Multimodal Journey: Week 5: Week of February 11th

This week I started to put together all of the items that I will incorporate into the building of my classroom. I explored my dollhouse from childhood and collected pieces that were applicable to have in a classroom setting. I wanted to incorporate these items because they were very special to me as a child. My grandfather had actually built me my own dollhouse when I was very young. Both my mother and grandfather have both made furniture and accessories to decorate my dollhouse with. I have also gathered items that my sisters and I had for our Barbie dolls that are appropriate for my classroom. Any additional items that were of significance I have made such as books, an apple for the teacher’s desk, miscellaneous musical instruments, books, bulletin boards and the window. The window was made using a class picture from a trip to the zoo when I was in kindergarten.

While collecting all of these items I was reminded of making dioramas in public school, just as a larger scale version. The process of recreating something requires a deep understanding of whatever is to be represented. This alone can be a great learning opportunity for students and it gives them a unique way to demonstrate their understanding. It can lead us from traditional teaching methods and practices into a new age of teaching that incorporates digital technology. This technology piece may help to engage students who are otherwise reluctant to participate in school. The idea of putting something together piece by piece would be very applicable for students to demonstrate their understanding of a process. Students could use stop motion photography to build whatever they are learning about and create a multimodal piece out of it instead of simply writing a set of instructions. They could narrate their videos using programs like Photo Story. Working multimodally can allow students who are not always successful with writing, a new and engaging way to express their ideas.
Through my experience, I have found that students who are normally disengaged from learning enjoy activities that incorporate the arts and are less focused on writing and mathematics.