You had me at "any method to reach students". OK, so it doesn't have quite the ring to it as that other, more familiar movie line, and the lead male isn't quite as sexy, but you gotta admit that there is something about this video that just makes an educator drool.
Ron Smith is teaching students using whatever means come to hand, trying out new techniques and technology, as well as old tricks - using his classroom like a laboratory. Ron talks about the fact that not everything he tried gave fantastic results, but that the differences in the individual kids had to be addressed. In other words, you keep trying different things until all the light bulbs are lit! This is always one of my overarching goals when I teach. It bugs me to let a participant who is willing to learn sit in confusion. I just can't take it. I will try one approach and then another until I hit upon the one that works. I use analogies a lot - whatever seems like it would make sense to that student. I try to make them laugh and cry to connect to their passion for the topic. I ask a lot of questions. I have used films, small group discussion, scenarios, probleml-based learning, and WebQuest and wikis, too. So far, I have not used the filming process (having the students film) because of time and tech constraints.
What works for you?
@Janice,
ReplyDeleteLike you, nothing pains me more than seeing a student in class with a confused or frustrated look on their face. I have found that where software training is concerned, the more analogies and visuals I can provide the better. We have too many time constraints to allow for much variety, but in the time designated for each training session, I always make sure to explain things in a variety of ways.