Reading - Designing Active Learning: What's in your lesson plans?

After meeting with Michelle and discussing my goals after my video observation, Michelle suggested that the following article might help me to make some positive changes to my lessons.  Here are some of the important notes I took from this chapter:

• Students are most likely to remember what is taught in the first 10 minutes of a lesson.  But after about 10 minutes the sheer volume of incoming material makes organising the material difficult.
• Towards the end of the class brains can begin to make headway again, and they remember the second most from the closing minutes of the lesson.
• Memory storage is more efficient when their is a linkage to prior knowledge and personal meaning along with the need to capture the students attention.
• Considerations for the opening minutes
• the learning target is clearly established
• Students have linkage
• students intellectual curiosity and relevance is engaged
• experience hands on active thoughtful learning right out of the gate
• opening minutes last an appropriate amount of time around 10% of the time
• 'my partner said'....... responses

Links to the Registered Teachers Criteria:

4. demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of personal professional practice

i. identify professional learning goals in consultation with colleagues
ii. participate responsively in professional learning opportunities within the learning community
iii. initiate learning opportunities to advance personal professional knowledge and skills