Studying effective teachers. Part 3

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." - Confucius

I have been continuing my observations at Goshen Middle School in an 8th grade US History class. I continue to be impressed with my teacher and how she works to make history real and relevant to her students. My teacher seems to be the most effective when she brings the students out of their seats and has them "doing" things.

Yesterday in class she had a wonderful study session planned. Her students were taking a test on the 13 original colonies the next day and to help them prepare she put together 13 study stations around the room. These stations all focused on one important concept they would need to know. My teacher used maps, diagrams, charts, and other tangibles at each station. During the course of the class period each student had to move through each station. They also had to have their worked checked before they could move on.

The simple fact that they were not sitting in desks all day helped to make the study session effective. Students can become very restless when they are stuck in a small space for extended periods of time. The hands on aspects also kept the students engaged. It was a great class period!