I have always believed that the best way a child truly learns is through "doing". As a first grade teacher, I have gone to great lengths to provide my students with numerous opportunities to actively engage in the learning process. I allow for cooperative learning groups and present problem-based activities as much as possible. The problem that I have with this, however, is simply a lack of time as well as pressure from my administration to raise test scores. I do the best that I can to include projects that pertain to my students' "real lives" as well encourage more critical thinking, but I have to admit that when test scores come out I get a little nervous. Did my students do as well as the others? Did I spend enough time on the "basics"? At times I feel as though I'm walking a very long tightrope.
Tonight, before doing "my homework", I was helping my son with a book report on Wayne Gretzky. (My son thinks he should be President!) As we were printing up pictures and information from various websites and glueing them to a poster board, I was thinking about how amazing using a VoiceThread would be instead of a written (boring) report. When my son saw me doing mine, he was excited to do his own. (Keep in mind, this is a ten year old boy who hates homework!) He wanted to learn how to do everything I was doing. My mind shifted to the possibility of him showing small groups of students from his class how to do this and them deciding together on a project topic. What great peer tutoring! I am also going to use this in my first grade class by taking pictures of my students acting out a story and then having them tell the story on a VoiceThread. They will absolutely love this! In addition to this, I have just recently started my own class website where projects such as this and blogging are available to my students. Although my steps are small, I feel extremely excited to implement as much of the social learning practices along with technology as possible. Now, if they would just stop pressuring me about test scores.....
Amy Arsenault
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Amy,
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of projects that include real-life topics. It makes the students more interested in what they are doing, plus it makes for less aggravation when getting the student to do the work. It is really a motivator when they can see how someone else's life may relate to theirs. It is also a plus when the students get to work together in groups because then they can teach each other what they have learned. Great job!
Amy, I am excited to hear that your son was exicted about VoiceThread because I teach seventh graders and I am really excited to incorporate VoiceThread into my lessons. Seventh grade is an age where they absolutely want to hear themselves talk. I love the idea of creating images for your students and then allowing them to create a story; very creative I must say, and FUN!!! What a great way to get them thinking creatively, and discussing collaboratively to create an arifact. Best of luck to you and your students with this idea!!
ReplyDeleteJoy
I felt like your post conveyed what I thought about when using VoiceThread, that my students would love to create a project using it. It takes a bit to organize, I need to be more specific on what I would want, but the students would generate some great visual projects that would further encourage them to learn about their topics.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I too, have a hard time integrating real-life projects in the classroom as second grade teacher. The basics are the building blocks for their entire education. I have found that assigning "mini" collaboration projects has really boosted class morale as well as sparked interest in a concept. This liitle projects only take one class period and introduce students to the idea of depending on one another. It can be something as simple as a critical thinking math problem or science lab to something a little bit more complex like a book talk.
You and I both know administration wants to see those high test scores---if students are excited about what they are learning, the test scores show that. I have found that students will go home and so additional practice or research on their own when they are excited. They like to bring it back and share with the class the next day.
Nice post, Amy.
ReplyDeleteAll teachers today seem to walk the same tightrope you mention. I know I do and I am a high school chemistry teacher! The learning time for first graders to complete a voice thread project is much longer than for teens butis such a valuable skill to have that it is time worth taking. You could even have students illustrate and write a book on the computer and then record their own voices reading it on voiceThread as a holiday gift to families.
Great idea Christine about illustrating a book and then reading it on VoiceThread! I was also thinking that students could work in small groups and illustrate the beginning, middle, and end of the story, main idea, setting, characters, etc. and then make recordings to go along with that. This is going to be fun!
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