When I first began teaching I would get a new idea or strategy and jump right into doing it with my students before I took the time to carefully plan, implement, and think about possible problems. Needless to say, things rarely worked out the way I wanted them to. I would just get so excited at what I dreamed would be the end result and all the fun my students would have along the way that I dove in before looking for rocks! I ended up discouraged and upset that things never seemed to go my way....looking back I can see why! I can honestly say I was not doing myself or my students any favors because I was teaching them the skill of leaping then looking instead of the other way around.
The GAME plan has helped me develop goals and actions that will help me achieve the goals. I am now able to monitor the progress that I am making and at the end of the lesson I sit back and reflect on what went well and the things I need to change for the future.
I implement many of the NETS-S standards in my classroom. I know that if I continue to use the GAME plan when trying to implement new technologies and teaching strategies in my classroom the results will more likely be what I imagined instead of an epic disaster. One NETS-S standard I will continue to focus on is 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx). With my area of expertise, Business Education, new curriculum is introduced on a regular basis. Real-world problems are easy to include in my curriculum but I need to focus on including one or two new world issues at a time instead of jumping at every new thing that I think my students would enjoy. I need to choose issues that are relevant and interesting for the students as they are happening in the world around us. I also need to teach problem solving in the classroom and model critical thinking skills to students.
I have had several of those experiences, when I am so excited about the lesson I could not wait for class. However, when I got to class the students did not share the excitement and things did not go the way I had expected. I usually feel down afterwards, but I usually pick myself up and try again. The GAME plan encourages us to reflect on what happened and set new goals, plan another strategy and make another attempt.
ReplyDeleteContinue to include those real-world issues in your teaching. This will go a long way in helping your students to link what happens in your claasrrom with what happens in the real world, thus helping them to derrive meaning form their lessons.
You mentioned several key points that has been very vital in helping to improve your teaching practices. An effective teacher can reflect on their daily lessons and then do a self evaluation of those things that went well and to modify instructions when they observed that students are not mastering key concepts. Teaching is a profession where continuous growth is pivotal if educators expect to make a impact on the youth of the 21st century. After taking several courses, at Walden University I am elated that I have acquired the knowledge and skills that will transform my classroom into one that is preparing students for the demands of the society.
ReplyDeleteHi Cristina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you regarding focusing on only relevant real world problems with students. We all have to remember that we need to use the real world problems to help teach content. While the students will gain valuable learning experiences from examining real world problems, not all of them will be relevant for your specific class.
Hi Cristina,
ReplyDeleteOne observation I've made is that even targeting one of the NETS generally results in us tapping into most if not all of them. They are in so many ways connected. For example, chances are that a lesson that draws heavily on creativity with include authentic problem solving, collaboration, and so many other goals targeted in the NETS. Focusing on one is less intimidating and lets us eventually get to all of them.
Thanks for sharing.
Susan
There's no better way to reach and engage students than to use lessons that directly correlate to real-world issues they see every day. Any time we can link our lessons to what is happening in the "real world" our students are going to be better off. Plus, when they are engaged, it can make life much easier for us, too.
ReplyDelete