my Inquiry Within my Larger Teaching Practice and pedagogy
While I am still in the process (and most likely always will be) of understanding what it means to teach through a constructivist framework, I am particularly drawn to scholars; Tomlinson and McTighe’s definition and conceptualization,
…there is a need for a balance between student construction of meaning and teacher guidance…we encourage teachers to balance student opportunities to make sense of the big ideas of content, to monitor the evolution of student understandings, and engage in teacher-guided student reflection…(2006, p. 85).
A teacher needs to balance being a direct instructor and a facilitator. Early in my student teaching, I felt confident in my abilities as a direct instructor. What I still struggle with, and what I still want to develop, is my role as a facilitator; guiding but not directing my students to greater understandings of the world around them.
I consistently incorporate multiple “facilitative/constructivist methods” into my classroom including, “discussion”, “graphic representation”, “problem-based learning” and “open-ended questions” (Tomlison & Mctighe, 2006, p.87). Two constructivist methods, role-play and simulation activities, have emerged as informative (possibly even transformative) for both students as well as myself. I define role-play as any situation in which students are asked to take on the perspective of a historical actor separate from their own perspective. Role-play activities can be written, interactive or verbal activities. A more in-depth role-play is a simulation activity. Simulation activities require students to adopt roles and interact with each other in a specifically defined context and scenario.
Role-play activities, both R.A.F.T. assignments and simulation activities, have been received well by the class as a whole. A survey I conducted in my class indicates that both activities were rated positively by a vast majority of the students. The simulation activity in particular, scored well above all other activities on the survey [See Artifact 1, Student Surveys]. While student enthusiasm for a particular activity does not ensure mastery of a subject, having student investment in the class could contribute to students’ making more concerted efforts to construct, analyze and apply meaning.
I truly believe that it is my responsibility as a teacher to transform my content material, enduring understandings and skill-building objectives into lesson plans that have the real potential to engage and excite. Making clear connections between history and the present developed this engagement. However, my observations and student surveys have demonstrated to me that, by far, creative role-play activities are the most effective in sparking students’ interest and creativity. Students articulated their interest and engagement in the survey, “I liked the Tiffs a lot! Class was really fun and exciting”, “I really like the Middle Passage Letter of Protest and the Tiffs Simulation activity because I like writing creatively and working in groups where we talked about the subject.” [See Artifact Journal 1, Student Survey Quotes]. These quotes represent the expressed feelings of a significant majority of the class. By establishing student engagement, I decided to focus my inquiry on ensuring that my students exhibit true understanding.
Wiggens and Mctighe’s six facets of understanding influence how I view authentic learning in my classroom. I often refer back to these six elements when constructing lessons; “explain, interpret, apply, perspective, empathy and self-knowledge” (as cited in Tomlison and McTighe, 2006, p. 67). A normal lesson in my class easily addresses the first three facets of understanding. Primary source analysis (both group and individual), as well as graphic representations, paper writing, and lecture discussions let students exhibit their ability to explain, interpret and apply.
While these are essential components of understanding, I would like my classroom to particularly channel and refine my students’ ability to understand perspective, practice empathy and reach self-knowledge. As a social studies teacher, it is one of my primary goals to teach tolerance, and to help students situate themselves in both community and global contexts, understanding their roles and responsibilities. The final three facets of understanding are essential if I want to achieve this goal. In my brief time teaching I have found that R.A.F.T and simulation role-play activities allow students to practice empathy and understand different perspectives
…there is a need for a balance between student construction of meaning and teacher guidance…we encourage teachers to balance student opportunities to make sense of the big ideas of content, to monitor the evolution of student understandings, and engage in teacher-guided student reflection…(2006, p. 85).
A teacher needs to balance being a direct instructor and a facilitator. Early in my student teaching, I felt confident in my abilities as a direct instructor. What I still struggle with, and what I still want to develop, is my role as a facilitator; guiding but not directing my students to greater understandings of the world around them.
I consistently incorporate multiple “facilitative/constructivist methods” into my classroom including, “discussion”, “graphic representation”, “problem-based learning” and “open-ended questions” (Tomlison & Mctighe, 2006, p.87). Two constructivist methods, role-play and simulation activities, have emerged as informative (possibly even transformative) for both students as well as myself. I define role-play as any situation in which students are asked to take on the perspective of a historical actor separate from their own perspective. Role-play activities can be written, interactive or verbal activities. A more in-depth role-play is a simulation activity. Simulation activities require students to adopt roles and interact with each other in a specifically defined context and scenario.
Role-play activities, both R.A.F.T. assignments and simulation activities, have been received well by the class as a whole. A survey I conducted in my class indicates that both activities were rated positively by a vast majority of the students. The simulation activity in particular, scored well above all other activities on the survey [See Artifact 1, Student Surveys]. While student enthusiasm for a particular activity does not ensure mastery of a subject, having student investment in the class could contribute to students’ making more concerted efforts to construct, analyze and apply meaning.
I truly believe that it is my responsibility as a teacher to transform my content material, enduring understandings and skill-building objectives into lesson plans that have the real potential to engage and excite. Making clear connections between history and the present developed this engagement. However, my observations and student surveys have demonstrated to me that, by far, creative role-play activities are the most effective in sparking students’ interest and creativity. Students articulated their interest and engagement in the survey, “I liked the Tiffs a lot! Class was really fun and exciting”, “I really like the Middle Passage Letter of Protest and the Tiffs Simulation activity because I like writing creatively and working in groups where we talked about the subject.” [See Artifact Journal 1, Student Survey Quotes]. These quotes represent the expressed feelings of a significant majority of the class. By establishing student engagement, I decided to focus my inquiry on ensuring that my students exhibit true understanding.
Wiggens and Mctighe’s six facets of understanding influence how I view authentic learning in my classroom. I often refer back to these six elements when constructing lessons; “explain, interpret, apply, perspective, empathy and self-knowledge” (as cited in Tomlison and McTighe, 2006, p. 67). A normal lesson in my class easily addresses the first three facets of understanding. Primary source analysis (both group and individual), as well as graphic representations, paper writing, and lecture discussions let students exhibit their ability to explain, interpret and apply.
While these are essential components of understanding, I would like my classroom to particularly channel and refine my students’ ability to understand perspective, practice empathy and reach self-knowledge. As a social studies teacher, it is one of my primary goals to teach tolerance, and to help students situate themselves in both community and global contexts, understanding their roles and responsibilities. The final three facets of understanding are essential if I want to achieve this goal. In my brief time teaching I have found that R.A.F.T and simulation role-play activities allow students to practice empathy and understand different perspectives