Today's session was meaningful to me in several ways.
I appreciated time to discuss the article and process the information in it with members of my department. this activity made the discussion more relevant to me.
The protocol we followed in the large group session ("Listen actively.", etc.) kept the discussion focused and allowed people to contribute if they so desired. I'll probably use a modified form of it in my classes.
I found Anne's, Brad's, and Brian's comments of real interest.
Suggestions for the planning team:
I think I understand what the author of the article is explaining, but I need time to work on understanding and creating a "good problem" to use in Social Studies. I'm trying to transition from a "didactic" model of teaching to a constructivist style and creating "good problems" might be helpful.
Although I found myself tiring toward the end of the meeting (probably due to the drop in my blood sugar from the overly large piece of chocolate cake I ate), I do appreciate that the meeting allowed us time to think, discuss, and process. Each time we meet and discuss, I find my anxiety about the coming changes diminishes. Who knows? If we keep this up, maybe I'll take up blogging on a regular basis!
A discussion that included a few of the negatives experienced by Anne, Brad, and Brian would have been interesting. I know there have been a few issues over the use of lap tops with parents and students, and I would like to know how they responded and how it affected their teaching.
Since I had discussions about the class after school that lasted until 5:00 p.m., I'm assuming many of us have comments to share.
posted by k gerlich @ 5:34 PM
1 Comments
