Student teacher Taloria Gamble engages Williamsville North classroom with creative lesson.
Published April 3, 2018 This content is archived.
Teacher education program encourages creativity
Student teacher engages classroom with creative lesson
What do Trayvon Martin, O.J. Simpson and Lizzie Borden have in common? The courtroom cases centered around these three individuals were used in a ninth-grade classroom to provide a real-life lesson on the workings of our justice system. GSE student teachers are encouraged to use creative teaching methods in their classrooms.
“Many of the courses in our teacher education program incorporate creative teaching techniques,” said Judith Roberson, coordinator of field experiences for GSE's Teacher Education Institute. “Creativity is so important because it leads to higher student engagement which leads to more effective student learning.”
Taloria Gamble, an English education master’s degree student in the teacher education program, was using the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” in her ninth-grade classroom during her student teaching experience. When discussing the Tom Robinson trial from the book, she found students couldn’t relate to the verdict.
“To help students understand the guilty verdict, I had them decide the final verdict in real-life trials,” said Gamble. “I divided the class into three groups and had each group evaluate the evidence in one of the trials, but the students didn’t know they were evaluating the Martin, Simpson and Borden cases.”
This creative teaching method was a success. “The students were surprised to learn that while evidence in each trial favored a particular verdict, which they agreed with,” said Gamble, “the final verdict was the exact opposite.” “By having students become part of the process, they formed a deeper understanding of a concept they learned about in a book.”
The original email that was sent promoting this story included the phrase "courtroom trials of Trayvon Martin..." The use of the word "trial" instead of "case" may have given the perception Trayvon was the accused and not the victim. We apologize for this innaccuracy and any confusion or concern this may have caused. The web story, as well as the social media posts, have been corrected to accurately reflect the original intent.
Tuesday News Briefs feature the stories of the Graduate School of Education faculty, students and alumni who are engaged in their communities and making an impact through their hard work, dedication and research initiatives. If you have a story to share, please email us with the details for consideration as a future news feature.