In chapter 6-9, Hale suggests a variety of crafting techniques that teachers can choose to implement within their classrooms. My personal favorite: Try-Its! I totally agree with her that it is more likely for students to have an intrinsic motivation to really learn a concept if they anticipate that they are going to publicly share their version of the craft being put into practice. Another thing that I really like about Try-Its is the versatility that the technique encompasses; it can be used for basically any lesson that you are trying to stress! Also, they aren't designed to take up a lot of time, and time, as I learned from subbing in a fifth grade class on Friday, is a very valuable thing.
Within the Try-Its section, she points out the usefulness in telling students to begin writing after you inform them that they only have an allotted time period to compose their thoughts on paper. Honestly, I don't know that I would have found that point to be that important if it weren't for that same fifth grade class. From the minute the bell rang, it seemed that we were falling behind schedule. For the first few subjects that I was teaching, I just pushed through trying to teach well given the amount of time, but the students really wanted to talk rather than listen. So, after they returned from art, it was time for science. Because the students were working in stations, a certain amount of time was allotted to each station, and I made sure that they were aware of this. It was amazing to me to see how much more efficiently they worked. I think that providing them with a time limit in some ways may provide them with a sense of responsibility, in that they know that they have to complete a task while meeting deadline. Although this really did seem to help most of the students, I can't help but wonder how many students felt that the imposed time limit brought on a sense of anxiety. Would the benefits of using this technique outweigh any risks?
Another point that Hale makes in this section of reading is that it is important to pick your battles. Analyzing an elementary student's work for assessment is key to ensure that you choose to seize the right instructional point at the right time. Because this can be an undoubtedly arduous and complicated task at times, I am thankful that she included many real-life examples with suggestion of how she would approach the sample. I feel that these examples allowed me to align my thinking with hers a bit more than before!
I'm glad you pointed out the use of time in the mini-lessons. I actually saw that this was a great idea for me too and I've been setting timers to help me get things done, and so affirm your experience with your 5th grade class. It really does help to know (and, it seems, to be transparent with our students in our lessons) how much time we have.
ReplyDeleteCourtney, I completely agree that Hale's introduction of Try-Its seemed to be a very effective strategy. If students have a time limit, they feel such a sense of accomplishment if they achieve the task in the allotted amount of time. I had the exact same thought, though, as you when I read the recommendation to time. As a student who did not do well with timed tests or mad minutes, I can relate to feeling some pressure. Sometimes a sense of urgency is good and keeps students on task, but I suppose you have to find a balance to know what's too far and which students may require another method.
ReplyDeleteI loved your observation about the limitation of time. It's so true! In my experience, I've found that setting time limits can help keep the flow of the schedule going, but you bring up an interesting thought----anxiety. I wonder if the kids do feel a sense of stress if they don't finish on time. I guess as the teacher you can emphasize that it's important to do your best within the specified time limit but also reassure the kids that if they don't finish the paper within the time limit, that there will be time later on to finish. I'm not sure if that strategy is a good one because some kids will hear you say, "more time...later on...finish later" which translates into "oh, i don't have to finish this now...i can finish this later." haha So, just like you said, you have to pick your battles. The time limit will work for some kids and keep them on task, while for others, it will stress them out. I think these techniques will be easier to implement once we have our own class of students and we can individualize our teaching methods to suit our particular class of 30 kids.
ReplyDeleteTime is of the essence. I've had similar experiences to yours when substitute teaching. I found that when a teacher's plans included suggestion of the use of timers and such that the students did work more efficiently. I also think that if this is an established classroom method that it may be less anxiety inducing. Maybe the first few times is would cause kids to feel pressured but after they acclimate, I think it would just be a good motivator to be on task.
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney. As I was reading the first part of your blog I was thinking "I am so glad that she shared this real life example with us, it really helps to illustrate the written points. Then you said that the book examples did the same thing for you. Please know that yours did the same for me. Thank you!
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