I would like to promote a culture of problem solving and exploration. In order to do so, it will take practice time for students to be able to explore how to ask questions that pertain to their needs as well as comfortability and confidence in being incorrect. Which is a barrier I anticipate running into. As students continue to be graded on their knowledge instead of their process or thinking they will struggle to take risks. I need to downsize those same risks.
My classroom is a place where students can learn without the distractions of misbehavior. Fortunately the computer is there and it is already a positive when students love it. The usual barriers exist of course - because of their their youth students still donât know how and why respect is given and earned. Some students are unfamiliar to structured environments and think lightly of misbehavior usually because they enjoy it. Additionally I have large classes and stamina is always an issue as well.
I would love to have a classroom where students are confident in their abilities so that when they hit a roadblock, they do not panic. If students begin to see themselves as competent and their peers as great resources, there will be less pressure on me and more learning coming from the students - I can be soley the guide. I would love for this to happen, but looking at my classes, I have a number of students that always need to check with me on an question, even if they have looked it up or talked to others. I want to wean these students away from their dependence on me, but I know that will take work.
It has always been my goal to empower students in their education. I am thinking about changes in ground rules for classroom expectations and routines I will need to make.
I want my students to know that they are expected to make mistakes. I want them to be confident enough to keep trying if the first or second or third try doesnât work. I also want them to feel free to ask each other for help. One of the barriers for my students is the lack of access to computers. Many of them do not have a computer or internet at home.
The classroom culture that I strive for is one where mistakes are embraced as learning experiences. I want to students to feel safe enough in the classroom that they are comfortable making mistakes and learning from them. I encourage my students to take risks and try new things. I also want my students to understand that there isnât always a right answer. Some of the barriers implementing this culture are my students perceptions about school and learning. Many of my students get stuck on the right vs wrong. They donât want to make mistakes and get hung up on doing things right. I also see a lack of perseverance and grit in my students. They struggle with working through challenges and pushing on even though things are difficult.
I noticed this behavior in my students the past two years when I incorporated coding activities during computer science education week. I saw students become teachers. They were excited to help on another and rarely asked me for help.
The culture of learning without hesitation to fail and succeed is the culture I strive to foster in my classroom. Again, some barriers would be the studentsâ fear of failure; unclear communication, and just plain student inactivityâtoo name a few.
I would like to promote a culture of problem solving in my classroom. Students will always have passion to solve real life problems using design process and computational modeling. I will also establish the culture that failure is normal, but they need to persevere after each failure in order to succeed. I will promote critical thinking, collaboration and passion for STEM in class.
Some barriers that I anticipate is the lack of materials, updated computers to be used in class and it will take time to teach to students computer science/coding. Also, the many testing that may take place during the school year, may consume some of the time that we need in class. Finally, some students may have difficulty understanding computational science.
During the first week, I will be discussing safety, classroom and group rules. The culture i will be striving for will be more student centered. I will be discussing about active listening and respect to self and others. Also, I will show that we learn from each other, and that it is OK to make a mistake and to learn from that mistake.This will be my first year learning to code.Also, I will strive to help my students to appreciate and to respect science.
Since I will be new to introducing the CS in the class, I am worried about incorporating it since any time new program or curriculum is introduced it is not easy. Therefore, I will explain to students that this is a new program we are using all together and it is ok if we make mistakes and retry. But, I think it will go pretty smooth and I will just make sure I create a positive atmosphere and make this as easy process for my students as possible. However, I donât understand how I would incorporate the Code with my current curriculum- is it supposed to be used as extension or performance task at the end of the unit???
The classroom culture that I want to promote is a room of discovery. I want students that the expectation is for them to work hard and show up being ready to learn. It may take them to
challenge themselves and learn everything they can. My motto: Engage; be passionate about your learning! Donât be a spectatorâshow up and participle in their learning.
I try to create a culture where I try to let students donât have all the answers and so we may have to discover together the answer as we work towards a solution. Sometimes learning is messy, but it is what they put in to it, go through the process and find the solution! Eureka!!!
Barriers: First, I have to be willing to let go and trust the process as the learning environment takes on a new role in the studentsâ learning. This is not easy for someone like myself.
Second: Planning is crucial and takes time. This is not always a friend of the educator and so knowing resources to utilize is important.
Finally, this type of learning environment will drive some learners crazy. I think it is because they become really good students in the traditional classroom. It is a challenge for them as it is for the educator trying to challenge their students.
I would like to promote a classroom where the students feel safe making mistakes. I actually have Einsteinâs quote in my room. âA person who never made a mistake never tried anything newâ Some of the barriers that I have run into are that some of the students feel comfortable, but thereâs always that one student who makes a rude comment. I think that this makes the students who are uncomfortable with it crawl into their cave a little deeper. I think it will be easier to promote making mistakes in computer science because the students will be working in an environment where not everyone can see the mistakes that they are making. This will be good for most students but I think the students who struggle will try to give up.
Everything that you have talked about is what I see in my classroom as well. They have a great lack of âwantingâ to do better. Itâs almost as if, they have made up their minds that they âcanâtâ do any better, so when it comes to making mistakes, they shelter themselves even more.
The classroom culture that I want to promote is a room of discovery. I want students that the expectation is for them to work hard and show up being ready to learn. It may take them to
challenge themselves and learn everything they can. My motto: Engage; be passionate about your learning! Donât be a spectatorâshow up and participle in their learning.
I try to create a culture where I try to let students donât have all the answers and so we may have to discover together the answer as we work towards a solution. Sometimes learning is messy, but it is what they put in to it, go through the process and find the solution! Eureka!!!
Barriers: First, I have to be willing to let go and trust the process as the learning environment takes on a new role in the studentsâ learning. This is not easy for someone like myself.
Second: Planning is crucial and takes time. This is not always a friend of the educator and so knowing resources to utilize is important.
Finally, this type of learning environment will drive some learners crazy. I think it is because they become really good students in the traditional classroom. It is a challenge for them as it is for the educator trying to challenge their students.
The necessary culture for computer modeling is not much different than the approach I use for hands-on experimentation . . . some of the most important learning comes when your hypothesis is not supported. I would like my students to get comfortable with the trial and error process that will be present as we learn computer modeling together. I know there will be expert students among us and I will have to embrace not always being the leader in the room. My role will be to facilitate computer modeling as a PROCESS and encourage persistence and a sense of community for problem-solving. I intend to emphasize the steps to get unstuck similar to how I ask students to talk with one another when they encounter a lab problem . . . did you consult the procedure? anything you missed? what ideas does your group have? have confidence to try it and see what happens. My biggest concern is how much time it will take to train students on programming itself and then implement the science lesson via computational modeling given the time crunch Iâm already under to cover all standards.
There is much wisdom in your post. I laughed when you said this will drive some learners crazy . . . so true! I anticipate this will be an opportunity for some new stars to shine, just like when you have kids build a Newton car or something similar.
I create an environment in my classroom where students feel safe. No question is a bad question. When a student asks a question, I make sure I make them feel safe and respond in a way that they are not afraid to ask another question later.
I would love for my students to become self-directed inquirers. I would love for them to work in collaborative groups researching and constructing, while engaging in computer science. However the group I will be working with on this project, I taught last school in a lower grade. They failed show maturity as a group. I hope that his will help them grow as learning community with one another.
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This is so true if students feel that they are contributing to the group, they are encouraged to engage in the learning.