Doing It Differently: Tips for Teaching Vocabulary Every Monday my seventh grade English teacher would have us copy a list of 25 words she'd written on the board. We'd then look up the dictionary definitions and copy those down. For homework, we'd re-write each word seven times. Good, now you know it. Test on Friday and never for those 25 words to be seen again. Poof. Copying definitions from the dictionary we would probably all agree is not an effective way to learn vocabulary. The truth is, and the research shows, students need multiple and various exposures to a word before they fully understand that word and can apply it. Selecting Words Ah, so many words, so little time. My first year teaching, before my tenth graders began reading Lord of the Flies, I went through every chapter and made lists of all the vocabulary words I thought they'd have trouble with, so that I could pre-teach them. When I looked at those long lists, I began to freak out. Then, here's what to do after the students pick their own words: Ranking Words Teaching Words
Starting With Why: The Power of Student-Driven Learning I know a high school student who is quite amazing. She’s keen. She’s hungry. She wants to be challenged. In the graded world, She’s a 95-percent student, and like many of our most capable students, she’s disengaged from her learning. She’s a student who would thrive in an environment that allowed her to co-create her education. She would thrive after being asked: “What do you want to learn?” But she can’t She’s stuck in a traditional school, in a traditional classroom, and she’s just putting in time. In all honesty, I used to run one of those classrooms. We start in the wrong place So often in education we focus on the wrong things. As Sinek states: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. I think teachers and school organizations need to ask themselves the Why questions, beginning with: Why do we own the learning and not our students? Why do we have so many students like the one I know, frustrated and bored, just waiting to be challenged? Fear.
Inclusion in the 21st-century classroom: Differentiating with technology - Reaching every learner: Differentiating instruction in theory and practice In this video, students in a gifted classroom use the multi-user learning environment Quest Atlantis to explore issues related to the creation of a game reserve in Tanzania. Interviews with the teacher and students offer perspectives on the value of using virtual worlds in the classroom . About the videoDownload video (Right-click or option-click) The diversity of the 21st-century classroom creates numerous challenges for teachers who may not have known the same diversity themselves as students. Among these, teachers must balance the requirements of high-stakes accountability while meeting the needs of diverse students within their classroom. The 26th Annual Report to Congress on IDEA reported that approximately ninety-six percent of general education teachers have students in their classroom with learning disabilities. Differentiation as effective instruction Overcoming obstacles to effective differentiation Setting the scope A framework for technology integration Differentiation in 2-D
How (And Why) Teachers Should Get Started With Blended Learning Blended learning is quite simply one of the most overused terms to describe the current state of education’s relationship with technology. However, it fits. Blended learning is marrying the influx of technology with the learning principles that are proven to work. It’s a powerful combination if done properly. That’s why this new-ish term is, as stated just a few sentences ago, such an overused term. Because it’s important! So how does your average everyday teacher get started with blending up your learning? See Also: How Teachers Are Using Blended Learning Right Now Why yes! Source: Digital Learning Now
PBLU - Project Based Learning resource for Educators PBLU is a site I just found that is a new online social network of educators who use Project Based Learning in their classrooms. It is officially launching this summer and will provide free online courses (2 weeks long) and project ideas for teachers to use. It will have resources, links, help, and ways to connect with other PBL educators. Some of the classes they will be offering include: How to Launch the Project • How to Create a Project Calendar • How to Manage the Project • How to Grade the Project • How to Showcase Student Work • How to Get PBL Teacher Certification Project Based Learning is an excellent way to teach students content, along with other important skills like teamwork, communications, critical thinking, and problem solving. Sign up to be notified when it launches: Related: Project Based Learning resources, getting started help, and more 10 Important Skills Students need to be Successful in the Future
IAR: Assess students > Answer: Good/Poor fixed-choice questions Question 1 1A. The promiscuous use of sprays, oils, and antiseptics in the nose during acute colds is a pernicious practice because it may have a deleterious effect on: the sinuses red blood cells white blood cells the olfactory nerve 1B. the spreading of the infection to the sinuses damage to the olfactory nerve destruction of white blood cells congestion of the mucous membrane in the nose 1B is the better question. 1A is wordy and uses vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to many students. 1B not only asks what part of the body is affected (sinuses) but also what is the result (spreading of infection). Question 2 2A. 2B. respiratory disease cancer accidents rheumatic heart disease 2B is the better question. Question 3 3A. 3B. 3A is the better question. 3B contains a distractor that is not plausible (0 calories). Question 4 4A. Reasoning ability Critical thinking Rote learning All of the above None of the above 4B. Knowledge Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Comprehension Question 5 9A.
Planning for Project Learning in Your Classroom, School, or Scho How to adopt best practices in 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, 5 months, and 5 years. Editor's Note: Special thanks to Cacso Bay High School teacher Susan McCray and principal, Derek Pierce for their assistance compiling this list. Energizing Work: A King Middle School student works on her Kinetic Conundrum art project. Credit: Michael Warren You've read the articles, watched some videos, and come away feeling as inspired as you are frustrated. "I used to work with a teacher who always said, 'it takes five years to incorporate any new dimension into your teaching effectively, to fully incorporate it and to own it,'" said Casco Bay humanities teacher Susan McCray. In 5 minutes, you can Join the Project Learning and Technology Integration: High School community groups and hear how others are doing it. In 5 hours, you can Upend a lecture and get students involved in an investigation to unearth information for themselves. In 5 days, you can Give your students a real audience for their work.
Planner PARCC aligned Educators, this is your chance to decide on the texts you will teach as you prepare your students to be thinkers and doers. Note to Readers 11.05.13 Since this post was first written, the PARCC Aligned ELA Common Core Curriculum & Assessment Planners have been updated to include audio files and drop-down toolboxes for user friendliness. They have also grown to include additional space for entering instructional objectives and teaching notes as well as including pop-up boxes that display the grade-level standards as teacher work to build their plans. I have been working with due diligence to help teachers make sense of the marriage between the PARCC Frameworks released first in the Fall of 2011 and updated in the Fall of 2012 and the most recent significant release of PARCC Assessment information, the Assessment Blueprints released on April 30. The result….a quarterly planner that integrates the guidelines of the PARCC Frameworks and the Assessment Blueprints. Top Portion: Instruction
Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning Facebook Edutopia on Facebook Twitter Edutopia on Twitter Google+ Pinterest Edutopia on Pinterest WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation What's Inside the PDF? Keep It Real with Authentic Products Don’t Overlook Soft Skills Learn from Big Thinkers Use Formative Strategies to Keep Projects on Track Gather Feedback -- Fast Focus on Teamwork Track Progress with Digital Tools Grow Your Audience Do-It-Yourself Professional Development Assess Better Together BONUS TIP: How to Assemble Your PBL Tool Kit