Looking for strategies and ways to engage your students and create an interactive classroom? Look no further than Joe and Kristin Merrill’s book The InterACTIVE Class: Using Technology to Make Learning More Relevant and Engaging in the Elementary Classroom.
Technology has become more and more important through the past decade for student engagement in the classroom. Technology continues to advance and educators are finding new ways to integrate technology to accommodate our students’ learning needs in the 21st century. Merrill et al. (2020) explain “Innovative learning never stops, and educators need to ensure that their teaching practices keep up, because this next generation’s innovative spirit is already being felt. Educators need to adjust” (p. 7). Technology is not going away and teachers should use it to our advantage to motivate and engage our students. In the book, The InterACTIVE Class, husband and wife, Joe and Kristin Merrill share many engaging and powerful strategies to create an interactive classroom where learning becomes more authentic and fun!
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn”. I believe that this quote is not only true for our students, but for ourselves as adults, too. Students and adults both learn and retain information better when we are actively engaged and involved in the learning.
In Chapter 3 of The InterACTIVE Class, Joe and Kristin Merrill describe the interACTIVE teaching method as having 5 components using the acronym PIVOT.
Prepare > Innovate > Visualize > Observe > Troubleshoot
To prepare, teachers will need to take time to plan and prepare the interACTIVE learning space. This may involve getting rid of things that are typically used in the traditional classroom. “You need to prepare your classroom for collaborative and cooperative work and create specific spaces designed for student-centered learning” (Merrill et al., 2020, p. 23). Teachers should consider the needs of their students when preparing their interACTIVE classroom.
Next, teachers should build innovative experiences for their students by incorporating more than a textbook or traditional materials in a classroom. “Your goal is to give students responsibility and choice in their learning environment and lessons, while also guiding them through the implementation and monitoring of the structure” (Merrill et al., 2020, p. 24).
When planning a new and innovative lesson for your students, it is important to visualize every aspect of the lesson to be sure it will go the way you envision. Lessons turn out better when they are carefully thought out, including thinking about if students will be sitting or moving around during the lesson, how you will incorporate students’ interests into the lesson, and how long each activity in the lesson might take.
The role of the teacher during the interACTIVE lesson is to observe then reflect on the observations. “Reflecting naturally leads you back to preparing a new lesson based on what you observed” (Merrill et al., 2020, p. 24). Reflecting on successes, struggles, what students are saying, doing, and maybe feeling as they work is an integral part of the interACTIVE learning process. For growth to occur, teachers much reflect on their practices and student behaviors.
The final part of the PIVOT acronym includes troubleshooting, because anytime you allow students to be leaders of their own learning, comes struggle. I attended a professional development one time where we learned about the importance of productive struggle. Students need to learn how to overcome obstacles and how to persevere through problems they may encounter.
Merrill et al. (2020) describe “The cycle of preparing, innovating, visualizing, observing, and troubleshooting will continue to revolve--and evolve--as you acquire new skills, more modern learning tools, and improved ways to teach this new generation of learners” (p.26).
Joe and Kristin Merrill give many amazing ideas and ways to make your classroom interACTIVE in their book and also on their blog, @TheMerrillsEDU. In Chapter 5, they discuss ways to empower students through the interACTIVE class by creating meaningful relationships with students by incorporating “birthday books”, teacher postcards, team building activities, positive referrals, and more. In Chapter 6, they talk about including parents in the interACTIVE class. Parents want to be involved in their child’s education. Ideas that are mentioned include “teacher magnets” with contact information, weekly newsletters, and video updates. These ideas open the communication between the parents and teacher and build a positive relationship. (Merrill et al., 2020, pgs. 43-60)
In the second half of the book, the husband and wife duo share many engaging apps and lessons to use in the classroom. Some of the apps I have never heard of and can’t wait to explore and try with my students. Flipgrid, Seesaw, Buncee, and Thinglink were among the abundance of apps and resources that were shared.
References
Merrill, J., Merrill, K., & Miller, C. (2020). The interactive class: using technology to make learning more relevant and engaging in the elementary class. Elevatebooksedu.
