Ch. 6
- Think of a task you typically assign and recreate it to allow for a higher ceiling. How can you reword the directions to increase their possibilities and opportunities?
- Reflect on the term “Teach less, learn more” and how you see yourself using this philosophy to create powerful learning opportunities.
Ch. 7
- Examine your own instructional routines. Do you have routines for different types of activities, such as group work or independent work? How effective are these routines in helping you and your students remain focused on learning?
- Identify the kinds of thinking you want to make “routine” in your classroom. What kinds of thinking will students need to be able to build understand?
"Teach less, learn more" is so easy to forget. We're teachers, and by nature, we love to talk and are excited to share all that we know. It's natural for some of us to want to go on and on. And the younger the children are that I teach, I have to force myself harder to keep directions and the points that I want to make direct and to the point, and offer the children more time to "do" things with one another and in small groups.
ReplyDeleteFrom Chapter 7, the whole "routine" thing made a lot of sense to me. So many things can not be taught until routines are in place. If children come in to a situation with a comfort level about how the lesson will go and what to expect, I believe learning has a higher chance of taking place. But it takes time and a lot of trial and error to build these routines in a classroom community. You don't want the students to become complacent or get bored by doing the same "things" over and over again, yet at the same time, you want them to know what the expectations are. Reading the part about the kindergarten teacher made a lot of sense to me because of my experience with the littler kids. He mentioned that the children already knew how to turn and talk to their partner, and he explained that was obviously something the children had been trained to do. Can you imagine if he asked kindergarteners to turn and talk to a partner and they were not familiar with that routine and the expectations? The whole thing is a long process but it has long lasting rewards!
As I'm looking back to last year, I had instructional routines that become predictable for students in each of my groups. They knew what would happen each time they came to see me and for the most part, groups ran smoothly because of the established routines. As I reflect on those routines, however, I can now see that although they helped me with management, they did not always lead to maximum student engagement and learning. There were times when students were waiting on their peers before we moved on as a group; the format of discussions was largely teacher-led; students who were doing well were not always pushed as attention was given to those who were struggling. As I'm planning for this upcoming year, I'm thinking about ways I can revamp the instructional routines in my room to ensure that all students are engaged, their thinking is pushed and made visible, and time is used as effectively as possible. As a tool to accomplish this goal, I hope to continue my use of thinking routines and begin to reflect on the routines with students to "help them take control of them so that they can use them independently in their own learning" (pg. 194). Instead of using a routine in isolation as an end result, I want to get to the point where they are incorporated seamlessly into my lessons to generate ideas and organize thinking.
ReplyDelete"Teach less, learn more" is my motto for 2016-2017! As soon as I read that quote I chuckled and text it to a friend. We both agreed it sounded like a good plan. But after finishing the book, and thinking about it more I realize its what everyone should be doing for this generation. We've heard that these kids are more technology savvy than ever before and they don't need to learn rote skills but rather they need to be critical thinkers, and learn how to work with others to share their ideas. Simply delivering the content is no longer enough. I need to think about raising the ceiling of their learning with the use of talking, projects, presentations, and technology. For example, in math I love the idea of starting with a Claim and moving the kids from there. Area and perimeter are such an abstract idea for kids so I'd like to allow them to actually do some room designs and real life applications. This year I want to stop looking at the clock and my to-do list and allow time for real, authentic learning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Angela and Tiffany regarding the quote, "Teach less, learn more" and really taking that philosophy to heart! As a lower elementary teacher, I feel it is our job to truly get our students excited about learning and pushing themselves to think deeper so that they carry this excitement about learning into future grades. However,to make this philosophy or way of teaching effective in first grade, I need to establish strong instructional routines that maximizes our learning opportunities. They need to be taught how to be productive during learning opportunities. When I think of the various routines we have in the classroom for different activities, Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, and math come to mind. In math, the Everyday Math curriculum begins with a math message that often times asks students to think a little deeper about a particular math concept. I think changing the math message and rather, start with a claim and then students create questions from that would be a great idea as we investigate the claim further. In Writer's Workshop, our mini lesson routine typically begins with a 'hook' to grab the students' attention and get them excited about writing. We often times use mentor text. I would like to try and create a claim about the writer's work and use that claim to delve deeper into the different types of writing the students are learning to do. Another routine we spend a lot of time teaching is turning and talking to a partner. However, many times students are off task and are not able to independently share ideas with a partner. I would like to spend more time this year modeling the skill of listening to a topic or question they are meant to address with a partner and then responding and talking with a partner. Turning and talking with a partner is a great way to get all students participating and thinking more deeply about a topic but only if they truly understand and have the desire to productively participate with a peer.
