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1
Barbara Leach
October 30, 2009
plagiarism.” (www.iimresearch.com) Our first through fourth grade students recently
used the IIM approach to learning by researching their classroom “animal” mascots. Not
only did they enjoy the research process, they learned a lot of interesting facts along the
way. The end result was a presentation by each class to their entire grade level on
everything they had learned about their particular animal or mascot figure. This approach
will help them as they become more sophisticated in their topics of interest and research.
It is an empowering means of learning for the students. It is a building block to future
learning. I find this approach very refreshing, as students are eager to learn and are
involved first-hand in the process.
Collaborative learning
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Barbara Leach
October 30, 2009
the groups will be limited or small as compared to the size of their homerooms. The
teacher will act as the coach or facilitator. The use of the students’ internet skills will be
a key component to their study and research. They must work together cooperatively in
order to succeed and to reach their end result.
Coaching and mentoring takes place in many forms. Techniques of coaching and
mentoring include “responsive listening, open-ended questioning, descriptive and
constructive feedback, and clarification through nonjudgmental responses and reactions”.
(Mills, 2006) When a new teacher joins the staff at my school, an experienced teacher in
their same grade level mentors him or her, or if he/she is a “Special Subject” teacher (art,
ballet, music, P.E., science, Spanish) they are mentored by another “Special Subject” peer
for the first year. Students are coached and mentored as well, although not in such an
obvious manner. If they are new to the school, they are paired with a buddy who has
attended the school for at least a couple of years, and perhaps even lives close by, to
acclimate them to their new environment. This enables the faculty and students alike to
settle into their new environment and prosper as they figure out the routines, procedures,
customs, personalities and system of their new school and teaching/learning environment.
It is an extremely beneficial practice. Our educators and students alike are learning
through coaching and mentoring. There is a lot to be said for learning by example.
It is important for students to be active learners. They must learn to think critically and
figure things out for themselves. Teachers should be facilitators in the classroom, instead
of traditional teachers who simply regurgitate information each day while students sit in
rows of desks and work independently without having a chance to collaborate and work
with their peers. It is an exciting time to be a teacher. It is an even more exciting time to
be a student.
References:
http://www.iimresearch.com/iim/index.php
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Barbara Leach
October 30, 2009
Mills, Steven C. (2006) Using the Internet for Active Teaching and Learning. Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.