@TheMerrillsEDU Resources. (2020). @TheMerrillsEDU. https://www.themerrillsedu.com/resources-1
Brittney,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post, and I enjoyed the reading the text as well. I feel it provided a plethora of useful, interactive resources that are relevant now more than ever. Students need meaningful opportunities to "interact" in their classrooms, and Merrill et al. (2020) did a fabulous job explaining how that can be implemented within a classroom.
It is great that discussed chapter 3 because the "PIVOT" acronym was a section within that chapter that I highlighted as well. Merrill et al.(2020) did a wonderful job discussing that strategy and how it can be implemented within the classroom. According to Merrill et al." don't be afraid of making a mistake or messing up. Embrace those opportunities" (p.26). I believe that quote is so powerful because so many educators often feel they are "messing" up and "making mistakes" when really that is all part of the learning process. Similarly, Woodley et al.(2017) explains that challenges will always exist no matter the method of teaching, the important idea is to remember to "celebrate" students, and make learning fun and engaging (p.470).
I think the biggest takeaway from the text was to make learning fun and interactive like the title suggests. It is especially important that educators continue to grow and move with the advances, especially in the areas of technology.
Great post Brittney!
References
Merrill, J., Merrill, K., & Miller, C. (2020). The interactive class : using technology to make learning more relevant and engaging in the elementary class. Elevatebooksedu.
Woodley, X., Hernandez, C., Parra, J., & Negash, B. (2017). Celebrating difference: Best practices in culturally responsive teaching online. TechTrends, 61(5), 470–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0207-z
I loved reading your post!
ReplyDeleteWhat was the most interesting to me was that everything that you were describing (from a book about the elementary classroom) could be used in the secondary classroom! The reason that I did not choose that book was that it was labeled "elementary". I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover!
In the PIVOT acronym, the P stands for "prepare the classroom". In my book study selection, "Teach Boldly: Using EdTech for Social Good", Williams (2019) talked about creating a "Human centered learning environment" (p. 67). Williams (2019) continued, "A message of 'I see you, I am happy you are here, and you matter to me' can make all the difference who is unsure the world is taking notice" (p. 74). So designing the space is hugely important!
So much of what you described in your post sounded a lot like what I am researching for my other course this semester. Even though I am looking specifically at online learning, it is fascinating to me the parallels that can be drawn between online and face-to-face learning, despite how different they are. Muirhead (2005) suggested that instructors need the proficiency to design course structures that encourage social interaction and uphold demanding academic principals, while nurturing self-governing learning skills" (as cited in Baber, 2020, p. 286). So, whether classes are online or in person, learning spaces must be properly designed to support the learning that will take place there!
References:
Williams, J. (2019). Teach Boldly: Using EdTech for Social Good. ISTE.
Baber, H. (2020). Determinants of students’ perceived learning outcome and satisfaction in online learning during the pandemic of COVID-19. Journal of Education and E-learning Research, 7(3), 285–292. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.73.285.292
Hey Brittney! I can not wait to purchase this book! With all that's going on, learning how to have in interactive classroom is crucial yet rewarding! In my opinion the best part of learning how to be interactive is the opportunity to get creative and the opportunity for our students to be engaged! According to Jenna Copper, "Gone are the days when the teacher was the only one allowed to draw on the touch-screen device. Let students manipulate content using their fingers or pens. Online games like Quizlet, Socratic and Kahoot! become even more fun when played at super size"(2018). I loved when you implemented Benjamin Franklin's quote, "Tell me and I'll forget, Show me and I'll remember." That quote is so accurate to what we deal with daily. In my classroom, I'm never the only one talking and teaching. I give my students an opportunity to come and show their work on the promethean board (wiping the pen with a Clorox wipe after each use) and I automatically notice that they understand when I am not the only one talking and teaching. Loved reading your blog! Great work!
ReplyDeleteReferences
Jenna Copper on February 16, 2. (2020, July 16). Using Interactive Projectors to Increase Student Engagement. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.weareteachers.com/interactive-projectors-increase-student-engagement/
Aminah Long
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