This week's lab assignment was to teach a 5-10 minute interest approach for any topic.
The interest approach, not to be confused with bellwork, is a brief activity that grabs students' attention and alludes to the topic that is about to be introduced. I chose to continue with my Veterinary Science course from last week and do an introductory activity for the Nutrition Unit.
My interest approach used the think-pair-share methodology to have students answer the question, "What do you think of when you hear the words My Plate?"
In my opinion, the strengths of this activity were the timing, modalities of learning addressed, and relatability.
In my reflection last week, I made it a goal to factor in transition time for activities, especially those that involve moving around the room and fining a partner to work with. I think I accomplished this goal this week as my total teaching time was around 8 minutes. To keep students from wasting time, I told them how long they would have to complete an action and then asked them to repeat it back to me. I think this created a sense of urgency among the students during transitional times.
Additionally, this activity addressed all three domains of learning. Students were drawing (kinesthetic, visual) and discussing with a partner (auditory). This created the opportunity for every learner to be successful and also peer-to-peer instruction which is often very effective.
Lastly, this interest approach focused on the importance of human nutrition and ways eating a healthy diet is communicated to students using the diagram My Plate. The same is true for animals - they also need healthy diets to be productive. I think that it is important to point out the connections between the way animals and humans are similar because that makes the content relatable for students.
For my next teaching lab, I would have specific examples prepared, or ask students for examples, of feedstuffs that would fit into each of the nutrient categories.
I loved the connections you made between humans and animals! I thought it was a fantastic way of making newer information easier to digest by relating it to something that students already know a decent amount about. I also LOVED your technique of setting the time limit and then asking the students to repeat it back. I can only imagine how challenging it is to be on zoom and teach to a group of students who are in person, but by using this technique it really made me as a student pay attention. It's something that I will definitely incorporate into my teaching!
ReplyDeleteNicole,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that Bellwork and Interest approaches are separate items. As we discussed, they can be related to one another, but they are two distinct portions of a lesson. It sometimes can be difficult to differentiate between the two, but quality lesson planning will keep them distinct. You did a nice job in reflecting on what went well and how to get better the next time you have the opportunity to utilize this technique and/or specific interest approach. Keep up the great work!
-Dr. Ewing
I think that you did a great job making the connection between teaching domains and your less in the blog. I think that is super important and it will be beneficial to read back through your blogs while you are coming up with lessons in the future! Also a great job working with zoom and becoming more familiar with online learning so that it makes it as stress-free as possible for your students, which you definitely did!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Nicole! I really like this interest approach because it connected the topic to something that students are familiar with. I also think you did a really good job of incorporating a variety of teaching methods. This really allowed you to reach the needs of a variety of learning styles. I also noticed the change you made with transition periods. I think you did a really great job at keeping the students on task and reducing the time it took moving from one part of the activity to the next. Lastly, I really liked how you had the students work on their own first and then share with a partner. I can't wait to see what you do next!
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