BLOG Consider the elements of ‘SITE’ and the needs of your learners or audience(s). How does SITE apply to you as a learner?
The SITE model is a powerful lens for viewing learners through. As I get to know my students this year, I am learning about their sociocultural subcontext. I’m beginning to know who they are friends with, what types of hobbies and sports they enjoy, and the powerful influence of their families in their school success. A lot of this information is difficult to learn because I teach so many students (164 this year) and the fact that I see them only 3 times a week, and some only online. It is really challenging, but I put time into getting to know them individually. Recently I asked them to fill out a survey for me and along with some silly, fun questions I also asked them who their hero was. I got a little teary eyed reading their answers because so many of my kids put their moms as their hero. They said their moms worked so hard and took such good care of them that they saw their moms as heroes. I also asked them what motivated them to do hard things and again most of them said their parents because they see their parents working hard to help the family. Students said they want to get good grades and do hard things to make their parents proud of them. I felt a big, beautiful wave of sociocultural subcontext wash over me. I teach really wonderful people. I also get very frustrated for them because I see the technical subcontext that is making school difficult for some of them right now. Even with the availability of hot spots, I have students that get dropped from calls or their computers take forever to load our lessons. They are so faithfully trying to be engaged but some days the wifi issue is just a huge obstacle when they are at home. When the wifi is working correctly, my students are very capable and adventurous about technology. The science curriculum we are using this year has a lot of online simulations and my kids have persevered when figuring out how the new program works. They are super kind about sharing tips and tricks with each other too. I have also discovered that many of my students that are missing assignments or missing class are at home juggling childcare. When I reach out to them to find out why they are missing so much class or work, they sincerely apologize and then tell me that it’s hard because they have to babysit younger siblings so their parents can return to work. One of my students is in charge of 4 other siblings! For many of my students their Informational subcontext has had to increase. They have all become so proficient at sending emails (with subject lines!) and asking questions to get the information they need as far as class lessons and concepts. Because of our limited time together for teaching and learning, it seems like most kids have gotten comfortable advocating for themselves in email or online at the end of class when they need something explained again or a grade checked. I have even had students ask me to do a screen cast on a specific concept they missed or did not understand. I love having them be so aware of their own learning needs and that they have the courage to advocate for themselves. For me personally as a learner, the sociocultural subcontext keeps me going. The people connection, my circle of family support, and the network of learners that teaching creates are the sparks that get my engine going. This last year of teaching online and starting this master’s program have really grown my technical skills and even changed my mindset about technical parts of teaching and learning. The technical and informational subcontext are very interconnected for me right now as I learn new techniques and ideas for delivering my content to my learners.
3 Comments
Amy Bardwell
11/3/2020 06:19:48 pm
I really enjoyed your idea of a google form to check in with families. I think this is a key to seeing where our end user are and cross referencing them to other students. I think that we all need to patient with ourselves as educators and our learners. Wonderful insightful reflection, that as allowed me to think; what are my students feeling during yet again another transitional phase of distance learning!
Reply
Janine Burt
11/3/2020 07:26:04 pm
Hi Betsy, I love how you talk about your students! Not just in your comments here, but when you share in class also, you have a tone to your voice that conveys how much you love and care about them. I think sometimes elementary folks have a misconception that we're sending our 5th graders off to the big, bad middle school. It's heartening to hear how you look for ways to connect with your students despite the fact that you have so many. I'm sure they feel it as well or they wouldn't be as comfortable sharing about their needs as a learner.
Reply
Kelly W.
11/3/2020 10:19:48 pm
Hi Betsy,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHello! Welcome to my blog! This will be a fun place to share thoughts about teaching and learning. I am a middle school science teacher at Redwood. When I'm not teaching, I'm hanging out at home with my family or enjoying nature somewhere in the valley. Archives
March 2021
Categories |