An Active Learning Strategy for Any Academic Discipline
By Jeri Asaro
It is about this time of year, (fourth marking period) that I always try a brand new instructional strategy in my class. At this point, I know my students and I understand their needs. My classroom is well-controlled, and I feel comfortable with my curriculum. I recognize what still needs to be completed before the year is over. I assess where I am, decide upon my objectives for the next unit, and work a new strategy into the mix. Sometimes the new approach is something small, while at other times, it is more complicated, but to keep my class fresh it is essential that I try new things. A few years ago, in my search for quality professional development, I attended a workshop entitled Using Blogs in the Classroom, and I gave the idea a try.
If you have read any of my previous columns, it will come as no surprise that I believe students need to be completely engaged in a lesson to reach the point of true learning. Until students become actively involved in their learning, they do not completely take ownership of the concepts you are teaching. My personal theories have derived from years of reading research by educational specialists, along with my own perceptions of life in my classroom.
If blogs are a foreign language to you, please do not panic. Blogs are virtual communities where creativity, self-expression, and interactive discussion are encouraged. They are easy-to-use, journal-style entries which are published on the internet. Through blogging, students can read each other's ideas and make comments upon one another's work. They equalize the opportunity to share ideas. Your most bashful student, who lacks the ability to do well in classroom participation, may open up in a whole new way. Even if you are great with technology infusion, the idea of blogging may seem overwhelming. I am here to tell you it is not difficult; the students love it, and it can bring enormous success to the learning. With a little pre-planning, you can be up-and-running in about two hours.
Why should you consider choosing the use of blogs as a strategy? Blogs accommodate, encourage, and engage many learners. If you are like me, you feel the need to get into the minds of your students and help them to reflect on how their behaviors affect the lives of others. For me, besides reflecting on the ideas character education, I am required to promote discussion about the novels in our curriculum. With our high-stakes tests looming over our daily lessons, learning to properly answer an open-ended response has become an essential skill. Using critical thinking skills and connecting literature to the real world are necessary competencies to score the highest point value on the standardized tests. Allowing students to blog and talk online with their peers cuts right to the heart of the adolescent world I teach in every day. I am able to meet my curriculum objectives, prepare students for their proficiency tests, and engage my students in the process.
Here is an example of how I am presently using blogs in my classroom. My seventh-grade, English classes read a novel with a plotline that involves bullying, name-calling, life choices, and the lack of respect between students in a school – a world my students feel they can easily understand. Through blogging, my students address the ethical issues which arise throughout the course of the novel, and apply those issues to their real world experiences. Each week, I post various "chat" questions on topics related to the character education themes in the novel, as well as themes in the life of every adolescent. I use my own name, so the students know I am generating the discussion. The students anonymously post their responses to my questions, as well as responses to each other. I know who they are, but they do not know who each other is. I allow them to chat using their "own language," and I assess them on the quality of their discussion, rather than their spelling and grammar. Letting students speak their own language and permitting them to communicate anonymously to each other has proven to be very effective in my English classroom. This method enables them to feel free in their comments without the risk of being ostracized for their thoughts.
For each blogging session, I give requirements. For example: I might post three questions and require that students pick two of the three to answer. Each question is open-ended and about the novel. I ask that students answer the questions so that I can tell they are reading the novel, but I also invite them to reach beyond and relate the concept to their own life. I make a third requirement that they must also respond to two other student posts to promote discussion. I keep an excel spreadsheet, and I use each blogging session as a novel quiz grade. This method keeps my students accountable, but depending on the age and academic level of your students, you can easily make adjustments that work for you and for your subject matter. There are countless ways to work blogs into your lesson planning.
I created a free and secure blog at: http://www.21classes.com/. There are other free blogging sites, so I listed the few of which I am familiar at the end of the article. My students choose their own screen names, and my requirement is that their screen names cannot reveal who they are. I have chosen to create student accounts for them, but students can do it on their own if you would rather use that option. The students understand that I know their identification, and that when they blog, each entry is approved by me before it is posted. Setting up this security system is also an option, but not a necessity. If I need to discuss the blog entry with the student, the site allows me to communicate with the student privately, and I can delete the blog entry if it is inappropriate in some way. These steps are how I set up my blog due to the content that the students are discussing, but it is not necessary to take this course of action. Each blogging site offers a list of options to choose. Due to the nature of our discussion material, and the age of my students, these are the options that work best for me.
This literature-response strategy is active learning at its best. It appeals to my students' interests and provides them with the voice to make character education connections between fiction and life. It is a place for them to think, generate, communicate, and respond to ideas. Using high-tech tools engages students. They are excited to complete, and more importantly, they are enthusiastic about discussing the important issues the novel presents. My students are fostering caring, respectful, and considerate attachments to each other, and they feel more of a sense of belonging. It is by far one of the best, relatively easy, and most effective activities I have planned for my English class. It is a win-win situation.
