Encourage idea generation:
This tip encourages teachers to have their students brainstorm and come up with many different ideas, because the more ideas, the better. I really like this tip, and am planning on using it in my future classroom. For instance, in a 7th grade English class, students have just finished reading The Giver. After reading the book, I would break students up into groups of four or five. I would then ask a main question, such as: The Giver is set in a dystopian society. Though many of the ideas seem far-fetched and ridiculous, what connections can you make to today's society? I would then give the students a good amount of time (10-15 minutes) to brainstorm in their groups and write down ideas. After the amount of time, I would ask the groups to share some of their ideas. I would write down all of the ideas on the board, even ones which may not seem as correct or complex as others. Writing down every idea is beneficial because it can give students other ideas and show them different things they may have never thought of. Also, not telling students whether their answer is right/wrong, or good/bad would encourage them to keep answering and make them feel comfortable in sharing their ideas.
I like your idea of breaking students into groups and generating ideas. The different members of the groups will all contribute different thoughts and ideas. This will assist everyone in understanding the book and it is a form of incorporating creativity.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you incorporated other tips like encouraging collaboration, allowing time for creative thinking, and allowing mistakes. The way you described your situation made it seem like a comfortable environment to have a discussion in and I think discussing ideas can be incredibly beneficial in the learning process.
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