Some advantages include: 1)strengthening of collaboration skills 2)benefits of working with a group (learn from each other, teach each other, etc. 3)could be a confidence booster and valuable learning experience for struggling students 4) the benefit of exploring things through both a literary and historical scope Disadvantages: 1)trying to form groups with students from an english and history class 2) being able to schedule time for groups to work in school 3) groups may have trouble working together out of school 4) teachers may have to reform groups to make sure each group consists of both struggling and strong learners 2)
Advantages could include students becoming aware of the necessity of language arts skills in social studies, as well as other content areas. Also, the students could become more excited about learning if they see learning can be more than just memorizing a text book. Some disadvantages could be that some teachers might be unwilling to collaborate. Also, teachers and students alike are very busy. I agree with Matt that it might be difficult to schedule meetings to collaborate.
Advantages of this project include: -we can show students that history can be learned in others ways -students can see how to relate other subjects instead of treating them as completely separate courses. Disadvantages: -cooperating with coworkers to plan a lesson because of time constraints. -students may not resources outside of school
The advantages would be that having a cross curriculum unit incorporate most all of the studies and their possible likes or dislikes. They are able to see various forms of learning and make a connection between their classes instead of compartmentalizing them like normal. The disadvantages would be that not ever student carries the same english and history teacher as all of the other kids in the class. It would take alot of communication and extra work on the teachers part which is something that teacher aren't always apt to do.
One advantage that I can think of is the idea of having students apply themselves across the curriculum. It helps them practice using the ole noggin a bit more. Also, it might help an English student understand a concept of history and vice versa.
A disadvantage I could see is the likelihood of pulling this all off. It will take the dedication of not only me, but the collaborating teacher and the administration. Also, the logistics are against us. I do feel, however, that this type of learning/teaching is worth trying.
Advantages: *engage students in more than one content *students will learn the connection between contents * engage teachers in more than one content * teacher support systems Disadvantages: * Time (or rather lack there of) * Standards, For this project we do not have to be tied down to standards but we will have individual content standards in the real world and many of them will not coincide * Administration support, Many principals will be on board, but I can imagine many who will not be thrilled about the idea of this project
The primary advantage: The possibility of developing a fondness for reading. If students can read books enjoyable books about history then they may see a reason to continue reading other books in the future. There is also the potential that students will want to learn more about a particular topic or subject area after having a favorable experience with the literature.
The secondary advantage: An opportunity to improve reading skills. The ability to read effectively and efficiently is essential for success as a student and as a learner in subsequent grades.
Disadvantages: Difficulty. Executing book projects within the tight confines of state required objectives and testing schedules seems very challenging. These ideas seem fantastic in the abstract but they are applied in reality the execution becomes cumbersome. We, as teachers, should not be scared of giving this project a try because the benefits have the potential to be life lasting.
Advantages include connecting broad themes across subjects, showing how social studies is important in all aspects of life, allowing students to think more critically and creatively, and improving overall literacy.
Disadvantages include difficulty motivating disinterested students, having too little time to collaborate with colleagues, having trouble finding colleagues who want to collaborate, and finding ways to still cover all the required content standards.
To actually put this unit into practice in the classroom, I can see both advantages and challenges that may arise.
One obvious advantage is that relating the information the student is learning in two of their core classes will help them to get a better understanding of what is actually going on during the time/event being studied. With this more in-depth understanding, the student will most likely retain more of the information than they would if studying the two subjects separately. I doubt that the majority of students make this connection on their own while studying the two subjects separately. Perhaps simply explaining the correlation between the two will set off a “light bulb” in their minds and allow them to intertwine the topics together, which will most likely enrich their understanding at least a small amount.
Two of the biggest challenges I see in implementing this type of unit in an actual classroom are time and location. If the two teachers are going to combine their classes for the unit, where will they be able to hold class that is big enough to hold all of the students? Also, it is hard to keep larger groups focused on what you are teaching, especially when they are suddenly put in a class with their friends from the other class who they want to socialize with. From what I’ve observed at the local schools, it seems like it is will be difficult to get the students to read an entire book since many of them will not even read their regular class material. As far as time is concerned, it might be hard to squeeze these collaborative classes in on a regular basis, while also trying to teach the material you much teach them from your normal lessons. However, I think that if you pick the right subject, you can find a way to insert the information from your normal lessons into the collaborative lessons.
