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(in a rich learning environment)
OBJECTIVES: Students learn to construct their own meaning and follow their own interests to learn and create. They develop intrinsic motivation and self-direction. The teacher will try to resist the urge to "teach" and instead ask genuine questions of working students and look for ways to capture the imagination and interest of any who are uninvolved.
MATERIALS: This is a very intensive materials model, but exactly what you will need depends on your objective and what you have available. A fully equipped kindergarten room, a fully stocked hands-on math program, a public zoo or beach, or an array of electrical components would be examples of the materials needed for IMMERSION . There must be plenty for each child to explore and experiment.
PLANNING: The planning is often driven by the materials that a classroom teacher has available, or by arranging a field trip, The teacher arranges the materials in such a way as to invite exploration. Sometimes this means that he or she creates something out of some of the materials and leaves it to be discovered. Sometimes the teacher creates open-ended questions to be found around the room, such as "what do you think would happen if. . . .?" Sometimes the teacher plans a focus question or challenge, such as, "With all the materials I have laid out, who can find a way to build a bridge across this paper river Iíve laid on the floor?"
STEPS OF THE MODEL
| SET
Usually students are not told what they are supposed to do, but at the
start of an immersion lesson the teacher often presents or negotiates guidelines
for safety and sharing and preservation of durable materials.
LESSON 1. Students are given the freedom to explore the rich environment for a long time. The teacher does not give directions (unless there is an original guiding question or challenge). EXAMPLE: Kindergarteners play with any of the toys, art materials and centers in their classroom, or 4th-graders spend an afternoon by a creek in a redwood forest or at a public beach. 2. The teacher functions as "guide on the side." His or her main roles are: *Helps students solve their own problems by reflective questioning *Sees that safety, sharing, and preservation guidelines are followed *Asks real questions of students as they work or wander. These should not be questions to which the teacher already knows the answer, such as, "what is this shell called?" They should be genuine questions to stimulate their exploration, such as, "Where are you thinking youíll go next?" or "Why did you build the circuit with this wire going over here?" or "Has anybody figured out how to each lunch without getting sand in it?" 4. There is some kind of reporting about activities and learnings. This might be individual, as in writing or drawing in a journal, or it might be publicly showing the end results, or telling or writing what was learned. If all students have created products, there could be time for all students to tour the room to see whatís been done. |
EVALUATION:
It is not possible to fully
evaluate all of the learning that takes place in IMMERSION. The model is
build on faith and trust in childrenís innate desire to learn and grow,
given a nurturing environment. We can, however, ask students to reflect
on what they do during the "choice time," as in response journals.
NOTE: IMMERSIONís long range
effect may be strengthened by pairing it with some version of another model:
PLAN-DO-REVIEW.