As I learned in Ed Psych, students who are not motivated to learn will not learn. Engaging students in learning is a key factor to ensure that students are learning. To engage students in learning, teachers should design lessons that have the students actively involved in learning, this can be done by engaging the students in discussion or having the students work with the teacher when solving math problems rather than just listening to and watching the teacher. Activities to engage the students should be challenging enough to push the students, but not so challenging that the students are forced into their frustration zone of their ZPD (zone of proximal development). One common mistake that teachers make when designing engaging lessons is losing the goal of the lesson, while it can be fun and exciting to try new activities in the classroom, teachers must keep in mind what the learning objectives of a lesson are.
In my math classroom, I plan to engage the students in learning by having different ways of having the students work along with me and work independently. For difficult material that I want the students to have in their notes, I will begin by having them take notes in their notebooks as they follow along. For practice problems I will occasionally have the students work on independent white boards or if I am able to have enough whiteboards around my classroom I will allow them to get up out of their seats and work on problems at a large whiteboard so I can watch as they go through the steps of solving problems. I will also have the students work in groups for some assignments. Having these different methods of learning will give the students variety and keep them engaged in the learning.
Danielson, Charlotte. (2011). Domain 3 Instruction. The Framework For Teaching Evaluation Instrument. Retrieved from http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/danielson_rubric_53.pdf
In my math classroom, I plan to engage the students in learning by having different ways of having the students work along with me and work independently. For difficult material that I want the students to have in their notes, I will begin by having them take notes in their notebooks as they follow along. For practice problems I will occasionally have the students work on independent white boards or if I am able to have enough whiteboards around my classroom I will allow them to get up out of their seats and work on problems at a large whiteboard so I can watch as they go through the steps of solving problems. I will also have the students work in groups for some assignments. Having these different methods of learning will give the students variety and keep them engaged in the learning.
Danielson, Charlotte. (2011). Domain 3 Instruction. The Framework For Teaching Evaluation Instrument. Retrieved from http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/danielson_rubric_53.pdf