I feel my progress thus far is going very well. I have been implementing and changing my lessons plans in my classroom since early last year and the more I do the easier things become in regards to new creative projects, assignments and assessments. I will continue to follow the GAME plan to make sure my new lessons are effective in encouraging students to learn through the use of technology whenever possible. I know I will need to make adjustments here and there based on technology availability, student feedback, and my own personal reflection of the overall lesson but am now confident I can make these adjustments when necessary and am not afraid to try new things when presented to me.
So far I have learned to take a step back out of my original comfort zone and allow my self to turn over more control to my students. This has made my life easier, less stressful, and more enjoyable while teaching. I used to have a lot of stress feeling like I would fall behind so I would take all of the responsibility for student success and learning on my shoulders which translated into me doing all the work, lecturing more then necessary, and lack of student accountability. Little did I know that students, when given the opportunity, can excel at learning independently and in groups if given guidelines and expectations by the teacher. This usually ends up making them happier and more likely to work than not.
I understand that I still have a lot to learn either by trial and error or through new resources and ideas presented to me through my classes, instructors, independent research, and other colleagues. I do have questions, but am now self-motivated to seek the answers needed and have been successful in answering them myself up to now.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
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Eric
ReplyDeleteI have also been guilty of taking on too much of the responsibility for my students' learning. I came to realize that I was actually robbing them of the joy of accomplishment and the satisfaction of taking ownership. Although it is a difficult transition to take on the role of facilitator, doing so in small increments has worked for me. As you stated, it is amazing how students really step up and become more active when given the change to direct their own learning.
Good luck to you as you continue to follow through with your current GAME plan and then move on to create new ones that will match the needs of you and your students.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteI, too, have trouble with allowing my students the freedom to work more on their own. This is partly because most of my students are not capable of doing this since they would rather socialize than work. However, there are a few that greatly benefit from independent learning.
Good luck following your GAME plan!
Eric,
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear that things do get easier the longer you are at it. I think that is an important point for all of us to remember, especially those of us who are in the beginning stages of implementing new technologies and feel frustrated and overwhelmed.
Susan
Eric,
ReplyDeleteIt is great when you realize that your life is going to be just a little bit easier and your students will be accepting some responsibility for their own learning success. By allowing them to have some control in their learning environment, you are giving them a way to become more comfortable for learning content and seek out ownership for what they can learn. Excellent post!