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There are so many reports about virtual learning and how students are not learning virtually. Virtual learning is here to stay, so why not ensure that it offers high-quality learning experiences. Many critics believe that virtual learning is “watered-down learning.” However, there are several middle level educators that will disagree and will argue that learning can happen anywhere. Most educators work extremely hard to ensure their scholars learn, by providing high-quality learning experiences that will strengthen their scholars’ cognitive abilities. Virtual learning can be just as rigorous as in-person learning, creating “productive struggles” for learners and creating opportunities for scholars to consolidate ideas with each other. “Productive Struggles” are essential to learning because they require scholars to solve problems that force them to critically think through processes that produce the correct answers or the best outcomes. John Dewey mentions in his book, Experience and Education, “teachers are the agents through which knowledge and skills are communicated and rules of conduct enforced.” In other words, learning begins with teaching. Planning engaging lessons, especially for middle level and high school scholars is difficult, but when teachers purposefully plan lessons that include questioning techniques, integrated literacy development, and provide opportunities to create, whether in the virtual classroom or physical classroom, scholars become more engaged in their learning and they actually learn.
Questioning Techniques
Questions are a focal point of learning. If a person wants to know something, they ask a question. The first step in the Scientific Method is “ask a question” which will begin to lead scientists down the road to solving a scientific problem. The same rule applies to any subject area; begin with a question. Asking a question begins to peak the interest in scholars. The use of essential questions at the beginning of a lesson not only increases the interest of scholars but guides instruction; keeps teachers on task. For example here is an essential question used for a science lesson: “How does Earth move?” This essential question initiates thoughts around the movement of Earth; now students are thinking about Earth’s movement. This same essential question, “how does Earth move?”, opened a lesson that focused on the movement of Earth and helped scholars distinguish the difference between an orbit, rotation, and a revolution. Essential Questions should always be open-ended questions to promote detailed answers; “yes” and “no” do not provide details. In addition, when close-end questions are asked and students provide a “yes” or “no” answer, teachers should always follow up with a “why” question to encourage scholars to provide more details which will give the teacher more information about the thought processes of scholars (I always like to know what my scholars are thinking and the “why” behind their thinking). Essential questions can be used in every content area, even mathematics and physical education classes (See chart below). The purpose for using essential questions is to focus attention and thinking on a particular topic; learning takes place when questions are asked. Questioning also promotes conversation and builds interests at the same time. The more outlandish the question, the more interested scholars become in the topic, whatever the topic! So ask lots of questions!
Examples of Essential Questions
| Science | Math | English Language Arts | Social Studies | Electives |
| What is the difference between science and technology? What information can scientists get from fossils? How can ecosystems help Earth? | How do you add three digit numbers? What is the difference between an addends and a sum? What is the difference between an equation and an expression? | Who are the main characters of the story? What is the difference between a noun and a verb? What is the main idea of the text? | What are the three branches of the U.S. Government? Why was the Revolutionary War significant to the United States of America? What was the Harlem Renaissance? | Why is health and fitness important to your overall function? (Physical Education/Health) What can we do to stay physically fit? (Physical Education/Health) What are the primary colors? (Art) How can functions be used to create programs? (Computer Science) |
Integrated Literacy Development: Reading, Writing, and Speaking
Literacy consists of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and each of these skills should be incorporated in weekly instruction in every subject area, even mathematics and physical education. All of these literacy elements are closely related, when one area is deficient, the other areas are also deficient. Words are the foundation of scholars’ literacy development. Words that are connected to content or words used in every day language are essential to the literacy development of young learners, the more words they know the easier it will be for them to comprehend text. Every day, students should be exposed to a new word by having them learn words in a dictionary or use the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) vocabulary list which can be downloaded on the internet as a PDF file (SAT Vocabulary ) Create word walls in the classroom that contain the words and definitions; get students to write the definition of words on Post-It notes and stick under the word on the Word Wall. Word Walls can also be created at home in students’ bedroom or study areas. Word Search puzzles are good for helping scholars with spelling issues; the words are correctly spelled on the puzzle. Increasing vocabulary helps scholars understand written text, which then helps them understand content material. The scholars see and read words in print the better readers, writers, and speakers they will become.
Reading and writing are paired skills that produce comprehension of text; students are usually encouraged to write something in connection to the text they are reading or annotate. When scholars are assigned a text to read, they should always be encouraged to write about the text they are reading, whether that means writing five key facts, main idea, or identifying the main characters. Writing helps scholars dissect and digest information from the text. No matter if the text is fiction or non-fiction (informational text), writing should accompany reading. The use of graphic organizers is a great tool to use along with reading to help scholars organize their ideas about the text they are reading. However, when using graphic organizers with reading text, topics should be made known to scholars. For example, when reading informational text, the topic could be “volcanoes” or “ecosystems”. When reading literature, a topic could be “description of characters” or “identify main characters.”Speaking and listening are also paired literacy skills.
Learning to speak in a public format, such as in front of the class or student body is vital to literacy development. Productive talk is great! Many times parents or teachers tell young people to be quiet; however, talking, in general, is evidence of learning. When scholars discuss topics associated to class topics, they are sharing ideas and learning new information. Students also have to practice how to become effective listeners. Provide a check list to students that will help them learn how to become effective listeners. For example, look at speaker, take notes, and ask questions about topic. Schedule time for scholars to present information to the class or student body. Scholars can even present information to their family during a family gathering.
Discourse is essential to learning, so the more scholars talk, the more they are learning. Effective listening skills develop over time, and is closely associated with effective speaking skills. Listening is a skill that develops at different age levels; it is usually connected to the development of executive functioning skills. Executive function is a term used by neurologists to describe the brain processes that drive a person’s ability to focus, solve problems, organize work, remember information, learn from mistakes, and manage impulses, all of which help students learn efficiently and develop important social skills (Searle, 2013). One strategy that can be used with scholars to help with developing listening skills is “Say and Repeat.” For example, the teacher will say something and ask the student to repeat what was said; this strategy also helps teaching students how to pronounce words and paraphrase text. Students can also be encouraged to repeat and say a correct answer provided by a peer. Try it.
Create Something (Build it!)
Who doesn’t like to create or build something? Science does not have to be the only class that promotes building of things. Scholars can build something in every content area. Too much lecturing can become uninteresting and also promote learning-disengagement. Providing opportunities for students to get their hands dirty helps increase comprehension of complex content. For example, writing a poetry book or building a prototype of something that helps the environment are all ways to engage students in their learning. Each of the learning activities just named are great ways for students to create an end-product that connects to the content being studied. Hands-on activities can also be done virtually. Through video recording or capturing images with a camera, building can happen, even in the virtual realm. For example, scholars can take pictures or make video recordings as they work. Building requires three stages: Research, Planning, and Building. The research stage consist of collecting information on different materials being considered for the building project; if the building project is publishing a book, students may want to research pictures or create artwork to go along with their book. Students may also want to research different authors or artists, depending on the type of published work they are creating. The research stage can also focus on identifying problems needing a solution. During the planning phase, scholars should work on sketching out a design for their prototype of their final product and identify building materials that will be used to create their prototype. For publications, students may want to work on how they will display their work during the planning stage. Finally, the building stage consists of building the actual prototype or publishing the actual book; making adjustments and fine tuning the model. Application and Synthesizing are higher-order thinking skills, and require scholars to create something based on information covered in class or gathered through research; this information is then applied to the creation of a prototype that can be used for solving a problem or creating an easier way to do work. In addition, prototypes do not have to be models of something, they can also be a publication, a food dish, or even the creation of a small business. Prototypes can also be visual art, such as a painting or a sculpture. The purpose of creating or building something is to allow scholars an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in class to creating a finished product based on the newly-gained knowledge. Get creative, make something!
Conclusion
Learning occurs when teaching happens. A teacher can be other agents outside the classroom, such as a parent, coach, or sibling,. The overall goal of learning, is intentionally sharing information. Teaching should be carefully planned out with an end-product in mind. Teachers should always keep in mind, when planning, the main takeaway of each lesson; “what should students learn from this lesson?” Classroom teachers should ensure that they plan lessons that include questioning techniques, integrated literacy development, and provide opportunities to create on a weekly basis. Including these elements in weekly classroom instruction will improve literacy skills and result in increased student achievement in learners.
References
Dewey, J. (1938) Experience and education. New York: Touchstone Books
Searle, M. (2013). Causes and cures in the classroom: Getting to the root of academic and behavior problems. ASCD. Alexandria VA