Week 2 Final Thoughts

Unit Plan, Unit Plan where for art thou Unit Plan?

Today we started with Mini whiteboards, this is a very good reflection activity and also allows students to have some fun and compete with there classmates. The task was enjoyable and we learnt that you need to be fair when playing games like this as, one student who shall remain nameless was given a significant advantage which in turn allowed them to win... but hey it was fun. and having seen it in action i know i will use it in years to come.

We then moved on two unit plans, this was an opportunity for us to get into our groups and start going over our task, we were provided with 6 steps, these revolved around accessing the content from various areas, brain storming lesson titles and learning activities, designing clear and measurable LO'S (Learning outcomes) and finishing a unit plan to present to the class for them to use next year, this task will be completed by the 4th week of the semester so we better get to work.

Check out the below link. Tells you what type of teacher personality you will have summed me up quite well, how will you go.

http://712educators.about.com/library/quizzes/blteacher_personality.htm

OCR and Inflation/Trade

Today was interesting we started with discussing the OCR - what is it? who is in charge of it? what do they do? we isolated the following three men as being important in the NZ economy they are the former Governor of the Reserve Bank Don Brash, the current Governor Allan Bollard, and the Finance Minister Bill English. Allan is responsible for ensuring our Inflation rate stays between 1-3%. the lever for this is the interest rates.

We spent time working on Inflation and what our students will need to be able to explain to pass this Achievement Standard. we started with the OCR at the top, and used the scenario of the interest rates increasing, what will that do to inflation? what will that do to our AD/AS Model. students will be required to explain the effects. we also needed to explain to our students if interest rates go up the exchange rate will also go up. students will be required to explain this and ensure they know what they are talking about and if possible provide a graph, students need to realise that just because a graph isn't asked for if you can provide one you are showing your understanding of economics.

After that we honed in on trade we didn't go to much into this but we discussed what was involved with the standard, Concepts and Definitions, Models (Price taker, two country model) and PPF, Statistics (BOP,TT and WIT) some of those are useful for a nerd moment and finally the policy's (Free Trade). we need to introduce and explain to the students what the price taker and two way model actually is, emphasizing NZ is a small country so we don't influence the World Price. Final discussion was on the graph, and the neatness and ability of students to reproduce a good graph will rest solely on us we need to set expectations early, neat, ruled lines, not to small, labeling at the bottom (especially higher levels were alot of things are happening on the one graph) arrows for shifts should always be horizontal. this was a very good aspect to understand and as i found on practicum if you Say it from the front of the class they think its gospel and it will end up on an exam, so may sure you practice what you preach.

Cant wait to be able to explain the above Graph.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buy5GCWbw78

Making Language and Learning Work

"Diversity is not about how we differ. diversity is about embracing one
anothers uniqueness"
Ola Joseph

Today we started our class with 'Diversity Bingo' a good way to start the class, and also a good way to change a very simple game that got us reflecting on what we learnt last week. this was also appealing to boys as it involved competition, i was close to winning but alas i got beaten on this occasion, its good to learn to lose gracefully on occasion.

We then moved onto today's discussion which revolved around 'Making Language and Learning Work', this was particularly interesting to me as i spent time on practicum dealing with literacy issues and having strategies to help students better understand economic concepts and literature is key. I was particularly interested in the three level structure as this was something I would have like to have used on practicum but after giving out a couple of economic articles and finding that students couldn't really comprehend them and got scared of big words, I lost my nerve and didn't use articles again which was a shame, however using some of the techniques i saw in class today i am sure i can tailor my classes and lessons to suit all language needs. The video was very good and showed even at the higher levels of Economics you can incorporate co-constructive behaviour, and keep your students engaged and interested in the topic.

As a teacher i am going to ensure that i take time to assess the needs of my class and, emphasising how to answer the questions and what information the examiners are looking for, this was evident in Mr Snowdens use of the 'SEXY Statement' and also providing students with options for answering questions.

Oh and don't forget "Know your Learner" don't assume anything, you can get students to write stories about there backgrounds so you can get a greater understanding of how to teach them. Continue to work on your pedagogy, never rest on your laurels because as they say in sport "your only as good as your last performance" so in teaching "your only as good as your last lesson" allow yourselves to make mistakes reflect and learn, this will only enhance your practice.

