For me, teaching
has always been the goal and that is pretty clearly reflected in my work
experiences. I have spent the last five summers working at camp. I loved being
a councillor but I’ve also loved holding more senior positions and being a part
of the planning process for both day schedules for campers and training plans
for staff.
I’ve worked at
two different camps and although the training program is different, there is at
least one aspect that is consistent. Both camps trained their staff in a manor
that is reflective of a campers experience; the training programs are taught in
a way that mimics games, activities and strategies that could be used during a
camp day. This is a ‘two for one’ strategy. Not only are staff learning the
policies and procedures but they are being provided useful tips for how to make
interact with the campers and facilitate a smooth camp day.
One of my
favorite parts of teachers college is that it is reflective of this teaching
style. Although we are treated as teachers and peers we are also put into the
classroom setting and take the perspective of the student. Many of our classes
are taught in a way that mirrors how that subject would be taught in a J/I
classroom. In my opinion this is beneficial in two ways:
The first is
that it allows us to experience exactly what the students experience. We are
given the opportunity to see what vocabulary or activities are successful and
build our confidence in that subject area versus what may be less helpful or
even more harmful.
The second is
that it provides us with usable activities or lessons for teaching in our own
classroom. We will walk away from each class with a plethora of teaching tricks
and tasks for each course we study.
This week we were given the opportunity to
experience co-operative learning/problem solving. We were split into six groups
and had to move around the room to co-operatively solve different math
problems. There were three types of problems we were expected to solve: a
problem using number charts, a problem using toothpicks and a problem using
connect-blocks. At each table there were the manipulatives required for one
type of problem as well as an envelope that had a set of clues in it (one clue
for every group member). Each teacher candidate had to read their clue allowed
and then the group was expected to work as a team to solve the problem.
(Example of a connect-blocks station)
This type of
learning is beneficial because it forces every student to have a voice within
the group. The instructions clearly identified that clues were to be shared
orally and could only be placed in the middle once the problem was solved. This
prevents potentially introverted or unconfident students from avoiding
involvement. Using this type of activity in the classroom would ensure that all
students have to be engaged and actively participating. Although learning
skills and work habits are not included in math marks, this is also a way to
document collaboration skills.
Another positive
aspect of this activity is that it gets students up on their feet. For some
students this is important because they might struggle to remain seated or
still during lessons. Whereas for other students the excitement component could
encourage them to be more physically active in the classroom.
(Example of a toothpick station)
This
is definitely an activity I would be interested in using in my own classroom.
As someone who has a more difficult time with math however, I was (at first)
slightly nervous about the creation process (ie. Making the problems and
creating the clues). However I did some research and found a wonderful article that not only lays out how to organize this type of lesson but it also provides
some example problems that could be used. This was encouraging because it made
me know that I will always be able to find resources to support and assist with
my potential teaching ideas (both in math and other subject areas).
