In reflecting on my teaching experiences to date, I would say that the proportion of teacher centered versus student centered lessons has been mainly student-centered. I teach technology so it makes no sense to me to stand at the front of the room and lecture. I do have small group discussions where I demonstrate new software, but for the most part the kids come in and get right to work on a project even in Kindergarten.
The rubric I created for my lesson clearly defined expectations and scoring for the lesson so that my students could focus their energy on what needed to be included in their project. I find that rubrics bring clarity to projects. Students can see "the whole picture" and the little stops along the way. It's a great way to map out the course of a project and provide students with the knowledge of exactly what you are expecting of them.
I really enjoyed teaching on Monday. It was so much fun. I love the online environment. I have always been a facilitator so this came naturally to me. I do hope to teach online and this experience showed me that with planning and a good rapport with students, it is a fully attainable goal for me. Now I just need to revamp my resume ;)
Sarah, traditionally my classes have been teacher-centered but I am trying to shift towards more student-to-student learning. As a corporate trainer I did a lot of technology training but I assigned work where students explored the company software products. I did have students use WebEx and GoToMeeting where they reviewed their work with the class.
ReplyDeleteI think you will be a great online teacher. You have a lot of enthusiasm and a great grasp of the technology. The MEIT program is great preparation for the world of online teaching.