Best
Practice Centers
EDUC
4113 - Empowering
ESOL Teachers
April
20, 2010
I believe that all
students need to know how to use currency in America, therefore, the realia
objects that I chose to use are money, coins, checks, and fake “debit cards.” In
designing centers using these realia objects, I first would design a lesson on
counting currency based on the grade level and K-12 settings.
If I were only to
teach the lesson(s) to elementary school students, I would focus on counting
money, coins, and using checks. Students could “purchase” items and/or “sell”
items, and they would use toy money and coins or have checkbooks. First, the
class would decide on items to “sell” and determine the prices. Then each
student would begin with a set amount (possibly $25) and they could exchange
money at the “Bank” or purchase items at the centers. They would be responsible
in keeping track of their amount of money before it is time to rotate roles.
Each student has a role of bank employees, sellers, and/or buyers. The
following is a layout of how the centers would be organized.
The Bank
Center: The central center in the classroom where three or four students
work to exchange money from withdrawal slips or add money to deposit slips. The
workers will also be in charge of keeping track of each “Customer” by having a
file which includes their entire amount of money, and they will have to deduct
amounts whenever a “Customer” purchases items (one of the members from the
store centers will have the job of informing the bank with receipts). They will
also keep track of each business centers’ amount of money earned.
The Grocery
Store Center: Using toy food items, the grocery store center consists of
toy food items such as vegetables, fruits, and other food items that
“Customers” can purchase. There will be three or four students working this
center, and they will have one or two who is responsible for giving out written
receipts to the customers and the bank (especially if a “Customer” uses
checks).
The Clothing
Store Center: Using stray items like spare jackets or spare aprons (none
personally belonging to the students, because they might get agitated about
others touching their stuff), etc, students purchase the items. Similar to the
grocery store center, there will be three or four students in the group, and
one or two of them is in charge of writing receipts and keeping the bank center
informed of purchases while the other group members help the “Customers.”
The Restaurant
Center(s): Using toy food items, these centers can be formal restaurants
and/or fast food places where “Customers” can purchase food to eat. The centers
can have three or four members who serve the “Customers” while also having one
or two who are in charge of keeping records of the receipts and keeping the
bank center informed of their own amount and the “Customer” amounts.
Students can
rotate several times through the centers, exchanging roles and purchases. If I
were to do this in a middle school or high school setting, the only thing I
would change would be the inclusion of the use of debit cards (fake toy
replicas), but everything would be performed the same way as the elementary
school examples, and could tie into an economic lesson.
Modeling Respectful Teaching Methods
·
Know the different learning styles of all of the
students in the classroom, and try to incorporate those learning styles into
the teaching. For instance, if a student learns through visual tools, provide
graphics, media, and demonstrations so that s/he can understand the concepts.
·
Incorporate technology into the lessons by way
of the document camera, internet, or SMART board technologies.
·
Be empathetic towards a situation. For example,
if a student has done something wrong, don’t yell but convey the serious matter
through ways of empathy.
·
Allow choices to be made, even though they are
still made through your control – only choices that are valid, reasonable, and
ones that you agree with, and that fall in line with the limits and boundaries
of the classroom/school rules.
·
Don’t always say “No.” Learn to say “Yes” in the
way that still allows you to stay in control (Ex. “Yes, you can play in the
dramatic play station once you finish your worksheet.”)
·
Make the classroom environment feel secured, and
that the students’ voices matter and that they have a purpose.
Reflection
I feel that when designing learning experiences,
the number one thing to do is to use the curriculum standards, because they are
the foundation of all learning requirements. Next, I feel that the interests of
the students are also important, because they will not effectively learn what
is being taught or experienced if there is no personal connection to the
materials. Knowing the student interests, and using them along with the varied
learning styles can make the learning environment appropriate to English
Language Learners (ELLs) because you are assisting to their needs while also
educating them with the help of incorporating their interests (which can take
the form of a realia). When attempting to use technology, for instance, to
teach visual and auditory learners, using the aid of the internet to read/view
online books from websites such as www.storylineonline.net, the student is
exposed to literature while also encountering technology. When using the SMART
board, students have the chance to interact kinesthetically with technology
while also learning several concepts taught. Using the document camera, and
choosing literature surrounding reading, math, and science genres, students
have ways of connecting with the stories (especially if they are picture books)
by seeing the items up close. Or, using the document camera, students can
effectively see demonstrations done by the teacher in either reading, writing,
calculating, or experimenting.