I believe in the ideal classroom, the teacher would use a variety of instructional strategies. Studies have shown that it is not the media or technology that facilitates learning, but the instructional strategies. As children learn in different ways, this teacher should use demonstration, cooperative learning, presentation, simulation, problem solving, discovery, tutorial, and a little drill and practice.
Thematic Instruction is being used by many teachers today. They organize their instruction around themes or topics. To be a good theme it must get and hold a student's attention, support interdisciplinary activities, provide problem solving experiences, and include a variety of media and technology.
Student-centered activities are wonderful learning tools in technology and the media. These also allow teachers time to spend consulting with individual students, correcting and diagnosing student problems and teaching in small groups.
As we are told in our text- "Students are no longer limited to the confines of the classroom. Through the school media center and computer networks such as the Internet, the world becomes each student's classroom."
Information taken from our text-"Instructional Technology and Media for Learning".
I think you are right on with the criteria for a good thematic unit. I am finding that building a thematic unit on paper is much easier than it actually playing out successfully. This may seem obvious to some people but I really thought as long as I did the necessary leg work everything would go fairly smoothly. I think more than anything experience is the key to being able to fine tune our lessons on the spur of the moment and to make something that has lost the children's attention into something that will work.
ReplyDeleteYes Danielle, everything is easier on paper. We don't see the obstacles until we actually experience them. I've heard that 1st year teachers have it the roughest because of this. New teachers should seek advice from good experienced teachers.
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