Overall, I really see this project working well in a classroom as long as the administration at the school is supportive, and it is very well planned!!!
The advantages I see outweigh the disadvantages. First, students will be taught within a diverse classroom setting by multiple teachers. Second, grouping will be made easier, not harder as posted above, because you have two classes to pull students from. Third, the teachers will have more freedom to teach the material in a meaningful way as this is new and has not expected guidelines or results. Finally, i think it is important to note that it is a new learning experience for both the students and the teachers, which keeps the classroom fresh and novel (pun definitely intended). The main negative is that it is new and that students, and possibly facilitators, will have no idea of how to act or present.
The advantages would be better understanding of content by the student since they are recieving the same basic content just in different ways. The disadvantage or hard part is the coordination required with the different departments at the school. In some schools a history teacher may not interact with the english teachers on a regular basis.
The advantages would be letting the students understand the relationship between English and History, get students involved in groups and let them interact with other students outside of school,and also give the students something different than sitting and doing class work all day. This is a good idea to do something interactive. Disadvantages would be, getting history and english teachers to agree and decide on times to meet, the size of the project,and getting students to getmotivated to do this work. It may seem boring to the students because it is not hands on activity.
As to pretty much everything on this lovely planet we like to call, Earth, there are advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages to a collaborative unit between English Language Arts and Social Sciences are as follows: *Social interaction with a different group of students, potentially some that have never had class together before *Cross-curriculum concept building *Development of reading skills *Development of critical thinking skills *Improving ability to synthesize knowledge *Application of Social Science concepts to daily life *Double-dipping grades in both an English and Social Science class *Collaboration/professional development for participating teachers
While there are several advantages, there are also several disadvantages, which are as follows: *Time (Time always seems to be the issue!) *Personality conflicts among students *Difficulty in finding state course of study standards *Lack of relatable material *Lack of desire among teachers *Unsupportive administration *Inability for school or students to purchase the book *Inability to purchase supporting material
As I said before, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. Maybe one day, we will find a completely advantageous thing, but until then, you have to take the good with the bad. Good teachers are not complacent with the status quo.
in response to ellis thomas: I agree that this type of lesson can definitely help a student who maybe struggles with history concepts but is a strong language student and vice versa. It is a great way to integrate the students and engage them more by using cross cirriculum lessons. I also agree with the disadvantage. It seems so hard to actually pull this off i a high school setting. Usually high school rooms are spread so far out that history and language could be on opposite ends of the school, so it would be tough to meet. Also it would be a chaallenge to rely on the collaborating teacher to do their part, and get backing by administration.
Most of the advantages and disadvantages have already been covered. I agree most with the idea that this type of unit will help students to see connections across their classes. They will be able to take ideas from their English classes and tie them into a history lesson. Through this unit students will learn that the information they receive in one class is not limited to just that content area. I also agree with everyone who stated that time limitations would cause a lot of problems in a real school. Teachers are already struggling to cram in all the information they want their students to know. Adding a collaborative project could slow down that process. Also, we all know how hard it is for us to find time work on a group project outside of class. It would be the same for both teachers and students trying to complete this collaborative project. Another limitation could be the type of students being taught. Not all schools have the best discipline records; this type of project would require dedicated students who are willing to do work on their own and within groups. This might cause problems in a school where behavior is an issue.
In Responce to the above: The basic advantages and disadvantages have been covered. This project really boils down to how the educator presents teh material to the students, and the willingness of the faculty involved. If the students are presented the material in a way they can see an immediate purpose, they will more likely be engaged in the project. If the students see it as an unnessesary burden, they will likely become disengaged and do poorly.
Ellis, I do not agree with your viewpoint on the probability of this working. I think in a proper educational setting, teachers would be enabled to pull it off. I know at Central High, the IB program provides the perfect opportunity to do so.
I think that there are quite a few advantages of teaching this type of collaborative lesson plan is the schools. The first advantage of teaching a collaborative lesson like this is that the teachers are on the same page, which is probably one of the biggest down falls of the schools that I have been in. Many teachers from my observations do not ever talk to other teacher and defiantly do not speak with cross content area teachers about what they are teaching in their classroom. the next advantage of this collaboration lesson is that it allows students to look at the history lesson or English lesson in a new light and most of all it allows them to make the connections between the two content areas.
