Forcing student learning

While I was investigating the points vs weight issue (see last post), I came across a program (for lack of a better word) from the University of Kansas called Strategic Instruction Model. In a nutshell, it is a method of presenting information to the student that allows them to track their own learning. There is a Course Organizer that outlines what the entire course will cover. Then there is a Unit Organizer which outlines what the unit will cover. Then there is a Lesson Organizer which outlines what the lesson will cover. These things help the students connect with things they've learned previously and understand how the things they learn in a class all fit together. I love this idea. I found the Unit Organizer first and thought is was genius. Here it is:

This is an overview of the unit. It is given to the students either completely blank or only partially filled in. As a class, we will fill it in together. There are places for the last unit and the next unit so the student can see how they all fit together. In the center box, we will create like a mind-map with the various topics that will be covered during the unit. Then the bottom will have some guiding questions the student can work to answer as we go through the unit. Oh yes, on the side is the schedule for the unit. Love this. Love, love, love this. There will be no reason why students do not know what is going on.

Then there is this sheet:

This provides an expanded view of the mind- map and room for the students to fill things in as we go. So if one of the topics in this unit is the mole, on this page under the mole section, the student will put Avogadro's number, that it is the number of atoms in the atomic mass of an element, that it's found on the periodic table, or whatever they want to help them remember and understand what it is.
Again, I love, love, love this. In learning how to bring more science literacy into my classroom, I have learned that reflection is a critical piece of the puzzle.  This will require them to reflect, if only briefly, on all the steps of learning in the unit. Love. It.

Now there is also a course organizer along the same lines only covering the entire year of the course. I'm not sure about that. It might be good for some students, but I think it would fall into disuse quickly. It requires the student to review it after each unit. As I type that I think maybe that would be good. We could put it in our notebooks and refer back to it after each unit. Hmmm.....have to think on that a little more.

Then there is a lesson organizer. I don't think I want to use that one. That would be the same thing every single lesson and I think that is overkill. To have to do this for every single lesson would get tedious and boring for the students. They would start phoning it in and I don't want that. I think the Unit Organizer is as small as I would go. This would allow us to go back to it every few classes as topics are covered but it is not something that will become boring and tedious. There is a fine line between routine and tedious.

I think this will also work to keep me focused and help me not lose track of what I'm doing. There are times when I get off on tangents that are not necessarily related to what I want to be covering. This should help keep me focused.

Lots of big changes for the next year. I worry about making to many changes at once, but what I've been doing is no longer working so big changes are in order. Plus, I think big changes will help me acutally make them. Small changes tend to get lost in the day to day routines. Let's hope that's true anyway.