The Class Couple
  • HOME
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Read
  • Our Home
  • Shop

Once a coach...

2/27/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
 Greg here.
As a kid, competitive swimming helped shape a lot of the routines and philosophies I have about hardwork, focus, and teamwork. Honestly, I was never a great swimmer - but my passion for the sport fueled my interest. Swimming gave me the opportunity to coach for 10 years in a wide variety of settings, from summer league to USA club swimming to high school. One thing I prided myself on as a coach was the ability to analyze the technical components of a stroke and help swimmers better understand how to improve their technique. As many educators know, teaching requires much of the same.
Picture
My classroom, much like the pool deck, is a very social atmosphere where learning and collaboration are at the core of the work. My swimmers performed better when everyone was committed to team goals and were able to talk with one another about their performances - both in meets and practice. In class, I promote learning through a lot of small group discussions and collaborations in hopes of learning together. 
This year, I've dedicated a lot of time to "thinking activities". They range from simple warm-ups to highly engaging questions that take 15 - 25 minutes to develop. The activities, however, are much like the drill sets I devised for my swimmers. As a coach I asked the question: "How can we isolate specific skills, develop them, and then align them with other moving components to make their performance smooth(er)?" I fear that too often we take this for granted in the classroom. Students - even at the Honors & AP level - need their thinking broken down, strengthened, and pieced with other skills to improve their thinking. (Even the fastest swimmers had things they constantly worked on). 
One thing I found out about the thinking activities is that you can't substitute skills with content. In social studies, there are many teachers - including me - that often push "stuff" before thinking. We need to let the skills be the driver. For example, I worked with students on an activity this week explaining the connections between the Rwandan genocide and the unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo - its neighbor to the West. I simply could have asked them to do just that, but I want them to understand the roots and results of the problem. I presented the idea and form I wanted them to emulate:
Picture
Purposely incorrect.
We talked about how to analyze the text, build the connections, and take a look at the end result. I was pleased by some of the results.
Picture

Picture

Picture
Is this the answer? No. But I'm beginning to find that students at the high school level need help building their ideas and contextualizing their conclusions. Too often we ask students to focus on the content.  Why don't we first think about how their coming to their conclusions? By creating learning activities for them to "walk-though" the process, hopefully, they become stronger thinkers. 

So, the question is - what skills do students need to think on a deeper level? And, how do we improve them?

-Greg
the class couple
1 Comment
Barb Evans link
3/8/2015 02:15:01 pm

Hi! I'm following all the Vegas bound bloggers on the forum thread. I'd love to have you follow me back @ itsabouttimeteachers.blogspot.com. Super excited for Vegas!

Barb

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture

    Mr. & Mrs.

    We are Becky and Greg from York, PA. Becky just started her 13th year of teaching first grade. Greg is a high school social studies teacher. We love teaching and this blog is a peek into our world. 

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    GoNoodle Inspiration Blog
    Picture

    the library

    June 2019
    March 2019
    August 2018
    February 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Picture

    tag, you're it!

    All
    Adding
    Alphabet
    Apush
    Assessments
    Authentic
    Becky
    Becky & Greg
    Cause & Effect
    Children's Literature
    Classroom
    Classroom Community
    Classroom Management
    Classroom Tour
    Columbus
    Craftivity
    Criticalthinking
    Currently
    Doubles Facts
    Fact Families
    Fire Safety
    Five For Friday
    George Washington
    GoNoodle
    Graphing
    Greater Than And Less Than
    Greg
    Halloween
    Highfrequencywords
    How To
    Instagram
    Journeys
    Makingconnections
    Math
    Movie Making
    Numbers
    Perspective
    Phonics
    Primary Sources
    Project Based Learning
    Pumpkins
    Purpose
    QR Codes
    Raise Responsibility
    Reading
    Scholastic Book Orders
    Spelling
    Summer
    Summer Prep
    Teachers Pay Teachers
    Technology
    Time
    Twitter
    Videos
    Writing

    Picture

    subscribe

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner



    Blog Design by Alexis Sanchez ©
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.