Week 6: Workstations and Overcoming the Fear of Failure
1. "At Forest Lake Elementary School, in Columbia, South Carolina, achievement has soared since educators started using new technology to personalize the learning experience for each student.” What evidence supports the statement?
2. "If you feel overwhelmed, that's normal. There is a large learning curve when bringing anything new into your classroom.” How can you overcome the fear of failure?
At Forest Lake Elementary School, the teachers provide a variety of stations that complement the individual needs of the students. One of the reasons I think their achievement has soared is because the students are self-directed and given the freedom to express what they’ve learned in different ways. In addition, each student is aware of their assignments and what stations work best for them. This gives teachers more time to work with the students who need help or instructional intervention. The online assessments the students take give the teacher specific data that will assist in creating a personalized plan for the student. These lesson plans work to improve existing skills but is more focused on teaching students new information. Each student seemed enthusiastic and proficient in the stations they were working in. I would love to incorporate this in my classroom because I can create stations that cater to the different learning styles. For example, the visual learners can use the smart boards to draw their diagrams or brainstorm. It would be beneficial to have a station that has a program where books and articles can be read to the students. This would help the auditory learners and English language learners as they do their research or individual reading time.
In the article, “Seven Technology Tips for Younger Elementary” the tip that stood out to me was “start small.” This step is pivotal to overcoming the fear of failure. When we envision these grand lesson plans with various elements it’s easy to become overwhelmed. I think it’s best to break down our activities into manageable parts so that we can consider how to better help the students and tailor the lesson. There are going to be many moments when lesson plans or activities go awry. When that happens, we learn what we can modify and do differently. We become better teachers and more resilient individuals. It’s important to remind ourselves that failing and making mistakes is part of the learning process for both students and teachers.
Last week I wanted to try an activity with the kindergarteners on zoom but wasn’t sure if it would work out. When I turned on the annotating option for that particular class, they would scribble all over the page and I would have to stop sharing and disable again. I decided to give it another try and if it didn't go well then, I would come up with something else. Before starting the activity, I explained the instructions and asked them to be mindful of their classmates who want to participate but could not if the class continued to scribble. The students all participated and they enjoyed it so much that they asked the next day if they could “hunt for letters.” It’s always worth it to try something new because it can turn out to be a success or it can lead us to reflect on what we can do next time to make it work.
I do agree with you Cindy that the achievement of this school improved because of the variety of learning stations the teacher provided to the students that cater to their different learning needs. The students who needs more visual and kinesthetic learning opportunities can use the white board to draw and brainstorm and those who are auditory learners can use the listening center to listen to the story and be able to understand it's content more. All these learning style centers help foster independence and cooperative learning so the teacher can move freely from one center to the other help the students with minilessons or she can arrange small group instructions while the other members of the class are in their centers learning or helping each other learn. I use to apply this strategy of independent learning center with kindergarten and provide for them the opportunity to inquire, explore and learn independently. The challenging part with this set up is the set up of the centers because to be effective the set up cannot be arbitrary it has to be carefully planned to address the standard and the learning goals of each lesson. As future teacher, I recommend using this approach of learning stations because it gives you the freedom to provide more one on one instructional strategies to meet the need of every child in your class.
ReplyDeleteI love that you actually incorporated this with kindergarteners! How awesome is to hear that it really works. Yes, I agree that having these type of stations is so helpful for our English Language Learners and for our visual learners as well! I cannot wait to incorporate this kind of learning in my own future classroom!
DeleteI agree that planning and being intentional with the stations is key to helping the children learn from them. I watched a video of a teacher who had different stations in her literature workshop. She purposefully creates stations that focus on areas her students need additional help in. The teacher also explains the function of the station in her mini lesson. I plan on modeling each station and observing them over the weeks to see what can be modified. I'm excited that there are so many positive examples of these stations helping the students learn in different ways.
DeleteYour example with your kindergarten students was really helpful, Cindy. I've been observing a kindergarten class and that the teacher has had a similar problem getting kids to use the annotation tool appropriately. Once they got it, though, it really seemed to spark their engagement.
ReplyDeleteI hope to work with K-1 students. I know it can be challenging to introduce new lessons, but I have also been so impressed by how quickly kids can adapt to new technology and new information. As discussed in "Seven Technology Tips For Younger Elementary," I will definitely try to review the technology myself before introducing it in the classroom. I will also try to focus on one or two key points at a time. I really liked the idea of letting your more advanced students help other students adjust. That reminded me of the time I borrowed my sister's IPad to help occupy my kids on a flight. I had never used one before, so my three-year old had to teach me how to get it started! Keeping those things in mind makes me feel braver about introducing technology in my future classroom.
