Guide to Explore Lessons

Summary

This video script outlines the structure and goals of an 'Explore' lesson in teaching programming concepts. The lesson focuses on helping students develop shared mental models through hands-on, interactive group activities using physical manipulatives, visual slides, and activity guides. Teachers facilitate learning by guiding students through tasks, addressing misconceptions, and encouraging collaborative problem-solving. The lesson concludes with students adding new vocabulary and concepts to their journals, reinforcing key takeaways. The primary focus is on building a foundational understanding of new concepts, which will be further developed in future lessons.

Takeaways

• 😀 Explore lessons help students build a shared mental model of new programming concepts.
• 😀 A mental model is a representation of how something works and can evolve over time throughout the course.
• 😀 The goal of explore lessons is for students to grasp new concepts through hands-on group activities.
• 😀 Physical manipulatives, visual slides, and activity guides are used to help teach these lessons.
• 😀 Teachers are encouraged to review the lesson plan and slides before teaching and to use manipulatives during the lesson.
• 😀 Explore lessons begin with an engaging prompt or activity to activate students' prior knowledge.
• 😀 The lesson alternates between teacher explanations and student collaboration using manipulatives to reinforce learning.
• 😀 Teachers should circulate the room, listening to student conversations and identifying potential misconceptions.
• 😀 When students are stuck, encourage them to explain their thinking using the manipulatives provided.
• 😀 At the end of explore lessons, students add new vocabulary or concepts to their journals.
• 😀 The two main objectives of explore lessons are to build a shared mental model and introduce key vocabulary.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of explore lessons in programming?

The primary goal of explore lessons is for students to develop a shared mental model of a new programming concept.

What is a mental model, and how is it used in explore lessons?

A mental model is a representation of how something works. In explore lessons, mental models help students understand programming concepts, with one model building on another over time.

How do explore lessons typically use physical manipulatives?

Explore lessons use physical manipulatives, visual slides, and activity guides linked in the lesson plan to help students engage with the programming concepts.

What is suggested for teachers to do before teaching an explore lesson?

Before teaching an explore lesson, it is helpful for teachers to review the lesson plan, slides, and use manipulatives to act out the prompts in the lesson.

How do explore lessons begin, and why is this important?

Explore lessons start with a short prompt or activity designed to grab students' interest and activate their prior knowledge, helping to engage them in the new concept.

How does the teacher interact with students during the explore lesson?

During the explore lesson, the teacher gives short explanations and circulates the room to listen to students' conversations, identifying any misconceptions.

What should a teacher do when they notice a misconception among students?

When a misconception is noticed, the teacher should address it by guiding students to explain their thinking and correct any misunderstandings, as seen with the sticky-note example.

How do students contribute to the learnings in explore lessons?

Students actively participate in completing tasks using manipulatives, collaborating with peers, and explaining their thought processes, which contributes to their understanding of the concept.

How do explore lessons conclude?

Explore lessons typically end with students adding new vocabulary or concepts to their journals, reinforcing the lesson's key learning points.

What is the significance of vocabulary in explore lessons?

The vocabulary introduced in explore lessons helps to solidify students' understanding of key concepts and will be referenced in future lessons as they build on their mental models.