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom, I use various routines throughout the day. Students are taught to come to the carpet and transition through the use of music. Students work in groups or with partners during math centers and have independent work time also. After independent reading, they often meet with partners to discuss their books and before writer's workshop, they brainstorm ideas with their partners and also share as a whole group at the end. In my class, students have about equal amount of time to work in partnerships and independently. I find this to be pretty effective for all types of learners. My management routines are effective, but I continue to work on making sure more thinking routines are incorporated. " Teachers need to use more thinking routines as structures to enhance understanding" (p.177) Some other routines I use are "One, two, three, eyes on me" or counting back with my hand from 5. These have proven to be effective for me. The first week of school is critical in setting up routines. They include routines on how to get student's attention, chores, movement, discipline, transitioning, cleaning up, getting materials, moving about etc. (p. 191). I sometimes still find myself using the school-wide routine "Pause" but am finding it less effective. When I deliver my lessons, they often begin with a mini-lesson on the carpet and the end of the lesson is a time to reflect and share. I like the idea mentioned in Chapter 7 --the "give one, get one" routine where a partner gives an idea and the other records it as their "get one". Then, they switch partners. I also like Tiffany and Dana's comments about beginning math with a claim that students can work on proving--I may try to do that too :) My goal is to continue to incorporate more thinking routines so they become more natural. When I started to use several last year and students became more familiar, they would say "we did this one before"! That helped it run more smoothly and effectively!
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom, I use various routines throughout the day. Students are taught to come to the carpet and transition through the use of music. Students work in groups or with partners during math centers and have independent work time also. After independent reading, they often meet with partners to discuss their books and before writer's workshop, they brainstorm ideas with their partners and also share as a whole group at the end. In my class, students have about equal amount of time to work in partnerships and independently. I find this to be pretty effective for all types of learners. My management routines are effective, but I continue to work on making sure more thinking routines are incorporated. " Teachers need to use more thinking routines as structures to enhance understanding" (p.177) Some other routines I use are "One, two, three, eyes on me" or counting back with my hand from 5. These have proven to be effective for me. The first week of school is critical in setting up routines. They include routines on how to get student's attention, chores, movement, discipline, transitioning, cleaning up, getting materials, moving about etc. (p. 191). I sometimes still find myself using the school-wide routine "Pause" but am finding it less effective. When I deliver my lessons, they often begin with a mini-lesson on the carpet and the end of the lesson is a time to reflect and share. I like the idea mentioned in Chapter 7 --the "give one, get one" routine where a partner gives an idea and the other records it as their "get one". Then, they switch partners. I also like Tiffany and Dana's comments about beginning math with a claim that students can work on proving--I may try to do that too :) My goal is to continue to incorporate more thinking routines so they become more natural. When I started to use several last year and students became more familiar, they would say "we did this one before"! That helped it run more smoothly and effectively!
ReplyDeleteThe concept "Teach less, learn more" is something that I have been thinking about since visiting another teacher's classroom this year during my teacher lab. Not sure what bubble I had been living in but I had not heard of Genius Hour before. This particular teacher ran Genius Hour every Friday afternoon in her classroom. Since getting a taste of this idea, I have been toying around with how to run it in my classroom. The idea that the students take responsibility for a topic of great interest to them and how and what they want to do with this topic is very interesting to me. From reading that I have been doing on this idea, it isn't just a written report on their favorite animal. I could see that some students would have a hard time breaking away from that kind of concept though. I'm imaging that the more focus that is placed on thinking vs product would help with the idea of breaking away from just a written report. I don't see this as something that I would start the first week of school, but as students become more comfortable with the concept of taking more responsibility for their own learning and relying less on the teacher "giving" them the answers that Genius Hour could be a very exciting idea. I'm trying to keep open about how to run this and have the students take an active role in establishing this idea. Give it a try and tweak it later if necessary right?
ReplyDeleteI would love to try this along with you if you don't mind me tagging along for the ride :-)
Delete"Teach less, learn more," is something I strive for each year but don't always seem to accomplish. With new curriculum and larger class sizes each year there always seems to be the pressure to, "teach more, to more." This past school year I was lucky to be able to have a smaller class size which enabled me to try many new routines and provide some new opportunities within the classroom. Similar to a genius hour I implemented Kid Ed Camp last year which allowed the students who wanted an opportunity to teach others on topics they were knowledgable in. I loved being able to step back and watch them develop their own lesson and materials but the best part was watching one student in particular just shine. This student had been one of the quietest students in class, barely ever speaking, and watching him deliver his lesson on how to pitch a baseball to a small group of his peers was like watching new life grow in front of you. By giving him the opportunity I was able to see another side to this student and realize for the remainder of the school year what his potential was. To me this was teaching less and learning a lot more about my students, their interests, and their abilities. Making time for opportunities like this will be a driving force in my classroom from now on regardless of class size. As for routines I can honestly say that by incorporating as many as I did throughout the year I definitely saw a shift in the thinking my students shared. I can remember in late spring reading a book in Social Studies that I have read to classes each year but this time I had kids making comments, connections, and predictions without any prompting from me and many were of a deeper level of thinking than I'd ever had shared in previous years. I'm excited to begin the school year knowing that the sooner we can start to build their thinking routines the stronger their learning will be come.
ReplyDeleteTeach less, learn more is a goal for all of us. I personally think that they captured the essence of why it is not completed more often --- "Pg. 181 -You have to give over some control if you are really teaching the discipline and encouraging thinking mathematically and not just doing a specific piece of content," she explains. "It can be quite frightening."
