Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Say "awwww!"

It was my great opportunity to observe Mr. Thayne Weston teach. He was masterful at his lecturing. It was an interesting choice for a sixth grade teacher. However, he only had about 50 minutes to teach everything that needed to be covered, and he normally got it all. He had many ways to keep the group's attention as well.  For instance, did you ever hear about this:
Kahoot.... this word was created in the 20s right?
One day, to make review more fun for all there, he had set up a quiz on this website. Each student was able to make a fun nickname for themselves and compete in a quiz game. There was plenty of playful banter between each other and Mr. Weston!

On days that weren't review, he would have clips from a series from the BBC called Horrible Histories, and little snippets to show them from the History Channel. I think the thing that I noticed the most with him, was his ability to ask really good questions. Before watching the clip he would tell them to look for something specific and then after he would ask them follow up questions. For the most part he was able to keep the kids' attention and enjoy good results from it.

If I had to make a list of suggestions for him it would be this (and it's short, because he was doing great): 1. Do more group activities. 2. The competitiveness was good for that age group! Do more things where they can compete and really desire to learn. 3. Smile more! Let the kids know that you're happy to be there.


Sorry... this blog's not as funny as the other ones. I'm taking a break. :P


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3 comments:

  1. MeganApril 4, 2015 at 5:32 PM

    Love your cat picture...it made me smile. :) Mr. Weston sounds great! I especially liked that before he would set the class loose on watching a video or clip that he would tell them specially what to look for and then discuss these topics after watching. I like this because it captures the students attention and keeps them focused so that they will be prepared for the discussion afterward. Thanks for your post, I thought it was great...even if you're taking a break this week. :)

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  2. AnonymousApril 6, 2015 at 4:35 PM

    I like the suggestions you mentioned; I am often to enthralled in learning from teachers that I forget to think of suggestions/improvements. I also liked that the teacher had the students looking for something specific in each video clip; that is a great way to keep the students engaged.

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  3. UnknownApril 9, 2015 at 5:02 PM

    That teacher sounded phenomenal! I like your pictures and how you relate things in a humorous but meaningful way. I like how you mentioned he had a strong use of questions, which we just learned is so crucial. I like how you mentioned your suggestions. I like the idea of allowing more competitions to take place because it helps the students work hard to do their best because they want to win, but they learn while doing it. I also like how you mentioned to smile. A smile can change a life or an attitude just as quickly as it takes you to share that.

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