Shannon

Shannon's journey...

My Classroom Taxonomy

I want my students to be able to:

1. apply knowledge to new problems 2. create or design new ways to show learning 3. make connections to solidify their understanding 4. describe or explain their thought processes to solve a problem 5. analyze information to determine if it reflects what they know to be true, or use information to prove/disprove a theory 6. draw conclusions from different sources to explain thinking 7. critique their own work, as well as others', for accuracy and meaning

In an upcoming lesson, students will be discussing the traits of fairy tales. They will have to read 2 or 3 different versions of the same fairy tale and relate what attributes make it a fairy tale. Working in groups, they will have to create a visual aide that will include the characteristics of fairy tales for each story. Groups will have to use content from their stories and their research of fairy tales to be able to defend their conclusions.

Questioning Strategies:

I think that the first thing I need to do is set higher expectations for questioning and answering implicit and experienced-based questions. I tend to gloss over questions that I feel students will answer in one-word answers, so I am taking away the opportunity for them to make deeper connections in their learning. By setting expectations (write in complete sentences, thought process should be visible, make connections to text or life, etc.), I am giving them an outlet for higher-order thinking.

To start, I think my students will benefit from the same lesson we did tonight. By categorizing questions as open/closed, they can see examples of the types of questions they should be asking. I think that as a start, I could use the questions at the end of one of their literature stories. These questions always range from basic recall to implicit and experienced-based. As a group, we can answer these questions as a class to model what kind of answers are expected. (As opposed to yes, no, idk, good, bad, etc.)

I really liked the way we sorted our question types, then could drag them to other slides to categorize them. Sorting and classifying are types of deeper thinking and can lead to greater questioning.

Other ways to incorporate questioning is to have students work backwards. Instead of asking them the questions, have them generate their own questions to complete as a group. I could have each student individually generate 5 questions about the lesson, then as a group, they must answer the groups list of questions.

Authentic Learning:

To be authentic, it must first come from the students' interests or problems that are important to them. Situations in which they may already have a general knowledge are great to use as a springboard to deeper understanding. When a student has an interest, more effort will be used and more learning will occur. Excitement and/or interest will spread as the task is performed. As a student constructs more knowledge, they can then connect this to more and more situations, which in turn, creates even more learning. Making connections to things that are real or important to them just adds to their knowledge base. And when a students feels confident in something, they are willing to take more risks and willing to explore more.