Lesson Planning Quadrant C and D with Google
When I tell people that, as a history teacher, I use zero PowerPoints or lectures to teach my students, they usually stare at me dumbfounded. Most teachers have been taught (myself included) that direct instruction is necessary for a student to understand material. That simply is not the case. Student-Centered Instruction, when done correctly, teaches the students more than anyone can babble on to them about. Seriously.
Student-Centered Instruction is more than handing over a worksheet and telling the students to read the directions. It is involving them in their education. While at first there is some backlash from the students (after all, they cannot just sit back and let you tell them what they need to know on a lazy day), they begin to realize that they are actually learning in-depth when they are completing these assignments.
The biggest complaint/concern I get from colleagues when I talk about this method is the time that it takes to create a completely student-centered lesson. There are two things to remember when it comes to this:
Once you create an assignment, you have it. Even though it might take a fair amount of time to create one lesson, it is ready to go for years to come. (Don’t forget: it takes awhile to make an effective PowerPoint or Prezi the first time, too!).
What is the cardinal rule we all learned when we began teaching? DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! No matter what your topic, you can find someone who has published some type of activity online that you can amend to fit your student’s needs. Google is your friend.
There are a number of searches you can perform to find what you are looking for. Sometimes you might have to go through all of them before you find something that works. Generally, I will use: topic activity, topic student centered, topic inquiry based, or topic project. Then, depending on what I find, I will alter from there. If you can find a direct simulation of what you are trying to teach, you will be golden. Here’s an example:
Below are the pages that came up right away. Notice how many results there are!
This is the first option on the page, and it's a great one that I have tried before:
This activity does a GREAT job of explaining what the Berlin Wall did. After constructing the wall, those in the West (Capitalist) are encouraged to “mark up” the wall with graffiti and have a great time, while those on the East (Communist) are required to write silently about the experience, which many find to be drab and boring and, of course, are jealous of the party going on in the West.
My favorite moment of this is when I recreate the Berlin Airlift (The United States dropped supplies from the air because the Soviets had blocked off all land routes). For the “Westerners”, I threw a bunch of lollipops over the wall. They scrambled to get as many as they could, but some students grabbed upwards of 3 while others did not get any. However, on the “East”, each one received a lollipop, but in an unpopular flavor. The Westerners said it wasn’t fair that everyone in the East received a lollipop, but the Easterners said that they were happy that they all received one, but it wasn’t an ideal flavor. This is unequivocally the moment when someone exclaims, “Oh! that’s the difference between Capitalism and Communism!” Ding, ding, ding :)
Remember, to add rigor and relevance and reach those C and D Quadrants, the students need to be applying and evaluating the information . By utilizing this method of lesson planning, you will have lessons that are meeting the criteria and are teaching the students more than you originally thought they could grasp in one simple lesson.
