Education, Teaching & Language A reader featuring all the latest news, research & resources for teachers. Inside Online group ESL lessons: what I've learned (1) off2class.com Photo: off2class.com Also Online group ESL lessons: what I've learned (1) off2class.com 15 Words And Phrases You're Probably Saying Incorrectly businessinsider.com Language Variation englishcentral.com 15 Words And Phrases You're Probably Saying Incorrectly businessinsider.com / Christina Sterbenz Some people mumble. Whatever the reason, we've bastardized parts of the English language. The 15 word and phrases below often come out incorrectly. 1. If you say "for all intensive purposes," you mean "for all these very thorough purposes." On the other hand, "for all intents and purposes" means "for all the reasons I did this and all the outcomes." 2. This phrase should imply you cut a new bud (off a plant), not bit someone in the backside. 3. 4. While both terms have become acceptable, "by accident" is technically correct. 5. 6. 7.
10 Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds 10 Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds by TeachThought Staff Good assessment is frequent assessment. Any assessment is designed to provide a snapshot of student understand—the more snapshots, the more complete the full picture of knowledge. On its best day, an assessment will be 100% effective, telling you exactly what a student understands. This makes a strong argument for frequent assessment, as it can be too easy to over-react and “remediate” students who may be banging against the limits of the assessment’s design rather than their own understanding. It is a huge burden (for both teachers and students) to design, write, complete, grade, and absorb the data into an instructional design sequence on a consistent basis. Simple Assessments The word “simple” here is misleading. Then, due to their brevity, they’re simple to grade–in fact, you can grade them as exit slips–which makes taking the data and informing instruction (the whole point of assessment) a much simpler process as well.
Home - TESOL Class 3 Classroom Tools to Measure Student Learning Formative assessment is vital to teachers in any classroom environment. Teachers have been formatively assessing students for years, because we must know what our students know in order to help them understand what they do not know. Do you know what I mean?! Fortunately, many classrooms are charging into the 21st century with technology initiatives. Kahoot! Kahoot! When ready to begin the game, the teacher simply posts the game pin on the whiteboard. We've used Kahoot! Formative As its name implies, Formative, is another wonderful formative assessment tool. Teachers can assign these assessments by sending students a link or creating classrooms through a process nearly identical to that of a learning management system. Teachers can view student responses to assessments in real time, and can determine whether a key should be used to grade the assessment. Creating an assignment is extremely simple, providing teachers with a variety of question options (multiple-choice, drawing, etc.). Padlet
How to Write an Academic Essay: 12 Essential Tips [Download This Guide] Text Version: You probably know your academic essay needs an introduction, a body of supporting information, and a conclusion that summarizes the evidence you’ve provided. Make time Unless you’re writing a timed essay, you should have plenty of advance notice for when your work is due. Research first, write second Good research forms the foundation of academic essays. Develop a thesis statement Among academic essay writing tips, this one is king. Plan, outline, and organize If you need to free-write a rough draft to get a handle on your ideas, by all means do so, but remember, the best academic essay writing has structure and clarity. Avoid irrelevant details Before you write the first word, revisit your research and highlight specific information to support your thesis. Assume your audience has no knowledge of your topic By the time you sit down to write, you should have a thorough understanding of your subject. Use clear language, and don’t get fancy Cite appropriately
Refocusing assessment on teaching and learning This post is sponsored by Curriculum Associates. Assessment. It could almost be considered a “bad word” in the education world. With varying opinions, bringing up the Common Core State Standards or discussing state tests can sometimes feel like opening the ultimate can of worms. Can we achieve these goals by using assessments in smarter ways? I recently had a chance to sit down with Ken Tam, executive director of personalized learning at Curriculum Associates to get his thoughts on assessment and where it is headed in the future. Why has assessment become a “bad word” in some circles? There has been too much focus on high stakes assessment for purposes like accountability. We also haven’t done a good enough job at getting information to teachers in a timely manner, with enough detail so they can adapt teaching and learning. What is the purpose of assessments? I think this is a false choice. Yes, I think so. What questions should educators ask as they evaluate their assessment strategy?
