One reason that I am benefiting (rather than regretting!) going to college later in my life is that I now have the benefit of the internet as a resource. That is not to say the internet wasn’t around when I finished high school, but it was still a new concept to the public, most businesses were just beginning to advertise websites, so it wasn’t quite the networking resource it is now, and there certainly wasn’t nearly as much information to be found as there is now.
Teacher blogs and websites are some of my favorite places to peruse. Some experienced teacher’s have the best ideas for fun and engaging lessons, like this teacher who uses “Kung-fu Grammer” to teach the rules of punctuation, and this teacher who uses a book club format to get children to explore literature and engage in meaningful conversations about books with peers who are at the same reading level as them. What I love about these ideas is that they are both simple enough for a new teacher to use. I’ve seen some other great lesson plans that I just don’t know if I could pull off as a new teacher because of how meticulous of a process implementing it is. Somehow, I am expecting my first few years to be a bit overwhelming, so simple and effective is key.
Last night, I watched this video on the website that goes with my textbook. I think that this activity, although pretty intricate, would be a good activity for the beginning of the school year to help learn what kind of learner each student is so that I can plan more effective lessons. It uses the Multiple Intelligence theory and allows children to be active and creative. I love the fact that there are ideas in which they have to work, but no concrete rules, so you can provide the framework within which they can explore and come up with their own ideas.
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