Serial position effect in the field

This week, I made an effort to utilize the information we learned in practicum about the serial position effect when providing students with information or instruction.  I had success with my results, and plan to continue utilizing these ideas in future weeks.

On the second day of my week with my field group, we did our outdoor evening program.  My students were feeling nervous, so I made sure that each time I gave instructions or information, the first thing or the last thing (and sometimes both) that I mentioned was about safety. The very first thing I did was check in with students about how they were feeling for the night hike using fingers held up behind their backs to indicate comfort level.  I wanted to make sure that they immediately knew that I cared and wanted to know how they were feeling and that I would take that into account.  I  also made sure that the last thing they heard from me before starting the night hike was how safe they would be, so I brought up a few practical reasons why they would be safe. I also brought these reasons up again in more detail before they put on their blindfolds at the start of the trail. I also used novelty when I reminded them of their ability to call a “safety freeze”. I changed my voice and physically acted out a safety freeze to make this moment more memorable to them so they would be able to recall it, even though I brought it up more towards the middle of my directions. I definitely saw a change in their comfort level, especially from the students who had indicated to me at the beginning that they were feeling pretty nervous.

I also utilized these ideas when I rolled out instructions for my Each One Teach One (E1T1).  I began my instructions with the basic concept; that each student would become an expert on one species of plant, and then teach everyone else in the field group about that plant, as well as learn from everyone else in the field group.  The final instruction I gave was when to leave their spot, since I had trouble one week with a student leaving after only teaching one other person!  Since all the other directions I had given were verbal, I utilized a laminated copy of a map and a whiteboard marker to draw out the E1T1 process for more visual learners. This also brought in a novelty component since that direction was provided in a different way than the others.  We also practiced the entire E1T1 rollout in a sped up way on the trail that leads from the Bird Blind to the Spine Trail.  This provided another level of novelty to the instructions that described the actual E1T1 process. After this, I had each student remind me of a key thing to remember about the E1T1 process (like slowing down if you see someone in front of you, not reading directly off of the card, how students would be placed on the trail to indicate turns, etc.) and wrote those key ideas on a whiteboard which I left in the bird blind for them to refer to as they waited. Our E1T1 rollout was a success and no students had any concerns when they got to me to get their card, and every student completed the E1T1 with no hiccups.

I definitely noticed that I gave directions more intentionally when focusing on these ideas, and that my students seemed to recall the directions more effectively.  My main regret with these ideas this week is that I did not remember to use them every time I rolled out directions. Going forward, I think I will make a serious effort to do so every time I give any kind of directions or information since I noticed such a difference in student recall.

Outcomes:

Knowledgeable Practitioner: By utilizing a new teaching technique in my practicum, I enhanced my instructional skills and made the instructional experience more effective.