Grade 6:
I began this school year by teaching students about schema http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_(psychology) - how we use the knowledge that we have to interpret new information.
We began with a Brain Rules video from John Medina. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzbRpMlEHzM
After this I tossed out several topics. Students had to activate their schemas on those topics and share them with the class. I chose two topics: dogs and space. For each topic students jotted down their background knowledge, including feelings.
When these were shared students noticed that some people had greater background knowledge than others. We talked about how some students would then have an easier time in science class, for example, when it came to the space unit, as they already had knowledge to draw upon.
Students also noted that for some, dogs were scary and for others friendly beasts. We talked about how each person's schema would determine how they reacted to an unfamiliar dog.
The goal, of course, is to encourage them to learn how to draw upon background knowledge when faced with knew learning. As well, I want them to be able to recognize why someone might have an easier time with a particular subject.
After this discussion, students were given the task of creating personal schema boxes. They were to think about the things/events in life that had really shaped them as people (negative or positive), decorate a box with symbols and pictures and put 5 items of significance inside that showed this. These were then presented to the class.
What I loved most about this activity was the oral component. It gave students the opportunity to show who they are as people right at the beginning of the year. I found out so much, especially about the quieter students in the class. I think this activity has helped create a feeling of respect for the uniqueness of each person.
Now ... if you are wondering how I assessed the schema boxes ... I didn't!
I began this school year by teaching students about schema http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_(psychology) - how we use the knowledge that we have to interpret new information.
We began with a Brain Rules video from John Medina. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzbRpMlEHzM
After this I tossed out several topics. Students had to activate their schemas on those topics and share them with the class. I chose two topics: dogs and space. For each topic students jotted down their background knowledge, including feelings.
When these were shared students noticed that some people had greater background knowledge than others. We talked about how some students would then have an easier time in science class, for example, when it came to the space unit, as they already had knowledge to draw upon.
Students also noted that for some, dogs were scary and for others friendly beasts. We talked about how each person's schema would determine how they reacted to an unfamiliar dog.
The goal, of course, is to encourage them to learn how to draw upon background knowledge when faced with knew learning. As well, I want them to be able to recognize why someone might have an easier time with a particular subject.
After this discussion, students were given the task of creating personal schema boxes. They were to think about the things/events in life that had really shaped them as people (negative or positive), decorate a box with symbols and pictures and put 5 items of significance inside that showed this. These were then presented to the class.
What I loved most about this activity was the oral component. It gave students the opportunity to show who they are as people right at the beginning of the year. I found out so much, especially about the quieter students in the class. I think this activity has helped create a feeling of respect for the uniqueness of each person.
Now ... if you are wondering how I assessed the schema boxes ... I didn't!
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