Imagination+Imagery+Combined Disciplines= Effective Teaching
Michelle shared a history lesson about the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian islands; she used beautiful black and white photos to guide our conversation and require us to use problem solving skills to discern what had happened. The photos were very powerful, and I could see this being very effective in the classroom. The students get to be detectives, combining imagination and common sense to deduce the story behind the photo.
Scott shared a book he had his students put together in Nikiski. The students shared everything from poetry to statistics, and sought material throughout the community. His students pulled skills from multiple disciplines and were allowed to showcase their own creativity and feeling.
I think both of these lessons demonstrate effective teaching and culturally responsive teaching. Michelle’s lesson started opened with photos and then built on personal knowledge instead of what the teacher already know, or what the teacher expected students to already know. Scott’s lesson allowed students to build their own experiences and use academic subjects to reflect on their community, as they experience it.
Music would be a great subject to add to Scott’s pinwheel in his Nikiski study. Having multiple disciplines involved in one communal creation is a great idea for a school…music would be a great subject to pair with poetry where students could write their own songs.
I like how you added the musical aspect to this lesson, it would really add for a cool addition. I also enjoyed your take on all of the speakers, especially with Michelle’s lesson.
I like how both of these approaches begin broad and narrow in towards the end. I also like that the students aren’t told exactly what to do–they are allowed to find it for themselves. These approaches are great ways to get students to think critically!
I was so appreciative of Michelle’s lesson. Seeing a social studies teacher from this program in action gave me a big confidence boost. She made history interesting, interactive and relevant, which is exactly how it’s meant to be taught.
I really enjoyed how differently Scott and Michelle approached the “spark” element of the lesson. Scott had us pulling information out of our heads, and often finding that there were gaps in it we’d never thought about. Michelle had us looking at source material and making deductions, and then moving from that simple detective work to more complex analysis. Seeing those two lessons together was an awesome illustration of how creative you can be in providing a “spark.”