Let's process this information....

I don't want to even believe that it has been a month since I have blogged! I do not even know where to start. Needless to say this has been the craziest semester yet. Taking three grad classes I have come to find is not the easiest thing in the world. On the other side, I have been learning to much. So as I look back on my blog I have not talked much since Direct Instruction. While I think that DI is great for introducing the lesson, Information processing model, and Social Interactive model has turned out to be two other great teaching models! In Information Processing, the teacher poses a question for the students, and the students have to find solutions on their own. A great example of this is the WebQuest! My WebQuest, "Adventure with Plants" was made for second graders to learn all about plants. I presented them with a problem that people did not believe that plants were living, and they had to research websites to prove that they were in fact, real! Information Processing allows students to practice their problem solving skills, and a chance for the students to take the lead in the classroom. In this model the teacher is there as a guide. They are there to answer questions if they come up, but for the most part the students are in charge of the classroom. This is a great model to use for science in particular. By providing students a problem and asking for a solution, you are giving students an opportunity to take charge and experiment. I will be sure to use this model in my classroom as I teach science lessons. I had an opportunity to use the IPM lesson plan in a second grade classroom this week. The students loved being able to experiment and find a solution to a problem. Being so involved in the lesson made them learn and understand the lesson more than if they were sitting in their seats listening to me lecture. Overall, I love this model of instruction, especially for science. This will be another thing I will carry with me to the classroom!