Day 3 - Technology in the Classroom

One resource that I've seen my host teacher use is a program called Flocabulary. It's an online tool that does require a subscription, but it provides mini lesson videos, vocabulary resources, quizzes and more. Today the students continued work on their geography unit. At the beginning of each class the students watch a fun video on the 50 states and their capitals. Using these resources in the classroom are great ways of incorporating digital technology and engaging many kinds of learners.

One thing that I took away from today's observation is a new style of assessment. Her philosophy is that students have a better chance of learning and succeeding if they can see their progress over time. Not only do preassessments and follow ups help her to gage student learning, but they also give the students extra practice before they are asked to take a graded version of the same quiz. Basically, the teacher handed out a quiz on the states' capitals and asked students to fill in as many as they could after having watched the video. They complete the same quiz three times but the first two times are not marked in the grade book. Then the students get to correct their own work and see where they have progressed or still need improvement. It's not a retake in the traditional sense, but rather a practice tool for the real test later I really like the concept of giving the same quiz multiple times instead of only once because it gives students a good chance to practice and get better. It also provides a basis for proficiency based grading because it shows visible student development over time.

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As a side note, today we recognized the celebration of Dashain, a Nepalese holiday which many students at Hunt practice. I've linked a brief description of what it's all about here. One student came in today with the courage to wear a cultural marker on her forehead representing the blessing of her elders called a "Tika." Unfortunately, it didn't stay on the whole day because she said it came off during gym. I only hope is that she did not take it off out of feeling pressured to do so. Nonetheless, I am constantly reminded and in awe of how diverse the student population is here at Hunt. I look forward to learning even more about the students and their cultural backgrounds.