Liudmyla Beraud and I have decided to continue meeting as reflective buddies once a month for as long as we're able...
Liudmyla Beraud and I have decided to continue meeting as reflective buddies once a month for as long as we're able to keep it up. Today we met to discuss a transcript I shared from a recording of my class last week. We decided to use the article 8.2 "Some ways to make small changes" as a focus for looking at the transcript (inspired by Zhenya Polosatova).
The transcript focused on students working with a reading text with incomplete information. Liudmyla pointed out that one of the assumptions we make about reading - a rule, if you will, is that it has to be all text. She suggested using pictures/images instead of gaps in the text as a way to break the rule. That suggestion inspired me to consider also having students provide the pictures. Another "rule" that we considered it might be interesting to break is keeping text in order. It might be interesting to try giving students each a part of the text and letting them think critically about what the correct order is.
Something we thought was good about the transcript was that error correction was not rushed. The teacher waited for students to notice the errors and correct them without prompting. One way that this might not be good is if students spend their time looking at incorrect text they might remember wrong information.
Something we thought was bad about the transcript was that the activity was teacher-fronted (by which I mean that the teacher was at the front of the classroom directing the students' pace). One way that might be good is that the teacher can make sure new mistakes don't enter into the text.
Some small changes we considered the teacher could make: in the transcript, the teacher erases mistakes and writes the correct words. Liudmyla suggested doing the opposite. Crossing out mistakes and writing the correct answer above them. Another idea was replacing judgmental feedback like "good" or "good job" with a non-judgmental alternative like "thank you" or a nod. We also discussed using different variations of the text: a text without spaces, a mirror image text, and texts that incorporate pictures as well as incomplete information.
Going through this process was really interesting and enlightening for me. It generated a lot of new ideas that I'm looking forward to trying and recording and seeing what happens. It was also interesting to see my class through other people's eyes. Not only my partner but also my own eyes as I sort of dissociate myself from the teacher in the transcript (to try to be more objective).
Beginning next month, we plan to work through Small Changes in Teaching; Big Results in Learning chapter by chapter and use it with shared transcripts of our own classes or other tasks that we find appropriate.
We look forward to feedback from anyone who is still around!
(The transcript I've been writing about is attached)
The transcript focused on students working with a reading text with incomplete information. Liudmyla pointed out that one of the assumptions we make about reading - a rule, if you will, is that it has to be all text. She suggested using pictures/images instead of gaps in the text as a way to break the rule. That suggestion inspired me to consider also having students provide the pictures. Another "rule" that we considered it might be interesting to break is keeping text in order. It might be interesting to try giving students each a part of the text and letting them think critically about what the correct order is.
Something we thought was good about the transcript was that error correction was not rushed. The teacher waited for students to notice the errors and correct them without prompting. One way that this might not be good is if students spend their time looking at incorrect text they might remember wrong information.
Something we thought was bad about the transcript was that the activity was teacher-fronted (by which I mean that the teacher was at the front of the classroom directing the students' pace). One way that might be good is that the teacher can make sure new mistakes don't enter into the text.
Some small changes we considered the teacher could make: in the transcript, the teacher erases mistakes and writes the correct words. Liudmyla suggested doing the opposite. Crossing out mistakes and writing the correct answer above them. Another idea was replacing judgmental feedback like "good" or "good job" with a non-judgmental alternative like "thank you" or a nod. We also discussed using different variations of the text: a text without spaces, a mirror image text, and texts that incorporate pictures as well as incomplete information.
Going through this process was really interesting and enlightening for me. It generated a lot of new ideas that I'm looking forward to trying and recording and seeing what happens. It was also interesting to see my class through other people's eyes. Not only my partner but also my own eyes as I sort of dissociate myself from the teacher in the transcript (to try to be more objective).
Beginning next month, we plan to work through Small Changes in Teaching; Big Results in Learning chapter by chapter and use it with shared transcripts of our own classes or other tasks that we find appropriate.
We look forward to feedback from anyone who is still around!
(The transcript I've been writing about is attached)
Dear A and Z or Dear from A to Z since you produce so many alternatives.
ReplyDelete1. Yes, forget good, good job, etc. I would also consider not nodding or saying thank you or if you do either of these, do them very little. Why? For you to discuss.
2. Before students are given incomplete information it can be useful for them to have seen and heard the teacher say aloud the text---not the whole text but line two lines at a time.
There will be fewer errors then. Each error means students get the wrong idea in their mind and it is more and more difficult to eliminate these mistakes.
If the students make errors the text is too difficult for them.
3. Re teacher fronted, if students work in pairs then the teacher can sit next to each pair and monitor the pair for a few minutes, give feedback--like changing mistakes and move to another pair.
4. The same text the students should experience on subsequent days--not just once and as you will see there are loads of ways for students to experience the same text in Small changes so that it seems like it is a new text.
5. Writing is crucial as part of reading--a central step in read and look up is writing. Look at video 11--your students might not have phones with a recording application. If they don't if you have one have pairs use in for a few minutes each day so they can hear how what they say is similar and different to/from the text.
Remember there are two changes we make when we read aloud--Last night it was dark.
And we say "Last night it was black." YES. Paraphrasing shows understanding. But if we say "List night it dark." NO NO NO. The grammar has to be the same.
Again thrilled about your meetings--consider doubling the number but spending less time during teach meeting. Small changes also means just a few changes. And after you make a few it is better to discuss them soon after.
So rather than generating 10 alternatives a month consider 5 every two weeks.
Short discussions that are frequent helps us focus sometimes.
Cheers.