WHY?

Why do we do the things we do in class?  Here are some of the reasons these learning activities work.  Nothing works for all students all the time.  We all have slightly different learning styles. In each unit, I try to have something for the major learning styles.

• Memorization/Recitation:  This is a proven method of memorizing and reciting that helps students learn key facts and definitions.  It's a bit like music.  We have a "cadence" or beat that helps the brain remember.
• Simulation:  Students learn by doing.  When you role play or act out a scene or solution, it is usually easier to remember than learning from hearing or reading.
• Forum:  This gives students a chance to research and speak out on issues.  It also requires that students listen to the thoughts and opinions of others and think about their own responses.  The Forum teaches us to be civil even when we disagree on an issue.  We learn from one another as we discuss the possibilities and reach compromise.
• Video/Cinema:  Students spend so much time engaged in popular culture that it is a prime opportunity to connect it to learning.  Our pre-viewing and post-viewing discussions encourage students to explore modern cinema themes that relate to our studies.  Because teens are more visually oriented than adults, using video and cinema provides another way to get information into the brain.
• Performance Assessments:  These are "tests" without the traditional test.  Real life tests are most often performance tests.  Most jobs provide raises and advancement based on performance.  Performance assessment goes beyond traditional testing when used appropriately.  It requires students to demonstrate that they have the required knowledge.  Often, students must draw on several sources of knowledge to complete the "test".
• Mastery Learning:  There are some things that should be mastered.  Students may be "tested" on these several times if they do not pass at first.  New grades will replace old grades until the teacher and/or the student is satisfied with the results.  Examples of mastery learning that occurs in my classroom include geographic locations (maps), Words to Know (character), and the Bill of Rights.
• Direct Instruction:  This is for those things you just need to be told and that you might have missed in reading (since only about 10% of students can learn from reading alone).  Often, these lessons come before a performance assessment or simulation.
• Cooperative Learning:  This is learning in a group format.  Many teens are verbal, and this allows them to use that path to the brain for learning.  Cooperative lessons require speaking, listening, stating opinions, organizing, negotiating, problem solving, and compromising.

This Page was last update: Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 9:12:59 PM
This page was originally posted: 8/27/06; 9:12:43 PM.
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