Under Construction... Or Should I say Constructivism

This week we are starting our discussion of the philosophy of Constructivism and how it relates to teaching and learning.  Under Constructivism, the teacher 'guides' students in developing their understanding of the information presented.  Students are expected to reach higher levels of thinking based on Bloom's Taxonomy, and develop their understanding based on their own personal experiences and needs.

In our preparation for discussing this topic, we were presented with a video about the Long Island Children's Museum.  It reminded me of a local museum very similar in content and presentation, the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum.  Both are based on children being presented with information and resources, and developing their own understandings through interaction and exploration.

If you have a moment...

Simple, yet complex

We have been exploring the Direct Instruction strategy of teaching in my Methods class.  Direct Instruction is one of the most popular teaching strategies used, yet it is the strategy that is the least student-centered.  It is an effective way to teach basic skills and knowledge, that can be used later on to develop students' higher levels of thinking based on Bloom's Taxonomy.

One of our assignments was to create a math or science lesson plan based on Direct Instruction for use during our fieldwork requirement for the course.  I originally was looking forward to creating a science based lesson, and had started exploring the curriculum, standards, and possible resources relevant to the grade in which I was completing my fieldwork.  Everything was moving along smoothly, the ideas were flowing, etc.  The, I went in for my first observation of the class.  While talking with the teachers (it is an inclusion class), I found out that there was a student teacher coming into the class around the same time I was to 'teach' the class my lessons.  The student teacher was working with the Special Education teacher, who is also the teacher that leads the science teaching within the class.  So as to not take anything away from the student teacher's experiences, I graciously changed my direction and approach to math.

I again reviewed the curriculum, standards, and possible resources.  Division would be the unit during my fieldwork experience.  Perfect topic to use Direct Instruction.  My particular lesson will be on dividing 4-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors, and I will be sharing with the students the use of the mnemonic device 'Does McDonald's Sell Cheese Burgers' (divide, multiply, subtract, check, and bring down).  While the ideas were moving all around in my mind, when it came to writing them down in a lesson plan, the ink did not flow as easily.  My school requires a particular format for written lesson plans.  And for as simple a strategy as Direct Instruction, writing the actual lesson plan was much more complex.  After writing my final draft of my lesson plan, I can look back and understand why the format is so structured and precise.  It required me to look at each particular part of the lesson, writing out how it would be presented.  By doing this I could 'act it out' in my mind and see what would or would not work, ensure everything connected, and tweak it where needed.

While I know most districts do not require such intricate lesson plans from their teachers, I am leaning toward using this format, at least initially, in my future classroom.  Not only will it serve as a guide when sharing the lesson with my students, but will help me reflect on each part of the lesson before, during, and after.  It will also be beneficial should I require a substitute teacher; the format requires the plan to be written in such a way that anyone could pick it up and teach it.

Understanding the Difference

One of the most difficult parts of Direct Instruction for me to understand is the differences between Demonstration, Explanation, and Modeling.  My professor provided us with a video link that helped to clarify those differences for me.  If you would like to explore those differences, check out this link.

The Thoughts of My Peers

Aside of maintaining my own blog, I attempt to regularly follow the blogs of my peers, both from my current and prior classes.  It is always interesting to me to see who shares my thoughts on a particular item, how each person expresses their thoughts, and how creative we can be in the presentation of our blogs.

Here is a short list of some that I follow:

• In the Zone?
• Learning How to Teach
• Jessica's Blog
• My Expanding Knowledge of Education
• The Road to Certification

If you get the chance, I recommend taking a look at these.  You never know what you might learn...

My Own Check for Understanding...

We are now a third of the way through the semester.  We have reviewed many concepts from our Curricular Planning class, and gained more in depth knowledge of some of those concepts.  Everything we have done has built on our prior knowledge.

Class not only started with a review, but it also began with a assignment that converted into an "ice-breaker".  We created t-shirts representing ourselves, our philosophies on teaching, our fears/anxieties/hopes, and our experiences.  Sharing my t-shirt template was like wearing my heart on my sleeve, something we will do often as educators.  

I found that many of the thoughts and feelings I had were the same or similar to those of my peers.  It helped to create a connection with them.  We are all in the same boat.

The Evolution of a Direct Instruction Lesson Plan

After two weeks of learning about the intricacies of Direct Instruction, practicing the components of it, and moving toward automaticity, our class was assigned lesson plans to evaluate.  We are also drafting our first of many lesson plans.  This draft lesson will eventually be used during our fieldwork experience, and possibly our future teaching careers.

I always enjoy the evaluation process; it helps me to remember that when I write, I must consider my audience.  The audience for my lesson plan could be a school administrator, a substitute teacher, a colleague, or students.  My lesson plan must be written so that anyone could pick it up and, with little effort, present it as I would. 

The Road to Automaticity....

After our class session where Josephine and I taught the class with Dr. Smirnova, our peers were given the task of creating presentations on each part of the Direct Instruction strategy.  There were presentations on Anticipatory Set, methods of Development (Demonstration/Explanation/Modeling), Guided Practice, Drill and Practice, Closure and Evaluation, and Homework.  What made the assignment most interesting was that each group was to present the information about each topic using the Direct Instruction strategy.  I was pleased with the creativeness, enthusiasm, and effort that each group put into their presentations.  It was apparent from the presentations that much of what we had taught during the previous class was understood, remembered, and recalled.  I could confidently say that near the end of this particular class, we were near automaticy (become an automatic response or behavior/habit) regarding the topic of Behavioral Model and Direct Instruction.

Check out the National Institute for Direct Instruction .  

Playing Teacher

The last few weeks of Methods class have revolved around the learning and discussion of the Behavioral Model and Direct Instruction strategy.  The adventure began when I raised my hand to help my professor teach this information, along with Josephine, a fellow classmate.  We collaborated with Dr Smirnova and members of her undergraduate Methods class to develop our presentation, and a reference wiki.  It was daunting at first trying to coordinate our busy schedules so we could discuss our presentation.  Ultimately, we resorted to our trustworthy web aide, GoogleDocs, to communicate and create.

We presented our information, and I believe it was well received.  I actually breathed a sigh of relief when that class session was done.  While we became the "experts" on the Behavioral Model and Direct Instruction, I still felt there was so much more to learn.