Describe the importance of using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century. Evaluate the role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies. How will this affect your teaching of students?
As a teacher who can relate to my students because of our similarity in age, I know for a fact that teachers who do the same thing day after day become boring, monotonous, and predictable. Students are more engaged when they go into a classroom thinking, "I wonder what Mr. So-n-So is going to do with us today?" As I think back to the teachers that I enjoyed the most, they used a variety of strategies that made learning fun and exciting. But they weren't easy... No, I hated easy classes with assignments that were time fillers because I felt like they were a waste of time. The best classes used a variety of teaching strategies, but they also used a variety of assessments, including multiple choice, short answer, essays, and reports. Engaging classes could get away with requiring more time and effort from me because I enjoyed doing almost anything those teachers asked.
Now that I'm a teacher, I have put quite a bit of pressure on myself to become that fun and engaging teacher for my own students. However, the task is far more daunting than I realized, particularly teaching math. I do - We do - You do is not the only method available, but it tends to be the most productive when teaching several concepts in a short amount of time. Therefore, I need to be more creative, researching and asking colleagues what ideas they have in teaching various concepts, in order to make myself the type of teacher that teaches in a variety of strategies so that my students will be more engaged and successful in math.
Today, I used this video to capture my low-level students' attention. I thought that it would be a great way for them to think about their here-and-now and futures as they imagine them, and compare that to what one of their "idols" encourages them to change about that while they're young. For some students, it was a great exercise that hopefully will have a life-long effect! Ladies and gentlemen... ASHTON KUTCHER!
The key element in my instruction when showing this video was that it was technology. I feel like, in a lot of ways, technology can make anything seem better. Another prime example: By the end of the school year last year, my students were getting bored with the computer software that we did every Friday to ensure that they were understanding concepts taught in class. Whenever students would complain, all I had to say was, "Ok, why don't we go into the classroom and I can teach you something new then," and instantly they would stop their complaining and go back to work... Because the computer software was more entertaining than sitting in class listening to me (which I'm working on changing!).
Technology has an innate ability to engage anyone using it... Just walk around the mall watching people walking around. At least half of the people will have their phone out, be listening to their iPod, or looking something up on their phone or iPad. Albert Einstein feared this age, as is quoted below, but teachers need to prove him wrong by implementing the engagement and versatility of technology into lesson plans that encourage human interaction. I'm working hard to implement more technology into my lesson plans as I continue to explore and experiment with things that I have found. So far, on the first day alone, I will be using QR codes, a PowerPoint presentation, and a lesson using Mimio... So here's to a new year using new technologies! Let the games begin...
Good luck to all the teachers going back to school this month!
