects sit by themselves. Don't believe me?....here's an example: I am a linguistics major. I study different patterns in languages and how people interact with each other. Many of these interactions are based on social setting or historical reasons (social studies). When I analyze information from other languages and even English, I use statistics. I find patterns and I need math to do this. Then I need to explain why these things happen. That's where the science comes in. Whether it's where in the mouth sounds are being produced or forming an OT analysis, I need science. None of this is any good unless I can present it to my audience, which is typically just a professor or other students, but I still need to put my results into some sort of presentable summary, which is where language arts comes into play. I realize that not every job in the world uses all of the core subjects, but are we really helping our students when we separate them in the classroom as well?
Instead of making each of the core subjects stand alone, why not teach them together. Rather than spending so much time on language arts (which seems to have a much heavier focus than any of the other core subjects), why not relate LA to another subject for the day. For example if you are teaching prepositions in LA and electricity in science, have students write a response describing where in their school/room/house/etc. that they use electricity. Have the students describe where things are that use electricity. The students still get their writing on prepositions done, and they've linked it to the science lesson. The math lesson that day can also be connected to either electricity or to the prepositions. I believe that if we can link subjects and lessons together students will have a better time in understanding the material since a greater total amount of time will be spent on the material. Also, for students who generally struggle in a certain area they will have another subject to support their work. That is if a student who typically does well in language arts but struggles in science, will expectedly to better in a lesson that combines the two subjects together than in a lesson that solely focuses on science.
I realize that there are certain restrictions to this idea. School-mandated (or higher-up) curriculum and teaching teams who switch students for different subjects. I don't think we should totally ignore typical scheduling of the core subjects, however I do think we should try and connect subjects whenever possible. Rather than making each subject stand alone there should be plenty of connections for students to see so that they can form their own connections as they continue on in their education.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Own It!
All semester our professors have been continuously talking about the idea of ownership and how students need to own their learning in order for them to better understand the material. My first impression of this idea, was that is completely ridiculous. It simply didn't make any sense. As I heard more and more though, it made more sense and it seemed like it might actually be effective in the classroom. Now after being in the classroom for a few months and looking specifically for examples, I've seen it and that it does indeed work. Last Friday I did a science circus on electricity in my classroom. The two activities I designed had no real instructions. They simply had the required materials and told the students the desired results. This was a gamble, but I did have a reason for doing this. I wanted to see what the students knew and how they applied it to the activity. One of the activities was making a battery out of a lime, and even though none of the students could figure it out, they were able to draw on their previous knowledge and create some of their own in to deciding what things to try and what things not to. You could see that they had more of a desire to make it work, because it was their project, not something I had given to them with clear-cut instructions. So, owning science instruction...check.
Owning instruction in language arts is fairly simple. Even without trying this can be accomplished, in particular in writing. It is after all the students' writing. Students can own things reading too, as long as they have some choices in what it is that they are reading. Technology is another subject that seems fairly simple to have the students own. They create the power point presentations, or the Excel graphs, or the podcasts. It is their design and they can edit these how they please. Same with art, music, and physical education. It all, or at least most of it, belongs to them.
The rest of the day though, is not so simple. Math and social studies are not so easy for the students to own the instruction. How do you own a multiplication problem or a fraction? Sure, you can own individual problems that you create, but how can students own an idea which is an algorithm. In social studies students read and learn about the past. How can they own something that they didn't have a chance to influence. Sure, it effects them today, but how can students own facts about the Civil War or Ancient Egypt? I think that if we as teachers can find a way (and something tells me there are teachers out there who already have) for students to own their lessons in math and social studies along with all of their other subjects, that students will become more engaged in these lessons and hopefully learn more as a result.
Owning instruction in language arts is fairly simple. Even without trying this can be accomplished, in particular in writing. It is after all the students' writing. Students can own things reading too, as long as they have some choices in what it is that they are reading. Technology is another subject that seems fairly simple to have the students own. They create the power point presentations, or the Excel graphs, or the podcasts. It is their design and they can edit these how they please. Same with art, music, and physical education. It all, or at least most of it, belongs to them.