Today's lesson was good and gave me further hope that i can work on literacy strategies that will make all students succeed in economics.

DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM

Friday's Lesson

Today we spent most of our lesson talking about diversity in the classroom, this is a huge factor in education and one that sometimes gets ignored, as we often just claim that kids are Naughty and why cant they be like the studious ones.

So how can we cater to diverse learning needs? Will it require alot more work? how many hours do teachers really have in a day? well don't worry its possible to make some subtle changes that could mean a difference in getting across your content and message to your classroom. Take for example a demand curve, now you could just stand up and talk about it and get them to do exercises in there books until they get it, or maybe you could get them to do an exercise on the board, or use pipe cleaners, or in groups come up with a way to display the curve using them as the axis and the lines. there are multiple options that allow you too cater to varying needs within the classroom.

This is not always an easy task but if you can make changes to your routine and maybe even your philosophy of teaching you can succeed in this area. There are also other areas that you can use these involve music, mind mapping, the environment, time off day etc and remember always make sure you set the tone for your class welcome them with smiles and enthusiasm a student knows when you care.

We also touched on Boys in education, this was interesting and very relevant as often they are the ones that seem to be the naughtiest (generalisation i know) however we do need to be different with them give them opportunities to move around in class, it may involve writing on the board or races to complete work, boys thrive on competition and being active so let boys be boys and reap the rewards in your class. It may seem tough to achieve this in economics but I'm sure we can all find ways to bring in an element of mobility for young men, also remember to add a variety of activities, get them involved using simple methods (Videos, games, drawing etc) this will engage boys more with what you are doing.

check out the you Tube Link too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-qnuqCZ7hg

INFLATION DANGER

Thursdays Class

Today we worked on the content for Year Twelve Economics focusing on Achievement Standard 2.1 Inflation, this was the standard i taught while i was out on practicum which was good because i was able understand the content that much better, and as we all know there is no better way to learn something then to teach it.

So is Inflation a Problem? How do we Measure Inflation? What Causes Inflation? What are the effects of Inflation?

those are the topics that we will discuss during our unit on Inflation, it is a very interesting topic and one which students can engage with as you can regale them with stories of the past or even use balloons, to show the difference between inflation, disinflation and deflation. there are many exciting activities you can use to enhance there learning, it doesn't just have to be all notes look for video clips on You Tube or Ted Talks. the more opportunities you can give the students the quicker they will pick it up. but remember that any test you set needs to be tailored around NCEA so they get an understanding on how to answer the questions and what to look for.

Economics Today

Hello,

well today i embark on first economics blog.

what an exciting day today filled with Course Outlines, Videos (of effective teachers) and may other exciting economic stories. we arrived to a smaller class then last semester it seems that only the keen ones have remained and the rest have left to pursue other interests such as Accounting and Fishing I believe.

Anyway the real reason for my musings is to explain what i picked up from and i quote "the first time in history our class has finished early" class.

so sit back grab a coffee and have some fun reading the ramblings of a mad man.

So Unit Planning, was the main focus of this class and that's a relief as its a big part of our assessment for this semester. the main thing that i picked up is that a good unit plan will make preparing lessons very easy, as you will be able to transfer what you have put in your unit plan directly to lessons as you move forward, as long as your LO's are clear and measurable. The next most important thing that i picked up was that while preparing your learning activities for your lessons make sure that you meet all learning styles and needs, not everyone in your class will be a tactile learner or an auditory learner, but the more different methods you try and use the better chance you have off getting the content across.

again another major focus of this class was to emphasis routines and other reflection activities for students to participate in to ensure that got an understanding of what you had been teaching.

overall this class was good as it gave me a greater understanding of unit planning and how to ensure you cater for diversity and different learning styles in your class.

Check this you tube link for a good example of a teacher using pedagogical techniques and catering to all learners in a difficult class. Video Below, you may need real player to watch, it can be downloaded for free. (alternatively go to you tube and type in Ron Clark president rap)

tune in next week for some more musings.

Andrew Out

would appreciate comments (nice ones please LOL)