In 100 words or more, comment on the following:
Look at the AP Chemistry, AP U.S. Government, and AP English class observation examples on page 23. Choose one of the examples and describe the skills the students were missing in order to delve deeper into whatever it was they were doing.
Don’t forget to comment (in 50 words or more) on another participant’s comment on this question.
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12 comments:
My interpretation of the AP English example is that the students pretty much just took notes over the topics. If the teacher wasn’t getting the response she was looking for, she wrote the answers on the board and the students then copied the words on the board into their notebooks. The skills missing here are critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. The students can answer questions if the answer is in their notes, but they can’t expand on their answers with their own thoughts. It might also be helpful for the students if they were encouraged to discuss the question with a partner for a minute and then each group could present an answer to the class for more discussion, which would develop collaboration skills. Lastly, the students may not feel comfortable talking in class. For example one student kept her “face scrunched close to her notes” when responding. The teacher may want to work on helping students confidently communicate their ideas. I also think the teacher could break her question down a bit if the students don’t answer right away. (What two choices did the women make? What did Woolf have to say about their choices? Did either woman make any sacrifices? What were the sacrifices? What did Woolf have to say about their sacrifices?) The students could very well know the answer(s), but may not have any idea where to start with such a big, possibly overwhelming question and may have to be taught how to break it down in order to form a response.
Eeeek! The happenings of this Chemistry lesson is scary! This is a perfect example of our traditional education system of...I lecture, you listen, you regurgitate...I lecture, you listen, you regurgitate...at work! Are these kids thinking for themselves? Are they naturally inquisitive? Are they asking questions are they seeking knowledge...no they are jumping through the hoop. The sad part is these kids can not go through life with a "dunno!"
A: Response to Sheri
I always had really good grades in school because I am a great regurgitator. I learned early on to try and write down the exact words of teachers for answers on essay questions. It didn't really matter if I agreed or knew what I was talking about - teachers loved getting their own words back and took it as proof that I learned something. That's one reason I always make my students put things in their own words.
In the AP U.S. Government class example, the skills the students were missing included critical thinking, communication skills, and initiative. They had the knowledge level information, but were unable to analyze or synthesize the information. If they did understand the question, and know the proper response, they were unable to communicate their understanding effectively, or didn’t initiate a response. Also, instead of further questioning the students and holding them accountable for their own learning, the teacher just told the students what the desired response was, where he could have persisted or changed the route of questioning, or re-taught the lesson.
A:Response to Amanda
Kids lacking initiative, a real problem in todays students. Working with little ones I have the luxury of students "wanting" to learn, but as students jump through our many hoops of the education system that do not benefit them, they have less iniative for learning!
Well, all of the examples were missing the authentic learning and relevance pieces. Students were simply following a set of instructions to reach a desired goal. In the AP math class, students were only looking at what had previously been standardized tests. What good is a skill if it exists only to be tested and not applied? In the AP English class, there was no evidence of independent thought. Higher level thinking should be the focus of AP classes. I sometimes think that these classes simply get filled with strong readers and memorizers and not necessarily with strong thinkers. The approach of the math teacher to raising test scores is unfortunately a common one. I know that I am guilty of similar practices. In our district, the sample test questions were distributed and teachers were encouraged to make sure students knew the best way to answer those types of questions. This is the pitfall of high-stakes testing. The subject areas and much of the meaningful lessons really do get displaced by test preparation, which is neither meaningful nor engaging to our students.
response to Sherry Moore
I know that I have had unmotivated "gifted" students in my class that I am just as worried about succeeding outside of school as I have had unmotivated "I dunnoers." I think that students need to take the initiative more often and practice genuine learning in order to truly succeed outside of the school setting. In my classroom, I can see the apathy in the faces of the students as they don't hand in their homework and don't seem to care. I see it in the one or two students every year who slouch at their seats with a jaded I-dare-you-to-make me-pick-up-my-pencil stare, and I wonder what kind of future these students will have. Is it really any wonder that many American jobs are being outsourced to India, where people are hardworking and value education?
In response to Sherri;
You make a valid point. The older kids get and the more "hoops they jump through" in the education system, the less interest and initiative they may have in learning.
Initial Response to Question 3C
The AP English class is lacking the use of the constructivist theory by not allowing the students to interpret the information through personal experiences. The information appears to only have been taught through the memorization of facts. It seems as no discussions have occurred. The students are relying heavily on their notes to explain the teacher's questions. If they thoroughly understood and could relate to the characters in the story, they would not need to regurgitate information from their notes. Perhaps instead of going to the board when the students have no answers, he or she could ask the students to work in small groups to discuss the topic further.
Responding to dstark,
I didn't consider the importance of simplifying the question for the students, and even more important, teaching the students how to do this for themselves! I can also see your point of how the students were unwilling to communicate. Perhaps a journaling activity in which students compared and contrasted different aspects of each character would have brought about better understanding as well. By the way, I was exactly like you in school--just copy down the notes word-for-word and give it right back to them when asked. I am so glad that we are moving toward an age of independent thinkers!
3C
An observation of the U.S. Government class provides an example of a missed opportunity to use access to information in a much different way. First, the teacher missed the goal of the class. The class had an opportunity to explore democracy throughout the pages of history. The idea of democracy can bring about great discussion and exploration. What would have happened if the teacher were to give the students all the same access to information, split the room into quads, and had each quad answer the question in 50 words or fewer? I would guess that responses may engage the students, and offer more understanding into democracy. How many students are going to leave school needing to have memorized the importance of the Iron Triangle?
A: response to Chrissie
constructivist theory applies exactly to what we are talking about. When we look at the need to problem solve, to work in collaboration with others, to express our viewpoints to others, this is the educational viewpoint I imagine happening in schools. Unfortunately, these are not the examples given in this article (although purposefully horrible examples).
Thank you, Chrissie for bringing this to the attention of the reading group.
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