We continued to think about what it means to be a 21st century learner in my graduate class this week. Specifically what that looks like in our classroom by coming up with a lesson. Truth be told, I have been finding it hard this year to get back to my normal classroom routine. Pre-Covid-19 my students were situated in groups, I start each lesson with an activity to get them thinking, talking, and problem solving within their groups, then we come together as a class and talk about what we discovered or what questions they still have, take some notes, do more examples, rinse and repeat. A lot of these routines are specifically fostering the 21st century skills we want our students to engage with and develop (communication, creativity, and collaboration), but after last year I felt out of practice and unsure how to dive back in. As I read through Hobbs 5 core competencies provided to us in class, I slowly began to realize each of these instructional methods calls back to my normal routine. Access or “sharing appropriate and relevant information and using media texts and technology tools” (Hobbs 2011) is ALWAYS the question I ask myself before bringing technology to my students. How will this enhance their learning? Or is it an unnecessary barrier that takes away from the content I want them to learn? Making sure I am asking my students open-ended questions or having them engage with their group task to problem solve and analyze what is making sense and what isn't not only builds up their value as a voice in the classroom but guides my instruction further. By pushing students during this time to come up with creative ways to solve a problem, can you draw a picture? Which numbers make sense here? What is too much or too little? After the group task as we debrief their ideas are validated or pushed back on, perhaps they hear something new they hadn't considered. The opportunity to reflect on their thoughts help push them to be more successful later. And finally, they get to act on their new knowledge by trying new problems, or because they have gained confidence this time they will work harder on the next task. Reading these methods helped me remember and regain the confidence to let my students struggle and not hold their hand like I felt I had to last year. The lesson I decided to give a new look to is an initial introduction to graphing in two variables as it relates to a visual story for my Algebra 1 students. First they will interact with a desmos activity that has embedded videos for them to watch and sketch a graphical representation of some story happening over time. It will then show the ‘answer’ overlaid on their sketch, students are given the opportunity to try a few more times after we discuss as a class what they noticed and wondered about the video, the graph and how it relates to mathematics (watch my attempt below). Then they are going to create their own short video that includes two variables, time and some other measurement changing, that they will share with other groups by drawing, by hand, each other's graphical stories. I love bringing creativity to a math classroom. I do, however, worry about timing (will students come up with an idea, record a video, and share in the remaining class time?) I also worry if students will feel safe using their phone or know how to use their Chromebook to do this if not. However, the 21st century skills they can begin to develop through this activity are so important - communication within their small group and the whole group, thinking creatively about what measurement they can record changing over time within our limited classroom space, collaborating with one another and finding each other's strengths and weaknesses - who should record? What are some unique ways to think about how to graph? How can they support each other to come up with an interesting graphical story? The risk of them derailing or running out of time is worth the potential outcome as they work through it and find success. Resources
Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Corwin/Sage. Misura, M. (2021, October 10) Lesson Preview. [Video]. YouTube. youtu.be/yqw9yC3IDYI
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AuthorMarissa McGregor, high school math teacher extraordinaire. I love my husband, daughter, and family dearly. Archives
August 2022
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