When Scott came in, I didn’t know what to expect. After reading the pages we were asked to read, I was curious about how he was going to include an activity or what the discussion was going to be about. I was also wondering how to incorporate the lessons he will teach into different content areas.
We were asked to write down a few answers to simple open-ended questions with no right answer. As I wrote down my answers I kept looking for the way he would turn this into a lesson or attach it to his points. The group-sharing was, like normal, relaxing and thoughtful. I remembered things about myself and my home. It was a good activity that did eventually tie into what he was presenting.
Each student will learn differently and will find different subject matter interesting. One student might enjoy writing poetry while another student would rather write findings to a scientific research study. It is important to leave the subject matter open-ended, like the questions, to allow all of the students to become interested.
I have been struggling to find potential field trips for an english class or project that will keep the students moving around. Which brings me to another point that Scott made. Students sit for hours on end in multiple different classrooms. They will get antsy and squirrely and will need a break from sitting. So it brought up the question, how will I get students to move around the classroom? Honestly, I have thought of multiple ways to get students moving, but none of them are field trips. That is okay, because most students just want to move around, create something they are interested in, and have something to show for the work that they contributed.
It was nice to hear Scott talk, and I look forward to his class in the second half of this semester.
I too enjoyed the class, Mason. It gave me some good ideas as well– as I think it pertained to social studies as well. I look forward to getting some concrete ideas from you, too, maybe on Sitka for next year!
Hey Mason, field trips and movement are pretty tricky when you think of English classes. Field trips in general can be quite the undertaking. Once you get in the classroom start focusing on the environment around you and how to work with it. I’m pretty sure walking field trips within a certain location don’t require additional field trip permission forms, but check with FD to be sure. So keep your eyes open to the possibilities… it will be awesome and probably difficult, but worth it in the end. Good luck! -Mischa
Yeah, I agree. Scott’s activity was great! I think I’ll have to try to use such a thing with my future classes, since it is really neat to try to get a sense of things that we might take for granted like “where does my water come from” or “where does my sewage go?”