School will begin again and are we prepared? Do we have our lesson plans already made and ready to implement? But wait- Even though the expectations is to have a lesson ready...authentic teaching ensures we understand the learner for true learning to materialize to ensure retention. So what do you do? Develop the lesson plan but include ways for it to be differentiated. Then once you learn the learners you can design your lessons with your students in mind. Have several classes? Look at lessons you have done before- do they fit? Then use those too. Using a digital drive, portable drive or some cloud service is great to ensure they are all in the same location. I have so many lessons but they are not easy for me to locate. This year I vow to name my lessons the same as the unit my lesson is from so that I do not have to recreate the wheel so much. But what if the curriculum changes? At least I have a frame work to go by.
Consistency is best. Exploration is great but it has to be with a plan or else you are continuously flying with no place to land. Landing is what helps us refuel and rebuild so that we are not exhausted from flying.
So what does this have to do with Authentic STEM. STEM involves designing, problem solving, finding solutions that work. Well, think of the everyday challenge of teaching and lesson planning and "ta-da" - teaching in itself is an art...but moreover the process of practicing the essential skills of a STEMist. You can share your lesson planning process as an example in class and better yet have an understanding of the process inventors/innovators and engineers go thru when making new technologies.
Are you ready? Best wishes for a super year. With great expectation comes great reward and if you are still in it much to gain for sure.
May the force be with you!
No comments:
Post a Comment