The rest of the day though, is not so simple. Math and social studies are not so easy for the students to own the instruction. How do you own a multiplication problem or a fraction? Sure, you can own individual problems that you create, but how can students own an idea which is an algorithm. In social studies students read and learn about the past. How can they own something that they didn't have a chance to influence. Sure, it effects them today, but how can students own facts about the Civil War or Ancient Egypt? I think that if we as teachers can find a way (and something tells me there are teachers out there who already have) for students to own their lessons in math and social studies along with all of their other subjects, that students will become more engaged in these lessons and hopefully learn more as a result.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Tiny Ted's Trip to Yorktown
On Thursday, Tiny Ted went with my fourth grade class from Magruder Elementary to Yorktown, VA. Yorktown is where Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. Trapped between American forces on land and French forces at sea, Cornwallis's troops were cut off from reinforcements and the supply line and had to surrender. Although the war lasted another year after the surrender, the defeat effectively ended the War.
Yorktown is a part of what is known as the Historic Triangle, which consists of Williamsburg , Jamestown, and Yorktown. Magruder Elementary is located in Williamsburg.
Tiny Ted, Ian, Kavron, and DeMarcus showing the size of the army tents during the war. Most tents housed around six soldiers, although only half of the troops would be in the tent at any one time.
Ashley and Tiny Ted in the generals' tent looking at important war documents.
Baleigh and Tiny Ted with a set of medical equipment from the 18th century.
Tiny Ted and Anthony at one of the signs posted by female patriots outside the camp. Although women were not allowed to fight (although there are a few accounts of women who did), they did their share to support the war. Many worked as nurses and did chores around the camps, while others ran family farms and business while the men were out in combat.
Jasmine, in a Revolutionary soldier's outfit, with Tiny Ted and her mom.
Tobacco was the largest cash crop in Colonial Virginia. The class is in a tobacco house where the tobacco leaves are hung to dry before being packaged and sent to Europe.
Brittany and Tiny Ted posing next to a quote from Benjamin Franklin on the Revolutionary time line.
To raise money for the cost of the French & Indian War, King George III heavily taxed the colonists. One of the most important taxes was the Stamp Act, which required almost all paper products to be taxed. Playing cards were doubly taxed since gambling was illegal. The King assumed that the colonists were gambling anyway, so he made the tax on playing cards double to raise more money. Here, Keyera and Tiny Ted play with a reduplication of a set of playing cards that have been stamped.
James and Tiny Ted sit next to Patrick Henry's famous quote "give me liberty or give me death" on the time line.
Jeremy and Tiny Ted show the rest of the class one of the typical chores that children would do on a colonial farm. They are breaking flax so that it can be made into linen. Breaking the flax is the first step after the flax has been harvested.
Tiny Ted sitting with Cade and Mr . Michaels on the way back to school.
Yorktown is a part of what is known as the Historic Triangle, which consists of Williamsburg , Jamestown, and Yorktown. Magruder Elementary is located in Williamsburg.
Tiny Ted, Ian, Kavron, and DeMarcus showing the size of the army tents during the war. Most tents housed around six soldiers, although only half of the troops would be in the tent at any one time.
Ashley and Tiny Ted in the generals' tent looking at important war documents. 
Baleigh and Tiny Ted with a set of medical equipment from the 18th century. 
Tiny Ted and Anthony at one of the signs posted by female patriots outside the camp. Although women were not allowed to fight (although there are a few accounts of women who did), they did their share to support the war. Many worked as nurses and did chores around the camps, while others ran family farms and business while the men were out in combat. 
Jasmine, in a Revolutionary soldier's outfit, with Tiny Ted and her mom. 
Tobacco was the largest cash crop in Colonial Virginia. The class is in a tobacco house where the tobacco leaves are hung to dry before being packaged and sent to Europe.
Brittany and Tiny Ted posing next to a quote from Benjamin Franklin on the Revolutionary time line.
To raise money for the cost of the French & Indian War, King George III heavily taxed the colonists. One of the most important taxes was the Stamp Act, which required almost all paper products to be taxed. Playing cards were doubly taxed since gambling was illegal. The King assumed that the colonists were gambling anyway, so he made the tax on playing cards double to raise more money. Here, Keyera and Tiny Ted play with a reduplication of a set of playing cards that have been stamped. 
James and Tiny Ted sit next to Patrick Henry's famous quote "give me liberty or give me death" on the time line.
Jeremy and Tiny Ted show the rest of the class one of the typical chores that children would do on a colonial farm. They are breaking flax so that it can be made into linen. Breaking the flax is the first step after the flax has been harvested. 
Tiny Ted sitting with Cade and Mr . Michaels on the way back to school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
