One of the ways in Physical Education that we try to devlop content literacy is by bringing the "real world" in to the classroom. We do this by inviting guest speakers to talk to our students about their area of expertise. In the past, we've brought in someone to teach Karate and Zumba. This semester, we are bringing in our Student Resource Officer. Because Human Reproduction is a part of our requirements for the freshmen we teach, our SRO will come and speak to our students about the Laws surrounding the topic of Sex.
While the SRO speaks to the students, they have an opportunity to learn new vocabulary. Many times students have not heard terms like "Criminal Sexual Conduct" or "Age of Consent". This, in turn, helps students with comprehension of new material as they begin to understand more fully what each of the new terms that are presented to them means.
The book, "50 Intructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy" states that "the application of academic knowledge to real-world situations can be transformative in the lives of our students" (Fisher, Brozo, Frey, & Ivey, p. 38). We have found this to be true in our PE classes as we bring in guest speakers to teach our students and peak their interest.
Have you found this to be true in your classes?
This was the book section that peaked my interest most, but I admit I have been hesitant of doing guest speakers with the Theater 1 Class. I'll take a closer look at the book and maybe it will give me the courage to move forward with the idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to address a difficult topic. I think that every once in a students need to see that the things we are discussing in class are real to people out side the school and not just to a few crazy grown-ups who dress funny. :)
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