Looking to the future

As I quickly read over my last post, I find myself still struggling to grasp the learning outcomes of this course.

Coming from a generation where learning was strictly teachers talked and you listened. I still remember the groans as we entered the classroom to find blackboards of writing. Yep, lessons were written upon the black board and you would sit and transfer them into your note-book.

While the uses of ICT’s were almost non existent during my educational years, I can see the benefits of teaching through utilising ICT’s in the classroom. IPads have enabled the learning to expand beyond the inside of the classroom and has opened up new opportunities for learning ( not only for the students but also the teacher).

After listening to the lecture I was fascinated by the different perspective of the act of ‘Brainstorm’. While I always thought of it as a creative process, I have now learnt that in most cases it is not. That in fact it is better to use alternatives such as Y charts, Think Pair Share, Sketch to Stretch and Send out the Spies.

I ask myself, what is Sketch to Stretch?

Definition: Sketch-to-Stretch is an instructional strategy that was developed by Harste, Short, & Burke, (1988).

This is a technique that I have never heard of before but am excited to use. It is an instructional strategy that enables students to make connections between text and real life experiences.

After reading a passage from a book the students draw a stretch to show what they visualized.
For a pre-reading activity the students would use the strategy to connect prior knowledge.