Transcript Effective Teaching: Examples in History, Math, & Science
Effective Teaching
:
Examples in History, Math, & Science
by Michelle Brazeal
Principles for the Design of Learning Environments
Learner-centered: teachers build on the knowledge students bring to the learning situation Knowledge-centered: teachers attempt to help students develop understanding of important concepts in each discipline
Principles for the Design of Learning Environments
Assessment-centered: teachers attempt to make thinking visible so that ideas can be discussed and clarified Community-centered: teachers establish classroom norms that learning with understanding is valued and students feel free to explore what they do not understand
Teaching is a generic skill and a good teacher can teach any subject.
This is a dangerous myth about teaching Any curriculum is mediated by a teacher’s understanding of the domain You must have a deep understanding and knowledge of your subject area before you can teach effectively What teachers know and believe about a subject is closely linked to their instructional decisions and actions
Why History, Math, & Science?
To focus on similarities and differences of disciplines that use different methods of analysis To explore the knowledge required to teach effectively in a diversity of disciplines
Tinkertoy Derby
Effective Teachers Need:
Extensive knowledge of their subject matter To understand barriers likely to hinder the students Knowledge of children as learners Pedagogical content knowledge (knowledge about how to teach in their subject) Provides teachers with cognitive roadmaps that guide the assessments they give students to gauge student progress and questions they ask
Example of an Effective Teacher
Barb Johnson – 6 th grade teacher Asks students what questions they have about themselves and the world They then narrow the questions in groups and this guides the curriculum for the year With only the question, “Will I live to be 100 years old?” students explored genetics, family history, actuarial science, statistics/probability, heart disease, cancer, & hypertension
Barb Johnson’s teaching requires wide range of disciplinary knowledge because she begins with student questions rather than a fixed curriculum “It would not work to simply arm new teachers with general strategies to mirror how she teaches; they must have the subject knowledge and knowledge of how students learn as well.”
History
Many times taught as clusters of fixed names and dates If taught in this way, students only master concepts and facts instead of being able to use them to form conclusions or interpretations of events
Examples of Effective History Teachers
Bob Bain – 9 th grade History Starts class by asking questions about what they think are the most important artifacts from the past and tell why Responses are pooled and go on a poster The responses are revised and elaborated on throughout the year
Examples of Effective History Teachers
Ms. Sterling – AP History teacher Begins school year by asking questions such as: “What is history?”, “How do we know the past?” Goal: to show students that history is more than names and dates; bring students to a place where they can reason and draw meaningful conclusions
Feedback
Your topic sentence is weak More factual detail would improve your essay Note spelling and grammar corrections
Feedback
The greatest strength of this essay is its outstanding effort to grapple thoughtfully with the question, why did the colonists rebel? Keep thinking personally, “What if I were here?” It is a great place to start.
To make the essay work, however, you need to refine your organization strategies significantly. Remember that your reader is basically ignorant, so you need to express your view as clearly as you can. Try to form your ideas from the beginning to a middle and then an end.
Feedback
In the beginning, tell what side you’re on: What made the colonists rebel?
In the middle, justify your view. What factors support your idea and will convince your reader?
In the end, remind your reader again about your point of view.
Go back and revise and hand this in again!
Effective Teaching
Debates Presentation skills Students defend their own ideas/beliefs Leads to a deeper understanding of the context Not just memorized facts, but students begin to articulate what they know
What about Math?
Which seems easier to you: to be an effective teacher in history or math? Why?
How most people see math:
Computation
How mathematicians see math:
Computation is a tool in the “real stuff ” of math (problem solving and characterizing and understanding structure and patterns)
Popcorn Drop
What all the effective math teachers seemed to be doing:
Discover what the students already know and what is interesting/meaningful to them Have the students verbalize their thinking on the subject Guide discussions/arguments, leading to reasonable ideas while mentally making notes about what students are understanding Bring in new information, but have students use their own ways of deciding whether something was mathematically reasonable by doing the work
Example: How Many Altogether?
Teacher: Can anyone give me a story that could go with this multiplication…12 x 4?
Jessica: There were 12 jars, and each had 4 butterflies in it.
Teacher: And if I did this multiplication and found the answer, what would I know about those jars and butterflies?
Jessica: You’d know you had that many butterflies altogether.
Example: How Many Altogether?
Teacher illustrates Jessica’s story using stars in the jars Teacher & students give pictorial representation of grouping 10 sets of four butterflies and having 2 jars not in group This helped students recognize that 12 x 4 can be thought of as 10 x 4 plus 2 x 4. Students then grouped the jars as 6 x 4 plus 6 x 4 and saw this was the same…this surprised students.
Example: How Many Altogether?
The surprise of students was a sign to the teacher that students needed more activities involving different groupings Lesson continued with students developing and defending procedures for problems with two digit numbers in the multiplication (28 x 65) Eventually students are lead to using only written symbols for their procedures
Example of Guided Discussion/Instruction
Annie Keith - combo 1 st /2 nd grade teacher Word problems are basis for almost all instruction and used during activities Spends a lot of time in discussions on strategies for solving problems Uses activities as opportunities for her to learn what individual students know and understand Her instruction is carefully orchestrated
Modeling
What is a model-based approach to a problem?
Inventing (or selecting) a model Exploring the qualities of the model Applying the model (to answer the question) Useful in Math (spatial visualization, geometry, data structure, measurement, & uncertainty) Largely missing from school instruction
Science
Physicists (Experts in Science) – generally discuss principles and procedures Novices – tend to discuss specific equations that could be used in solving the problem
Expert Skills in Science
Ability to describe a problem in detail before attempting a solution Ability to determine what relevant information should enter the analysis of a problem Ability to decide which procedures can be used to generate problem descriptions and analyses
Unfortunately, these are rarely taught in science courses!
Example of Effective Science Teaching Which water tastes better?
(handout)
Green Thumbs
Conceptual Change
Before learning new scientific concepts, students often need to re-conceptualize deeply rooted misconceptions that interfere with learning Bridging – attempts to bridge from students correct beliefs to their misconceptions through a series of intermediate analagous situations Interactive lecture demonstrations Ex: Collision between air carts on an air track
Science for All Children What is important and why?
Class discussions To develop a language for talking about scientific ideas Makes students’ thinking visible to the teacher and the rest of the class Helps students develop a line of argumentation using what they have learned to solve problems and explain observations
Science for All Children What is important and why?
Building and arguing theories Students explore their own questions and beliefs, design studies, collect information, analyze data, construct evidence, then debate conclusions they derived from their evidence
Science for All Children What is important and why?
Teacher Guidance/Community of Practice Guide as students explore problems and define questions of interest to them Community of practice – students share the responsibility for thinking and doing They challenge each other’s thoughts, learn to be explicit about their meanings, negotiate conflicts in evidence, and share their knowledge to achieve understanding
Conclusion
Effective teaching requires: Deep understanding of the subject matter Equally thorough understanding of kinds of teaching activities that help students understand the subject matter Knowledge of conceptual barriers that students face in learning about a discipline
Conclusion
Effective teaching requires: Knowledge of effective strategies for working with students Focus on understanding rather than memorization and routine procedures to follow Engaging students in activities that help them reflect on their own learning and understanding