Joan Z. Jacobson
I plan to use a range of strategies that will convey information to my students. I try to teach every lesson to the wide diversity of learners in the class: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. The variety of ways that I present material is an example of my effort to reach these different learners.
When students enter the class there is always a “to do” up on the board for them to begin once they enter class. The “do now” takes between three to five minutes. They may react to a piece of art hanging on the board by just describing it in six sentences. (What do they see in the picture?) It is a chance to focus them and get on to the review of what was covered in the previous class. This helps me lead into new material, or techniques, thus allowing students to connect the knowledge they are building on. Afterward, I may do a demonstration of what I’ve just discussed or explain what they will be working on. I will ask them to take me through the steps so they have a verbal understanding of what we’re doing.
If a new skill is extremely hard for them we will have a guided lesson. This means I hand out supplies and we do the process together, with students following my directions. The physical construction of the journals is one such lesson.
While students are working, I use a variety of strategies to monitor their progress so they can develop analytical and critical skills. I constantly walk around the room, looking at what they are doing and asking questions about what they are working on. If they question how to do something, I always answer them, “What do you think you should do?” I try to have them answer their own questions, or ask their neighbors.
One of my ways of communicating with them about their work is going to their journals or written work, and writing on sticky notes. This has been a successful way to praise them or suggest what their next step is. This is critical because every student works at a different pace. My response to their work is imperative because when they get their work back, they have an idea how to move on. Because I believe that the students are also each other’s best critics, I have used a means of evaluation that works well. They each get a sticky note. They are asked to exchange their journal with someone at the same table. Then I ask them to evaluate their friend’s journal for a variety of reasons. They all evaluate each other for the same reasons. Each lesson plan has a list of things to assess. Each one is a percentage of their grade for that project (see lesson plans). They are asked what works and what doesn’t work in their journal.
Lastly, and most importantly, I ask students to evaluate their own work. With each assignment, I ask the students to fill out a self evaluation. Their evaluation follows the same rubric that I use to determine their grade. Students are usually their own harshest critics and their grade for themselves is often less than what I would give them. So this helps me get an idea of their progress.