ASSURE Model - Student Participation and Evaluating
Require Learner Participation
I’m sure we can all remember those days in high school (or maybe even college!) where the teachers did not expect us to participate. We were just supposed to sit there and listen to them talk. And to be honest, I can’t remember a single thing I learned in any of those classes. Sure, I probably had to memorize something for a test later on in the week and I can remember writing my notes over and over again just so I would retain that information. But actually learning something? Nope, didn’t happen. If those teachers had taken the time to get us involved, I’m sure I would have learned something (and maybe even remember what class I learned it in!).
http://www.relatably.com/m/boring-lecture-memes
Student participation is such a crucial part of the learning process. We cannot simply expect our students to sit passively by and absorb the information we give them. With the number of distractions today (cell phones, texting, social media, etc.) our students’ minds are elsewhere. That’s a lot of interference for us to compete with in a class period. In order to reach our students and get them to truly learn, we have to involve them in the learning process. My cotaught English 12 class uses a lot of discussion (plus my coteacher is extremely engaging). I think a good portion of our class time each day is spent in discussion even when the students are taking notes. And there is no doubt they learn and remember what is discussed. I think this video might sum it up. **Warning: some lyrics may be considered offensive, depending upon your sense of humor**
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxkHM4DUDKM
It’s even more effective if we can get the students to participate using the technology they love so dearly. Chromebooks are used almost daily in both of my cotaught English classes. But it is also important to use technology that has meaning to what’s being done in class. And when the technology is used for the right reasons, it can get our students thinking at a higher level.
“Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources” (Smaldino et. al., 2015).
For example, in my cotaught English 12 class, students had to create a public service announcement as a final product for our unit on creating an argument. The students had to think about the target audience (the population of our school), the message they were trying to send, and how they needed to send that message using ethos, logos, and pathos (ethics, logic, and emotion). This activity used technology and required higher order critical thinking skills. We also use Google Docs almost exclusively, which allows the students to collaborate with each other inside and outside of the classroom, or communicate with the teachers in real time. We don’t use a lot of educational software for practice, other than using Kahoot for review in my Chemistry class. However, our math classes do use an online program for practice, which gives them immediate feedback on their progress. The teacher would not be able to review each student’s progress at the same time, so the program does the job. Students cannot move on to the next level until they have hit a certain level of mastery.
Although I feel I provide my students with feedback, this is an area where I need to improve. I need to provide more feedback throughout the process rather than just at the end. From the discussions with colleagues in other classes, this is an area that a lot of teachers feel they need to work on. It just goes to show you that no matter how effective you are (or may think you are) or how long you have been in this profession, there is always something we need to improve upon.
As good educators, we need to constantly evaluate our lessons and ourselves. We need to figure out what worked, what didn’t work, and how we can change it.
“Without this step, it is impossible to know whether instruction is successful or how to revise unsuccessful stages” (Saldino et. al., 2015).
I think it is also important to provide students with the opportunity to evaluate themselves and each other. And it is also important for us to give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they learned through real world strategies, or authentic assessment. Giving students a project to complete is not only a better assessment of what they learned, but it is much more engaging for the students. We also need to be willing to let the students evaluate us. They have to listen to us day in and day out, so their feedback is important.
http://visihow.com/Avoid_Sleeping_During_Class
Even though we may not like what they have to say, as long as it is reasonable, we really should value their opinions. In many ways, I think that the opinions of the students are more meaningful and more valuable than an administrator who only comes in one class period every few months.
Text citation: Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., Mims, C., & Russell, J. D. (2015). Instructional Technology and Media for Learning (11th ed.). Pearson Education.
