Lauren Frisone
Oct 21, 2013
Reading Response #2
Prof. Kates
Got Standards? Don't Give up on Engaged Learning!
The author's purpose of this article 'Got Standards? Don't Give up on Engaged Learning!' is to help teachers understand the importance of engaged learning. An engaged learning experience can be collaborated into the integrated required curriculum. The author, Judy Harris Helm provides meaningful approaches for teachers to provide in a entire curriculum based upon hands on experiences. The importance of "project" based child-directed curriculum will provide children with a meaningful and engaged learning experience. Children that are interested and engaged in a hands on project will develop such skills required in a curriculum. Emotional involvement will develop the children's ability to retain information that is important by remembering the process/ or experience they went through to achieve the activity.
One of the most important concepts provided was that Judy Harris Helm demonstrated the positive attributes of creating Anticipatory Planning Web,. She points out that if a teacher concentrates on a specific project for the curriculum, by using staged webbing can benefit the teacher and students learning experience. It can help teachers focus on what is relevant knowledge and skills needed for the children to learn, also providing stepping stones for the what the subject is branching out into. Another important point introduced was that, "Engagement increases the ability of the brain to remember: adrenaline created through emotional involvement activates a part of the brain that decides which information is important enough to retain". (Helm) Suggesting that if the children are engaged in learning they will most likely remember the process, helping to retain the information more memorable. The author indicates that it is possible to teach the required content and skills through hands-on experience. The theme of the project can use math, reading and writing skills in different areas of the activity, while still being child directed and engaged. Also, she points out the "First steps anticipating opportunities for integration is to analyze curriculum goals and standards and make a comprehensive list of the knowledge, skills and dispositions children need to develop". (Helm). Basically, teachers need to understand what exactly the students need to learn by the end of the year and than they can be incorporated into the project successfully. Teachers can organize the concept of the lesson into the integrated curriculum. Helm, feels that it is useful to organize information by introducing it when it is meaningful, flowing into other parts of the concept.Make sure teachers document and asses children's progress by observing their interaction and engagement during the activity. See if they are understanding the information and each child is learning from it properly.
These approaches are foreign in the first grade classroom at PS 130. My cooperating teacher focuses on a more teacher-directed approach. Most activities do not flow into each other. There are no hands-on or engaged learning. Most lessons in directed by the teacher and are close-ended. The children are told what to do and are learning by sitting at their desk or on the floor directed by the teacher. There is a lot of directed drawing and very little creativity, imagination and engaged learning.
My cooperating teacher must follow guidelines such as counting and writing out numeric sequences, counting by tens, learning appropriate vocabulary and studying an author. Though, these guidelines can easily transformed into a much more engaged learning experience. The children seem to be less interested in the work given instead of engaged.
This article is a inspiration to how I would direct my own classroom. I think Helm's engaged learning concepts are approachable and should be a mandatory standard in all classrooms. An engaged learning approach, is a positive, fun and meaningful way to teach children. Children love to play and through play they learn. This approach makes learning fun and successful in teaching children the required standards. You can use real life situations and turn them into an integrated curriculum that is hands on and fun at the same time. These approaches can be beneficial in all areas of the physical, emotional, social and intellectual. Children have a chance to discover real world situations using diverse skills preparing them in all areas of life. I would use these approaches in my future classrooms because I want children to have real choices, not only teacher-directed experiences. I know children can benefit from engaged learning. I want my classroom atmosphere to be a place where children want to be and will learn, and if you can produce an environment for children that is interactive and teaches the standards at the sometime you have a successful, meaningful, memorable experience.