The more I know, the more I know I don't know. This could be the moral or thesis statement of every blog I write. I think this is might be how I always feel, both with teaching techniques and the profession as a whole, with student learning and with content, and if I get to a place where I am simply content, I hope someone helps me continue to dig deeper. When I read the title of the readings for the week I had a long list of questions that I wanted answers to. Now I find myself with a longer list of questions and answers to other questions I didn't know I had. Group teaching is a group of techniques to think about how we as teachers deliver instruction to a large class or group of students. One of these is the 'group teaching' I thought it was, more appropriately called 'cooperative teaching.' This is a topic that I will touch on later.
Question: How do I teach the same thing to 20 different learners....
Answer: It's complicated....but start with group teaching.
Lecture:
This is a word I sometimes despise, because I have sat through so many lectures and tuned out of so many of them. If there was no 'clicker participation points' and it was a full Demonstration:
One of the biggest pitfalls mentioned in demonstration was that sometimes teachers fail because they have not mastered the content or demonstration themselves. Excuse me while I pick up the pride that just shattered all over the ground....this is way to much of a reality of how I feel about some of the content I will teach. Demonstrations must be planned, and there are some areas that I will teach next semester that will force me to plan demonstrations in a lot more detail than others. I like that this method sets up students for success and is a great avenue to use scaffolding and show students, walk through it with students, then let them do it on their own.
Discussion:
I desire to create a culture of curiosity in my classroom, that 'need-to-know' desire...which I know
will sometimes be difficult. Effective questions and questioning is essential for this to work, and it helps students to 'think, judge, reason and respond'. I am always in awe of people who ask effective questions that make me dive deeper into the subject matter and philosophy. But I have also been that student that gets annoyed when my teacher answers my question with a question. Newcomb et.al. mentions that this does help all students in the room engage in the subject matter and create an atmosphere of group learning and deeper discussion, but it can also provide frustration. This is a balance, that I know I may struggle through but will look to the planning, scaffolding and directed/leading questions to help me and my students get from point A to point B. I also now realize that discussion does not fit every content area or objective, although it may be a method I prefer, I have to ask: is this right for this content?Questions Necessary to Ask Myself:
What support/framework do my students need to get from point A to point B?What are the important directions I need to give myself and studnets?
How will this help students perform the desired objective?
Did I plan it?
Can I be enthusiastic in framing content with this technique?
What questions could you add here?
In conclusion there is another topic we read about 'Cooperative Learning' that leaves me with more questions than what I started with. Stay tuned for another blog on that as I reflect on some of our reading and other readings I found. I have a lot of questions!
References:
Groseta K.J., Myers B. E. Using Cooperative Learning in Formal and Nonformal Education. Retrieved from: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/WC/WC06200.pdf.
Newcomb, L. H., McCracken, J. D., Warmbrod, J. R., & Whittington, M. S. (2004.) Methods of Teaching Agriculture (3rd ed.). Pearson-Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Whittington, M.S. (2005). Writing objectives in secondary agriculture courses that challenge
students to think. Agriculture Education Magazine. Retrieved fromhttp://www.naae.org/profdevelopment/magazine/archive_issues/Volume77/v77i5.pdf
When I first thought about my teaching philosophy, I considered adding "never lecture". But like you I have come to see where this is necessary. Where are some areas you think one or all of these areas are best incorporated? (My first thought it shop safety)
ReplyDeleteI think some safety and even engine strokes with right media- but also in my floriculture unit to introduce tools, vocabulary and key concepts I might use some lecture
DeleteDon't hate the game, hate the player...
ReplyDeleteIt is rarely the instructional tool (ie lecture/ppt, etc), but more the utilization that impacts perception..
There is a time and place for an effective lecture!
BTW, I took an entire graduate class on cooperative learning..so much nuance!!!
DF
Yes! how you use it is half the battle. And ability grouping is the most intriguing to me.
DeleteI feel like sometimes there is so much content that we are supposed to teach that sometimes, although lecture may not be the most effective, it is very efficient and therefore will be necessary. Like Dr. Foster commented it is how we utilize that tool (lecture) that is really the issue. I've been in really boring lectures that were neither effective nor efficient. But I have also been in lecture that were incredibly interesting. It's about how the teacher presents the content in the lecture that is key.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Lecturing can be the fastest way to spread knowledge as long as its done right. It has to be in short condensed segments and reinforced.
ReplyDelete