Last week in
my student teaching placement we had a global trade simulation. We've been
watching a movie and discussing things a lot lately, so this was a nice change
of pace. And the kids loved it.
I mean they
LOVED it.
It was actually
quite a lot of just to watch these kids running around, climbing on chairs,
yelling over each other stock exchange-style just so they could import and
export enough to meet their quotas and overcome the trade restrictions. Our
Ghana team was over the moon when they figured out they could buy oil and then
resell it to the nations with embargoes against Saudi Arabia at a premium. Fist
bumping occurred.
We don't
spent a lot of time lecturing, but that just makes me wonder all the more if
flipping would be feasible for my econ classroom. The lectures and lessons
do not really seem hard to turn into videos or podcasts and that could free up
class time to focus on what is most important in economics: practice and application.
The
presentation we had from veteran teacher Jonathan Thomas-Palmer not only made
me regret not taking physics when I was a student at the high school he taught
at, but also made me think a lot about what goes on in my classroom at my
placement.
One thing
that tends to take a lot of time in our econ class is going over the study
guide. Though students are meant to fill it out as they read the chapter for
homework, they usually have so many questions about things they didn’t
understand when we review it in class that it must feel like doing the
assignment twice. But if we move the lecture out of the classroom and align it
with the bookwork, it might actually give us more time to go over the concepts
in the first place rather than trying to fit all the information into the class
period alongside the simulations and real-world application.
Yeah, let's not be like him...
There are so
many things to be taught in economics these days, from foundations and micro to
macroeconomics, policy, and personal finance. It is tough to go over everything
as well as it deserves. But with planning, the flipping method would allow for
clearer and more focused lesson at home with the interactive elements taking
center stage at school.
I worry a
bit about the digital divide. Of course Jon would not have had a problem with
students not being able to watch at home back where I’m from, but now, as a
grad student, the internet I depend upon is not as reliable. Having the
connection and technology might be a bigger problem in other places. On the
other hand, it could be a way to connect students to learning. Many kids already
spend a lot of time watching online videos. Many businesses and entertainment
outlets have started to reach out to them, so why not education? I think with
some experience, the kids might like that too.
I have a really great mental image of your students in the global trade simulation and it makes me SO HAPPY!! I sometimes picture our AIC kids are doing the same thing. A girl can dream...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the study guide is something you will continue to use when you take the class over or if you will try something different? It seems to me that you are already thinking about the ways you can change the classroom this spring and make it more of yours (not that it isn't currently pretty great, I know you have an awesome SecMac MT!). Have you thought, specifically, about how your class might change? I'm curious only because I have not but would love to hear how others are! Maybe we'll think about this more when we are there every day in January...
I'm glad you are still thinking about the digital divide - it's real and important and I hope none of us ever forget about it!
I'm sure that is how our AIC kids act all the time! At least they would if they were all in one room together.
DeleteMy mentor teacher has mentioned that she would like to do more formative assessment and replace some of the study guides with reading quizzes to mix up what the students do (and give us less to grade). Those ideas have me thinking about how much more time it could give us and what we can do with it. More concept formation? More simulations? More discussion? You have me thinking again.
And on the digital divide: one of my students has the same free AT&T phone I do, so I know that at least one of my students isn't all fancy... but they probably do have internet at home.
Love it. I'm right there with Eliza. It seems like it would be a wonderful simulation of global markets. I like the logical extension when countries realize they can manipulate/exploit loopholes in embargoes to their own benefits. I wonder what would happen if, say, the US did something like that! I mean, not that they would...just hypothetical. It could be an interesting experiment to let the activity continue a bit longer and see what situations lead to wars.
ReplyDelete