Reflection
Journal 4
Direct instruction
Before
beginning this school year, the idea of direct instruction was natural. It was not a second thought. I spent the last six years in middle school where
I was up moving, presenting information, using the smart board, etc. This year working with Apex was an adventure. I had a love hate relationship with Apex. In the spring semester, I started presenting
information on Apex while I taught two 9th grade literature
classes. It made me feel like a teacher
again instead of someone waiting on a question or to unlock a quiz or
test. After we went to digital learning,
I did a lot of reflection on what next year would like. I decided that I will hit the ground running. All literature classes will be taught by me,
and any other classes that are on Apex will be presented on the smart board
instead of leaving students to his or her own devices.
To
me, direct instruction or even presenting Apex classes to students is much more
beneficial than a student working on his or her own. Some of the Apex courses can be a touch on
the boring side. If I was a high school
student, I would not want to work on Apex all day. When teaching via direct instruction, an
educator is able to create lessons that interest the student and are on the
student’s level. When working on lesson
plans, the first part is stating the desired outcome. What do you want the student to learn during
this lesson? Also, a teacher needs a
good introduction. If you are about to
read Romeo and Juliet, you do not want to start the lesson with today we
are going to read…. That is not going to
interest the students. A lot of teachers
start lessons or modules with a buy-in; something that will interest the students
and make then want to know more. This
can be a video, an audio clip, PowerPoint, etc.
After
the introduction, the educator needs to ensure mastery of any skills needed for
the module or lesson. This can be done
with a quick review or game. Even high
school students love to play Kahoot and other games in class. When presenting new information, everything should
be in a logical order instead of bouncing from place to place. Also, you want to make sure not to overload
the students. If teaching poetry terms,
introduce a few at a time. If you
introduce all of the poetry terms at once, the students can become overwhelmed,
and now the teacher has lost them. Slavin
(2018) states to “repeat important points and bring them back into the lesson whenever
appropriate” (p. 166). By doing this,
the students will be more likely to remember the points or terms and how they
relate to the unit.
When
teaching, it is important to use examples that students can relate to as
well. In middle school and teaching the
difference between an independent clause and dependent clause, I would tell the
students the independent clause was like an adult. It stood on its own, could buy groceries,
rented an apartment, and had a job. The
dependent clause was like a kid. The
child could not get a job or rent an apartment because it needed help. Months later on a mid-term a student asked me
what the different was between the two.
I told him I could not tell him.
I asked him what I told him about independent and dependent clauses, and
he remembered on his own that the independent clause was an adult. Another technique that Slavin (2018) suggests
is the rule-example-rule. This technique
is when a teacher states the rule, gives an example, and states the rule again
(Slavin, 2018). This technique can help
give students a mental image to assist in memorizing the rule.
In
addition, Slavin (2018) suggests using demonstrations, models, illustrations,
and videos. The sources can help students
remember what is being taught. Most students
do not memorize everything a teacher says and needs visuals as well. Plus, a lecture class is more for college
students. Even then, some college
students need visuals depending on the class.
An elementary student would not be able to learn with a teacher talking
at him or her all class. The student
will get bored and stop listening. To
maintain attention, Slavin (2018) states “for this reason you should introduce
variety, activity, or humor to enliven the lecture and maintain student
attention” (p. 168). Even in college,
professors make jokes during lectures to keep the students from drifting off to
sleep.
Another
important aspect is learning probes. There
are many ways to check for understanding.
It can be as simple as asking questions during the lesson. Questioning the students is important. How else do we know if they are learning or
need assistance in a specific area? When questioning a student, Slavin (2018)
states to wait for about three seconds before moving on but do not wait too
long. When calling on students, there
should be some sort of method. If you
always call on the students who raise their hands, do the students who sit quietly
understand the material? Slavin (2018) suggests using popsicles sticks with
students’ names, cards with students’ names, or using a list and calling names
at random.
Another
way to check for understanding is an all-response. When using an all-response, there is only one
correct answer, and the whole class answers at once. Another way is to use hand signals to answer
the questions as once. The teacher can
have the do a thumbs up or down for true or false question or to give a
number. Independent practice is another
important way to check for understanding.
Without independent practice, a teacher may never truly know if a
student has learned the material because a student needs practice to learn
something. Young children learn how to
spell by writing the words over and over.
When learning math, a student must have practice to remember the
formulas and order of operations. Though
independent work is important, Slavin (2018) states “do no assign independent practice
until you are sure students can do it” (p. 173). If a student does not know how to do the
practice appropriately, he or she will remember doing it the incorrect
way. If a student learns to complete a
math formula incorrectly, it will be harder for the student to learn how to do
it correctly. At the end of the lesson,
there should be some sort of assessment.
This can be a short quiz or ticket out of the door. If a number of
students do not do well, the lesson should be retaught.
An
equally as important aspect of direct instruction is how the students learn. Slavin
(2018) states concepts are learned two ways.
The first by observation, and the second by definition (Slavin,
2018). Kids see an airplane and learn
what it is, yet to learn what a brother is, a child needs know the definition. Just by seeing a brother does not teach the
children what a brother is. Another
concept is transfer of learning. Instead
of teaching to the test, educators need to students how to use the skills
learned. Even though a student can write
a compound-complex sentence by itself, can the student use it in a
paragraph? Those the skills that need to
be taught. In order to teach concepts that
can be used in a variety of settings, the teacher must teach the concepts in a
variety of ways. For instance, when teaching
a vocabulary word, instead of giving the students the vocabulary word in the
same setting, use different settings. Slavin
uses flummoxed as a vocabulary word. In
one example, he uses the word three times and regarding a magician. To truly teach the students how to use it in
a variety of situations, the word needs to be used in a variety of situations
instead of just a magic show.
Even
though lectures can be boring, class discussions are imperative and can be done
in a way that keeps the students’ attention.
There are multiple types of discussions.
They are controversial topics, difficult topics, and affective objectives
(Slavin, 2018). Through these types of
discussions, students learn how to think outside the box, see something in a
way he or she would not have even thought about, and for them to see the value
in something (Slavin, 2018). Along with
whole class discussion, small group discussion is another method for discussions. With small group discussion, students are
placed into small groups and can either be given different topics or the same
topic. After giving students time to discuss
the assigned topic, the whole group reconvenes and shares information.
Reflection
I
found this chapter interesting because it went with what I was reflecting
during digital learning days. I found
myself not enjoying Apex and wanting to do something more for the
students. When school starts in the
fall, I plan on going back to my middle school days of direct instruction. The students were engaged, working, and
passing classes. When left to their own
devices, the students played games or just did not work. That is something that I do not want for my
students. Slavin (2018) states “intentional
teachers are not satisfied with learning that is limited to a narrow,
school-specific context” (p. 184). Apex
is school-specific, and I refuse to rely on it anymore.
While
direct instruction is more time consuming because a teacher must create his or
her own lessons, the lessons can be planned to the learning level of the
student. Also, the lessons can be creative
and engaging. Even though writing lesson
plans can be time consuming, I enjoy creating lessons that I think the students
will like. Reading this chapter just
reaffirmed what I want and need to do next year. I want to be the best for my students.
References
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