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not consider myself a control freak, this made me consider my routines. I found even reading the student discovery of a triangular number I could feel myself wanting to jump in to explain it. This tells me that I really do need to push my comfort zone and allow time and tangents to truly get to student deeper understanding. Let them struggle with an idea and not "save" them.
I loved what Stephanie said about the math questions -- Although we do them daily I am going to try to apply this CSQ on the first week.
Tiffany about the area and volume - I have a lesson that I can share for doing a home bedroom and figuring out the area of furniture that we can use as a project for applying the area.
Angela summed it up perfectly when she said - the routines are a long process with long lasting results. I personally need to take a breath and know that the more you try it, the easier it gets and the more critical thinking you will get out of the students.
Most often when I think of routines, I think of management routines. Teachers spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year establishing these organizational and behavioral procedures in order to create a smooth running classroom. The concept of thinking routines is fairly new to me. I have been using them for a few years, and I have become comfortable incorporating these tools into lessons, but transforming them into routines is another story. On page 194, it states that, “By reflecting on the routines with our students, we help them take control of them so that they use them independently in their own learning.” The ultimate goal of a routine is for it to become a pattern of behavior. As we implement them on a regular basis, students become familiar with the routines and begin to use them in different concepts. I would like to see students become more comfortable explaining their thinking, digging deeper and supporting their answers by citing evidence.
ReplyDeleteTeach less, learn more seems like common sense, but as a teacher, I have been trained that it is my job to teach. I am looking forward to creating routines and an atmosphere for students to take responsibility for their learning. Understanding will be deeper and information will be retained longer when students are the active participants.
ReplyDeleteI want to create activities to engage students in working together with classmates in order to actively learn, as opposed to me teaching and feeding students specific information. The learning will be more meaningful and retained more.
I need to continuously remind myself to slow down and create routines.
When quality time is spent learning routines, a smoother and calmer environment is created and energy can be spent on learning what is important. Eventually the time spent learning routines will be made up by having more time for what is important.
When I read the section on the philosophy "Teach less, learn more," it made me immediately think about how true this in terms of technology. I am boy no means an expert in every aspect of technology. New websites, software, apps, etc. come out all the time or technology problems arise that I have never experienced before (what works in the morning could be completely different by the afternoon!) Frequently, I do rely on the students to help me work through problems and I think that is a good thing. Being able to problem solve and experiment with technology is really half the battle.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to do less "telling" in how I introduce students to use different technology tools. In the past, I've been the one explaining what certain buttons do, but I'd like to start letting students work things out themselves...maybe through a See Think Wonder routine? Who knows? They may even be able to teach me a few new things!
In our room we have many classroom management routines that help us transition smoothly and complete tasks efficiently. These are pretty easy for me to think about and explain, instructional routines are something that I am still working on as a member of the Routines group. I do see my students becoming more focused on giving deeper observations when we explore more thinking routines. They are becoming more comfortable using the thinking routines and are taking more risks. I am letting go of the control that I normally have in lessons and letting the students drive the conversations more.
ReplyDeleteReflect on the term “Teach less, learn more” and how you see yourself using this philosophy to create powerful learning opportunities.
ReplyDelete“Teach less, learn more,” is a great philosophy to keep in mind as this school year progresses. I have found that over the years, students are looking more and more to the teachers for help instead of actually trying to attempt problems on their own. After reading this text, I feel that the less time I spend teaching and the more time I provide for my students to analyze, question, collaborate, and create the more the students will actually learn. It is through inquiry that the students will actually know, understand and be able to communicate what they have learned since they had meaningful conversations and were able to apply the concepts. For example, when teaching long division for the first time, I simply posted an example of a division problem solved on the board with all the work shown. I then had the students work together as a group to analyze and discuss how the problem was solved. Groups then explained to each other what they had arrived at and as a class we had an in-depth discussion. Moreover, I also recently had my students create a 3D lemonade stand. Students used their knowledge about area and perimeter to figure out the dimensions of the counter space, sign, posts, front panel, and back panel of the stand. Students quickly learned if they did not accurately find the perimeter or area of those components, their lemonade stand did not fit together. It was through that process; I saw my students going back on their own and independently rework problems. Students now have this real life experience to reference when discussing or working with area and perimeter in the future.
One of the routines that has worked best for me is our math warm-up called Wheel of Destiny. On the board I write 4-5 review problems or extensions to what the students learned. The students write down their answers and I randomly select one student to answer each problem. After the student answers the question, I quickly review the process of how they arrived at the answer. If a student answers the question correctly they get to spin the Wheel of Destiny on the smart board. On the wheel are different prizes such as tickets (which students can use for special rewards in the class), desk bumps (where a student trades seats with another student for the day) and the dreaded zoink (no reward). Sometimes we do this as individual activity and sometimes it can be done in small groups. The students really enjoy this warm-up and it allows me to check for understanding and reteach and remind students of the proper process for completing the problems.
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