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Phase 5:
CONFERRING WITH COLLEAGUES, STUDENT FOCUS GROUP, & SHORT REPORT
After presenting my ImagineIT plan to my colleagues, it was very well receipted. The concept of having the students identify current issues, determine viable solutions, and implement these ideas was very intriguing to my colleagues. The only challenge was to find problems that directly correlate to the content being taught. In addition, it was challenging to have the students come up with problems themselves. I find that more direction is needed to assist the students with the shift in learning.
Currently, there is a shift in teaching pedagogy in our building. With administration support, we have been able to shift to a student centered type of instruction. Therefore, it has provided the perfect environment for the maker space. This has been a viable option to having the students coming up with their own issues relating to the content being presented. The maker space allows for the students to be creative with direction. It is baby steps to changing the student’s mindset. Therefore, providing activities related to the topic seems to be more effective. However, how the students solve the problem provides more latitude for creativity.
Both my colleagues and I are struggling with the students being problem solvers. They tend to want to race to the “right” answer or to have “tell” them the solution. This has been a twofold problem. We are having to change the student’s mindset to be problem solvers and teach them perseverance. One of the key common core principals was perseverance. This is one of the focuses of our building in mathematics. Therefore, the students need to understand that it is okay to fail in the process of learning. In addition, the students are becoming more comfortable with the struggle of solving problems.
I met with some of the students to receive feedback on their opinion of the new learning process. Some felt that it was “too hard” while others felt that it was a neat way of learning. They appreciated the opportunity to do more hands on learning rather than the direct instruction model used in the past. The major complaint was that was “hard” to solve problems. They really wanted more direction and for me to answer the questions with immediate feedback. As we have continued throughout the semester, the students are becoming more independent. Therefore, it is my belief that over time the students will become more collaborative among each other and solve their own problems with little intervention from me.
Currently, there is a shift in teaching pedagogy in our building. With administration support, we have been able to shift to a student centered type of instruction. Therefore, it has provided the perfect environment for the maker space. This has been a viable option to having the students coming up with their own issues relating to the content being presented. The maker space allows for the students to be creative with direction. It is baby steps to changing the student’s mindset. Therefore, providing activities related to the topic seems to be more effective. However, how the students solve the problem provides more latitude for creativity.
Both my colleagues and I are struggling with the students being problem solvers. They tend to want to race to the “right” answer or to have “tell” them the solution. This has been a twofold problem. We are having to change the student’s mindset to be problem solvers and teach them perseverance. One of the key common core principals was perseverance. This is one of the focuses of our building in mathematics. Therefore, the students need to understand that it is okay to fail in the process of learning. In addition, the students are becoming more comfortable with the struggle of solving problems.
I met with some of the students to receive feedback on their opinion of the new learning process. Some felt that it was “too hard” while others felt that it was a neat way of learning. They appreciated the opportunity to do more hands on learning rather than the direct instruction model used in the past. The major complaint was that was “hard” to solve problems. They really wanted more direction and for me to answer the questions with immediate feedback. As we have continued throughout the semester, the students are becoming more independent. Therefore, it is my belief that over time the students will become more collaborative among each other and solve their own problems with little intervention from me.