| Teacher Interview: Question 12: What works in an
introduction? |
Conclusion: 96% (24) of 25 teachers described 25 methods they had used to
introduce the loans. 28% (7) of these methods used questions in the introduction. A
further 20% (5) of these methods involved "showing" the objects to the students
- which teachers observed was enough to inspire their interest.
Other introductions involved: giving prior information (16%); connecting the loans to
an activity or students' own initiatives (12%); handling the loans (8%); observational
drawing of the loans (8%); brainstorming around the loans (4%) and connecting the loans in
some way to students' previous personal experience (4%).
By understanding some of the ways in which objects are introduced to students by
teachers, loans and supporting material can be designed to support best practise.
Summary of findings:
There were 25 responses from 24 teachers. The introductions
highlighted the following categories of activity:
- · 28% (7) of the answers highlighted the use of questions in an introduction: Teachers
B, J, K, L, M, O and V.
- · 20% (5) of the answers highlighted showing and looking at something different:
Teachers C, D, E, I and S.
- · 16% (4) of the answers highlighted giving information or experience prior to using
the loans: Teachers P, R, W and X.
- · 12% (3) of the answers highlighted the connection of the loans to a related activity
or students' personal initiative: Teachers A, Q and U.
- · 8% (2) of the answers highlighted touching the objects: Teachers F and Y.
- · 8% (2) of the answers highlighted observational drawing: Teachers H, J and R.
- 4% (1) of the answers highlighted brainstorming in an introduction: Teacher G.
- · 4% (1) of the answers highlighted tying the loans in with the students' personal
experience: Teacher N.
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| Teacher Interview: Question 12: Individual Answers: |
Key: A "user" is a school that already uses the loan
service. A "non-user" is a school that does not currently use the loan service.
1. Teacher A: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
We talk about what is going to be available as a staff. The artefacts are out for
several weeks. They are introduced when they are relevant to an activity or when a child
becomes interested in working with them.
2. Teacher B: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Asking questions. Getting children to ask questions. Showing just one artefact and
asking what it is, etc. as a model of how they can hopefully look at them on their own in
a similar way.
3. Teacher C: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Just having something "different" is enough.
4. Teacher D: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Something unusual, not obvious, that will intrigue them.
5. Teacher E: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
There is not an awful lot in the introduction except to show them the artefacts. They
find out for themselves.
6. Teacher F: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
That the children have their own exploration. That they get to touch. This time the
objects were introduced towards the end of the topic. At the beginning, they would have
meant nothing.
7. Teacher G: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Brainstorming ideas around the object. Discussion and ideas just come from one thing -
it captures the imagination. They looked at the pilot's silk maps and wondered why they
hadn't used paper. During reading time they read the "Post" magazines from the
WWII loan.
8. Teacher H: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Observational drawing. It gets them looking closely.
9. Teacher I: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Taking things out of the boxes is enough! I had them for two days in the class before
I opened them and the suspense was killing them!
10. Teacher J: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Basing the work on the children's own questions. First of all, we explain what we are
going to cover in a topic and we explore what we know already. Gradually, the loans that
support the topic are introduced to the class. The loans are put out for the children to
look at and then the children are given time to look at them and work out all the things
they want to find out. I add it to my plans for the term. The children will draw all the
objects and label them.
11. Teacher K: User: Primary
What works in an introduction?
(In observation) If I get the children to work out their own questions then the are
motivated to discover the answers.
12. Teacher L: User: Primary
What process have you found works best with the students in an introduction?
Questioning and handling. What do they think the objects they are holding are? The
artefacts are never used cold. We will always have done some work on the topic beforehand.
They are then used in that context.
13. Teacher M: Non-user: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Quickly move around the tables explaining the instructions (questions to follow which
are also on written sheets on the table for each student). It is different with whole
class teaching. There is a maximum use of material in small groups.
14. Teacher N: Non-user: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Talking about personal experience. Tying the loans in with your own and their own
personal experiences: "Who has walked along a beach..." Also making comparisons
is a good introduction. I used the shells they had collected during our week in Cornwall
as a starting point for introducing the large shells. They were amazed by them.
15. Teacher O: Non-user: Primary
What works in an introduction?
I don't say "This is a...". I begin with asking the children "What do
we think this is?" to inspire their own questions.
16. Teacher P: Non-user: Primary
What works in an introduction?
Give a small amount of information and create an eagerness to learn more.
17. Teacher Q: User: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
Talking about their own curiosity. We focus on whatever it is they are responding to -
their own initial response which varies.
18. Teacher R: User: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
I supply them with lots of information and background knowledge. Observational
drawing.
19. Teacher S: User: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
I liked the laminated sheets with the prints. They were useful to give to different
groups to look at with the original in the introduction.
20. Teacher T: User: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
The teaching staff set the scene.
21. Teacher U: User: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
Talk about looking and relating it to the activity they will be doing.
22. Teacher V: Non-user: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
Layers of inference. So you say first of all "What do you think is happening in
this picture?" The students describe what is happening in the picture and as they do
"warm up". I would ask "Is there anything odd about it?" and
"What questions does it lead you to ask". You can then go deeper and deeper into
the meaning of the object.
23. Teacher W: Non-user: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
A small group introduction is more in depth than a whole class introduction. They have
had 4 weeks on Native American society, living places, and the first meeting with the
white man. So they have some background to what they are seeing.
24. Teacher X: Non-user: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
Because they were used at the end of the study, they were allowed to explore the
artefacts for themselves.
25. Teacher Y: Non-user: Secondary
What works in an introduction?
What we're going to do this afternoon - touch and interpret. With the real thing, the
primary object, ideas come better with objects.
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