Upcoming Events21-29 May - Youth Week 31 May - Smoke-free Day
With us all having exam marking and other pressures on our time, this week's post is a link to a discussion on edutopia: An Engaged Classroom . . . Dos and Don'ts. Hopefully the ideas shared by the teachers involved in the discussion might be things we can try or go back to doing when we return to our full teaching loads next week.
Upcoming Events:
22 May - International Day for Biological Diversity - Theme for 2011: Forest BiodiversityProfessional Reading:
Do You Check for Understanding Often Enough with Students?
The learning environment needs to be one in which students feel respected and safe to take risks; kids need to feel that their learning has a purpose and that the curriculum is relevant to their lives; and students need feedback on their progress -- they need to know what they're trying to accomplish, where they are in relation to the goal, and what they need to do in order to get there. This blog post is also interesting - What is understanding?
Good teachers may not fit the mold
Research suggests that good teachers possess a few simple, quantifiable attributes.
Thinking/ Creative Strategy:
Using nonlinguistic representation
Is a picture really worth a thousand words? According to brain researcher John Medina (Brain Rules, 2008), when we receive information orally, we only remember about 10 percent of the content three days later. However, when that information is paired with a picture, we're likely to remember 65 percent of the content.
In Classroom Instruction that Works, McREL applied this research and found that when used correctly, nonlinguistic representations (e.g., graphic organizers, mindmaps, mental pictures, and manipulatives) can have a powerful, positive effect on student learning. So the next time you introduce a new concept in your classroom, remember to pair it with a "picture" to improve retention. This is where tools such as Hyerle Thinking Maps, picture dictations etc. come in to play.
Thinking on the Spot (from the Auckland SCT wiki)- use this powerpoint to encourage students to think quickly. Adapt it to suit your curriculum area and it could be used as a quick, fun plenary, especially for afternoon classes.
Upcoming Events:
14 May - World Fair Trade Day14 May - World Migratory Bird Day
15 May - International Day of Families 22 May - International Day for Biological Diversity
Professional Reading:
Reading to Learn - these articles from Educational Leadership have a reading focus. Some you can access online. If an article that you are interested in reading has "Buy article" under it, I can print the article for you (you just need to let me know).
Study: Why students might struggle with basic lessons
Material that is initially easy for students to understand might be difficult for them to remember -- a phenomena that researchers call the "stability bias." New research shows that classroom lessons that are more difficult for students to comprehend at the onset and require more in-depth study will actually be easier in some cases for them to recall at a later date.
The role of HoDs in promoting student achievement
Literacy Strategies:
Question the Author - a comprehension strategy that requires students to pose queries while reading the text in order to challenge their understanding and solidify their knowledge (Beck et al., 1997). Primarily used with nonfiction text, QtA lets students critique the author's writing and in doing so engage with the text to create a deeper meaning.
Picture Dictation - general description of how to use this strategy(info from TKI)
The teacher describes a picture, or sequence of pictures, to students who draw what they hear. The aim is for close listening, the drawing should be quick and simple.
Normally the exercise takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on the length of the dictation.
Prepare a text that is appropriate to the level of the learners, is written in simple visual terms and has a series of steps.
1. Tell the students the number of visuals they will be drawing, or the shape of the picture if there is only one.
2. Read each step aloud to the class twice, allowing time for the drawing.
3. Where there is a series of visuals, the students work in pairs to retell the sequence.
4. The students check their visual against the original.
Social Sciences exampleI've used this strategy when students are working on understanding a complex concepts - such as the tragic hero in Shakespeare. I read out short descriptions of the different aspects of the tragic hero which the students draw. When we have finished they have to go back and write a caption relating to each picture showing that they understand what makes up a tragic hero.
General resources:
I thought it was timely (due to the Pasifika/ Maori mentoring session that is on tonight) to send out information about the Pasifika Education Community on TKI. There are videos and other resources to support teachers to better meet the needs of our Pasifika students, including developing a better understanding of the different Pasifika cultures.
- This video “Strengthening Relationships” is an introduction to how we can better meet the needs of our Pasifika students through the relationships that we have with them.
- This video collection considers the diversity of our Pasifika students' groups and their communities.
Term 2 has definitely started with a hiss and a roar so this week's PD Bite is quick and practical.
Splat the teacher is a simple 1 page powerpoint file for 2 teams answering 10 questions each on any topic. As each question is answered the 'splats' get closer to the teacher until the answer to question 10 obliterates him/her. Save the file from the wiki page (http://smc-sct.wikispaces.com/Starters+and+Plenaries) and then you can substitute the picture of the teacher for whatever you like. For example, in English classes the game could be Splat Shakespeare. I haven't used this resource yet but it seems like a good plenary activity with 10 questions based on what has been covered in the lesson/ unit.
The powerpoint was provided by Carol Young (Facilitator in Quality Teaching - Team Solutions).
