Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches
Explain:
Characteristic 4 (This We Believe, pg
22) explains that “educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches.”
This means that throughout the year, and hopefully throughout most individual
lessons teachers will hit multiple learning modalities. “Teaching approaches
should capitalize on the skills, abilities, and prior knowledge of young
adolescents; use multiple intelligences; involve students individual learning styles;
and recognize the need for regular physical movements.” (This We Believe, pg
22) Students all have different forms of intelligence and respond best to
different teaching styles, learning in unique ways, and so it is important that
teachers offer variability to best ensure every individuals success. This can be done by varying activities and
assessments and including things like experiments, group projects, independent
study, technology, physical activity, arts and crafts, and presentations. Additionally,
no matter the lesson, it is beneficial when teachers make it interactive and incorporate
visuals and/or music.
Describe:
With modern technology, one easy way for
teachers to ensure they are reaching students multiple learning styles is
through the use of smart boards. Smart boards increase interactive learning
experiences and allow kids to learn through multiple approaches at the same
time. On a smart board kids can be reading, writing, looking at or drawing
pictures, watching videos and listening to music, often many of which at the
same time. Interactive smart board activities and games also function to get
kids up and out of their seats in an organized and productive way, rather than
as a disruption. Teachers at Immanuel Lutheran School have successfully
integrated smart boards into their classrooms for all ages of students and
subjects of study. The following video shows excellent examples across these
diverse environments and shows children engaging with the smart board through
visual/auditory games, math manipulatives and reading/writing activities. Some
examples have students calling out and the teacher commanding the smart board,
but many other examples show students controlling the smart boards independently
or collaboratively.
Analyze:
Several things have made the integration
of smart boards at Immanuel Lutheran School so successful. First of all and unarguably,
financial ability. The smart board is a fantastic tool, but certainly not a
cheap one to fill every classroom with. For many schools, providing teachers
with smart boards is simply not feasible, however as technology comes to the
forefront of the school learning process, smart boards are becoming more prevalent.
Additionally, because they are such new technology, most teachers have not been
trained on how to use them effectively. While they are similar to computers,
they have unique nuances, that require training. I believe, however, that
training should go beyond the simple dos and donts of smart boards, and should
involve educating teachers about effective smart board programs already in
place, how to develop their own interactive activities, and how to teach
children about how to effectively use them as well.
Apply:
I may be counting my chickens before
they hatch, but I was told I would be receiving a smart board in my classroom
next year. In anticipation of this dream I began thinking about all the options
I had for reaching my students multiple learning styles using the smart board. I
am pretty technology savy but one of the first things I plan on doing is
signing up for a smart board professional development so that I can hear first
hand about the tools and activities that work best in a district 75 alternate
assessment setting. I plan to integrate the smart board into as many lessons as
possible as I know my students will love the chance to get up and out of their
seat, participate in the lesson at differentiated lessons, and would much
prefer to look at a screen with visuals and sound effects, rather than watch me
talk.
In my excitement about my ‘hopeful’
future smart board I have found some interactive programs. These programs are
all across the board as they address reading, writing, math, science, social
studies, and have a mixture of games and more serious activities.
Here they are:
http://www.squidoo.com/interactive-smartboard-games
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