Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Revision Bites
Revision bites to go over with your form class in the first two weeks of Term 4. Once you get to the wiki page, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can click on the link and print out the 4 Revision Bites for each week.
PD bite - Term 3 Week 8
Literacy Strategy
Concept circles
How to use concept circles
Draw circles divided into four sectors. Each sector stores information about a concept such as the term, the definition written out in full, the symbol, and the name of the unit OR in each section there is a word associated with the topic and connected in some way with the other words in the circle.
The teacher fills in two or three of the sectors and the students work independently to fill in the missing information AND work out and explain what the relationship is between the words/ information.
The students then work in pairs discussing answers using the language of the curriculum area. The students focus on the answers that are different and also on the reasoning behind the answers that are the same. This is followed by full class discussion if needed.
The benefits of concept circles
Concept circles can be used at the beginning of a unit to clarify to both students and teacher what is known and what needs to be learned. They can be used during and at the end of a unit for revision. A visual summary of concepts can be a useful memory prompt.
Example of concept circles
Year 11 Science (Physics: Forces, Motion and Energy)
Source: Barbara Mcgowan @ ESOL online
concept circles template
Examples of use in mathematics
Professional Reading
How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class
Concept circles
How to use concept circles
Draw circles divided into four sectors. Each sector stores information about a concept such as the term, the definition written out in full, the symbol, and the name of the unit OR in each section there is a word associated with the topic and connected in some way with the other words in the circle.
The teacher fills in two or three of the sectors and the students work independently to fill in the missing information AND work out and explain what the relationship is between the words/ information.
The students then work in pairs discussing answers using the language of the curriculum area. The students focus on the answers that are different and also on the reasoning behind the answers that are the same. This is followed by full class discussion if needed.
The benefits of concept circles
Concept circles can be used at the beginning of a unit to clarify to both students and teacher what is known and what needs to be learned. They can be used during and at the end of a unit for revision. A visual summary of concepts can be a useful memory prompt.
Example of concept circles
Year 11 Science (Physics: Forces, Motion and Energy)
Source: Barbara Mcgowan @ ESOL online
concept circles template
Examples of use in mathematics
Professional Reading
How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
PD bite - Term 3 Week 7 2009
Teaching Strategy
Read while waiting
(a) Train students to take out a book and read if you are interrupted or delayed on your way to class. When you arrive, reward the ones who have remembered to do this.
(b) Fast Finishers
There are always a few fast finishers! IF their work is neat, correct, and well done, they should take out a book (novel/chapter book) to read. Train your classes to always take out a book to read whenever their work is completed. You can also have a pile of readings related to your subject, magazines for them or even the newspaper.
Provide time at first to train them in this. Give an in-class assignment and then allocate 30 minutes or so to do it, so that every student will have time to finish and then have time to read.
NEVER give more work as a reward/punishment? Reading will benefit all.
An inspirational story - without words
http://www.newsfromanacorn.com/2009/06/a-story-without-words.html
Read while waiting
(a) Train students to take out a book and read if you are interrupted or delayed on your way to class. When you arrive, reward the ones who have remembered to do this.
(b) Fast Finishers
There are always a few fast finishers! IF their work is neat, correct, and well done, they should take out a book (novel/chapter book) to read. Train your classes to always take out a book to read whenever their work is completed. You can also have a pile of readings related to your subject, magazines for them or even the newspaper.
Provide time at first to train them in this. Give an in-class assignment and then allocate 30 minutes or so to do it, so that every student will have time to finish and then have time to read.
NEVER give more work as a reward/punishment? Reading will benefit all.
An inspirational story - without words
http://www.newsfromanacorn.com/2009/06/a-story-without-words.html
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
PD bite - Term 3 Week 6 2009
Literacy Strategy
Guardian of the word
At the start of a topic/ unit give each student a key word, of which s/he is the guardian. During the course of the topic, she has to test every other person in the class to make sure that she can spell the word and knows the meaning. You can allocate a couple of minutes each lesson for this testing process to occur. Each Guardian has to keep a list of the people she has tested. At the end of the topic, conduct a test, which can be a mixture of questions such as simple “spelling” or a question in the form of “what is the word which means …” or “what is the word which is opposite of …”
Taken from Helen Nicholls – Building Blocks.
