The Application of Content standard inspires teachers to make real-world connections by demonstrating real-world problems within their instruction. This standard is significant because teachers help students comprehend how to apply their knowledge to situations outside of their classroom. Connecting instruction to local, national, and global issues help broaden students’ knowledge about their world. For students to properly engage with their world, they need to be encouraged to use cross-disciplinary skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and communication. Instruction with cross-disciplinary skills will keep students engaged and form their own opinions about real-world situations.
I demonstrate this strand using problem-based instruction, real-world examples while teaching basic mathematic skills, and using the classroom as an example of how a compassionate community functions.
Problem-based Learning
Rather than using direct teaching methods, students are given a problem to solve through problem-based learning to learn about the main concepts. First, the student is given a problem, then they will identify what they need to know, and finally, they will learn to apply and solve the problem. During my time student teaching, we asked a local news anchor to come to speak to the students about their careers. He talked about the details and duties he had as a news anchor. Next, the local news anchor presented the students with a task to create a news report based on a popular book or fairy tale using cause and effect. I put students into groups to collaborate with their peers on what parts and aspects they needed to create a news report. The final result was students read a story to each other, created a script, assigned character parts, and used the Flipgrid application to record their broadcast.
Real-World Examples for Mathematics
When teaching mathematics, I create word problems or examples that students in our area can relate to. Creating real-life mathematics problems that include situations that students live and experience can help students recall prior knowledge, influence students’ understanding, and help transfer knowledge. For example, the students learned about adding decimals during my student teaching. The students were given a budget based on the amount of money they had “earned” working at a local store in town. The working wage they were given was based on the local minimum wage. The students were then given the task of looking through a local retail sale ad to purchase what items they thought were a necessity.
Classroom Community
Fostering a community atmosphere in the classroom is essential. Students learn
to take care of their learning space, materials, and peers. Classroom jobs are a way for students to take care of their classroom. Jobs give them a sense of purpose and responsibility. Students are very excited to have a classroom job and carry out their duties with pride at a young age. In my mentor teacher’s classroom, she assigned students with jobs such as teacher assistant, IT (helps students with Chromebook issues), herbologist (waters the plants), marine biologist (feeds the fish), and janitor (helps keep the classroom tidy). Once students were assigned jobs, they were given descriptions of how these careers support the community. Students must see that all careers enhance a community, and no job is less important than the other.