I think the best advantage of this project is students are able to see that history relates to all other content areas esp. literature really well. It helps to show how historical events impacted literature either fiction or nonfiction. The disadvantages are actually getting the groups from different together and finding time for the students to meet and work.
John, I know where you are coming from. Yes, in the proper educational setting this whole thing would be a breeze. Unfortunately, we all know that not all schools are created equal. Yes, we certainly should try, but it might not always go well. I would rather teach my kids a great history lesson than fumble around trying to coordinate a mixed lesson that might not even yield that great of results. All I am saying is that we have to be real. There are pro's to the IB program and that is one of them. IB isn't at every school however. The kids that REALLY (I know all kids need them, just sayin') need these types of profound ground-breaking lessons are the ones who are not in the IB program. Not to mention I'm kind of offended that they use the same word to describe a high school student that it took me four years of college to earn (had to be said..its been erking me for years now). Sorry if that offended anyone. I digress. Point being, if the world were ideal then yes, this would go off without a hitch, but its not.
With time, there is no reason to believe that this type of lesson plan would not work in my opinion. It is a brilliant advantage to teachers and students alike, whether or not you love history or language arts more, or even if you are good in these two at all and could care less. The biggest advantage is that students in both content areas are given the opportunity to strip down the facts and figures, the seemingly mundane of literature (this is not my view), and to see something abstract in what is concrete, something more personal. It is a matter of teachers working together, also for them is a lesson in collaboration, as it is for the students. With the material, there is no shortage of connectivity if the time is taken, and it should since this makes historical facts and literature easier to understand and remember. There are challenges with how the high school setting is, there is a challenge in how certain things are presented depending on topic and issue, and students and teachers are not willing at times to work together.
There is the issue of time and location, since teachers have a certain amount of time to present material in their curriculum, and finding the time to devote to such a project, much less figure a way to present and enact is a challenge. Though the door may be open for many uses of this project, many angles to use, you have to fit it within the framework of your class and the other teacher's class. This is again something that can be worked out.
The advantages are centered around helping the students get a better grasp of the content and the interrelatedness of the subjects. This concept works really well for social science since it includes pretty much all the other subjects. The disadvantages of this style of teaching focuses on the collaborative portion of the lesson. Not all teachers are going to want to participate in it because of either time restraints or they just do not want to work with you.
I know the rules for this project state that we don’t have to plan for the actual feasibility of implementing it, but I’ve actually thought about this a lot. Some of the challenges would be finding a teacher to co-sponsor the unit with me, and actually sitting down with said teacher to plan. I feel like I would be super excited about the collaboration, yet I am not sure that a lot of other teachers out there would want to put in that extra effort. I also think figuring out the logistics may prove to be difficult, but I feel like that would not be the biggest issue.
Besides the challenges, I do think this unit is a good idea. I think doing a project like this might encourage other teachers to implement similar ideas in their classrooms, and it would change up how students learn. It would be a challenge, but the other teacher you work with might expose you to ways of teaching that they use in the classroom that you have never used. This would also help the students remember the information more if they are studying similar topics in several classes.
I believe the advantages for this project outweighs the disadvantages. A collaboration between Language Arts and Social Science is a very valuable learning experience, and a good way to practice collaboration skills with other (student) teachers. I think a project like this implemented in schools is not only an advantage for the instructors but the students as well. Students are able to make connections between history and language and through this create a big picture view. Students will be able to get a higher level of education and a deeper look into history and language arts. To me, the disadvantages are more like challenges faced along the way. It may be difficult for the instructors to form groups between the English and History classes and in turn it may be hard for the students to meet in school for the project. If there is not much time for students to meet in school it puts more stress on the students to meet outside of schools which can cause more problems. Time is another disadvantage. It is difficult for instructors to plan out time for both classes to meet. Without time to meet this project may not progress the way the instructor wants. I think the instructors will have to work very hard for this project to succeed, and if it does, the learning and teaching advantages override the disadvantages.
An advantage I see from implementing this plan into a public setting is ability to engage students easier with more interesting text. History textbooks are notoriously dry and teaching using this plan has great potential to appeal the students' interests. A disadvantage I see from this plan is the potential difficulty of implementing it. On the surface, this plan appears to require a lot of extra effort; however, the process is much simpler if all the teachers are committed to it.
