The fundamental idea behind the fantastic book Made to Stick is how we make our ideas sticky. In other words, why do we remember some silly radio jingle but not the capital of Vermont? One seems to be inherently more important, but the other just stays with us. One strategy that the authors give to make ideas stick is to make them mysterious.
I thought that this was relevant as I read through this week's material. After reading Made to Stick in November, I started trying to frame my lectures as more of an investigation. For example, as Tiger Woods was being shamed we were also talking about the Harding Administration in American History. Rather than title the lecture "The Harding Administration," I wrote "How did Nan Britton ruin Tiger Woods' life?" on the board. The students were as engaged as I have ever had them in a lecture, and given the content we were discussing, I never would have expected them to be hooked. But they listened all hour, either curious to hear the outcome or curious to see if I could actually pull off the connection (Nan Britton wrote the first "tell all" book, about her alleged affair with the President, thus opening the door for all of Tiger's lady friends to get rich off of their text messages).
I didn't find too much in this week's text that I myself could apply in the classroom. Hypotheses don't really lend themselves to history, at least not at this stage, when students are trying to retain information as opposed to exploring in-depth research. That said, I think that the idea behind using a hypothesis in the classroom is a good one, especially after I tried using mysteries to make the lessons stick.
I do think that it would be fun to have students develop their own hypotheses and explore them in historical research, but that would require extensive direction on my part. I plan on doing several mini-assignments using sources online to see how this could work, such as the American Memory at the Library of Congress website, which offers a massive primary source collection.
I believe that the key in using hypotheses in the classroom lies in getting the students excited about exploring something new on their own. The best way to do this is to relate it to experiences they have had or events they are familiar with. My hope is that through those, hypothesizing can become more useful in my classroom.
Moodle Presentation
14 years ago
I was intrigued when you tied Nan in with Tiger Woods. I am glad you gave me the answer. I agree that tieing things into lectures is a really affective learning tool.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of hypothesis I am a physical education teacher and really the only way to test hypothesis is through guided discovery. I just actually while I was sitting here typing had an idea about how I could tie hypothesis into my p.e. class.
I agree 100 percent that hypothesis is all about getting the kids excited about the content and testing to see what works.
Adam-
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some good points and I can see how creating a hypothesis is a difficult task when it comes to social studies being that history is a fact with very little room for guesses. For me this is easier to put into perspective being that I teach reading/writing and science. The most valuable piece is getting the students attention and creating the desire to learn it does not matter which theory you use as long as it is successful.
I think using hypotheses in the classroom can get students hooked and engaged. So many of my students come to my room after science class and they are so excited about the lab or activity that they just completed. Using the hypotheses strategy in other content areas can engage students and allow them to make predictions and assumptions based on their prior experiences. After the investigation is complete hopefully their new learning will be attached to their prior knowledge and can be used in the future.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there would be a way to implement historical simulations in the classroom. Would it be possible to create a situation in which students were "blinded" to a historical situation by giving them situations in which to react that parallel the true history. Then run the simulation by gathering data about how they think the rest of the story goes or how they would react as players in the time of the historical event. Then after the simulationis run, the true events could be revealed and discussion could commence about the how, what, why and how of the historical event. Just a neophyte thought...
ReplyDeleteThat's not a bad idea. The key would be giving them their roles ahead of time and pointing them in the direction of how they should act. A colleague does a simulation in which the students have to prevent World War I and I think it works pretty well.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to making our ideas or concepts stick. In kindergarten we focus a great deal on sight, color and number words. In the past I have had a hard time with my students learning these words, "making them stick." I found this great website, Wholebrainteaching.com , which has a multitude of resources. One of them is Biffytoons, a brain activating way to teach sight words with movements. Their are also great resources on letter sounds, and math and strategies for all subject matter and all grade levels, even college. It is a way to make STICK-Y, less ICK-Y. :)
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