Unit 3 Teaching Strategies Discussion

ECS uses a different approach to teaching than the traditional lecture based class. It is focused on the teacher being more of a facilitator or coach than an expert, using guiding questions, such as What do you think will happen next, have you tried, what else might you do, have you asked any other students what they think a good solution might be?.

What benefits have you noticed in your class with this style of teaching so far this year? What benefits have you noticed in your class for your students? How have your students responded to this style of learning?

They absolutely love the hands on projects instead of just being on a computer all the time. However, the journaling is a bit overpowering and they do get sick of project after project if I do not mix it up a little each week.

Students are becoming independent thinkers. Meta cognition actually means something to them now.

Students require a variety of teaching strategies. Lecture is just a small part. Hands-on activities, where students can try and perhaps be unsuccessful can be great for learning.

My students and I prefer the facilitation/coaching model on all fronts…in my physics classes it raised scores, boosted confidence, and generally made class more interesting. I usually don’t feel I’m the CS coach/facilitator they deserve since I’m learning it with them, but there have also been some benefits to my being on the ground with them figuring things out as we go.

My students also enjoy the hands on projects and the different activities in these lessons, as well as, the class discussions which come from doing these activities.

I enjoy the role of facilitator at this point in the semester. This section on HTML has been really great for my class.

The collaboration between students has been amazing! Ive also enjoyed the role of facilitator moving forward.

I’ve seen a marked difference between how the students began the year, waiting to be told exactly what to do, to coming in ready to “make something happen.” I even had a hard time getting them to their NEXT class on time because they don’t want to leave mine when they’re on a discovery roll.

This teaching style has revealed more student made discovery. Some students are having a hard time adjusting to the different environment and have misbehaved but overall the culture has shifted and students have taken more ownership.

In my class students are more excited to come to the ecs class than in some of the other traditional classes. They love the activities because of the structure of the classroom. They also like to share and collaborate with each other to see how they think about different scenarios. However, It is a very challenging class for me being that I have a class full of freshman who thinks they are still in Middle School. I really feel that they are not mature enough to handle it. Maybe the second semester, but truly not the first coming from Middle School.

I agree with you 100%.

I am more of a facilitator during this process. With the help of more advanced students in the classroom they help the other students gain more confidence in doing the projects.

Teaching ECS has been a very enlightening semester. I have a very diverse group of students with various abilities and interest. I enjoy watching the students work together, seek solutions and solve problems for themselves. I enjoy facilitating and serving as a coach instead of lecturer.

Learning is optimized when the learner is a respected, involved, enthusistic participant. Learning must be a collaborative process.

I have been doing this type of facilitating in my class for years and it’s not a new concept to me. It gives students freedom and flexibility

Including students in the process of making decisions and charting a path gives them a sense of ownership, pride, and investment. While this isn’t the result of every student, seeing the excitement of those that participate is a great thing for me to have the opportunity to witness.

I always teach using a facilitator role. In my ECS class of 7 students, 2 are seniors and they have taken on a leadership role helping the other students. Don’t tell them, but they understand this better than I do!

Students have responded well. This also facilitates differentiation. Students with a more robust background can work on more challenging projects. I like the facilitator/coach teaching strategy; I use it in other courses as well as ECS.

I was very hesitate about teaching ECS, but now I am gaining more confidence as I see the excitement and enthusiasm of my students. We are learning together and it’s amazing how the students enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working with their peers.