Now that I have a year under my belt, I
would like to think that I'm a little wiser. I know how to be really,
really inefficient while planning lessons. Goal number one of next
year: be a little less inefficient.
A chief cause of the hours I would
spend planning a poor lesson was an overload of ideas and resources.
I would spend far too long reading through ideas, half starting, and
thinking. Then I'd run out of time, underplan an inquiry-based
activity, and run a bunch of copies of worksheets. During the lesson,
I'd get frustrated by the students' lack of initiative and interest
(caused by a lack of support and clarity).
And repeat, day after day. Lots of time
spent planning lessons that could have taken ten minutes to plan.
I would like to be a little less
inefficient.
My plan is to focus on one specific
framework. Instead of trying to do many different things because their cool, I want use a more focused set of ideas to both give my teaching more consistency and my planning more efficiency.
Framework: Computational Thinking
What is
computational thinking (CT)? Combine critical thinking with the power
of modern computing. This is not trivial – it is a significant
shift in how we develop students' ability to solve interesting
problems.
There are several
ways of breaking down CT. Google and ISTE both offer definitions and resources. Some computer science curricula, Exploring Computer Science and CS Principles also offer approaches and resources, but are more computer science centric. The point is that there are
resources available and many smart people who think this is a
valuable approach.
But, to make this
really clear, I think it's best to present an activity, and contrast a more traditional approach with a CT approach.
Activity: Review solving linear equations
Traditional
approach:
Model solving a few. Perhaps have students justify the steps to
underline the idea of equality. Then have them practice – either
alone or in groups. You could mix it up and play the mistake game if
you're feeling
different, or play a row game.
CT
approach:
Write a linear equation on the board with one unknown. Have students
tell you how to solve it, step-by-step, but be an absolute pain in
the ass. Do only exactly what they say. Make them justify their
steps. Ask if you're done after every step. Do a couple of problems
like this.
Why? You're going to focus on solving linear equations as an
algorithm. Ask the students to write an algorithm to solve any given
linear equation. Explain what you mean by an algorithm – a very
precise step-by-step set of instructions that a trained monkey could
use to solve an equation.
