This is the writing prompt for our reflection over these chapters: Please think about what you observed Brie and Jennifer do in their teaching demonstrations. Reflect upon what they both did well and how they met or didn't meet their goals or outcomes. Considering the amount of time each was allotted for the demonstration, how well did each incorporate Burke's and Wilhelm's ideas (either theoretically or in practice)?
Please also personally reflect upon the two chapters you were to read for this week's demonstrations. Some things to think about: how important are questions in the classroom, whether it is secondary or middle school language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies or any subject for that matter? How do we elicit questions from our students that will guide our practice and engage students in learning?
Please also personally reflect upon the two chapters you were to read for this week's demonstrations. Some things to think about: how important are questions in the classroom, whether it is secondary or middle school language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies or any subject for that matter? How do we elicit questions from our students that will guide our practice and engage students in learning?
I think that Brie and Jen did a really great job in their demonstrations. What I really liked about their lessons was that they were interesting, creative, and fun. They would work well in a high school or middle school setting, but I would be worried about younger students getting off-task during the time period they should be discussing. It would be really important for the teacher to mingle among the students. This is something that Jen did really well, but I think Brie could have improved on. I liked that Jen gave examples of our own ideas when we came back together as a class because it showed that she was listening to us. Both lessons incorporated the authors' ideas about questions in a unique way. The six word stories Brie gave us did a great job of getting us to ask our own questions and to read between the lines. In fact, I think I may use six word stories as writing prompts in my own class. In Jen's lessons, I liked the idea of circular questioning. The poem "Pink" gave us a very different idea/question to work with.
Questions are very important in the classroom! As someone mentioned today in class, when we ask students questions, all they can use to answer them is their prior knowledge. Throughout my education career, I've always enjoyed English classes the most, and I just thought it was because I liked the content. Now I realize that a lot of it had to do with the fact that English is discussion based. I think the best way to get our students thinking and questioning is, like Wilhelm mentioned, asking them questions that pertain to their own lives. I like the idea of asking students about relationships when teaching Romeo and Juliet. Question-based instruction also relies more heavily on students' knowledge rather than the teacher's knowledge. I believe teachers often underestimate their students' abilities. They "dumb down" content in order to make it at "their level." This is a huge mistake! We have to believe in our students and push them to try harder or they will just settle for the bare