"Strategic Modeling: Balancing Structure with Choice" by Joshua Block on Edutopia
I am enjoying reading the Edutopia RSS feed more than any of my other subscriptions on my Feedly account. I found this blog entry by a high school teacher named Joshua Block today and I could really relate to it. In this blog entry Mr. Block explains how he has come to terms with being a facilitator helping students come to their own conclusions and solve their own problems through modeling for them effective problem solving strategies. As a teacher at the college level, I strive to not just give my dental hygiene students answers to their questions, and instead give them guidance and help them come to the answer themselves. Sometimes this is easier said than done though.
Mr. Block gives some examples of how to practice what he refers to as "strategic modeling" with students. One way to do this is to "model thinking" for students using a sample problem. I do something similar to this when we work through clinical case scenarios as a class. Before the students have to complete case studies on their own I show them how to effectively work through the process and answer questions along the way. Another activity Block shares that may be effective is for students to share their work with others. Students can learn a lot from their peers and if the teacher points out strong points in student's work it can be a model for other students in their work also.
I think it is important for instructors in every discipline to model problem solving strategies as well as professional behavior. The students do watch us, and we have to remember that we are always "on stage."
Article Citation:
Joshua Block. (2013, October 28). Strategic Modeling: Balancing Structure with Choice. www.edutopia.org. Retrieved October 29, 2013 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategic-modeling-balancing-structure-choice-joshua-block
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