I’ve been looking at what an effective science classroom looks like. My last blog focused on student engagement. I referenced an article that listed ten steps to creating a more engaging student environment. This article gave some really great ideas that teachers can use in the classroom.
I wanted to take a deeper look at activities being used in the classroom. Can activities in the classroom be used ineffectively? The answer, yes. It’s great that teachers are wanting to an inquire-based learning, but they need to be careful when choosing these hands-on activities. Activities still need to have a purpose and the content still needs to be present. This is when the most essential part of the lesson is the teacher. We, as teachers, need to be sure we incorporate and develop the concept after the engaging activity. If the content is missing from the lesson, the activity loses its value.
When researching this phenomenon, I didn’t find much on the topic. So I decided to research sites that give a lot of great lessons that contain quality activities and content. I came a across a site called The Teacher's Corner. This site contains a lot of great lessons that would make an excellent resource in the classroom. It also contains some great links to other science websites. We, as teachers, should use the resources available to us and then adjust them to fit our students. Knowing your students is going to vital when creating the lessons in your classroom.
I’ve taken a deeper look at student engagement, classroom activities, and how to use them effectively in the classroom. Now, I’d like to take a deeper look at creating lessons for your students. What are they supposed to look like and what should they include?
I'm so glad you wrote about this. I have been in so many classrooms where they overload the students with activities but they don't actually know why they are doing some of the things they are doing. I also love that you said the most important part is the teacher. I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteActivities are great but I agree with you that if they are ineffective then what is the point? I think sometimes teachers get so excited to present an activity that they forget about the content. I checked out the website you posted and it did have some great ideas that could be adjusted to fit the needs of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic idea! It really hit home with me and what I've experienced in my practicum classes. I talked with my Science practicum teacher about activities and how she manages her time in preparing them. She told me that after 20 years of teaching, she has found the times when it is most beneficial for students and when it is a waste of her and their time. It takes knowing the content and the ages of the students to know when it is appropriate and when it just gets to be too much. Great topic Shannon! loved it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that its important for teachers to be aware of the way in which they are using activities in the classroom. It's good to give our students concrete experiences to enhance their conceptual understanding of content topics but we must do so with caution. Even if we have a purpose for doing a certain activity, we must balance this hands-on experience with meaningful instruction. As fun as an activitiy may be, we must remember not to forget to include whats really meaningful to student learning...the content to bring meaning to the experience.
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