My Dear,
Most of the time, students don’t know what teachers want them to do. Some are unaccustomed or insecure about tasks that require critical thinking. They are even more unsure about those tasks that have no clear-cut answer. They need to see someone show them how to do what you expect.
Model, Model, Model! You provide the epitome of a proficient performance: the standard to be imitated.
In your class, I asked students to evaluate the performance of groups who were presenting their ideas about how the dramatic vocabulary terms were connected. I had to think aloud to show students how one forms those thoughts. And one time was not sufficient.
- Emilio’s group shared
the example that “plot” and “theme” are connected because the character
goes through many scenes in the plot to deliver the central message of
the play. This was an excellent answer because the students honed in on
the author’s purpose for using the plot as a tool to deliver his
message. The answer went beyond stating that a plot is this kind of thing
while pointing out a contrast that the theme is another kind of thing.
The answer focused on an understanding on how the plot is used as a
tool.
- Mary’s group pointed
out that “dialogue” and “script” were connected because the dialogue in
the script advances the plot. The audience experiences the plot through
what the characters have to say. They then made a connection to a
specific example of how this works in Julias Caesar. Their answer was
correct and insightful because the students brought in a third dramatic
term to add depth to their answer. They also had a specific example to
illustrate their point.
- Frankie’s group
connected “aside” and “conflict” to say that the asides can help
foreshadow and upcoming conflict. This answer was correct and also quite
satisfying because students demonstrated a connection to a third literary
term and homed in on the reason a playwright uses an aside. This
insight is a very helpful tool for how readers can comprehend a play as
they are reading or viewing a performance.
I had to model my cognitive approach to
making the connection to “monologue” and “dramatic effect”. ELAR is not a set of content that can be defined
easily. Everything we do is about a cognitive thinking process. The teacher, as a more proficient peer, must model the invisible in-head actions.
It’s not enough to say, “Explain the connection
between these two terms.” That’s called “giving instructions” and has
absolutely nothing to do with “instruction.” There are several ways
to give instruction through modeling:
- Prepare the sample
before you start class. Write what you are going to say on a piece of
paper. When it is time to model, have that paper out of sight. Write what
you have written on the document camera and explain aloud how you came up
with those ideas. (repeat this for EACH class. Don’t simply project what you
wrote in first period.
- Think aloud and compose
without prior preparation. This helps you recreate the struggle and steps
that you have to go through to figure out what to say. Kids need to know
how you edit, evaluate, and come up with the ideas that you will use.
- After you model (fresh
for each class), you will probably have an example from a previous
class that is an excellent model of an effective performance. Project the student’s paper and explain, “In second
period, Frankie did something brilliant. Read his example and tell me
what is effective about this response.” Or “In third period, Maddie
started out with this example that wasn’t quite right. She revised her
thinking to go deeper. Why is her second attempt such an improvement from
the first?”
With Love,
Your Advocate
