Revitalized Unit

I found this activity to be beneficial in that it forced me to apply the content presented in the class in a relevant way that would benefit my students and me. It was a very interesting process as I came up with different activities, but was uncertain where they fit with our strategies. I did experience some frustration when developing the activities, but overall, I feel that I created some lessons that encompassed our strategies successfully. I'm anxious to put these ideas into actual practice. I chose to enhance my unit on Greek mythology because I thoroughly enjoy teaching the unit. I know a lot about the topics, and can generate interest from the students thanks to my excitement about the lessons. However, I do become stuck in ruts sometimes, or I take for granted what the students already do or do not know. Revamping my own unit takes those pitfalls into account and holds me responsible for the students' obtaining the content.

Socratic Seminar Reflection and Evaluation

Evaluation

I am a huge fan of the Socratic Seminar and I can't wait to use it in my class this year. I believe I was able to adequately use the model with the class by having them compare our "typical" discussion with the Socratic and then having them actually complete a very brief "mock" seminar. The videos helped me demonstrate the seminar. I was glad that the others in the class noticed the ages of the students in the videos. I think often we feel that "only the older kids" can handle something like a Socratic seminar, but these little ones proved that wrong! The other members of the class told me that they weren't too familiar with the method prior to the discussion, but that they learned a lot about it, which tells me that I was able to present the model accurately. There is SO much information about the seminar: the procedures, norms, questions, etc. that it's hard to condense and not overwhelm people. I think that had we had a class that was a tad bigger, a live demonstration would have been great. I feel that my handout provided the students with a lot of details. Their discussion was fantastic at the end! I appreciate the different points of view and their sharing the ways they would implement the strategy in their classrooms. 

Reflection

I was already familiar with the ins and outs of the seminar prior to the assignment. However I hadn't run my own before. When I stopped to think about all the prep that goes into this discussion, it really floored me. I found particular value to the point Dr. Grant made about keeping ALL the steps whether we think they're important or not. The seminar is the same no matter who has presented it to me, and that makes it easier for me to learn and implement (hopefully). I really enjoyed seeing how it ties in with the other strategies, models, and research we've uncovered. Everything kind of goes hand in hand; the Socratic seminar is student led and, to me, is a reflection of a flipped classroom. I wish I had been given the opportunity to participate in a Socratic seminar when I was in school. I can see so many benefits to it, not only from an academic perspective, but from a social one as well.

Evaluation/Reflection Induction Learning

Evaluation

I had a lot of difficulty with this strategy. The book did a great job of presenting scenarios, but I wasn't sure if I was getting the main idea of the strategy. However, when I implemented the strategy, it flowed well, and the activity was appropriate. I found that I was able to use the model effectively, present the key components of the model effectively. In fact, I may have over researched/prepared. Much of the information was repeated from Concept Development. I feel that the presentation went very well. I was prepared, and the class did a great job discussing and asking questions. Finally, I learned from my past mistakes, and created what I felt, was an informative handout. 

Reflection

All in all, I feel this went well. I'm my own worst critic, and I thought that I was missing the boat. When Sue started discussing Concept Development, I really thought I wasn't even on the same coastline! However, the more she discussed, a main distinction came to fruition: Induction gives the students the opportunity to specifically determine the 'rule' they are discovering. I find this interesting because I feel that I do this as a teacher, but I never knew what it was called. I enjoy the thought of the students finding information and having those a-ha moments! I am a "helper" by nature and I really want to hold their hands and lead them to the answer, uncover the answer, and show it to them. Induction gives the students the opportunity to think critically and hone their skills. They also can be creative in their grouping. I think this lends itself quite well to math and science, which I will be teaching for the first time in 2 years. However, I can see where this could be beneficial in ELA (per the activity I shared) and also in social studies. As I prepared, I became frustrated because I wanted to find videos of this in action. I couldn't find videos that showed what I wanted to demonstrate. However, I feel that I was able to get my message across. The class's interaction during this discussion was stellar! They asked excellent questions and were able to tie this to their own teaching!