There are several advantages to using this technique in a high school setting. First and foremost, collaborative teaching allows students to gain a better understanding of the material being covered. Due to the fact that two teachers are working on the same theme, event, time period or idea allows the students to critically analyze through different “lenses.” Not only will this increase the time allotted towards learning about the topic but it will also provide multiple opportunities for students to understand the material. Another advantage to using this teaching method can be chracterized by the idea that “two minds are greater than one.” With two teachers working together, there is a far greater chance for the material to be organized in such a way that the students benefit and gain a more authentic understanding and appreciation. Moreover, teachers can learn from one another and consider how “experts” in the other field approach this particular topic or how to employ different techniques to ensure that all types of learners gain the same degree of understanding and learning. Difficulties arise when one considers the amount of demands currently placed on teachers. Whether it is about covering enough information for the nine weeks test, the graduation exam, or the Alabama Course of Study, teachers are constantly put under pressure that may result in a resistance to trying new techniques. Furthermore, many teachers may simply feel as though they do not need to pair off with another teacher in order to teach a particular idea or topic, such teachers are sadly misinformed. Lastly, the use of collaborative teaching requires a great deal of energy and time and the likelihood of finding another teacher to work with might not be high.
In response to Jesse and Ellis: I agree with both of your advantages and disadvantages of this assignment. Learning how English and History relate to one another is crucial. It is also a great way to engage the students in a unique exciting way; allowing them to meet with students from another class. It would be very hard however to actually implement this project to the classroom in a high school setting. Most of the students are very busy with after school activities; thus, limiting the time that is available outside the classroom. Getting both teachers to cooperate together on this project will also be a difficult task.
When I was still in school we had a collaborative project, but it was a collaboration of teachers not students. We had the same science and english teacher. We read a book in english and used it in both classes. We even went on a field trip to see the IMAX movie about it in Birmingham. This was in 7th grade and I still remember what the book was about. I think that says a lot about the advantage of using a project like this. I know it would be hard to get on the same page with one another as teachers. If you set goals together at the begining and stick to them, I think that it will have a better outcome. The students would be more clear about what you want also.
Some advantages include:
ReplyDelete1)strengthening of collaboration skills
2)benefits of working with a group (learn from each other, teach each other, etc.
3)could be a confidence booster and valuable learning experience for struggling students
4) the benefit of exploring things through both a literary and historical scope
Disadvantages:
1)trying to form groups with students from an english and history class
2) being able to schedule time for groups to work in school
3) groups may have trouble working together out of school
4) teachers may have to reform groups to make sure each group consists of both struggling and strong learners
2)
Advantages could include students becoming aware of the necessity of language arts skills in social studies, as well as other content areas. Also, the students could become more excited about learning if they see learning can be more than just memorizing a text book. Some disadvantages could be that some teachers might be unwilling to collaborate. Also, teachers and students alike are very busy. I agree with Matt that it might be difficult to schedule meetings to collaborate.
ReplyDeleteAdvantages of this project include:
ReplyDelete-we can show students that history can be learned in others ways
-students can see how to relate other subjects instead of treating them as completely separate courses.
Disadvantages:
-cooperating with coworkers to plan a lesson because of time constraints.
-students may not resources outside of school
The advantages would be that having a cross curriculum unit incorporate most all of the studies and their possible likes or dislikes. They are able to see various forms of learning and make a connection between their classes instead of compartmentalizing them like normal.
ReplyDeleteThe disadvantages would be that not ever student carries the same english and history teacher as all of the other kids in the class. It would take alot of communication and extra work on the teachers part which is something that teacher aren't always apt to do.
One advantage that I can think of is the idea of having students apply themselves across the curriculum. It helps them practice using the ole noggin a bit more. Also, it might help an English student understand a concept of history and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteA disadvantage I could see is the likelihood of pulling this all off. It will take the dedication of not only me, but the collaborating teacher and the administration. Also, the logistics are against us. I do feel, however, that this type of learning/teaching is worth trying.
Advantages:
ReplyDelete*engage students in more than one content
*students will learn the connection between contents
* engage teachers in more than one content
* teacher support systems
Disadvantages:
* Time (or rather lack there of)
* Standards, For this project we do not have to be tied down to standards but we will have individual content standards in the real world and many of them will not coincide
* Administration support, Many principals will be on board, but I can imagine many who will not be thrilled about the idea of this project
Brittany Holland
The primary advantage: The possibility of developing a fondness for reading. If students can read books enjoyable books about history then they may see a reason to continue reading other books in the future. There is also the potential that students will want to learn more about a particular topic or subject area after having a favorable experience with the literature.
