Vorschau: Sisyphos – und was ist Arbeit?
Sisyphos muss einen schweren Stein auf den Berg rollen. Warum ist das schwierig? Warum ist das eine Strafe? Wir lernen in der kommenden Geschichte, was Arbeit ist.
Bild: Sisyphos-Darstellung Tizians
Hello world!
Geschichten über die Natur. Langsam erzählt. So lernst du die Naturwissenschaft kennen. Es gibt dazu auch Hilfe, wenn du gerade Deutsch lernst. Viel Spaß beim Hören.
Field-trip effective or wasted educational time?
One very often discussed topic, but most of the time the results are same: NO IMPLEMENTATION after the discussions.
Field trips, are they really effective or wasted educational time?
Preparation is essential
From my side as an educational scientist I have to say: Yes and Yes and Yes. Field-trips are the most effective educational implementation ever …… if:
1. all the subjects on this day are involved in the preparation and execution on that day
2. all the subject teachers are informed long enough about such a field trip to find cross connections to be able to point out such connections to the students in advance.
3. all involved teachers in such a trip are 100% prepared, a field trip need much more preparation than a “normal” lesson.
4. all involved teachers have an awareness about the amazing chance of such a field trip.
5. all involved teachers have an awareness of their high responsibility during the execution of such a field trip.
Field trip or shopping tour
But now I want to come to the problem of the reality, the real implementation of such field trips and from that side I have to say:
This time is the most wasted educational time.
Why I have to say such a strong sentence:
1. basic bad preparation and organization causing wasted waiting times and teachers are not prepared to fill this time with meaningful educational tasks. They simply don’t care.
2. teachers are not prepared at all and most of the time my observation of such field trips show that they have no awareness about the amazing chance of such a field trip.
3. teachers most of the time using that time like relaxing time for the teachers.
4. teachers most of the time have no awareness of their very high responsibility during such a field trip.
5. teachers think if they are giving students freedom to do what ever they like to do during such a trip, students would like that. This is the biggest mistake in the thinking of teachers, please find below one very interesting report from one of our students about exact such a field trip:
“Hi, my name is Yosefin and I’m 15 years old. I’m one of Globe’s students that joined the fieldtrip to Singapore. I like the plan for the fieldtrip going to Singapore and successfully, we did it. We were so exciting when we heard the school’s headmaster accepts the fieldtrip’s proposal. From the fieldtrip, we got new and further sight about what will we be able to do after high school. We learnt also how is the university’s student study and some of their lessons. It’s great that we could see immediately their practice lessons and their staffs were so kind. But in some ways, I got disappointed with two things. Firstly we should go to the national library, but we didn’t, we went to the public library and secondly, after that, we just spread and some of us were just shopping. I think school need to be more cooperate and help us to get something more in the field of education when we have a fieldtrip like that, than just wasting time and money for shopping. Also teachers who go with us must be stricter. I also think that school must be more care about the teacher who is on duty at the fieldtrip time, like, when they need help and support. Thank you and God bless you.”
I am so thankful for this report and it shows that mostly teachers underestimating their own students, a field trip is the greatest chance to implement theoretic absorbed knowledge for students, so please teachers take such trips serious, prepare it more than a lesson, start to develop an awareness how important such trips are for students, give them every guidance you can during such a trip, to make it effective and meaningful with educational outcome and background.
A field trip is not a shopping trip, and even if you plan it as a shopping tour, there are much more things during a shopping tour to discover, if you guide them correctly.
Most important things of a field trip are the preparation, structured organization and an effective meaningful execution, than a field trip is the most effective educational time ever, if its just a ‘relaxing and give students time to do what they like to be a loved teacher’-execution than its the most wasted educational time ever.
And please don’t always underestimate your own students, all what they want is:
NOT HAVING WASTED EDUCATIONAL TIME!
For your preparation of a professional executed field trip you can find help under this link: general field trip checklist
RMG
Teaching physics is fun
Teaching physics for learning physics. It’s not only the teacher who talks. Students are required to develop skills. Teachers help.
