Link to class website: immigrationpopulism.weebly.com
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During the course of my fall placement, I found it exceedingly hard to keep students engaged and motivated in what they were learning. In order to help jump start engagement, I assigned a history of me project entitled, "My American Story." This project asked students to conduct an interview with a family member, create a family tree, write a essay using the information from their interviews, and create a timeline of their personal lives. This assignment was received well because students had the opportunity to share their personal history, which is still an honor to have experienced, and learn from their family. At the end of the project, I was encouraged to conduct this type of assignment again because students noted that this was the first time they had heard their family's history or had learned what they did about the family member they had interviewed.
In order to communicate with students and parents outside of the classroom, I created a class website that allowed students to access absent work, video links, projects, rubrics, notes, and in-class assignments. Inside of the classroom, communication was a must in our daily routine. I made myself available before, during, and after school to help with assignments and encouraged feedback on how we could improve together as a class. One example of our communication, and my ability to be flexible and respond to student needs, is the Chapter 19 test exam wrapper. At the end of the test, I asked students to fill out a brief survey that would inform my teaching practice for the next unit. Based on their responses, I structured the next unit in a way that included more clarification and study days so I could ensure an understanding of the content. Lastly, I have included a document from an activity we did called "Chalk Talk." Using this strategy, students were able to critique each other's responses to a prompt, using questioning and discussion techniques that made students analyse the content and their own response. |