Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Week 2
Today I want to talk about how learning can be best effectuated by a teacher. I think far too often teachers don't let students stop and think about something. They either feel there isn't enough time or there would no possible way a student would come up with an answer on their own. In my opinion, I think learning can be best effectuated by a teacher by giving students time to think. In my class I ask a lot of questions throughout my whole lesson. I ask questions like, "why do you think...", "what do you think happens when..." and so on. I always give my student time to think, I'm not afraid of the wait time (which can be kind of scary!). I think the wait time is extremely important when it come to student learning. The time you give your student to think is processing time. Many students need that time to get through the information that you just delivered. I would say most students don't completely understand a topic right after you explain it.
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You are absolutely right when it comes to wait time. I have spent a lot of time this school year observing new teachers in the classrooms and that is one of the first things I suggest to them when they ask me what I observed. For a lot of teachers that wait time is scary. The silence, the unknown, the "please somebody say something" feeling from them is difficult to get through.
ReplyDeleteI often suggest to them to wait until there are at least 6 hands in the air before calling upon anyone, because many students are still processing the question while others are ready to blurt out answers.
It is nice to hear from someone that doesn't shy away from that quiet in the classroom. Learning is more likely to take place under those circumstances.
I agree about the wait time factor. Those are some good types of questions to inspire some thinking. I think once students learn that you will always be giving them time to think about the questions you ask, they are more likely to try and think of a response every time. On the other hand, if they know you practically never give wait time, they know they are safe not to think, because the teacher will soon give away the answers she is looking for.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the wait time. But I think just like you have to train teachers to use wait time , you have to train your students as well. That silence drives some students nuts. I guess that is where behaviorism would come in. Reinforcing the behaviors that would allow students to think.
ReplyDeleteIt IS scary, but you're right that it is so worth it to wait it out. I know in my own case, sometimes I need some time to sort out what I think, and that quiet is really helpful. What seems to us in the front of the room to be scary silence is a chance to contemplate for the students. Also, it helps with the problem of the same student always answering the questions while the others just sit and do nothing. That student that always raises the hand right off is probably just a faster processor. When I wait I'm almost always rewarded by someone raising their hand whom I would never have hoped to hear from.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about asking questions and giving the students time to answer. I recently seen a student response system, and I want it bad. I also like to ask questions, but find only a few will answer even if others know it. If I had a SRS then everyone would have to answer. That way you will know whether or not they are all learning the material.
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