ReplyDeleteThe secondary advantage: An opportunity to improve reading skills. The ability to read effectively and efficiently is essential for success as a student and as a learner in subsequent grades.
Disadvantages: Difficulty. Executing book projects within the tight confines of state required objectives and testing schedules seems very challenging. These ideas seem fantastic in the abstract but they are applied in reality the execution becomes cumbersome. We, as teachers, should not be scared of giving this project a try because the benefits have the potential to be life lasting.
Advantages include connecting broad themes across subjects, showing how social studies is important in all aspects of life, allowing students to think more critically and creatively, and improving overall literacy.
ReplyDeleteDisadvantages include difficulty motivating disinterested students, having too little time to collaborate with colleagues, having trouble finding colleagues who want to collaborate, and finding ways to still cover all the required content standards.
To actually put this unit into practice in the classroom, I can see both advantages and challenges that may arise.
ReplyDeleteOne obvious advantage is that relating the information the student is learning in two of their core classes will help them to get a better understanding of what is actually going on during the time/event being studied. With this more in-depth understanding, the student will most likely retain more of the information than they would if studying the two subjects separately. I doubt that the majority of students make this connection on their own while studying the two subjects separately. Perhaps simply explaining the correlation between the two will set off a “light bulb” in their minds and allow them to intertwine the topics together, which will most likely enrich their understanding at least a small amount.
Two of the biggest challenges I see in implementing this type of unit in an actual classroom are time and location. If the two teachers are going to combine their classes for the unit, where will they be able to hold class that is big enough to hold all of the students? Also, it is hard to keep larger groups focused on what you are teaching, especially when they are suddenly put in a class with their friends from the other class who they want to socialize with. From what I’ve observed at the local schools, it seems like it is will be difficult to get the students to read an entire book since many of them will not even read their regular class material. As far as time is concerned, it might be hard to squeeze these collaborative classes in on a regular basis, while also trying to teach the material you much teach them from your normal lessons. However, I think that if you pick the right subject, you can find a way to insert the information from your normal lessons into the collaborative lessons.
Overall, I really see this project working well in a classroom as long as the administration at the school is supportive, and it is very well planned!!!
The advantages I see outweigh the disadvantages. First, students will be taught within a diverse classroom setting by multiple teachers. Second, grouping will be made easier, not harder as posted above, because you have two classes to pull students from. Third, the teachers will have more freedom to teach the material in a meaningful way as this is new and has not expected guidelines or results. Finally, i think it is important to note that it is a new learning experience for both the students and the teachers, which keeps the classroom fresh and novel (pun definitely intended).
ReplyDeleteThe main negative is that it is new and that students, and possibly facilitators, will have no idea of how to act or present.
The advantages would be better understanding of content by the student since they are recieving the same basic content just in different ways. The disadvantage or hard part is the coordination required with the different departments at the school. In some schools a history teacher may not interact with the english teachers on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteThe advantages would be letting the students understand the relationship between English and History, get students involved in groups and let them interact with other students outside of school,and also give the students something different than sitting and doing class work all day. This is a good idea to do something interactive.
ReplyDeleteDisadvantages would be, getting history and english teachers to agree and decide on times to meet, the size of the project,and getting students to getmotivated to do this work. It may seem boring to the students because it is not hands on activity.
As to pretty much everything on this lovely planet we like to call, Earth, there are advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages to a collaborative unit between English Language Arts and Social Sciences are as follows:
ReplyDelete*Social interaction with a different group
of students, potentially some that have
never had class together before
*Cross-curriculum concept building
*Development of reading skills
*Development of critical thinking skills
*Improving ability to synthesize knowledge
*Application of Social Science concepts to
daily life
*Double-dipping grades in both an English
and Social Science class
*Collaboration/professional development for
participating teachers
While there are several advantages, there are also several disadvantages, which are as follows:
*Time (Time always seems to be the issue!)
