Chapter+9

Chapter 9 - //**Varied Teaching and Learning Approaches** (pg.69-77)

**Introduction:** The beginning of this chapter discusses the unique characteristics of adolescents and how it is important that we as teachers create //"teaching and learning situations that invite and promote opportunities for maximum learning by every student." //(pg.69) The main point the author is going to discuss throughout the chapter is that there is not just one way deemed best for teaching students, but to incorporate various teaching and learning styles in the classroom. In order to get to know your students and find out their learning strengths, the author suggests handing out a quick informal questionnaire to the students. Some of the questions asked could be "I learn best when I...." or "I know when I really want to concentrate I have to..." While handing out the questionnaires to the students, the author recommends that the teacher explains to the students why they are answering these questions and to teach them abut the different learning styles they may posses . **Questioning:** //
 * Students should be given the opportunity to come up with their own questions based on their knowledge of a topic and discuss their questions to their peers.
 * Encouraging students to create their own questions can also be used as the overall/essential questions for a theme, chapter, or lesson.
 * Activating prior knowledge plus what they're learning to come up with questions
 * "Negotiating the curriculum" - Boomer, Lester, Onore, and Cook 1994 - Leaner engagement takes place when students explore more deeply a topic and reflect on what they learned and experienced
 * Ask 4 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS - AKA - [|K W L Chart]
 * What do we know already? ( or where are we now, and what done we need to learn or be taught about)
 * What do w want, and need to find out? ( or what are our questions, what don't we know, and what are our problems, curiosities, and challenges?)
 * How will we go about finding out? (Where will we look, what experiments and inquiries will we make, what will we need, what information and resources are available, who will do what, and what should be the order of things?)
 * <span style="color: rgb(128,0,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">How will we know, and show, that we've found out when we've finished? (What are out findings? What have we learned? Whom will we show? For whom are we doing the work? and Where next?)
 * <span style="color: rgb(128,0,128); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Having students activate prior knowledge reinforces their view of being a successful learner.

<span style="color: rgb(61,255,0); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">**Projects:**
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">[|Project-based learning]are popular in classrooms where curriculum is integrated throughout more then one subject.
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">When students create projects they are using knowledge and skills from all disciplines
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Requires a Question or Problem that drives the entire project and activity
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Students should refect on the knowledge they already have about the project topics
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Projects enable students to use a variey of resources such as technology, popular cultuer, "experts" from the community, cultural and personal experiences
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Incorporating multiresouces motivates students
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">TECHNOLOGY! - Provides a way for students to gain more up to date facts and information from a variety of data bases.
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Projects allow students with special needs have the opportunity to share their knowledge using the skills they do have rather than pointing out the skills they do not have.
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Projects can be done individually or in groups creating a social interaction amongst the students
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">In a survey by Beane and Lipka (1984): Students reported that they feel good about themselves in school when"
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">They get to work with their friends
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">When they have fun in class
 * <span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">When the teacher is nice to them (Students respect and appreciate the teachers that allow them to "do" things in class rather than sitting still and copying notes the entire time)

<span style="color: #3dff00; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> <span style="color: #faa929; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">**Interactive Learning and Student Reflection:**
 * <span style="color: #faa929; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Student learning is enhanced through interactions and reflecting on what is being learned!
 * <span style="color: #faa929; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Having students discuss aides in their understanding and mastery of new ideas.
 * <span style="color: #faa929; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">By asking students to tell us how they came up with an answer or how they solved the math problem, we are asking them to use their critical thinking skills and processing skills.
 * <span style="color: #faa929; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> [|Engaging students in discussions](whole class, in pairs or groups) allows them to share and listen to the ideas of their peers
 * <span style="color: #faa929; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Students are encouraged to reflect daily on theri personal learning and the class either through journal writing and conversations at home

<span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">**Professional Development:**
 * <span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">"... good teachers are the most important element of successful learners" - National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (1996)
 * <span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">In order to improve students' achievement, the teaching staff must also continue to improve
 * <span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Teachers much continue to research and read about new teaching strategies and then decide if they can be useful in their classrooms
 * <span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Teachers need more time then just 1 hour [|staff development]meetings to learn about new strategies and plan since they are not familiar
 * <span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Teachers should reflect on their own teaching practices and the effects it is having on their classes.
 * <span style="color: #ff00bb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Teachers should also come together often to share their views and opinions with their collegues.