Click here to access my Spotlight on Strategies (SOS)!
REFLECTION
What instructional goal/challenge does your SOS address? What additional value does the integration of digital media bring to your idea in terms of students’ understanding of the concept or topic?
The instructional goal my Spotlight on Strategies (SOS) addressed was the topic of debating. Debating happens to be the very first instructional challenge of mine every school year because the topic is introduced in the month of September as we venture into the unit on the Early Colonial Period. Even though we're delving into the lives and history of the Native American people, our curriculum is designed to gives students a contemporary event/topic to discuss from time-to-time, and the topic of the continuance usage of Native American Mascot in the U.S is always up for debate. Preparing students for this challenge is so difficult due to debates tending to: go off topic, get aggressive/heated, or never reach the point of success. Last year, I simply placed the students into two groups, went over the rules, and then assigned them a side to stand up for once the debate started; they were given some time to prepare and collaborate. Though the debate went well, I wished I incorporated some sort of digital media into the planning and production of the debate to make it more challenging, appealing, and creative.
Howard Gardner (2007) mentioned in his book 5 Mines for the Future that creativity is a message "endured on the streets,'" for schools decided to take a more "conservative" outlook due to their "uniformed curricula, tests, and standards (Educating the creator across the age span section, para. 7). I recognize the truth in this accurate assessment, and therefore with my role as an educator, I'm trying to counter those ideals by introducing as much creativity into the classroom as possible. My SOS will gift students that opportunity to search and save resources (Diigo), collaborate and share debating strategies (PrimaryPad), and then use the tools established on a social network to hold an awesome debate (Facebook); I want to look at this activity as providing students a chance to take my directions and ideas and make them their own--switch things up a bit if they please. The integration of digital media into this instructional strategy brings a challenge to my idea, and then take my initial thoughts a new level beyond my original expectations. I gladly welcome anything that'll enhance the learning experience for my kiddos!
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