Response to Rachel's Pedagogy Piece - Week 5

From Rachel's Pedagogy Piece - Week 5

The exercise on pages 72-74 in The Writing Experiment made me think of all the uses of collage in the high school classroom. Everyday, we ask the students to collage by taking bits of information needed to pass a test. We ask them to paste the bits according to no real categories at all, but instead how it will be presented on the test. But, what if we asked them to collage in order to create their own relationship between literary periods, terms, and ideas? A collage to me, and in this exercise, is a way to take things you do not understand and arrange them in a way that gives it meaning to you. What a great solution for the cram sessions and study sheets we make for the students. Next week, we are preparing for the Georgia High School Writing Test. Due to this exercise, I'm thinking how I can apply this to analytical writing. I could have students cut out images and words that will give them a visual image of what they are being asked to do on the writing test. Perhaps some will relate to this relevant exercise.

**************************

I think Rachel has a great idea and I would love to know how it works in her classroom. It would definitely be a great way to differentiate her classroom. A collage would help reach those students who are visual and kinesthetic learners but I would still have a traditional study guide or activity for those students who are auditory learners. Perhaps, separating the class into groups (even giving the students a choice of which group to join) would be best. Setting up three stations. If no one chooses a station, then it will just make the teacher's job easier. This way all learning styles are being integrated into a review session and students will feel less stressed because they had a choice in how they were reviewing.

For my small group, special education students a collage is a very good way to go. Many of my students work best with a hand's on approach but they would need more teacher guidance than a general education classroom. I would probably have to model the collage for the class, then do a class collage, and then my students would be able to work individually on their own collage.

Rachel - if you try this let me know. I would like to see how it worked out for your general education students. I could always take what you do and break it down to work for my smaller groups.