Standard situation in teaching physics:
- Experiments
- Describe processes, acts and experiments
- Develop new ideas
- Create new things and thoughts
- Talk about science, discussions
- Bring order into chaos
- Train to become better
- Present
These items can be performed by teachers and students equally. Remember: the teacher should not talk all the time.
Source: Studiensemniar Koblenz
50 Students write to students of partner schools
Time needed: 15-30 min
Why? International partnerships and connections support intercultural understanding. Friendships between students out of different cultures offer students different views and learning strategies.
When? You can use this to give students research task while introducing a new topic, as well to find out deeper knowledge in already taught topics.
How? Involve those letters in the normal lesson, offer students task so that they can ask their partner abroad. Those learning outcomes are very effective, because these are private letters involving taught topics, private conversations between friends based on knowledge absorption is the most effective learning strategy.
Any risks? The only risk is that the students just write private notes to their friends, but most of the time experiences shows that this fact is very seldom, they use their natural curiosity to ask also about how they deal with taught topics to hope to get an easy strategy and results.
49 Students draw something from real life
Time needed: 10 – 20 min
Why? Drawing is a method nearly every child love to do that and to express their view at this world with this method. This method is forcing and support phantasy development and cross line connections and expression of absorbed knowledge in another language.
When? Every time you think your class need a relaxing of the teaching and learning atmosphere.
How? Some times it is very refreshing for children to have open topic and to fulfill tasks which are not pressed artificial in frames. Let them just draw things which are surrounding them, and you will surprisingly find out, that even a painting of a cup, will have very different results and if you are very careful as a teacher you can use those paintings also to learn about your children and start to understand about their different views of the world.
Any risks? Every child has different speeds to fulfill such a task, prepare for early finishers extra tasks.
48 Students follow and record a process
Time needed: 10 – 15 min
Why? To learn how to record work which students did, is supporting students understanding about structuring work processes and helping them to get an overview over more complex subjects. It is also important to learn the verification of cases.
When? Any time when you think students need to learn to self-evaluate their own work.
How? Give them a complex task to follow up and involve in the task description the the clear instruction of recording the task process including procedure and result recording.
Any risks? This could be quiet time consuming, so the teacher should give a clear time frame to fulfill the task including as well for the recording.
47 Play a cache searching game in the garden
Time needed: 15 min
Why? To be outside of the classroom is always welcome for everyone. To involve outside environment in the teaching process is very life connected and effective, if you structure this method correctly.
When? Any time when you need to relax your teaching and learning atmosphere.
How? Let a group of students prepare the game and place some things connected to a topic in the garden, the second group of students need to find them, the first group can give hints. The things which will be hided has to be a connection to the topic as well the places where students hide these things has to be connected as well.
Any risks? This needs a good preparation and you need to make sure that both groups understand what is the topic about. The teacher should prepare this very carefully and complete to give both groups the right hints and guidance. Give for everyone a clear time frame, otherwise it will be endless, because its so enjoying.
46 Develop an internet research quizz
Time needed: 20 – 30 min
Why? This method support self-responsible learning strategies connected to students learning pathways.
When? Any time when you want to introduce a new topic or when you need additional supplementary information.
How? Give the students a bunch of questions to be answered with internet research, you can develop that as homework, or if you have a computer lab in your school, you can let them finish this quiz directly in class.
Any risks? Every student like to search in the internet, its a modern media and everyone has to learn how to use that, this quiz will develop also research and general skills in using the computer beside of the special subject knowledge.
45 Students take photos to certain topic in town
Time needed: 45 – 90 min
Why? This method is forcing independent thinking and involving absorbed knowledge.
When? Any time if you think photos can explain more than words.
How? Just give students as homework the task to make photos in their living environment about a special topic, give them also the task to think about an explanation about the connectivity between photo and topic. Let them show their work in front of class and let them explain their reasons to take this photo and let other students also give additional comments.
Any risks? No risk, students love to show their own homework and its a very phantasy-forcing and practical work, students will like to do that.
