When discussing the creative vs. the traditional, it seems like we are asking how fun our classrooms will be. Crafting a lesson seems daunting enough. What areas do I attempt at making a 'fun' lesson and where do I just teach standard instruction? I believe that the subject area is more likely to determine student enjoyment, not the activity, however, that is not to say you don't have an effect to motivate many students through interesting and constructed lessons which allow for creativity.
As we've been discussing the concept of integrating technology as a 'creative' lesson, I am kind of torn on the issue. The digital stories were definitely a very entertaining and powerful medium for writing. I trust that many students were motivated into creating a meaningful poem, or story accompanied by their personal touch of music, art and pictures. This lesson most likely is a success in a lot of classrooms.
However, with the task of writing, it seems like the main objective could get thrown around and lost by some students who are more interested in producing a slide show, or putting in their favorite song, picture, etc. to the assignment. I don't want to sound like I'm not a fan of creativity, but I think lessons that include technology, mainly the internet, require precaution and a clear understanding of how the writing is the main focus. As an instructor you have to anticipate the issues that arise out of using the internet, videos, music, and so on, so the lesson is not lost.
Also, is traditional instruction that bad? I feel like a lot of Education classes are pushing 'fun' lessons, but it seems difficult to not lose some of the learning process. Where in life is everything fun? How can that be expected in a classroom? Sometimes you have to go through dull, repetitive tasks to acquire skill (a lot of which are used in teaching writing...i.e. 9th grade english?) I think if you are level with your students, even with a simple introduction about how the specific days task may not be that fun, but necessary and important, it can help in creating an understanding within your classroom. Try to introduce fun lessons and projects, but more often I think you need the traditional academic structure.
I don't know...I'm interested to see what you all post.
2 comments:
There is undoubtedly a bit of focus currently on making a lesson "fun" for the students, but as you stated, not all lessons are fun. I found the section on including humor in your lessons from Imagining Grammar pertinent to this issue. Laughter is a universal key to gaining the interest of a classroom. With this in mind, perhaps introducing a particularly boring lesson with humor would pique the students' attention. You could even start a lesson humorously by pointing out how boring the subject is, for example, "Try not to snore too much as we look at such and such" and so on.
This may make the topic a bit more enticing to the students while at the same time you wouldn't loose them in the first 15 minutes. What they will be doing certainly won't be fun at all times, but spicing it up a little to take the edge off the content could just be the way to draw them in.
I completely agree with your assessments regarding making lessons "fun". There is a lot of pressure on teachers to be entertainers above classroom experts and practitioners. This is a problem. Especially when those in the teaching profession forget that they are indeed, college educated, professionals.
Meeting the needs of our students is undoubtedly tricky. I'm wondering, is it possible to make even repetetive tasks or traditional lessons, "fun" for our students? And also, do we really need to teach English the way that we were taught?
Food for thought.
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