Saturday, September 4, 2010
Comments sparked by Loren's video (see post above)
I posted Loren's final video on my facebook profile. Here are the comments that appeared:
Celeste Young: (Biology teacher at the High School where Curriculum in Motion happens)
I was noticing when I was at the Pillow with you that you were using the principles of Backward Design & it is really evident in the video (nice job, Laura!). The Teaching HS Biology is focusing on how to use inquiry, which is essentially backward design/constructivism/whatever name you would like to put in there - basically having the goal chosen (standard), figuring out which questions to ask to help your students begin to think about the topic, then figuring out which activities to do & which evidence to collect to validate that the students are "getting it", all the while incorporating the assessment piece (which isn't necessarily testing! It can be reflection in a journal (my least favorite word in the English language), a "ticket to leave"- stating something that you learned & asking one question that you still have), drawing a picture, or choosing a movement to reflect what you learn. It just struck me that as a society, we don't have a common language for assessing movement. A student could just stand up there and move... but if the teacher doesn't know what each movement represents, then she can't assess the student. However, if the student explains what she is doing (like your type of movement, Celeste), then that is the common language. Hmm... like Lisken said, the movement that the student uses might be the tool for him or her to learn the material... it may not mean anything to anyone else but the student, but if that helps the student learn, then great. But it's important for others to be able to assess whether the student "got it". Enough rambling... not even sure that makes sense!
Lisken Van Pelt Dus: (Latin/French/Spanish teacher at the High school)
One of the things that strikes me (in intersection with some other questions I've been considering, too) is the notion that there are some people who cannot function without embodied learning as a tool. By extension, there are others for whom it is not an especially important mode - and, of course, the whole spectrum between. What this suggests to me is that we need to find ways to embed this learning more generally into teachers' methods, rather than presenting it in chunks, so that it becomes one among many modalities through which students are being given the opportunity to take in and consider ideas and to express their own - in other words, it seems like the mentoring work you've been doing is a move in the right direction.
On another note, how fortunate we (Celeste Y., I, others) are to be in a district where we've had superintendents and principals who DO get it!
L'Ana Burton: Dance Teaching Artist/Connecticut, has participated in my workshops for HOTSCHOOLS Summer Institute
I sat BREATHLESS watching this video Celeste & now I am DETERMINED that I will be at this Lab next year to experience this FOR MYSELF ! AMEN. ALLELUIA What a wonderful thing- you really brought to the surface the jewels we cannot quite GRASP or ARICULATE and suddenly they are VISIBLE. I wanted to take my notebook & GET THE ENTIRE TEXT PART DONE ON PAPOER- In fact- yes that's exactly what I will now do! I AM SO EXCITED & CONNECTED & IN LOVE WITH THIS WORK : BRAVO !!!!! BRAVO !!!!!
Celeste Young: (Biology teacher at the High School where Curriculum in Motion happens)
I was noticing when I was at the Pillow with you that you were using the principles of Backward Design & it is really evident in the video (nice job, Laura!). The Teaching HS Biology is focusing on how to use inquiry, which is essentially backward design/constructivism/whatever name you would like to put in there - basically having the goal chosen (standard), figuring out which questions to ask to help your students begin to think about the topic, then figuring out which activities to do & which evidence to collect to validate that the students are "getting it", all the while incorporating the assessment piece (which isn't necessarily testing! It can be reflection in a journal (my least favorite word in the English language), a "ticket to leave"- stating something that you learned & asking one question that you still have), drawing a picture, or choosing a movement to reflect what you learn. It just struck me that as a society, we don't have a common language for assessing movement. A student could just stand up there and move... but if the teacher doesn't know what each movement represents, then she can't assess the student. However, if the student explains what she is doing (like your type of movement, Celeste), then that is the common language. Hmm... like Lisken said, the movement that the student uses might be the tool for him or her to learn the material... it may not mean anything to anyone else but the student, but if that helps the student learn, then great. But it's important for others to be able to assess whether the student "got it". Enough rambling... not even sure that makes sense!
Lisken Van Pelt Dus: (Latin/French/Spanish teacher at the High school)
One of the things that strikes me (in intersection with some other questions I've been considering, too) is the notion that there are some people who cannot function without embodied learning as a tool. By extension, there are others for whom it is not an especially important mode - and, of course, the whole spectrum between. What this suggests to me is that we need to find ways to embed this learning more generally into teachers' methods, rather than presenting it in chunks, so that it becomes one among many modalities through which students are being given the opportunity to take in and consider ideas and to express their own - in other words, it seems like the mentoring work you've been doing is a move in the right direction.
On another note, how fortunate we (Celeste Y., I, others) are to be in a district where we've had superintendents and principals who DO get it!
L'Ana Burton: Dance Teaching Artist/Connecticut, has participated in my workshops for HOTSCHOOLS Summer Institute
I sat BREATHLESS watching this video Celeste & now I am DETERMINED that I will be at this Lab next year to experience this FOR MYSELF ! AMEN. ALLELUIA What a wonderful thing- you really brought to the surface the jewels we cannot quite GRASP or ARICULATE and suddenly they are VISIBLE. I wanted to take my notebook & GET THE ENTIRE TEXT PART DONE ON PAPOER- In fact- yes that's exactly what I will now do! I AM SO EXCITED & CONNECTED & IN LOVE WITH THIS WORK : BRAVO !!!!! BRAVO !!!!!
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