Classroom Wikis

I have found creating classroom wiki pages a great way to challenge exceptional students and a great study tool for struggling students at the same time.  WikiSpaces offers a free upgrade for public school teachers, so you can create wiki pages that are secure.  You can easily create users and monitor what students post quite easily.

I have used wikis with both high school and middle school students and they both get very excited about being on the internet.  Before I have students post on class wikis, I make sure we discuss both online etiquette and plagiarism.  To first show students how to add to the wiki, I use a fill in the black template so I can model information that is important to add on the site.  As we continue to use the wiki throughout the year, I have found students develop the skill of knowing what is the essential information from our lesson each day.

Wikis are a great way to provide students who are absent access to class notes as well.  While they do take some energy to originally set up, once students are instructed about how to add to the wiki, they basically allow students to do all the work!

I also encourage students to respond to, or at least review, the discussion boards available on my class wiki.  When we don't have time to answer each question students have asked me in class, I post them for students to answer on the discussion board.  This practice has often led to some healthy competition between students in my honors class.  Many want to be the first to answer the questions themselves.  I believe students build a sense of self-confidence from contributing to classroom wikis.  I would strongly encourage other teachers to set up wikis themselves.

Here is an example of a brief discussion my students had using our class wiki:

Lesson Planning - Where I Start

            In order to begin planning lessons for a class, I first need to know what the objectives for the lesson are so I can reflect on what instructional method is most appropriate.  I also need to know how much I know about the content I will be teaching.  I generally review scholarly articles, book reviews and/or notes I have taken related to the topic I will be teaching.  I am always sure to research additional information about the content I teach that will be of particular interest to students.  If I have a class in which many students play sports for instance, I may research additional historical information related both sports and the lesson topic in order to spark student interest.           Secondly, I need to know student ability levels and how familiar students already are with the subject matter.  I find that when teaching social studies, it is easy to assume students have some knowledge of the subject matter from their earlier studies, but it is always best to verify this.  I often use brainstorming activities to informally assess students’ prior knowledge.  I also believe administering pre-tests early in the year is an effective way to determine student skill levels and foundational content knowledge. 

            Next, when I plan a lesson, I need to know what resources I can use to teach the lesson and assess student progress throughout the lesson and after instruction.  I need to determine the amount of class time I can devote to teaching the lesson and assessing student learning.  Once I know the resources I can use for the lesson then I reflect on the appropriate method for teaching the lesson and also develop an assessment plan.  I often seek the advice of veteran teachers or look for examples on the internet of creative and innovative ideas for teaching the lesson content.  I then adapt these ideas to fit the needs of my students and my own teaching style. 

            When lesson planning, I also need knowledge of current events, issues, and media that students are familiar with.  I can then try to make connections between lesson content and contemporary topics.  For example, I try to think about ways I can relate a popular song to a topic my class will be studying, in an effort to make lessons more relevant to my students.  Lastly, I am also sure to review the Individual Education Plans of students with special needs so I can plan on offering the appropriate accommodations for these students during the lesson.