Field Work Blog 6

• What strategies does the teacher use to actively engage the students? How effective are these?

I've seen some very creative ways that Mrs. Wilson and Mrs Patten ( another 6th grade teacher I've observed during my field work)  have engaged their students. One time I watched as Mrs. Wilson did a math review. She had all the students write a math problem on their paper. She instructed them not do the math problem, just write it. Then she had them rip the paper out of their notebooks, crumple it up, and then go to either side of the room. Then she said, "Let it snow! " and all the kids threw their crumpled up "snow balls" into the air towards opposite ends of the classroom. The students had so much fun throwing their papers! It was fun to watch them get so excited. Then she got their attention again, and asked them to find a paper on the ground, pick it up, uncrumple it and make sure it isn't theirs, and then do the first step of the problem. Following the first step, she had them crumple the paper again, throw it across the room again, and then grab another one and finish the problem. The students didn't really seem to notice they were doing math because they were having so much fun doing the activity. They were all engaged and excited! It was neat to see how effective it was to help them review the steps of a math problem and prepare for their year end test. 

In Mrs. Patten's room, she did somewhat of a "morning meeting". Although it was in the afternoon, she had all the students move their desks aside and arrange their chairs in a circle. She sat in the circle with them, and asked them questions about how they felt their school year had gone. She asked for feedback as a teacher, she asked for feedback as students, and she asked what they liked or didn't like. It was neat how the discussion opened up and the students were able to share their thoughts and feelings as they drew close to the end of the year. Especially since these are 6th graders aren't coming back to elementary school and will be moving on, they certainly had a lot to say. You could feel the since of open community that Mrs. Patten had built with the students, and it was awesome. 

You could tell both of these efforts to engage the students were effective. The students were listening, following along, making comments, participating, and smiling. The learning environments were wonderful, and these teachers are excellent role models.