I have chosen to use blogging in an English classroom for novel discussion and character education, but blogs can be used in almost any discipline and in a number of different ways. Here are some examples:
SCIENCE: An exchange of ideas learned after a scientific experiment
MATH: A discussion of fundamental concepts to better understand the logic behind a mathematical formula; a beginning-of-the-school-year chat about how numbers are a part of many aspects of the world around us
CURRENT EVENTS: Non–fictional stories can help students to situate themselves in a real-life context, and blogging can promote a terrific exchange of ideas.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Student discussion of research about politics or culture during an appropriate time of history
ART: Articulation of artistic impressions of famous works of art
LANGUAGE ARTS: Discussion of important and/or famous quotations: What they mean? How they relate to student lives?
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: Use to inform students of classroom requirements, post hand-out or notices, homework assignments, or a question and answer board between students
ONLINE MENTORING: A class of older students can assist a class of younger students to develop more confidence in their writing or critical thinking skills.
COOPERATIVE LEARNING: Each student in a group can take a specific role and relay the research findings through a blog.
SCHOOL-TO-SCHOOL: Finding another school in your own or another district, and use blogs as a way to communicate with each other and/or share ideas on common curriculum.
CLUBS OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Blogs are a great communication technique for groups that cannot meet as often as they like, but still need to complete a task.
DISCUSSION: Any issue, any discipline, any literate grade level – you control the question and let the students burst with their answers. Once they get going, they will surprise you.
Why should you take on the trials and tribulations of this strategy in your classroom? Quite simply; if well-managed, I think you will like the results.
Blogging...
Encourages reading and writing while increasing comfort with computers, and the internet. Plus, it allows for the infusion of technology with any discipline.
Offers a personal space to read and write, alongside a communal one, where ideas are shared, questions are asked and answered, and social cohesion is developed.
Is appropriate for different age groups and both genders.
Prepares students for the future.
Makes available easy accessibility both inside and outside the classroom walls.
Provides homework and/or class work assignments which students are excited to complete.
Is a powerful and effective technology tool for students and teachers alike.
What are the implementation steps you need to get started?
Set your objective and decide how the blog will work to achieve your goal.
Find a hosting site that fits your needs (see list at the bottom of the article).
If needed, prepare parental approval or explanation.
Determine how you will assess the blog (if needed) and keep students accountable, and in so doing, decide upon the student's posting requirement.
Decide upon your requirement for student language usage (Their own language vs. the English language).
Get student log-in (screen) name and password. This step is only required if you are going to take on the role of setting up your student accounts. Most blogging sites also offer the choice of students setting up their own accounts.
Sign up at the hosting site. This process takes about 10-minutes to complete. Once you register, the blog is created – but the site will likely offer many options for you to personalize your site. For me, I added my picture, changed the fonts, etc. The process of personalizing the page is optional, and probably the most time-consuming of setting up a blog. Once you give your page personality, the blog is really set for discussion.
Create paperwork and logs for book-keeping if needed for your assignment (I use Microsoft Excel).
Post your assignment or discussion questions.
Give students a due date, and get ready. The first round of blogs will bring about questions, but once students do it once, they know the routine and expectations.
Some important points to consider:
When setting the blog settings for students (on the site), always think about their safety first. Using a blogging site which specifically for teachers and their classes provides the most safety.
Consider that you might want to review each blog entry (scan) before it is published. This option is important during a blog discussion which includes a "hot topic."
Choose that the visibility of your blog to be for your members only. In other words, you do not want your blog to be seen by anyone who you do not allow in the process.
Opt for creating the student accounts for them rather than having students create their own accounts and log-in information. It is more time-consuming upfront (maybe an extra hour), but in the end you have total control. The age of the students and the topic of discussion can help you make this important decision.
Start small. Do it with one class, one group, or just one small educational unit. Tweak the problems before you open it up to a larger forum.
If students are using an anonymous blog like mine, have them provide you with a new username before you begin the next unit which uses the blog.
Do not overuse this strategy, or just like anything else, students will get bored with the idea. If you use it for a second unit, change your requirements or how you use your blog (use it as part of a cooperative project rather than a question/answer discussion). For example, I will use it one more time this year, but it will be to create a group story. I will provide a story starter, and when students log-on, they need to add to the story from the point where the last person left off.
As an educator of students, and an educator of other educators, I am a firm believer in life-long learning. A few years back, I decided to use my professional development hours to meet the requirements of my district as well as my own personal needs. Just like my school district has goals and objectives and my lesson plans have goals and objectives, my life-long learning has goals and objectives. Each year, I pick a new instructional technique and learn it, and within a year, I implement the idea into my classroom collection of strategies. Once I use the idea, I reflect upon its success, and I use it at least one more time before I make a final decision as to whether it should be a permanent part of my instructional repertoire. Often, if I determine the idea is a good one, I am charged with the task of also teaching my other staff members, turn-keying the professional development to others. My tool-kit for engaging students keeps growing and growing, and my teaching never becomes stale. If you are a novice teacher reading this article, take this idea to heart. If you stay fresh in your teaching, you will continue to love the profession. As we continue to learn, we continue to engage our students.