*Personality conflicts among students
*Difficulty in finding state course of
study standards
*Lack of relatable material
*Lack of desire among teachers
*Unsupportive administration
*Inability for school or students to
purchase the book
*Inability to purchase supporting material
As I said before, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. Maybe one day, we will find a completely advantageous thing, but until then, you have to take the good with the bad. Good teachers are not complacent with the status quo.
in response to ellis thomas: I agree that this type of lesson can definitely help a student who maybe struggles with history concepts but is a strong language student and vice versa. It is a great way to integrate the students and engage them more by using cross cirriculum lessons. I also agree with the disadvantage. It seems so hard to actually pull this off i a high school setting. Usually high school rooms are spread so far out that history and language could be on opposite ends of the school, so it would be tough to meet. Also it would be a chaallenge to rely on the collaborating teacher to do their part, and get backing by administration.
ReplyDeleteMost of the advantages and disadvantages have already been covered. I agree most with the idea that this type of unit will help students to see connections across their classes. They will be able to take ideas from their English classes and tie them into a history lesson. Through this unit students will learn that the information they receive in one class is not limited to just that content area.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with everyone who stated that time limitations would cause a lot of problems in a real school. Teachers are already struggling to cram in all the information they want their students to know. Adding a collaborative project could slow down that process. Also, we all know how hard it is for us to find time work on a group project outside of class. It would be the same for both teachers and students trying to complete this collaborative project. Another limitation could be the type of students being taught. Not all schools have the best discipline records; this type of project would require dedicated students who are willing to do work on their own and within groups. This might cause problems in a school where behavior is an issue.
In Responce to the above:
ReplyDeleteThe basic advantages and disadvantages have been covered. This project really boils down to how the educator presents teh material to the students, and the willingness of the faculty involved. If the students are presented the material in a way they can see an immediate purpose, they will more likely be engaged in the project. If the students see it as an unnessesary burden, they will likely become disengaged and do poorly.
Ellis, I do not agree with your viewpoint on the probability of this working. I think in a proper educational setting, teachers would be enabled to pull it off. I know at Central High, the IB program provides the perfect opportunity to do so.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are quite a few advantages of teaching this type of collaborative lesson plan is the schools. The first advantage of teaching a collaborative lesson like this is that the teachers are on the same page, which is probably one of the biggest down falls of the schools that I have been in. Many teachers from my observations do not ever talk to other teacher and defiantly do not speak with cross content area teachers about what they are teaching in their classroom. the next advantage of this collaboration lesson is that it allows students to look at the history lesson or English lesson in a new light and most of all it allows them to make the connections between the two content areas.
ReplyDeleteI think the best advantage of this project is students are able to see that history relates to all other content areas esp. literature really well. It helps to show how historical events impacted literature either fiction or nonfiction. The disadvantages are actually getting the groups from different together and finding time for the students to meet and work.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I know where you are coming from. Yes, in the proper educational setting this whole thing would be a breeze. Unfortunately, we all know that not all schools are created equal. Yes, we certainly should try, but it might not always go well. I would rather teach my kids a great history lesson than fumble around trying to coordinate a mixed lesson that might not even yield that great of results. All I am saying is that we have to be real. There are pro's to the IB program and that is one of them. IB isn't at every school however. The kids that REALLY (I know all kids need them, just sayin') need these types of profound ground-breaking lessons are the ones who are not in the IB program. Not to mention I'm kind of offended that they use the same word to describe a high school student that it took me four years of college to earn (had to be said..its been erking me for years now). Sorry if that offended anyone. I digress. Point being, if the world were ideal then yes, this would go off without a hitch, but its not.
ReplyDeleteWith time, there is no reason to believe that this type of lesson plan would not work in my opinion. It is a brilliant advantage to teachers and students alike, whether or not you love history or language arts more, or even if you are good in these two at all and could care less. The biggest advantage is that students in both content areas are given the opportunity to strip down the facts and figures, the seemingly mundane of literature (this is not my view), and to see something abstract in what is concrete, something more personal. It is a matter of teachers working together, also for them is a lesson in collaboration, as it is for the students. With the material, there is no shortage of connectivity if the time is taken, and it should since this makes historical facts and literature easier to understand and remember. There are challenges with how the high school setting is, there is a challenge in how certain things are presented depending on topic and issue, and students and teachers are not willing at times to work together.
ReplyDeleteThere is the issue of time and location, since teachers have a certain amount of time to present material in their curriculum, and finding the time to devote to such a project, much less figure a way to present and enact is a challenge. Though the door may be open for many uses of this project, many angles to use, you have to fit it within the framework of your class and the other teacher's class. This is again something that can be worked out.
