I thought that I would be prepared for the challenge of teaching. I thought I would be prepared with the most complex of lesson plans and the newest ideas for integrating technology within my classroom. I thought it would be a challenge but not one I couldn't accomplish. I thought I knew how to do it all, to prepare all the lesson plans and to differentiate....and then I realized, when I first began discussing my ideas for lesson plans with my cooperating teacher, that I had forgotten something. I had forgotten about my students. In all my excitement to create grand lesson plans, I had forgotten that perhaps the content might not be suited for high school students. Additionally, they were stale and boring--not the kind of lesson plans students get excited about.
Fortunately, my cooperating teacher saw this tendency in me and cautioned me against doing too much. In fact, he recommended a set of lesson plans which he had used in the past which relied almost exclusively on classroom skits. No textbook reading, no PowerPoints, no vocabulary or terms. This completely flew in the face of all I had been taught about learning history and I was incredibly skeptical. But he encouraged me to use this approach, if only to try it out. I did so...and was shocked.
My students had remembered names, dates, important events, all without opening a textbook! I had always said I wanted to make history come alive for my students, but this week I was given the opportunity to do just that--and I could have passed it by. By the end of the week, my students were ready to finish studying the French Revolution, and would walk away knowing all the key points. I began the week a skeptic and ended it a true believer. I intend to make use of these skits throughout the school year now, because I have seen them in action and know how effective they can be.
Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned this week is that a teacher should always be open to trying new techniques and ideas. You never know when you may find something which, although it may seem a bit strange at the time, could be one of the most effective tools you may have to teach your students. I can't wait to see what I will learn next week.
It sounds like you learned some great lessons this week...things you can't learn about until you experience them. Authentic learning and student engagement is huge, especially in a subject like history. I would encourage you if you have a chance to explore Understanding by Design. It is all about providing experiences so that students are engaged thus learning the content, but more importantly walk away with essential understanding.
ReplyDeleteThis is the purpose of student teaching. Get experiences and talk with those that do it everyday. They teach our future working class of America. When you have your students engaged and wanting for more, that is what teaching is all about. It sounds like you got it. Keep an open mind and embrace as many new ideas that come your way for future use in the classroom. Engaging the High School Student can be challenging at times, don't give up on them, they need you.
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