Molly Stoner

Check out the new Oak Grove grade 3/4 wiki!  

Native and Immigrant: Reflections

(7/10/07)

I found the analogy Prensky set up to be a very helpful way to consider the generational differences re approach to technology.  I know that I am an immigrant -- I see it in many ways.... from figuring out a math problem on paper to wanting to print out emails to resisting cell phones (and even feeling a bit annoyed by others' seeming addiction to them), to ....

As I go back into the classroom, I am interested to see how my skills will support (or not) the things I wish to do.  My instruction tends to be fairly interactive and differentiated, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to weave technology more thoroughly into the systems that I have used in the past.  I can see it easily with things like centers or math/writing/theme times.  This week is making me think openly of things that I might not have before, though .... other ways to integrate.  For example, perhaps I should at times allow for multi-tasking, as Jane does with us, as a means to differentiate or just to teach well.  Or maybe having kids get computers first thing and keep them in their desks (as Trilby said Diana did) is best, though I balked at that idea several weeks ago.  There is much left to consider....

What I feel that I have in my favor as I struggle to bridge the gap is my seeming attraction to change and willingness to take risks.  I tend to be willing to get in there and mess around rather than need to follow the manual, as Prensky noted.  This helps me dive right in, ask pertinent questions, and learn things pretty quickly.  I'm hopeful .... and at the same time hoping not to get so bogged down in the shtuff of teaching to lose that reflection time that will help me grow.

Another thought -- it's an interesting thing, considering how my feelings about social curriculum (heart and soul stuff) seems to butt up against technology in my mind.... I imagine it doesn't need to, and I need to consider this more....  It seems most clear when I think about my parenting choices, and how much Rob and I restrict technology use at this point, and how I value the results.....  or how Ty responds when he does get more TV, etc.  It can be a slippery slope -- I want to provide the good stuff for my students (and kids) while limiting the slipperiness .... preserving the other important things in life, like time outside, imaginative play, social interaction, emotional/spiritual fulfillment.

Constructivism and the 5 E's

7/10/07

Constructivism works for me; it always has.  But I have also seen its potential pitfalls in recent years, particularly in terms of the Investigations curriculum.  I think constructivist approaches require that teachers have a pretty solid understanding of the curricular content and also have a strong ability to interpret students' questions/explorations in terms of their deeper meanings.  Without that knowledge and ability, it seems that students can go merrily along in the engage and explore stage, without being moved into the explain, elaborate, evaluate stages.  It is these last three stages where the learning gets clarified.  I really like what the author's of this article said about how, during the explain stage, the teacher "facilitates a connecton to historical and standard language."  They used the example of teaching a kid who says something "sticks" the concept of attraction.  And that is where the key teaching role is.  If that step is missed, kids may be figuring something out, but they have no real vehicle for sharing their understanding and showing all that they have learned.  Many students also need help elaborating, figuring out where to go from here with their learning -- how to connect it to their world and/or ask the next question for exploration....

I'm going to include a part of a letter here that I wrote to the Dummerston schoolboard last spring when they were considering not rehiring a math teacher in the middle school, as the old one retired (because I was thinking more clearly about this stuff then, than I am now):   I am concerned, however, that unless there is a teacher who is a mathematician and can focus on math instruction, the subject will be short changed ... particularly in the upper grades.

The Connected Math curriculum that is used throughout WSESU is very challenging to teach well.  It is highly constructivist-based, meaning that the activities are structured with the intention of giving students opportunitites to construct their own knowledge.  While I very much appreciate elements of this model, it is not straightforward like the texts that most of us probably encountered in middle school.  There is very little direct instruction.  Hence, the quality of the learning experience for the students/mastery of subject matter hinges directly on the ability of the classroom teacher to ask appropriate questions and guide students’ inquiry.  This takes focus and attention, and more importantly, deep fluency with the mathematical concepts being taught.  The teacher must be able to recognize misconceptions or lack of conceptual understanding and to instruct on the spot.   As someone who has worked as a math support teacher schoolwide at the elementary level (using CM’s sister program, Investigations), I have seen this done very well, and I have seen the point missed completely.  There is simply no substitute for a real mathematics teacher!

As it relates to technology, constructivism seems the only real way for me.  When I'm taught something directly, even if I write it down, I rarely remember how to do it.  Sometimes I return to my notes and can decipher how to do it again (like printing my Christmas card labels - thanks, Jane!) .... but generally, I need to muck around and just come to it again.  And it's that mucking around that is so key.  With technology, the risk-taking gene is very helpful!  I find that getting in there and just trying is how most of my learning happens.  And, a side benefit -- it feels so empowering to learn something oneself.  I want to encourage my students to take these risks (they do it more easily than most of us, I think) -- both to get that "high" and to develop the skills they seek. 

Cool Kathy Schrock sites

use of digital camera in classroom:    k-12.pisd.edu/multimedia/peripherals/camera/camera.htm

monthly activity calendars:  www.enchantedlearning.com/activitycalendars/

diversity calendars:  www3.kumc.edu/diversity/

seasonal activities:  www.theideabox.com/ib.php?web=seasonal

Kathy's holiday list of sites:  school.discovery.com/schrockguide/holidays.html

Kathy's brain booster site:  school.discovery.com/brainboosters/

great anagram fun:  wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html

literacy games:  school.discovery.com/schrockguide/arts/artlit.html

bulletin boards:  school.discovery.com/schrockguide/bulletin/index.html

better bulletin boards:  www.gigglepotz.com/bulletin.htm

Equivalent Fractions game:  www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/EquivFractionFinder/

challenging math games (lots!):  www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/

biographies:  www.biography.com/

biographies for kids:  www.biography.com/bio4kids/index.jsp

 6 traits of writing:  www.bham.wednet.edu/BIO/TRAITS.HTM

continents maps:  www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/mapsofcontinents.htm

social studies games:  www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/funandgames.htm

lots of games by age/topic:  www.iknowthat.com