We recently had a staff meeting where we discussed the different types of assessment that we currently use for our students. We also discussed using rich tasks for our students learning. During our meeting, I found myself thinking about the assessments that I use. I found myself thinking if I was making the most out of those assessments. This led me to think about how I was going about my teaching practice. Was I making the most out of the opportunities provided? Do I stop to think about how engaged the students are? Those that are engaged, what am I doing or not doing to maintain that engagement? Those that are not engaged, what am I doing or not doing that leaves them disengaged? These are some of the things that I came up with...
What is happening and why?
I think that a majority of students do not see the connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied to real life. This affects their engagement because it isn't necessarily catered to where their interests are. I also think that teachers are so caught up in the paperwork of teaching that the fun in learning tends to get lost. I tell my students all the time to 'take responsibility for their learning'. I need to take my own advice and take responsibility for my teaching and take responsibility for not only what they learn but also how they learn.
What is not happening and why?
I am not being creative with the tasks that I outline to my students. I understand that we all have different ways of expressing ourselves therefore, I need to provide students with various resources that they can use to show what they have learned. e.g write a song, write a play, write a poem, develop a crossword puzzle, record a video etc.
What am I going to do to influence what is not happening and why?
I will be more aware of the various interests of my students which means developing a deeper relationship with them ( knowing the learner). By getting to know them ( their interests) this will form ideas for me about the various ways students can learn. This will help strengthen my practice and I will be able to develop cross-curricular multimodal teaching tools.
If we recognize that our students learn in different ways, then we also need to recognize that our students need us, when possible, to teach lessons with strategies that allow students to process information through multiple modalities. When possible and based on the knowledge of your students' learning style needs, provide opportunities for students to talk about their learning ( think,pair share), Use/create visual representations, utilising new media etc.
...and that's all I have to say about that!