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Modeling Epiphany

(My latest modeling project, Cub timeline)


I used to ask myself all of the time what is the most important thing I do in the classroom?   Things like communication, preparation, classroom management, delivery, and relationships are common things I would think about.  But then it hit me,  getting the kids excited to learn is just as or more important.  And what better way to get students excited about they are doing than showing them that I am just as excited as they are?  Modeling is turning into my new best friend.  It’s been amazing.  I get to spend time creating and sharing my excitement with my students (see above).  As a result, my students have been super excited to create and share with each other and with their parents on Seesaw.  I tried to come up with a creative way to share my Seesaw app from my classroom on the blog but really wasn't able to because of privacy.
               While I didn’t think my epiphany was anything super original, I was curious to see if I was on to something.  Turns out Albert Bandura was a little quicker to the punch that I was.  And when I think about it, we learn virtually everything watching and mimicking.   His ideas about imitation and motivation were sort of what I was getting at.  When my students see how excited I am about creating something new, they in turn often get just as excited to get started to learn and create something of their own. 

 I do have to be a bit careful that the students use my modeling as motivation instead of imitation.  Other than that, it's a great tool I use as much as possible.  



Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 21, 2018 at 12:12 PM

    Hi, Jason,
    This sounds similar to my thought process, almost identical. It is so important for students to see you modeling and creating along with them. Like you said, they become more motivated and engaged through their own learning when they see you learning.
    Lauren Lingle

    ReplyDelete

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