Deeper Learning: Why Cross-Curricular Teaching is Essential It is time that teachers and administrators realize that public education has reached a dam in the river. We have gone about as far as we can go with isolated instruction and learning. While it may have served the purpose for the older generations, it does not meet the deeper learning needs of students today and tomorrow. Fortunately, deeper learning can be accelerated by consolidating teacher efforts and combining relevant contents, in effect, opening new spillways of knowledge. Deep learning is like taking a long drought from a well of knowledge as opposed to only sipping from many different wells. Requirements Undaunted, educators are committed to providing students full access to the well of deep-learning knowledge that will unlock their potential. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Cross-Curricular Teams Teachers must take the first stroke and swim across the hall and start a collaboration with another teacher from a different department. Aligned Cooperative Conceptual Aligned Collaboration
Life After Levels – An Assessment Revolution? Over recent months I’ve been involved in interviews for a number of posts across the Multi Academy Trust. One of our favourite questions has been, “What will assessment look like once levels are dead?” The answers have on the whole been a bit confused. This post is based on a webinar I delivered for Optimus Education in March 2015. A Necessary Confusion Teachers and potential leaders are struggling to imagine life after levels, proposing that we keep with levels or that we produce our own levelling systems for Key Stage 2 or 3. Levels were removed in September 2014, with the introduction of the new National Curriculum, and will be reported for the final time in Summer 2015 for Years 2 & 6. New Horizons As the sun sets on the World of Levels, we need to lift our eyes to the horizon and make sure decisions about our new assessment systems are taking us in the right direction. Principle 1 – Assessment Must Support Learning Summative Assessment: Of Learning or For Grading? References Like this:
Deeper Learning: Performance Assessment and Authentic Audience In a conversation with a veteran educator -- a man with years of experience teaching English and acting as a headmaster -- I was confronted with a prejudice so ingrained in my teaching that I was almost embarrassed to admit it. He said, "You know, when I ask a student to write a paper and turn it in to me, that's ridiculous; I'm the worst audience they could have." I was intrigued. He went on, "Who am I to assume that someone will want to write their best work, something truly personal and creative, for me? That hit me like a rolled-up newspaper. As I absorbed this veteran educator’s words, I realized that not only was I wrong in my assumption that I (or any teacher) is a meanigful audience, but also that my assumptions about how grading and assessment work were so far removed from modern research that I might as well have been a 21st-century doctor treating humours. Fortunately, there are many approaches we can take within our own classrooms to change this situation. This matters. 1. 2.
Final Exams…a Tradition Worth Exploring I have been having many conversations this year with teachers about our practice of administering final exams for students. Although I cannot confirm with certainty, I recently read that the final exam process has been happening since the 1830s. With all the current research on effective assessment, how students learn and knowing that we are required to make decisions that have a student’s best interest as the primary consideration, I have to question why we are still doing this, this way. What is the purpose of a final exam and is it the best way to achieve that purpose? Many people indicate that a final is a way for teachers to measure whether or not a student has learned what has been taught in the classroom, some indicate its how universities do it so we should too and others sometime claim it prepares them for the “real world.” I watched a teacher work with a student the other day.
Framework - Authentic Task Design 10 design elements are suggested for the design of authentic tasks in web-based learning environments: Authentic tasks have real-world relevance Activities match as nearly as possible the real-world tasks of professionals in practice rather than decontextualised or classroom-based tasks. Authentic tasks are ill-defined, requiring students to define the tasks and sub-tasks needed to complete the activity Problems inherent in the tasks are ill-defined and open to multiple interpretations rather than easily solved by the application of existing algorithms. Learners must identify their own unique tasks and sub-tasks in order to complete the major task.
DERN Personalised learning, reflection, collaboration and .critical thinking are highly valued in education, and classroom practices are changing towards learning as a collaborative activity. Exploration is encouraged and fostered; however, assessment is still following a traditional path – heavily dependent on summative assessment. A short paper, by Phillipa Whiteford, titled The times are a-changing: A New Model for Senior Secondary Assessment explores how a more ‘future-focused’ application of an ePortfolio can provide an innovative solution to the challenges facing current assessment practice in senior secondary education. The author builds a strong argument for the need to align assessment to teaching practices, referencing research on new teaching practices and assessment, and pointing out a need for integrative assessment which combines both assessment for and of learning based on continuous feedback, guidance and reflection (p.66). [1] Fullan, M. & Miles, M. (1992). Research Report: