Today I am going to talk a little about blended learning. I know I have touched on this subject in some of my other blog posts. A good example of how I used blended learning in my classroom can be found in my Cool Tool Review #1: EDPuzzle post.
Before taking the instructional technologies application class, for my master's degree, I didn't really think a blended-learning model could be possible in my STEAM class. I thought that I had too many students and that only having students 35-minutes once a week would also make it hard to keep students on track. I was proven wrong. I have now given two different grade levels videos to watch outside of class, so that they can come into class ready to learn.
One of my most successful lessons so far has been teaching my students to make Totem Spoons with clay. Since it is the end of the year and clay is at least a two-week project, I decided to create an EDPuzzle video of a clay technique that my students should know. They had to watch the video outside class before they could complete their clay project. It was really successful. Students answered all of the questions and were ready to start their projects in class. I have been observing my students work and all of them have been attaching their clay the way the video has shown them. By having the students review the technique out of class, I was able to save a whole day of instruction, because by the time I would explain it, there wouldn't be enough time to get clay out and clean it back up.
Here is more information about the lesson I am teaching my 5th graders:
Before taking the instructional technologies application class, for my master's degree, I didn't really think a blended-learning model could be possible in my STEAM class. I thought that I had too many students and that only having students 35-minutes once a week would also make it hard to keep students on track. I was proven wrong. I have now given two different grade levels videos to watch outside of class, so that they can come into class ready to learn.
One of my most successful lessons so far has been teaching my students to make Totem Spoons with clay. Since it is the end of the year and clay is at least a two-week project, I decided to create an EDPuzzle video of a clay technique that my students should know. They had to watch the video outside class before they could complete their clay project. It was really successful. Students answered all of the questions and were ready to start their projects in class. I have been observing my students work and all of them have been attaching their clay the way the video has shown them. By having the students review the technique out of class, I was able to save a whole day of instruction, because by the time I would explain it, there wouldn't be enough time to get clay out and clean it back up.
Here is more information about the lesson I am teaching my 5th graders:
- I introduced my students to what "Totem" and "Spoon" symbolize
- Totem - Tells a story
- Spoon - Symbol of sharing
- Explain they are making a spoon that shares a story about them. To review our clay techniques, students are required to complete this EDPuzzle before the following week
- Students will create sketches of their spoons to help them plan what they are going to make. This coincides with the plan step of the engineering design process.
- Students will create a variation of a spoon with at least 3 descriptive objects about themselves on the spoon.
- Students will glaze the spoon after it has been fired.
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