Reflective Blog Assignment 2

Reflective Blogging Assignment #2

• How can a teacher find balance during this transition from more traditional knowledge-based content standards and more process-oriented skills?

There is no doubt if you are in a classroom you understand this dilemma.  Colleges are telling us that kids aren't ready for higher-level thinking skills and the state is given them a test, which "reflects our teaching ability," that measures simple facts and no higher-level thinking skills.  The approach at my school is to give kids a mixture of both.  Obviously we want them to do well on the state tests but we need them to be able to solve bigger, more intricate problems.  

The best way to get students to acquire both skills is to have the material presented to them (direct instruction, readings, videos, etc), followed by small group/large group discussions about the given topic.  That will help the students see the material from all different points of view.  Their brains will have to be actively participating in the discussions while thinking about what the read/were taught.  I certainly think a mixture of the two is what would work best.

• What are key factors that help improve the success of inquiry-based lessons?

One important factor is to make questions open-ended.  Students cannot respond with a simple yes or no but have to give detailed answers with generate more questions by students or other teachers. 

 Another important factor is making the material relevant to students.  The wording of a writing prompt or question posed to the class is an easy way to do this.  Teachers need to aim that material at items that are relevant for students and their world.

The final factor would be to let students choose parts of their assignments. Allowing students to choose empowers them and put the responsibility on them...as opposed to the teacher.  It allows for the students to give the teacher quality feedback to improve in the future.

• What role can technology play in assisting those factors?  Give specific examples.

Technology can certainly play a role in inquiry based learning.  In a Spanish classroom, the class could have a conversation about greetings and social cues in the United States.  Then students could be assigned to figure out how people greet and say good-bye to one another in various Spanish speaking countries.  The students would then act out the greetings using Spanish and the appropriate social cues.

In another scenario, students could be watch a news report in Spanish, compare it to U.S. news and then make a short video about an accident/natural disaster in the two styles of news.  It would also great comparison which is one of the "5 Cs" of learning a second language.

Finally students could talk about their school day and schedule.  They could go online to research a school in a Spanish speaking country.  It is possible they could find pen pals to write to and ask for first hand accounts.  Then, they could make a PowerPoint showing the similarities and differences between the two types of school.