Reflections

After reading Chapter 4 “Wikis” from the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, I am rethinking the best use of my classroom wikispace.  It points out that wikis are used to edit information and it states on page 59 that “wikis are not as good as blogs at carrying on a conversation about ideas.” 

My original thoughts (refer to previous post) were to use the classroom wiki to converse with college students and professors.  If conversation is the point of our contact with college students than perhaps the blog is best.  However, if I want college students to respond to our learning, to contribute to our science experiments, and to elaborate on our understanding; then the wikispace would probably be more effective and more powerful.

This brings another questions to mind… Would college students want to contribute to our learning?  Would they find talking to first graders a waste of their time?  Would there be any upper grade level students (junior high or high school students) willing to share their knowledge in a first grade classroom wikispace?

Wikis are an easy-to-use, effective tool for teachers to use professionally and in the classroom.  I currently have two wikispaces.  One is used by the staff at our school and one is used by my students. 

Staff members have been using wesbookstudy.wikispaces.com for various book studies.  Last summer was our first year to attempt a book study.  At the time only a few teachers felt compelled to stretch their minds and try  a more contemporary book study instead of the traditional meet for lunch to discuss the book chapter by chapter.  Those that partook of the task found it much easier than expected and more convenient since we all had different travel schedules for the summer. 

My hope was to get more teachers on board in the fall by having ESL teachers share their most effective teaching ideas.  Since I was the lead ESL teacher, I thought it would be a great way for teachers to share ideas, ask questions, and get new information.  However, the teachers did not embrace it as I had hoped.

Although I am happy to report that we are once again doing a summer book study.  This summer is a much larger group of teachers and although they may not be contributing to the discussion via comments on the wiki, they are asking how to visit the site.  Slowly but surely the idea is catching on!

My favorite wikispace is watching my students type their stories in the space and having their friends elaborate their stories.  I have found this to be most helpful to my first grade students who limit themselves to a 3 sentence story.  Their friends add more sentences and more details to the original story. When the initial student rereads the edited story, they actually see what I was trying to show them but this time it is in the eyes of a child and the light bulb turns on!

I have attempted to have other classes and other grade levels share the wikispace with my class but at this time there have been no takers.  Would love to have my students collaborate with other grades on particular key concepts learned throughout the year.

This coming school year each class is hoping to adopt a university.  We are hoping to encourage students to not only do their best but to make the dream of college a reality.  By  conversing with college students and professors they will see that learning is a life long adventure.  At this time I am thinking that the wiki may be a great way to converse with our adopted university.

The past two years I have used a classroom blog.  I have found it to be benefial to my teaching.  The students visit it on a weekly basis in the computer lab, individually in the classroom, and from time to time a student may blog from home.  They are asked to visit the sites on the blog and then to leave comments about what they have learned.  It has given me insight to their understanding of the concept and at times their lack of understanding.  Thus, time to reteach!     

I am currently reading Blogs, Wkis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by WIll Richardson and enjoying professional development chat with other “techies” from around the United States.  We have discussed various ways to use blogs, both professionally and classroom use.  I am anxious to try out a new idea.

I want to start a book club with my class.  As a class (and parents too), we would read a book.  As we read students would make comments about the book.  I think it would be a great connection to our curriculum “Making Meaning”.  In Making Meaning the students focus on retelling a story, visualizing the picture of what they are reading, telling what they have learned, and probing new questions.  These key concepts would make great blog entries.  It would be a great way to check for student understanding of the concepts.  I think it would also be a great way to get parents involved in their child’s learning.

I would love to know if others have already used this in their classrooms.  How did it work for you?  Are there any trouble spots that I should be thinking about?  Will this be effective for first graders?  Are there other ideas of how to get parents to play a key role in their child’s learning? 

I am currently reading Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics.  It has really made me rethink my teaching practices.  When teaching concepts or vocabulary, one must think about not just the skill at hand but also the skills that will be built from that particular skill.  For example, in teaching fractions the students need to understand that the vocabulary word fraction is when a whole is broken into equal parts.  However in later years the child will learn that uneven fractions may not be equal and can be added together.  An example is 1/2 + 1/3.  1/2 is not equal to 1/3.

The book also goes into detail about teaching two digit subtraction.  Say that you are teaching the students how to subtract 31-15.  Some teachers teach the idea of “borrowing”.  The book reveals that this becomes confusing in the long run.  Telling the students that you cannot subtract 9 from 2 will cause confusions in later years when the students learn negative integers.

Teachers, no short cuts!  Don’t just think about gimmicks or tricks to teach the students.  Consider the long run.  Consider the concepts and learning that the students will learn in the  older grades.  Teach for the deeper understanding of the concept.

When thinking about the TAKS scores, what makes some schools so successful and others not successful? 

• Some students have more of an advantage than others.  They have experiences that enhance their learning. 
• Teaching to the test.  Practice test, practice test, practice test.  By the time the test gets here the students are tired of testing and just answer, answer, answer or worse yet, give up because they think they cannot do it.
• Use manipulatives to build understanding along the way.  Research has shown that using hands-on manipulatives links the concrete to the abstract and makes connections for students.
• Teaching quick remedies, short cuts, or strategies.  This may work for the test but is the child truly understanding the concept.
• Teach the latest program or book.

I wonder if we are helping our students with these teaching styles.  Don’t get me wrong.  I do think that some of these teaching techniques work but I also think that students need to learn how to think. 

No more cut and dry answers.  No more right there questions.  Those are too easy.  Think about how it works?  Think about why it does that?  Think about how it is the same or how it is different?  Really get into the language of the concepts.  Wonder…       Question…    Experiment…   Problem solve…   much like a scientist would.

Just wondering how to make a difference with TAKS testing?

The tips in Drake’s Takes on Becoming A Better Teacher should make every teacher take a step back, become a fly on the wall, and evaluate his or her teaching.  The statement regarding teaching the same way year after year struck a chord with me.  Some teachers have a hard time “letting go” of activities that they have done in the past.  “It worked well this year, why change it?”  “There is so much paperwork and other details to take care of that it is just easier to do the same thing year after year.  After all, it’s less preparation time.”  It is so easy for teachers to settle into their routines and their comfort zones.

Our goal is to make our students life-long learners.  How can we expect our students to go into the unknown (new learning) if we will not step out of our own comfort zones?  Students learn from modeling as well as from instruction.

Teachers, take the challenge!  Step out of your comfort zone!  Try new things!  Think about the example you are setting for your students!

Regarding Kerrie’s blog “Why am I doing this? and How is it good for kids?” about the two most important questions I must wholeheartedly agree.  All teachers should ask “Why am I doing this?” and “How is it good for these kids?”  In teaching we must consider what the children are thinking.  Just being able to recite the facts or generate the correct answer is not enough.  We must probe further asking the students to explain their answer.  This gives us a clear understanding of what they are thinking.  At times students are able to generate the correct answer and only by asking “How do you know?”  do I come to realize that they are not always able to explain their understanding of a concept.  Sometimes their explanations even reveal confusions or misunderstandings.  Yes, we must consider “Why are we doing this?” and “How is it good for the kids?”  but also we must probe further into their understanding and ask, “How do you know?”

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