My best structured learning experience? I began my teaching career in 2001 and have thus had too many learning experiences than I can list, or even remember! For 18 years I have primarily been a Woodwork teacher and due to its obvious nature of safety concerns, structure is built into every lesson, demonstration, activity, and simply every minute of every class. However, I am not going to talk about these classes. Rather, I will discuss a structured learning experience I had around 15 years ago while teaching an English 9 class.
As this was many years ago, my memory isn’t perfect for the entire lesson, or even the main purpose of the lesson, to be honest. The lesson structure was designed to encompass the interwoven curricular topics presented in class that year as an engaging cumulative lesson. I intertwined themes or aspects of literature analysis, parts of speech, literary genres, Shakespeare, poetry, art, media literacy and other prescribed learning objectives within various platforms for the students to make their connections. As I got to know the students quite well throughout the year, I was able to take their interests in music, art, literature and even sports as the medium to interlink these connections.
Some of these connections were just at face value to engage them into the lesson with easier success, and other connections were deeper woven with imagery or even an abstract pun. Like I said, this was 15 years ago so I do not remember all of the media I used for these connections, or even what the connections were. However, I do recall a few. For example, I played the song Flight of Icarus by Iron Maiden as there were a few metal fans in class. I had the lyrics up on the projector screen for students to follow along. Then I presented the poem Musee des Beaux Artes by W.H. Auden in which there is a reference to Breughel’s Icarus, and followed that with a picture of the actual Fall of Icarus painting by Breughel.
Students were truly engaged in this structured learning experience as the lesson revolved around their interests at the core. The strategies I used throughout the lesson enabled all learning styles to be met, not just simply for the visual or auditory learner. At times the focus was strictly on one style, other times there was a mixture of learning styles being employed. Group activities were designed for the social learners and independent work for the solitary learners. There were reading and writing activities, and even some physical moving around the room for those kinesthetic learners. The 74 minute class was packed with activity from bell to bell with such engagement that it felt like a 20 minute class.
I used this example to describe as it was such a departure from the norm of my regular routines as primarily a woodwork teacher. This was a full-year course whereas my shop classes were only by the term or semester so I had a completely different relationship with these students. This was a safe, welcoming environment where every student felt comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions, and encouraged to do so. If these personal connections were not established, no level of structured learning plan could have had such positive, engaging results.