Concept Development

The other day in class I decided to use the concept development teaching method for the first time. I used it as a preassessment to see what my students knew about the concept of energy. I first divided my classes into groups of about 4 students. I gave each group an 11 x 17 inch piece of paper and post-it notes. I told the groups that I wanted them to think about the term "energy" and list any words, terms, ideas, etc. on the post-it notes and place them on the paper. After a few minutes, when the students seemed to be running out of ideas, I told them to think about what these items have in common and try to group them. After they had them grouped the next step was to label each group. While they completed this step I allowed them to regroup anything they thought no longer fit together. The final, and what seemed to be the hardest step, was to summarize their ideas. I thought this method worked really well as a preassessment because it got the students to recollect their previous knowledge on energy and allowed me to see what ideas and concepts they were familiar with. I plan on using this method again in the future either as a preassessment or as an instructional tool.

Jigsaw

I could use Jigsaw in my classroom to promote cooperative learning amongst my students. As an eighth grade teacher it is imperative for me to realize the importance of a student’s social life at this age. Jigsaw is a way for them to socialize with other students and at the same time learn something new. With Jigsaw each students are responsible to deliver on their part in order to succeed as a whole class or group. I believe that the students will take their learning more serious if they know they are responsible for a classmate’s knowledge of that particular information as well. I have used Jigsaw successfully in my classroom before, and intend to continue to use it when I feel it can benefit my students learning. One example of using jigsaw in my classroom is when I taught rocks last year. Students were responsible for learning about a specific type of rock or mineral, like sedimentary or igneous, and had to teach to their “home” group about their topic of expertise. The jigsaw activity turned out really well, and the students seemed to enjoy it because they were able to research their topic however they felt would benefit them.