The advantages are centered around helping the students get a better grasp of the content and the interrelatedness of the subjects. This concept works really well for social science since it includes pretty much all the other subjects. The disadvantages of this style of teaching focuses on the collaborative portion of the lesson. Not all teachers are going to want to participate in it because of either time restraints or they just do not want to work with you.
ReplyDeleteI know the rules for this project state that we don’t have to plan for the actual feasibility of implementing it, but I’ve actually thought about this a lot. Some of the challenges would be finding a teacher to co-sponsor the unit with me, and actually sitting down with said teacher to plan. I feel like I would be super excited about the collaboration, yet I am not sure that a lot of other teachers out there would want to put in that extra effort. I also think figuring out the logistics may prove to be difficult, but I feel like that would not be the biggest issue.
ReplyDeleteBesides the challenges, I do think this unit is a good idea. I think doing a project like this might encourage other teachers to implement similar ideas in their classrooms, and it would change up how students learn. It would be a challenge, but the other teacher you work with might expose you to ways of teaching that they use in the classroom that you have never used. This would also help the students remember the information more if they are studying similar topics in several classes.
I believe the advantages for this project outweighs the disadvantages. A collaboration between Language Arts and Social Science is a very valuable learning experience, and a good way to practice collaboration skills with other (student) teachers. I think a project like this implemented in schools is not only an advantage for the instructors but the students as well. Students are able to make connections between history and language and through this create a big picture view. Students will be able to get a higher level of education and a deeper look into history and language arts.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the disadvantages are more like challenges faced along the way. It may be difficult for the instructors to form groups between the English and History classes and in turn it may be hard for the students to meet in school for the project. If there is not much time for students to meet in school it puts more stress on the students to meet outside of schools which can cause more problems. Time is another disadvantage. It is difficult for instructors to plan out time for both classes to meet. Without time to meet this project may not progress the way the instructor wants. I think the instructors will have to work very hard for this project to succeed, and if it does, the learning and teaching advantages override the disadvantages.
An advantage I see from implementing this plan into a public setting is ability to engage students easier with more interesting text. History textbooks are notoriously dry and teaching using this plan has great potential to appeal the students' interests.
ReplyDeleteA disadvantage I see from this plan is the potential difficulty of implementing it. On the surface, this plan appears to require a lot of extra effort; however, the process is much simpler if all the teachers are committed to it.
There are several advantages to using this technique in a high school setting. First and foremost, collaborative teaching allows students to gain a better understanding of the material being covered. Due to the fact that two teachers are working on the same theme, event, time period or idea allows the students to critically analyze through different “lenses.” Not only will this increase the time allotted towards learning about the topic but it will also provide multiple opportunities for students to understand the material. Another advantage to using this teaching method can be chracterized by the idea that “two minds are greater than one.” With two teachers working together, there is a far greater chance for the material to be organized in such a way that the students benefit and gain a more authentic understanding and appreciation. Moreover, teachers can learn from one another and consider how “experts” in the other field approach this particular topic or how to employ different techniques to ensure that all types of learners gain the same degree of understanding and learning. Difficulties arise when one considers the amount of demands currently placed on teachers. Whether it is about covering enough information for the nine weeks test, the graduation exam, or the Alabama Course of Study, teachers are constantly put under pressure that may result in a resistance to trying new techniques. Furthermore, many teachers may simply feel as though they do not need to pair off with another teacher in order to teach a particular idea or topic, such teachers are sadly misinformed. Lastly, the use of collaborative teaching requires a great deal of energy and time and the likelihood of finding another teacher to work with might not be high.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jesse and Ellis: I agree with both of your advantages and disadvantages of this assignment. Learning how English and History relate to one another is crucial. It is also a great way to engage the students in a unique exciting way; allowing them to meet with students from another class. It would be very hard however to actually implement this project to the classroom in a high school setting. Most of the students are very busy with after school activities; thus, limiting the time that is available outside the classroom. Getting both teachers to cooperate together on this project will also be a difficult task.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was still in school we had a collaborative project, but it was a collaboration of teachers not students. We had the same science and english teacher. We read a book in english and used it in both classes. We even went on a field trip to see the IMAX movie about it in Birmingham. This was in 7th grade and I still remember what the book was about. I think that says a lot about the advantage of using a project like this. I know it would be hard to get on the same page with one another as teachers. If you set goals together at the begining and stick to them, I think that it will have a better outcome. The students would be more clear about what you want also.
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