When reading this section of teaching with a sense of urgency, the saying quality over quantity kept coming to mind. It is very important that each lesson is presented to them in a way that is fun and beneficial to each student. There is a limited amount of time you have with each student during school and it is important to utilize this time in a effective way. With my students being on "life" track for school it is important that lessons are providing skills to help them prepare for life.
The lessons need to be relate-able and all topics are chosen with consideration of the age gap and ability levels within the classroom. When topics are chosen it is important to include hands on activities for the students to participate in and relate to. One of the last topics we did was about traditions. It was a lot of fun for students to share their own traditions with pictures they brought from home. With the students being able to share this the meaning of "tradition" made more sense to them and they were able to work on their social skills through sharing stories with the class.
Allowing my students to relate and lessons they are wanting to learn more and are excited to interact with the various lessons. I love seeing the students become excited over a new lesson. With setting high expectations for the students they begin to put forth more effort and enjoy what they are doing as well.
Amy, I love how you are always making sure your lessons are supporting the underlying goal of teaching them life skills so that they can one day be more self-sufficient and successful adults. It sounds like you do a good job making sure your lessons are geared towards their wants and needs. I would love to hear about their traditions. I was thankful to be a part of the survey they conducted before Thanksgiving. I would love to come see the results soon! Great blog!
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