Planning this unit as a team took constant communication. Throughout the day we were updating each other how things were going, what wasn't working so well. We started out with a basic idea and started throwing out ideas. We each new what our strengths were, we new what our objectives and standards were, and we were each able to take it in a way that worked for us individually and as a team. One of the challenges was ironically a lack of communication. Since we were pulling from the same resources, notably klvx videostreaming for Ashley and I, there was overlap of the videos we chose and didn't realize it until the students were telling us they had already seen it is the other's class. It was a detail we didn't think needed to be passed on, but clearly it did.
I've run this unit in some way, shape, or form since I began teaching 7 years ago. It was difficult for me to give up the reigns and share my ideas. I have a deep personal interest in the subject (Hiroshima/Nagasaki, nuclear energy, and the development of atomic and thermo-nuclear devices) and felt it difficult to convey my intent of the lesson. This is where giving up the reigns came in. Watching others take a general idea and develop it in a way that may have been different than I anticipated.
In no way am I saying right or wrong, just different. Kind of like when you routinely drive a specific route to work and decide to carpool with someone else. The first few days you may be thinking, "Why are they going this way, don't they know about the other way?" Even though the routes may take the same time and end in the same location, it is a different and alternate path. That being said, I greatly appreciate my peers for doing this lesson with me because their creativity in aspects I didn't approach before influenced subsequent modifications to the lesson.
I loved planning this unit. Cross-curricular teaching is so powerful, although time consuming. The results are the payoff. Students really begin to make connections between classes. I hope that the field of education will follow this trend. Creating a unit with colleagues and fellow intellectuals opens the door for everyone to learn.
The biggest obstacle of course is time. Luckily we had time each week to plan and meet. This is necessary in making a unit like this a success.
Planning this unit as a team took constant communication. Throughout the day we were updating each other how things were going, what wasn't working so well. We started out with a basic idea and started throwing out ideas. We each new what our strengths were, we new what our objectives and standards were, and we were each able to take it in a way that worked for us individually and as a team. One of the challenges was ironically a lack of communication. Since we were pulling from the same resources, notably klvx videostreaming for Ashley and I, there was overlap of the videos we chose and didn't realize it until the students were telling us they had already seen it is the other's class. It was a detail we didn't think needed to be passed on, but clearly it did.
ReplyDeleteI've run this unit in some way, shape, or form since I began teaching 7 years ago. It was difficult for me to give up the reigns and share my ideas. I have a deep personal interest in the subject (Hiroshima/Nagasaki, nuclear energy, and the development of atomic and thermo-nuclear devices) and felt it difficult to convey my intent of the lesson. This is where giving up the reigns came in. Watching others take a general idea and develop it in a way that may have been different than I anticipated.
ReplyDeleteIn no way am I saying right or wrong, just different. Kind of like when you routinely drive a specific route to work and decide to carpool with someone else. The first few days you may be thinking, "Why are they going this way, don't they know about the other way?" Even though the routes may take the same time and end in the same location, it is a different and alternate path. That being said, I greatly appreciate my peers for doing this lesson with me because their creativity in aspects I didn't approach before influenced subsequent modifications to the lesson.
I loved planning this unit. Cross-curricular teaching is so powerful, although time consuming. The results are the payoff. Students really begin to make connections between classes. I hope that the field of education will follow this trend. Creating a unit with colleagues and fellow intellectuals opens the door for everyone to learn.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest obstacle of course is time. Luckily we had time each week to plan and meet. This is necessary in making a unit like this a success.