by bea pody. connection of school to students’ lives connection to students’ experiences ...
TRANSCRIPT
CONTEXTUALIZATION
byBea Pody
What is contextualization? Connection of school to students’ lives Connection to students’ experiences Connection to students’ homes Connection to students’ communities
abstract information = boredom
Building Blocks1. existing knowledge2. meaningful activities3. local norms4. application of knowledge5. community-based activities6. parent involvement7. variety of activities8. variety of styles
1. Existing Knowledge Build on knowledge that students
already have agriculture (seasonal workers) hunting, fishing (rural) street smarts (inner city) alternate use for tools (low income) meta-cognitive language skills (English
learners) geography (immigrants) existing academic knowledge personal experience
2. Meaningful Activities learn something that can be used in
real life tutor younger students help senior citizens sponsor a meaningful event raise funds while applying learned skills get involved in a good cause teach a class help the underprivileged
3. Local Norms different gender roles different view of age
majority/minority reverence for elderly children’s role
prioritization money moral and ethical values religion
4. Application of Knowledge overcoming idea that
academics have no use in everyday life
make connections between academic knowledge and community
demonstrate benefits for student, school, family and community
5. Community-based Activities find out interests reach out for potential partners spell out purpose and terms of joint effort work out kinks share positive results examples: mentoring at elementary
schools, translation services for immigrants, entertainment through chorus, orchestra or marching band performance, reading to senior citizens, grounds improvements, collection of toys and clothing, work in soup kitchens, etc.
6. Parent Involvement syllabus and welcome letter create a website publish regular newsletter hold parent-teacher dinner conferences hold family fun nights call parents e-mail parents put out surveys calls to action (volunteering) keep good records
7. Variety of Activities• student preference• collective• cooperative• individual• competitive• right-brained vs. left-brained
geared• visual, auditory and kinesthetic• opportunities to demonstrate
special talents (music, art, acting)
8. Variety of Styles Conversation & participation to include
cultural preferences, such as: co-narration call-and-response choral
Subject Area: German II Objective: Virtual Trip to Germany
Building Blocks Application
existing knowledge
Personal travel experience, German I weather and clothing vocab, German geopolitics , knowledge from other subject areas (math, physics, geography, history)
meaningful activities Virtual trip, internet search, plan a trip, stay in a budget, team work
local norms Dollars, Fahrenheit, Avoirdupois system
application of knowledge Celsius, Euros, decimal system, family trip
community-based activities Contact travel agency
parent involvement Find old tickets, boarding passes, chauffeur students to travel agency
variety of activities Dialogue, hands-on, matching, PPT (more during entire project)
variety of styles Oral, visual, kinesthetic
Scenario
This is the first day of a 6-week project called “Virtual Trip to Germany”
This project is conducted together with German III (they share a block and a classroom) whose curriculum calls for “Youth Hostels and Camping”, another concept foreign to all but one or two students in any given level.
For actual scenario see Word document
Sources Web Site
Web link Berkeley Graduate School of Education, University of California. (n.d.). Making lessons meaningful. In CREDE (the Crede five standards for effective pedagogy). Retrieved February 9, 2010, from Berkeley Graduate School of Education, University of California website: http://crede.berkeley.edu/