This week, we will complete our discussion on the PAR
framework by talking about the reflection, or final, portion. Reflecting upon
material allows for better retention and can encourage further learning on a
topic. One of the main goals of the reflection phase is to allow for students
to become autonomous learners, meaning that they become self-regulated. Once
students begin to become autonomous learners, they are better at monitoring
their level of comprehension throughout the readings and can alter their
reading style to compensate if necessary. The reflection phase also allows for
students to focus on communication, critical thinking, and critical literacy.
Often times, reflection can occur within groups. A common
misconception lies between simple group work versus cooperative learning. While
doing typical group work, the student works with others to complete a set of
goals dictated by their teacher. Working in a cooperative learning holds students
responsible for their own work but also responsible for making sure everyone in
the group is getting the material. The effectiveness of cooperative learning
lies in several different strategies: rehearsal, elaboration, organization,
comprehension, and affective strategies.
These different stages can be achieved through several different
activities discussed within the chapter.
Think-pair-share is a strategy that works as a rehearsal
step. Students work individually with thought provoking questions then work
with a partner to discuss their answers to these and maybe more questions in
depth. As a group, the class then gets together to discuss what has been
learned. Students are allowed to elaborate through activities such as paired
reading and three-step interviews where they talk about a specific section of
reading with a designated to help others learn about it. Graphic organizers are
a great way to keep what has been read organized. Comprehension can be
monitored through activities like rally table and numbered heads together. Rally
table gives students an open-ended question and a paper is passed between the
students giving everyone an opportunity to put an answer down for the question.
In numbered heads together, students are given a number and asked a question.
The students are placed into groups based on their numbers and the teacher will
then call out a random number and call on a student given that number to answer
the question. Lastly, some affective strategies include paired readings and
discussion groups.
This chapter presented us with several different activities
to use within the classroom to help students reflect on material that has been
learned in the lesson. By following the full PAR framework, students should be
able to grasp just about any information that has been presented to them. Visit
the link below for another popular reflection strategy that was not discussed
within the textbook.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-goal-setting
3 comments:
I really like the think-pair-share strategy. Not only do students get to work with partners and then with the entire class which is beneficial, but they also aid each other in reformatting their own answers. It's a nice way for students to get a different perspective on though-provoking questions.
Have you used any of these strategies? If so, which ones worked best with your students?
Allison, I used to be a supplemental instruction leader at VCU for Biology when I was getting my B.S. degree. I often used the think-pair-share strategy within my lessons as well as some others. We also made a lot of concept maps and graphical organizers.
I feel that depending on the course(s) you plan on teaching, different strategies would be more beneficial than others.
Critical Literacy: Reading between and beyond the lines. Cannot simply read but have to relate text to the real world.
Brainstorming: Group and individual interaction and discussion to reach a consensus or solve a problem. Important because it allows readers to collaborate and get their thoughts together.
Post a Comment