Any level of learner, from kindergarten to students earning their PHD requires context to make the learning meaningful. When students learn something they don’t connect with or aren’t able to apply to their lives, it loses meaning. Think about a time when you were at school (any grade or university level) and you had to learn something you would be tested on. Imagine you took the test and passed. Now it’s 3 months later, how much of the information do you recall? Chances are, if the information was made relevant to your life, given context, purpose and reason, you will remember much of it. You may even be using that information today in your career. However, you can probably also think of a time when you recall none of the information you could recall 3 months prior. When we look at the SITE model- we find a way to connect learning to students more permanently, because we give them the foundational skills they need for understanding that content, the context in which they need to apply it, and
Now that I have a student teacher in my classroom and I am giving feedback to her, it's easy for me to identify good teaching practices. I noticed last week when she was teaching small group reading, she made a connection with the students and asked them if they had watched the olympics, and noted how it was related to the part of the story they were reading. The students were then engaged and had a new meaning and purpose for reading a story that otherwise might not have been relevant to their lives at all. Making learning come to life for students by giving it context is such an important teaching skill that I think can often overlooked or forgotten about by educators, because we don't have time or we have so many other things on our plates. Looking at the recent curriculum adaptations for the elementary level by my school district, I think that I see teaching and learning moving in a more relevant directions. The math content is taught in a way that requires students to apply it to more than one problem or example. It is often given a real world context using hands on tools and games in which students apply their knowledge. The language arts teaching encourages students to inquire and make connections of their own to the text. They are given a writing prompt each week that requires them to think deeply about themes in the text and either develop opinions, imagine they are a part of the context, persuade someone of their beliefs, and more. If you ask the students in my class about the reading, they will be able to give you a re-tell of the text, but in addition to that they will have formulated their own ideas thoughts connections and questions related to what they have read. When I compare learning that occurs in my classroom on a daily basis to some of the learning that occured in my elementary school 20 years ago, I see dramatic differences. I am happy to see teaching practice and content being made available to students of all backgrounds, teachers equipping students with skills for the future rather than just facts for them to recall, and students being given more opportunities to apply their knowledge and find ways that learning is relevant to their current lives and their future. Overall, I think the SITE model is very learner centered and useful for both teachers and students.
1 Comment
Rian
3/19/2018 06:50:18 pm
Wow! It sounds like there are really exciting things going on in the classroom! I appreciate the way you connected the curriculum with meaning in the students lives, as it makes deeper connections. I also, agree that SITE is a useful tool that can applied in good teaching.
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AuthorKayla Bryant is an elementary school teacher in Napa, CA. This year she teaches a 2/3 combo class. She keeps a journal with funny quotes from her students, and enjoys learning and laughing alongside them. Some of her main educational interests are related to goal setting, growth mindset, and creativity. Archives
July 2018
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