Making Your Class Fun: Incorporating Different Instructional Approaches in Your Teaching
EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
November 14, 2008
Recently, I’ve been reflecting back on my own education as a child in order to decipher what teachers and lessons motivated me to learn, and what content material I still possess. I am currently taking my science and social studies methods classes, and they are forcing me to think back to my own educational process, as I have to design lessons and unit plans for these classes. I believe that I am a creative person, who is still a kid at heart.
Due to these factors, I truly think I will be able to design fun, motivational and effective lessons, as I relate to the children in my class. Upon reflection, I have discovered that the teachers I responded to the best have also been creative, humorous and dedicated to their work.
For example, I had two amazing science teachers in chemistry. Both of these amazing women taught through humor, used mnemonic devices, and also devised rhymes and songs to motivate and assist us in recalling abstract information. It is because of these great teachers that I can still recall the first 20 elements on the periodic chart and name some mathematical chemistry equations. The effectiveness of these exemplary teachers has motivated me to design lessons that incorporate the use of songs, raps and mnemonic devises. Therefore, for my science unit, I wrote and had a friend sing a rap for the unit. I think this will be a fun and engaging way to hook the children and motivate them to learn the material. Additionally, the song and beat should assist their memories when taking tests. Like when I was in elementary school, in chorus we learned a song about the 50 states. To this day, 20 years later, I still remember the song and can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in about one minute.
Besides songs, raps and mnemonic devices, I am a huge fan of reading and literacy is my major. I plan on using a wide variety of picture books to introduce a variety of concepts, in all the content areas. In addition, I plan on incorporating humor into my lessons, as this helps to keep children on their feet and also break the ice and decrease any pressure they may be experiencing due to state tests. Personally, my favorite college professor always utilized humor to engage us and relate to us. Since
I am also like a big child, I think I can relate to the students’ interests, as far as music, television, movies, etc. I plan on showing movies, playing songs, using popular cartoon character, food, and such to reach the class and keep them motivated to learn new material. Food is a great manipulative to use for math, and offers an incentive for them to get the work done. I also think it is vastly important to let the kids ask questions, inquire and have somewhat of a choice of certain topics. Too often I feel like teachers don’t consider what the students think, or don’t care. I think this is a poor instructional attitude, as all classrooms should be student-centered. I truly look forward to my upcoming career as a teacher, and can only hope that I am as effective and enjoyable as some of my prior teachers.
Long Island University, C. W. Post
November 14, 2008
Recently, I’ve been reflecting back on my own education as a child in order to decipher what teachers and lessons motivated me to learn, and what content material I still possess. I am currently taking my science and social studies methods classes, and they are forcing me to think back to my own educational process, as I have to design lessons and unit plans for these classes. I believe that I am a creative person, who is still a kid at heart.
Due to these factors, I truly think I will be able to design fun, motivational and effective lessons, as I relate to the children in my class. Upon reflection, I have discovered that the teachers I responded to the best have also been creative, humorous and dedicated to their work.
For example, I had two amazing science teachers in chemistry. Both of these amazing women taught through humor, used mnemonic devices, and also devised rhymes and songs to motivate and assist us in recalling abstract information. It is because of these great teachers that I can still recall the first 20 elements on the periodic chart and name some mathematical chemistry equations. The effectiveness of these exemplary teachers has motivated me to design lessons that incorporate the use of songs, raps and mnemonic devises. Therefore, for my science unit, I wrote and had a friend sing a rap for the unit. I think this will be a fun and engaging way to hook the children and motivate them to learn the material. Additionally, the song and beat should assist their memories when taking tests. Like when I was in elementary school, in chorus we learned a song about the 50 states. To this day, 20 years later, I still remember the song and can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in about one minute.
Besides songs, raps and mnemonic devices, I am a huge fan of reading and literacy is my major. I plan on using a wide variety of picture books to introduce a variety of concepts, in all the content areas. In addition, I plan on incorporating humor into my lessons, as this helps to keep children on their feet and also break the ice and decrease any pressure they may be experiencing due to state tests. Personally, my favorite college professor always utilized humor to engage us and relate to us. Since
I am also like a big child, I think I can relate to the students’ interests, as far as music, television, movies, etc. I plan on showing movies, playing songs, using popular cartoon character, food, and such to reach the class and keep them motivated to learn new material. Food is a great manipulative to use for math, and offers an incentive for them to get the work done. I also think it is vastly important to let the kids ask questions, inquire and have somewhat of a choice of certain topics. Too often I feel like teachers don’t consider what the students think, or don’t care. I think this is a poor instructional attitude, as all classrooms should be student-centered. I truly look forward to my upcoming career as a teacher, and can only hope that I am as effective and enjoyable as some of my prior teachers.
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