First Five Days
Today I read a post by Ewan McIntosh (http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/) "Are you a dawdler or a doer." The video (which I suggest everyone go watch) is super inspirational. Hearing educators from other countries explain the benefit of being a doer teacher, and it makes me think back to my doer and dawdler teachers, and how I might answer the question, "what will you do in the first 5 days to be a "doer" teacher?"
My dawdler teachers on the first day of school went through the syllabus, they introduced rules, and they had assignments that were usually do that first Friday of class. My doer teachers were the ones who had music playing when we walked in, they usually started class with ice breakers so that everyone felt comfortable in class. I actually had a professor the last semester of undergraduate who spent the first day not going over the syllabus or the story that we needed to have read for that day, but talking to us, and getting to know us - he memorized our names by that day!!
So what I'm thinking, is that the way to start off the first 5 days of class is with getting to know the students - ice breakers and get to know you games - because I want them to know that I'm honestly interested in who they are outside of my classroom. I'm going to ask them how their summer vacations were, and what their favorite part was, and what they're most looking forward to in the upcoming school year.
I think every teacher should watch this - because I've had experience with both dawdlers and doers I know which had the most impact on me as a student, and I know which I want to be as a teacher. I want to inspire my students and let them know they can enjoy learning, that it can be fun and that they can be successful, and being a doer teacher is how I will do this.
Also, this project should be checked out - http://langwitches.org/blog/2011/05/30/teaching-english-through-film-and-screenwriting/. It required students to film a video, then send a silent version of that video to a school that is learning that language (China learning English exchanged with Australia learning Chinese). Then the students had to interpret what the movies were saying. How cool?! I just love the idea of crossing cultural borders through media, and then assessing one's ability to understand body movement in relation to language. I love this project.
I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it. -Audrey Hepburn
Okay so after reading your post Lauren I went and watched the video you were talking about ... it's short and sweet which I love but also I've been thinking a lot about the 'first week of school' predicament and how I would want that week to look like in my own classroom. See I always thought that activities like the one you said would be the most engaging way to start off the year. I always imagined doing that or something like that. In Rachel's class though, she mentioned once how important it is to make sure that your students learn something within the first week of school so they can This is so they can already see a difference between where they've started and how much they know now. So ... that got me thinking ... is it best just to jump right into it?? I think i like what you're saying more though ... it seems like such a nicer and more engaging way to start off a school year and get students excited about your class ... do you think there's a way to bridge the two ideas??
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic to be discussing, Lauren (and Rayhan). I'll bet that you could each find ways, that suit your teaching temperaments, to do both. Maybe that learning moment in the first week is like a really good hors d'oeuvre, whetting the appetite.
ReplyDeleteWhether you give it a day or a week, though, I think that there's a lot to be said for taking the time to intentionally create (and to cultivate) a distinctive learning space. Teaching HS or MS means that you'll convene to learn as many as 180 times over the course of the school year and it seems to only make sense that we would devote care and attention to *where* we're learning, along with *what* we're learning.
Hey, I also watched the video. I know I would also be a doer. It's just how I operate. I like to take a sort of business approach. The students are my clients. Every day I'm pitching them an idea. If I don't bring my best, I don't deserve to take their time or any compensation. Every moment is precious. I'm a huge efficiency person. Dawdling will be frowned upon in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteTo speak to you point about what Rachel recommended versus this more social get-to-know-you approach, I think a balance is definitely possible. For example, I could begin class with a discussion of character development and then story structure and then tell them the story of my life using the plot points of story structure and ask them to the same in a very informal way.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your doer teacher story. My fiance has a law school professor who plays jazz for the first few minutes of class to calm everyone down and get them focused on the task at hand, and he is one of his favorite professors. Not just because of this, but because this is a small sample of the teaching style of this doer-type professor. I think these are little distinctions in teaching styles that could be overlooked but make a world of difference.
I think catching your kids attention right from the get go is very important. First impressions are critical and droning on about the syllabus is not the best first impression to give. I like your plan. :)