Professional Reading
Creativity: A Guide - Guy Claxton
Guardian of the word
At the start of a topic/ unit give each student a key word, of which s/he is the guardian. During the course of the topic, she has to test every other person in the class to make sure that she can spell the word and knows the meaning. You can allocate a couple of minutes each lesson for this testing process to occur. Each Guardian has to keep a list of the people she has tested. At the end of the topic, conduct a test, which can be a mixture of questions such as simple “spelling” or a question in the form of “what is the word which means …” or “what is the word which is opposite of …”
Taken from Helen Nicholls – Building Blocks.
Professional Reading
Creativity: A Guide - Guy Claxton
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
PD bite Term 3 Week 5 2009
Classroom Strategy
Stopwatch and countdown timer
(thanks to Jennie Moore for sharing this website)
Download the following Stopwatch and Countdown Timers for timed activities in the classroom:
Get a Stopwatch like this or make your own! At: Online Stopwatch
Stopwatch and countdown timer
(thanks to Jennie Moore for sharing this website)
Download the following Stopwatch and Countdown Timers for timed activities in the classroom:
Get a Stopwatch like this or make your own! At: Online Stopwatch
Thursday, August 13, 2009
PD Bite Term 3 Week 4 2009
Literacy Strategy
Vocabulary Snowball
(From Building Blocks – Helen Nicholls)
You will need a rolled up ball of paper or a koosh ball for this activity OR Instead of throwing a ball, place students in teams and run as a competition – every member of the team must have a turn at contributing a word.
Purpose: To help students predict what words might be in a topic, or to help revise key words .
Instructions:
1. Name the topic to the students e.g. ‘Olympic Games Disciplines/ Events’
2. Appoint one recorder to write down each words as they are said.
3. Students stand in a circle. Teacher (or student) stands in middle and throws ball to a student.
4. Student says one word associated with the topic which the recorder writes down. [e.g. Shotput]
5. Student throws ball back to teacher etc.
Extension:
Students then come up with 3 or 4 categories and organise the words they’ve written down. [Track, Field, Aquatic, Needs equipment, uses mainly legs etc]
Professional Reading
Managing Challenging Behaviour - tips from Pivotal Consultants
Vocabulary Snowball
(From Building Blocks – Helen Nicholls)
You will need a rolled up ball of paper or a koosh ball for this activity OR Instead of throwing a ball, place students in teams and run as a competition – every member of the team must have a turn at contributing a word.
Purpose: To help students predict what words might be in a topic, or to help revise key words .
Instructions:
1. Name the topic to the students e.g. ‘Olympic Games Disciplines/ Events’
2. Appoint one recorder to write down each words as they are said.
3. Students stand in a circle. Teacher (or student) stands in middle and throws ball to a student.
4. Student says one word associated with the topic which the recorder writes down. [e.g. Shotput]
5. Student throws ball back to teacher etc.
Extension:
Students then come up with 3 or 4 categories and organise the words they’ve written down. [Track, Field, Aquatic, Needs equipment, uses mainly legs etc]
Professional Reading
Managing Challenging Behaviour - tips from Pivotal Consultants
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
PD bite Term 3 Week 3
Teaching Strategy - Any Questions
If you ask, "Does anyone have any questions?" and you get no questions- that means students probably don't know or understand enough to ask a question!!
So, ask questions that will tell you if there is understanding. Just remember though that just because one student gives the answer it does NOT mean anyone else knows the answer.
Ask more than one student to give the answer to the same question...
Tell me more.
Say it in a different way.
How would you say it?
Say it again.
Then ask the question in a different way and check for understanding.
Professional Readings
Are we over technology?
Jose Bowen, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, HAS DECIDED TO THROW ALL TECHNOLOGY OUT of the classroom (and he is not the only one) . His goal? To axe boring PowerPoints from the lives of students and reinvigorate their learning with engaging, human-to-human contact. http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/
NCEA AND STUDENT MOTIVATION
Have you read the story on student motivation and NCEA in last week's Gazette?
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7885
If you ask, "Does anyone have any questions?" and you get no questions- that means students probably don't know or understand enough to ask a question!!
So, ask questions that will tell you if there is understanding. Just remember though that just because one student gives the answer it does NOT mean anyone else knows the answer.
Ask more than one student to give the answer to the same question...
Tell me more.
Say it in a different way.
How would you say it?
Say it again.
Then ask the question in a different way and check for understanding.
Professional Readings
Are we over technology?
Jose Bowen, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, HAS DECIDED TO THROW ALL TECHNOLOGY OUT of the classroom (and he is not the only one) . His goal? To axe boring PowerPoints from the lives of students and reinvigorate their learning with engaging, human-to-human contact. http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/
NCEA AND STUDENT MOTIVATION
Have you read the story on student motivation and NCEA in last week's Gazette?
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7885
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