Introduction
My Engaging Instruction Artifacts showcase the artifacts I will use in my future classroom to keep my students engaged. Engaging Instruction is one of the most important tools a teacher can use. Engaging Instruction helps keep students off task by distracting themselves or others. It does not only give instruction for our students to learn, but it is an amzaing form of classroom management.
As a future social studies teacher, my main goals are to have engaging lessons, to have my students be able to recall information from the lesson, and to have more student-centered lessons. However, some risks come to mind when teaching social studies. Students will not be as engaged as others because of their lack of interest, not wanting to participate in school or boredom. This can be shown with twelfth-grade high school students; fifty percent of fifty to twelfth-grade students find themselves unengaged in classrooms (Himmele & Himmele, 2017, p. 7). Alternatively, students will not succeed in a student-centered classroom because of different behaviors in the classroom. I do not want a classroom full of “listening objects” (Himmele & Himmele, 2017, p. 6) because students will be disengaged from school, which could lead to dropping out. Therefore, to keep my students engaged throughout my lessons and be able to recall information, I will have my students have group discussions, immediately use information, or “teach” the other students (Himmele & Himmele, 2017).
Artifact One: What I’s Chart
Himmele and Himmele (2017) call the back-and-forth questioning and answering questions “the beach ball scenario” (Himmele & Himmele, 2017, p.3). Only a handful of students eager to answer the question would be answering throughout class. However, it is significant that students are answering questions being asked and that we understand their level of understanding of the subject. This cannot be said for the students not answering the questions who are disengaged from the lesson. We, as teachers, will not know their understanding of the unit until it is too late. They get little feedback from others and do not accurately assess what others have learned until it is too late (Himmele & Himmele, 2017, p.3). So, as a future teacher, I will be using What I’s charts to get away from the beach ball scenario and to understand my students’ knowledge on the subject before it is too late. The What I’s charts will allow students to show their understanding of the lesson before and during the lecture by answering questions on slides, and after the lesson as a brain dump and a question column.
The What I’s chart will help students get away from that “beach ball scenario.” students will be more engaged with the lesson by filling out the chart, and it will give myself an understanding of their understanding of the subject. This artifact will be used when we have lecture-based activities. For example, I will have an interactive PowerPoint to explain the subject we are going over. The students will start the assignment by doing the pre-assessment, the first column, before the lecture. As the lesson moves, students will answer questions within the lecture in the second column. This will help to get away from the “beach ball scenario” and give an understanding of the students’ understanding. The third column allows students to recall what they have learned from the lesson. Himmele and Himmele (2017) state that an average student will remember and recall more information by 90 percent when they immediately use or teach to other students (pg. 8).
| What I know This should be done before lecture. What do you already know about this unit/topic so far? | What I have answered Following along with slides answered the questions. | What I have Learned What did I learn from this lesson? Write down some key points. Discuss with Classmates | What I need help with… What do I need help with? Do I need any clarity? |
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Artifact Two: Group Work Learn and Teach
Students will retain more information, 4-10 times more, through verbal and visual rather than just verbal lessons alone (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). My social studies class lessons will have more visuals and verbal instruction to help my students process information from the lesson. I will teach this way because students will retain the information more than just having verbal instruction. For this artifact, students will respond individually, within their expert groups, to their topics and the prompts provided. Afterward, the students will move into groups to “teach” the students in the opposite group. At the end of the assignment, students can volunteer to discuss their topics before I review both groups with notes and visuals. Himmele and Himmele refer to this as the ripple effect. This technique will ensure that all students reflect on and respond to the prompt (Himmele & Himmele, 2009).
Students will split into groups for two different content areas. Depending on how many students there could be more groups, but I will use eight students in my classroom for my example. Four students will be in Group A going over their topic. At the same time, the other four students will be in Group B. These original groups will be our “expert” groups. Within their groups, students will review a PowerPoint about their topic and prompts and then write down key points and events. Students in these groups will have roles. Such as a timekeeper, a script, and a senior expert who will talk about the assignment at the end of the activity. This should take about 15 minutes. Afterward, students will pair up with another student in the opposite group to theirs. These “experts” will teach the other students about their topics through the notes that they have taken or through pictures. This part of the assignment will take about ten minutes. At the end of the assignment, I will review both topics with notes and pictures to help students understand.
| My topic:Provide notes from your learning and teaching by yourself and then with other students | My teacher notes:Notes that my teacher is providing on my topic | My topic:Provide notes from your learning and teaching with other students | My teacher notes:Notes that my teacher is providing on my topic |
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Artifact Three: Around the Room Write Ups
For this artifact, students will be out of their seats and moving throughout the classroom to answer prompts hanging up around the classroom. Students sit passively and listen to approximately 90 percent of their classes (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). As a future teacher, I plan to have my students up and moving as much as possible to keep them from sitting all day. This assignment will require students to respond to written prompts around the classroom individually. This allows every student to answer the questions by responding and reflecting on the prompt. Himmele and Himmele refer to this as the first ripple effect. Using the ripple effect with this activity, every student can answer the question.
For the assignment, students will be up and moving around the classroom individually to answer the prompt written around the classroom. Students will write their responses on Post-it notes. This should take about ten minutes. Students will write their responses on the front of the Post-it and write their names on the back of the note. Students will write their names on the back of the Post-it if they are worried about other students’ responses or want to keep them anonymous. The name placement allows me to assess my students. Afterward, students will paired up or make a group to talk about each prompt. Himmele and Himmele describe this as the second wave of the ripple effect. After students share their responses and thoughts, they can volunteer by sharing with the class.
| Prompt: What causes led to the American Revolution? Explain |
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References
Himmele, P., & Himmele, W. (2017). Total participation techniques: Making every student an
active learner (2nd ed.).