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Creating Engagement
Thinking outside the box when creating lesson
plans.
Educational Theory and Practices
• Pedagogy
• The art or science of being a teacher; Teaching.
• Usually refers to children
• Andragogy
• The process of engaging adult learners
Draw Your View of Education
• Practices
• Constructivism
• Argues humans construct meaning from current knowledge structures. Constructivism values developmentally-appropriate facilitator-supported learning that is initiated and directed by the learner. This is the part through which educators (facilitators) wish to approach students in constructing meaning of new concepts.
• Behaviorism (Didactic/Expository)
• Teacher centered with a PASSIVE student. Memorization acts as a tool to build knowledge in a hierarchical manner.
• Discovery Based
• Student centered as they build upon experiences by discovery, focused on the task and not the subject.
Understanding By Design
• This curricular development technique takes an almost backwards way of planning.
• I usually start by knowing the general topic (for instance atoms). Then I do quite a bit of research on the topic if it is new to me.
• After doing research I begin to form what are called essential questions. Essential questions should address a big idea.
Essential Questions
• How is energy conserved?
• What drives scientific and technological advancement?
• Why and how does the ozone hole form?
• Can everything be quantified?
• What is a pattern?
• How doe we find patterns?
• After I form an essential question I begin to determine what types of activities will help to foster understanding in the students and enable them to answer the essential questions.
• So activities are the last part of the puzzle, not the first.
Object Based Learning (OBL)
• Look directly at an object, i.e. a sculpture or painting, artifact or advertisement, primary document or ritual object.
• Use a myriad of questions to discover its role and importance in our world – past, present, and future.
• Objects are used to initiate discussion, as well as make connections to the learners own experiences.
Inquiry Based Learning (IBL)
• An instructional method developed during the discovery learning movement of the 1960s.
• It was developed in response to a perceived failure of more traditional forms of instruction.
• Inquiry learning is a form of active learning.
• Progress is assessed by how well students develop experimental and analytical skills rather than how much knowledge they possess.
Visual Thinking Strategies
• A way of looking at art and images to help foster observation skills and critical thinking.
• Consists of three questions:
• What is happening in this picture/piece?
• What do you see that makes you say that?
• What more can we find?
• There are NO wrong answers
• Don’t direct the discussion, let the group do that. This is the key difference between VTS and IBL.
What are some other ways to use VTS?
Taking Your Class Outside
• Most schools in the area have a school garden. These garden’s can be used for so much more than they are currently being used for.
• Studies show that students who learn outside retain the information gathered more effectively.
• I have also witnessed students engaging more quickly with the lessons when presented outside.
• A great way to start thinking about using your garden is when learning about plants, but there are many other ways you can use your outdoor spaces.
Make a solar oven when doing energy.
Have students find the volume of dirt in the garden beds
What are some other ideas for taking your
class outside?
Add a Creative Element to Your Lesson
• My thesis in grad school was about engaging both the left and right brain when planning lessons.
• When students were able to engage in a creative activity related to the topic after learning a concept they retained the information at an astoundingly higher rate.
Make your own Electromagnet
Relief Art
What are some other ideas for taking
adding a creative element to your
lesson?
Helpful websites
• www.ccmuseum.com
• http://www.vtshome.org/
• http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/understanding-by-design-resources.aspx