I also really appreciated the video on Forest Lake Elementary School. I loved the idea that all students are learning the same lessons, but the way they demonstrate their knowledge is up to them. The more we tap into kids' natural curiosity and self-expression, the more I think we can prepare them for the world beyond school. I also liked some of the technological assessment tools that the school uses at the beginning, middle and end of the year to see how students are growing. I have been administering some old-fashioned assessments to my kindergarten students and I keep thinking that we could probably use technology to make those assessments more engaging and more constructive for students. It's a reality of our world today that most kids are technologically savvy at younger and younger ages. If we can harness that power to help inspire them in school, I really think we could open a lot of new avenues of learning for them.
Another thing that I really liked about Forest Lake Elementary School is how committed the teachers are to utilizing technology and fine-tuning their lessons. I loved their collaboration sessions, and I also loved that they often wear lab coats to school. It seemed like their enthusiasm really carried over to their students.
I stumbled on this article for another class. I thought it had a lot of great points about the benefits of technology that you can see reflected in both of our blog topics for this week:
https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/education/resource/top-five-benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom
Cindy, I also would love to incorporate these type of stations in my own classroom. Watching this video has not only re-emphasized why technology is important but how it can engage students. I love the part where the teacher is dealing with one student and everyone else is doing their part by knowing what they need to do and are 100% engage in the learning. I also love seeing the kids check out their own books in the library that shows them and teaches them how to check something out and one of the kids even said I might become a librarian one day. Everyone seemed to be engaged and having fun while doing their part. Actually using the technology this school has to its potential has been really helping them as a school and their students. Really giving them the opportunity to learn at their pace and their style is saying a lot from not only the teachers but also the school itself. We need to be the facilitators and let the children learn in their own unique way. In the article I also agree that we need to start off small! With everything else we need to do as teachers it is best to explain things one at a time so we do not get overwhelmed and also the students. All the tips mentioned in the article are really good because we tend to not want things to fail and reality is things will fail because it just does but not giving up is the most important part of rising up from a challenge. We also show our students that even when you fail that doesn't mean to just give it up it means get up and try again! I love that you tried your activity again and it was a success!
DeleteEm, thank you for sharing the article it has a lot of great points! Yes, I also loved that the teacher let the tech savvy quick learners who finish fast help other students figure out the technology. We have to let those kids become our mini teachers which can help us navigate the classroom and help other students.
DeleteEm, I want to work with the same age group and have been nervous as to how I'll be able to incorporate technology in the classroom. The article you linked was so informative! The point that technology can be seen as a distraction is one I hear a lot. However, there are so many cases where I've seen it boost participation and engage the children in diverse activities. I usually want to dive in to different projects and master everything in the first go. I think the article does a great job in explaining why it's important to try it on our own and then introduce small chunks to the students. They'll be able to digest the information and we can build upon those skills. I think it's great idea for the students who have mastered the concept to teach others. Sometimes students learn better from a peer because they explain it in a different way than the teacher. I think it would also boost the student's confidence when they are the classroom helper for the day.
DeleteI think this is so neat! I honestly wouldn't have thought that you could get a whole group of kindergartners to be mindful of their fellow classmates in order for an assignment to work out. I'm glad that they were so excited to go hunting for the letters.
ReplyDeleteStarting small is the best route to go, because you can always add more! I love how Em talked about piquing the children's natural curiosity and self expression. Teaching our students HOW to approach problems in a critical manner and finding the best way for them to navigate it is so important. Because there is no teaching to the test of life, but there are tools such as critical thinking that can take you a long way.
I also think that allowing students to learn from one another is so important, because they can sometimes portray the information in a way we may not see it that is easier to digest. I loved the articles!
I often have anxiety about creating lesson plans for my future classroom because I keep thinking that they need to be perfect and spot on right off the bat, but it puts me at ease knowing that that isn't the case. Lesson plans are not static, they are living documents, and can even change drastically from year to year.
I was surprised as well! I had them erase their marks as we moved on to the next slide or page and they did such an amazing job at following directions. If it wouldn't have worked out I would have been content that I at least tried.
DeleteI completely agree! I notice that I tend to over explain things to the students when they have the understanding and ability to figure it out. Sometimes it's just a matter of giving the students the tools or basics and letting them find the strategy that works best for them.
You make such a great point about the lesson plans! I have to constantly remind myself to be flexible and that it's okay to change parts of the lesson even while I'm teaching it. Sometimes the activity may not be as engaging as I thought or our technology may not work that day. This is where I remind myself that I am also learning what works best for my students and classroom.