Category Archives: 2.3 Pedagogical Theories & Practice

Lesson Planning

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Today in Social Subjects we were asked to use a current news story as a stimulus for creating a lesson. It was for a primary 7 class and the lesson could be anywhere in a series of lessons, it did not have to be the first one.

I choose a news story that discussed the effects our rubbish was having on turtles and created a lesson around recycling. You can see the lesson plan I made here:

We then presented our lesson plan to other members of the class. I found this activity extremely useful and learnt many things from it. Firstly it introduced to me the idea of using a news story as stimulus. I can see how this would give the children a context to their learning and show them it is meaningful and current.

Secondly,  after discussions with my tutor and peers it was brought up that many aspects of my lesson plan were teacher initiated/led. For example, instead of the teacher telling the pupils ways in which our rubbish can impact the environment; I should be letting the pupils research this themselves. We continued to talk about how it can be extremely beneficial for pupils learning as it allows them to develop many skills such as note taking, team work and evaluating sources. Another benefit is that it cuts down teacher workload and time can be spent on other things.

I feel like I now have a new perspective on lesson planning and will ensure that after planning I critically reflect my lesson plans and consider if things can be done differently.

 

The Child’s Voice

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In this weeks lecture we looked at the child’s voice in the classroom, how this can be incorporated and the advantages of this.

Arguments for encouraging children’s voice in the classroom. 

  • Stimulates development of skills ( accountability, resilience , confidence, turn taking, debating )
  • Children can bring in their personal experiences, making the learning more relevant to them
  • Children can be ‘co-teachers’ and can help other children understand concepts using ‘child’s language’
  • This also benefits the ‘co-teacher’ as by talking through a concept it will help consolidate it in their own learning
  • Children can steer direction of learning, which in turn increases motivation
  • Can add knowledge the teacher didn’t know
  • Shows the child that their voice is valued which can be vital in relation to child welfare issues

(Catling, 2014)

How can we encourage children’s voice? 

  • Involve them in planning of new topics
  • Set up projects or clubs and make them leaders and decision makers
  • Help them develop a critical eye and skills on forming arguments
  • Organise debates
  • Organise ‘co- teaching’

(Cartling, 2014)

Arguments against children’s voice in the classroom (with solutions)

  • Not all children are able to articulate their voice – Give them other ways to be heard, eg drawing, acting etc.
  • Puts unnecessary pressure and stress on the child, especially with decision making – ensure that participation is voluntary.
  • Could develop a lack of respect for parents, teachers, elders – ensure that rules are in place for these discussion times.

(UNICEF, n.d)

How does a teacher’s educational philosophy influence the implementation of approaches that encourage children’s voice? 

  • Teachers can struggle with giving away full control as they feel it is their job, however if the child does not feel their voice is not actually going to make a difference they will lose motivation to contribute again. Therefore it is not enough to just listen to the child, we must allow them to steer decisions too.
  • It is part of teachers philosophy to be the educator, however in order to get the most out of the child’s voice we must sometimes be ‘co- learners’ and learn with the child.
  • As teachers we are so busy and sometimes go for the quickest method of learning. However, so much more can be learnt for example during classroom discussions.

(Cartling, 2014)

If I am honest I have never put much thought into the role of children’s voice in the classroom, however now I feel I have a much greater understand of the benefits and how I can implement this in my practice.

References

  • Cartling, S (2014) ‘ Giving younger children voice in primary geography: empowering pedagogy – a personal perspective’, International Research in Geographical and Environment Education, 23(4), pp. 350-372.
  • UNICEF (n.d) Every Childs Right To Be Heard. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/french/adolescence/files/Every_Childs_Right_to_be_Heard.pdf (Accessed 18/09/18)

 

 

 

New Module Motivation

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Yesterday we had our first input of our new module ‘Developing Effectiveness In Learning and Teaching’. The module aims to show us how we can ‘take learning beyond subject barriers’  known as Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL). This is where teachers plan to make appropriate links to other subjects across the curriculum to create a learning experience (Education Scotland, 2012).

I found the whole input very interesting and as the class discusseed their own IDL experiences at school I constantly found my mind getting carried away with hundreds of ideas I could use in my own practice. However, now the time has come for me to reflect on my own experinces I am at a stand still. I only remember some of the topics I covered in school such as Evacuees, The Victorians and Bridges etc. I recall very little about what activities and avenues we explored within these topics. The only memory that truly sticks out was when my class visited a mock victorian school.  We spent the morning dressed up as victorian children and were taught by a victorian teacher. We got to see the type of resources children in those days used and got to experience the harsh ways of victorian teachers. This experience was very exciting for me as I loved history and it was showing me clearer than ever what it was really like back then. From a professional perspective reflecting back on this I appreciate it is not always possible to go on school trips but it has got my imagination running wild with ways you can bring that aspect of realness into the classroom.

I have gone on to read Education Scotland’s CFE Briefing 4 ‘Interdisciplinary Learning’ which has given me a real insight into what IDL learning should look like in the classroom. The briefing emphasised the importance of careful planning of IDL ensuring the links are strong and are clearly planned through a few Experiences and Outcomes. It also suggested teachers should always call upon childrens previous knowledge and involve them in the planning too (Education Scotland, 2012).

Overall I am very motivated to learn more on this topic and look forward to further inputs.

 

References

  • Education Scotland (2012) CFE Briefings, 4 Interdisciplinary Learning. Availible at: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/CfE%20Briefings. Accessed 18/08/18.