In our discussion about podcasts in class, I came up with the idea of having students engage in a debate as historical figures. I think this would be an effective learning tool and I would like to talk about the rationale for my idea in this post.

I think the value of the podcast is that it allows students to develop their oracy skills in ways that aren’t possible in the classroom. When a student stands up in front of the class to present, the rest of the class is left to sit passively and watch. This is not an efficient use of class time. An hour of presentations will likely yield at most 55 minutes of actual oracy. With a class of 24 students, you can have 12 groups of 2 students all speaking and listening at once. In 5 minutes, you can have 60 minutes of speaking.

Since the format is a debate, the other students will be listening intently so that they can respond with a counterargument. If one student is upfront delivering a speech, it is too easy for other students to tune out and disengage. Asking those other students to write down important bits of information from the speaker is a superficial and uninspiring way to ensure they’re listening.

Discussions in our educational psychology class have touched on a problem with anxiety in public speaking. If a student is especially anxious, all of his or her cognitive resources will be used to just to get through the experience, and skill development suffer. Students creating podcasts may not like that their voices can be heard by others, but I believe that they would prefer this to the possibly daunting task of standing in front of their peers. Special arrangements could be made so that even their podcasts are only heard by the teacher.  Either way, it is a smaller step towards developing speaking and presentation skills.

The final point I’d like to make about a podcast debate is that is has the potential to be fun. Gandhi and Hitler debating about the use of violence could be inspiring and engaging. Christopher Columbus and Montezuma could have a fascinating debate about the rights of the Central Americans. In any situation, the students get to act out their historical figures and embody their spirits. I think it would be something that even adults would enjoy doing.

My first impression of the IRP was that it was an incredible amount of information. I wasn`t sure that such an overwhelming collection of information would ultimately be helpful as a starting teacher who doesn`t yet have a clear sense of direction. Fortunately, my time in the program has provided me with enough direction and guidance to start making sense of how the IRP can guide my learning and planning for the classroom.

I have found that the IRP is very useful in providing key summaries of educational research. As topics are discussed, they are often punctuated by one or two quotations from a researcher that not only adds to the writing, but also strengthens it by reinforcing its importance by showing that it is fact based and not simply opinion.

The prescribed learning outcomes provide an excellent framework in the creation of lesson plans. They ensure that lessons stay focuses and organized. However, as a beginning teacher I have found I would prefer some more guidance at the expense of freedom. The flexibility in creating lesson plans will be wonderful with increasing experience, but at the moment it isn`t as desirable.

I`ve found that the language is often unnecessarily dense and academic, and I don`t think that this writing style is necessary. It is reminiscent of reading through academic papers, but as a educational guide I believe that simple, concise language would be more effective and easier to integrate into a broader outlook.

The IRP has been excellent in highlighting how today`s students learn. The focus on moving away from passive or rote learning is something that I strongly support. My teaching will be based around the idea that, ``the ultimate goal is for students to make the strategies their own, and to know how, when, and why to apply them`` (IRP, 26). There is tremendous potential to stimulate and interest students, and ``with good teaching, this is the age when kids who are going to become interested and excited become interested and excited`` (Atwell, 83). Our class work in the past month has also been informed by these ideas, and I`m encouraged by this atmosphere.

I believe that the IRP provides the guidance necessary to be an effective teacher. It appears that with knowledge and experience, it will become even more valuable. In the meantime, I will to continue to develop my skills as both a teacher and an interpreter.As my weaknesses are overcome, I believe that my perceived weakness in the IRPs will be reduced or eliminated.

References:

Atwell, N. (1998). In the Middle : New understandings about writing, reading, and learning. 2nd Edition. Portmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2006). English Language Arts K to 7: Integrated Resource Package. URL: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/welcome.php