Shawn Starcher

Some of my students have had the hardest time developing their critical thinking skills in my classes. Many are so used to being "spoon-fed" the info and then regurgitate it back to a teacher. Some of my most rewarding and frustrating interactions have been with students who are trying desperately not to think so hard! It is a real-world skill that will allow them to discern what is important and valuable in the world of work and in their own lives as they navigate social media and the political world of today. Finally, I feel that PBL is my favorite… >>>

Traditional classroom environments (F2F) make it much easier to implement active learning. Online teaching requires much more planning in order to allow for the flow of instruction to include active learning strategies. When doing these active strategies online, it is important to note that our learners will do them in the following format: Reading, reflective writing, displaying, doing. I really loved the idea of students finding places and examples of things (the health class example with the defibrillators) and posting those in the course. Finally, I agree that rubrics are a teacher's best friend! Everyone is starting out on… >>>

Some of the limitations and misconceptions do not apply to my situation in that I am a secondary teacher and my students cannot simply withdraw from a class if they do not want to participate in a meaningful way. We also do not have an effective LMS established at this time so I am unsure as to how I will be able to effectively implement and facilitate active learning for my students. 

The shift from the "sage on the stage" to the "coach" can be a difficult one for many teachers. I know that I have struggled with some of those aspects, especially in reference to the rigor and amount of content that I am expected to cover in my AP classes. I often find that I lecture too much and that I struggle to pause and add effective active learning opportunities for my students as I often fear I will not cover all of the curriculum. Striking an effective balance between curricular demands and reflective student engagement is a balancing act… >>>