Full Description [Aug. 7, 2011, 11:59 p.m.]
This course will explore how Student Engagement and Checking for Understanding methods allow for more confident and effective teaching.
Target audience: U.S. K-12 educators
Prerequisite knowledge/skills:
- Solid understanding of your current grade level standards.
- Knowledge of different teaching methodologies.
- Practice with engaging students in the classroom environment.
- Willingness to try out activities and share experiences with fellow participants.
- Ability to openly dialogue about theoretical ideas compared to actual classroom practice.
Course dates: Sept. 28-November 15 (6 weeks)
Course commitments:
Participants should be willing to:
- Participate in 2 to 4 hours of online work and sharing each week.
- Share openly as a member of a learning community.
- Keep a journal and/or notes pertaining to your observations and learning.
- Try out practices in your own classroom and bring back experiences to the group.
- Watch videos of instruction and instructional ideas and observe for specific practices.
- Read and discuss articles and blogs related to SE and CFU.
- Disagree and agree in a respectful, dialogue encouraging manner.
Course goals:
After this course, participants will:
- Define Student Engagement and describe characteristics that add and distract from engagement.
- Describe Student Engagement methods for different instructional frameworks.
- Explain pros and cons of different methods of engagement within a direct instruction framework.
- Define Checking for Understanding and its role in the educational process.
- Explain various methods for Checking for Understanding in a classroom, and the pros and cons for each method.
- Be able to explain how their ideas about SE and CFU fit into their instructional context.
- Understand how methods of SE and CFU can help teachers to address common standards.
Course developer/facilitator:
Bonita DeAmicis is currently a principal of a K-5 public school in Los Angeles County. Prior to administration she worked as an elementary teacher, a staff developer, a math methods instructor for a state college, and an adult art teacher. Her love of learning makes her happy to be part of a new learning environment where teachers and learners negotiate and collaborate their way to deeper understandings.
Bonita also enjoys drawing, painting, and waxing philosophically over a glass of wine and a view.