The rapid pace of societal change, Dungeons and Dragons, primary
sources, and the notion that aliens could have placed a nonferrous metal tracking
devices in the body of an unsuspecting middle-aged woman. It’s been a summer filled with teaching inspiration,
despite my being out of commission for a few weeks with a knee replacement.
I am pondering how best to use this inspiration to motivate my
less-than-enthusiastic, new freshmen.
Here’s what I am thinking as August 3 draws nearer:
Elements
of video gaming-design,
persistence, teamwork, and mastering
levels by simply reiterating their avatars’ adventures with a new life and new
knowledge to be more successful- will have a place in my Writing Workshop this
year. I plan to use the unpredictability
and fantasy elements of my sons’ vintage D and D books to create writing
circles who will craft fantasy narratives from their avatars’ points of view. Who says there is no time for PBL? I’d rather have writers who are engaged and
learning than robots that just practice test skills.
Learning how
Millennials think and behave has caused me to refine some classroom practices
to engage more students. Millennials like to work in groups. So I’ll be looking for more ways to crowd-source
information and report and archive it in addition to using charts, posters, and digital discussions, on Today’s Meet or Canvas.
One
way I am appealing to my Millennials’ visual needs is to integrate more images
and videos. Integrating primary sources provides
inspiration that they will immediately connect with and be able to write about. It also supports inference and argument. The Library of Congress has excellent teacher
resources on its website and regional workshops to help educators use them purposefully.
I will be presenting a session on
writing narrative from primary sources in Bloomington this week for Indiana Writing Project.
Carving out time for
students to think about their lives and reflect on their activities and
interactions is another way to engage students.
I need to be sure I am allowing my kids time to think… to process. After the surgeon removed the mysterious
piece of metal that had somehow been lodged in my leg for the past ten years, I
needed think time to ponder the possibilities.
And there were many! Excellent fodder
for creative writing.
Keeping it fresh.
Using my surroundings to inspire me for the coming year and new crop of
students. That’s what makes summertime
so vital for teachers… and for students.