44 Develop a learning path for student, help individually
Time needed: 5 – 10 min
Why? Learners reflect on their learning journey so far and list things they are now able to do that they weren’t previously able to do; this includes subtle elements such as being able to join in a group discussion which they had previously found difficult. Learners review the timescales for the remainder of their learning journey and adapt them where necessary. Learning pathway is described as the chosen route, taken by a learner through a range of (commonly) activities, which allows them to build knowledge progressively. With learning pathways, the control of choice moves away from the tutor to the learner.
When? Any time when you start with a topic as well when you on the way to review if the connection is still there between teacher and the student. Also in the end of a topic it is very helpful to look over every students learning pathway to evaluate their steps and find out missing knowledge.
How? Technically a learning path is merely a series of “learning steps”, like titles of part topics, Web addresses, a description or task text and some additional markings. In terms of substance, a learning path is the integration of individual learning tools into a whole learning process connected to one topic duration. It helps to organize learning processes, especially if they occur over longer periods of time.
Any risks? If you just install the learning path in the beginning of a topic and never look at it anymore, it is not really effective. Use such a learning path as a guidance for students for their self study progress.
43 Ask students to draw a graphic on a learnt topic
Time needed: 10 – 15 min
Why? To develop a graphic involves knowledge, abstraction skills, phantasy and fun. This is a good methodology to evaluate if students taught topics already absorbed and how they really developed already an understanding about taught topics. While they draw such graphics they need to involve their absorbed knowledge to express those in a different presentation format.
When? Any time when you need evaluation and a fun method to relax study atmosphere as an instrument for you to find out how students absorbed taught topics already.
How? Give them a clear taught topic and ask students to form and draw a graphic involving the knowledge they have about the topic.
Any risks? Every student is different, some are very quick to fulfill such a task, others need longer and are not that skillful in drawing graphics, give them time and prepare for early finishers special additional tasks. Based on the fact that you involve another skill, to use that as the only evaluation instrument it is not enough. It is a good way as an additional instrument in addition with other evaluation evaluational instruments.
43 Ask students to draw a graphic on a learnt topic
Time needed: 10 – 15 min
Why? To develop a graphic involves knowledge, abstraction skills, phantasy and fun. This is a good methodology to evaluate if students taught topics already absorbed and how they really developed already an understanding about taught topics. While they draw such graphics they need to involve their absorbed knowledge to express those in a different presentation format.
When? Any time when you need evaluation and a fun method to relax study atmosphere as an instrument for you to find out how students absorbed taught topics already.
How? Give them a clear taught topic and ask students to form and draw a graphic involving the knowledge they have about the topic.
Any risks? Every student is different, some are very quick to fulfill such a task, others need longer and are not that skillful in drawing graphics, give them time and prepare for early finishers special additional tasks. Based on the fact that you involve another skill, to use that as the only evaluation instrument it is not enough. It is a good way as an additional instrument in addition with other evaluation evaluational instruments.
42 Do a quiz about a new topic
Time needed: 2 – 5 min
Why? To find out what students know about the new topic and to make students interested in the new topic.
When? Any time when you want to introduce a new topic. Those quizzes are enjoyable and students like to do such games and its a good possibility to evaluate their foreknowledge.
How? Just collect some questions connected to the new topic and form a quiz. Don’t forget to reward winners.
Any risks? There is no real risk, the time frame is clear based on your preparation, also you will be surprised what students know about new topics already and also not just only the same students, it the chance for everyone to show what they know already.
41 Draw a tag-cloud on a certain topic together with students
Time needed: 2 – 5 min
Why? To structure and organize a given task, or evaluate students foreknowledge about a new topic.
When? Any time when you introduce a new topic or you give students to work at a new independent task to give them the chance to structure their work and find cross lines between different topics.
How? Its another way of brainstorming, just place the topic in the middle and let students give to you terms which they know about this topic already and place them around the main topic. A tag-cloud is just for collecting different connected terms to one topic, there is no need to place it in a certain order. In higher levels you could start to give those term order already, and develop a mind-map.
Any risks? It could be very time consuming, just give a clear time frame to finish the tag-cloud, it is a task which needs spontaneous and quick action.
