edutopia Videos can be an effective tool for teaching and learning English (or, for that matter, any academic subject) if used strategically and not as a "babysitting" device. My colleague Katie Hull Sypnieski and I wrote a previous post for Edutopia titled Eight Ways To Use Videos With English-Language Learners that shares instructional strategies for many kinds of clips. Here are a few of my favorite videos to use with those exercises. Video Playlist: Resources for English-Language Learners Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube. Mr. More Resources on How to Teach ELLs With Video For more sources of good videos designed for English-language development, and for ideas on how to use them, visit these websites: The Best Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL (& How To Use Them) is an exhaustive collection that I've developed.
Designing 20% Time in Education A.J. Juliani is a co-founder of Education Is My Life. He currently is a K-12 Technology Staff Developer overseeing a 1:1 initiative. There is a movement happening in education right now. Maybe you’ve heard about it, maybe you haven’t yet. Yes, I said it, so let me repeat: Students are learning what they want in classrooms across the world. What is truly astounding is how interconnected this movement is with the social web. Right now (depending on who you are) there are three possible ways to deal with this type of news: 1. I’ve heard all three “viewpoints” since writing “20% Time (like Google) In My Class” last January. This article is meant to address the three points-of-view above. If you are a #1 above, this will give you the resources and connections to get started today. If you are a #2 above, this will explain how I currently have three teachers in my high school doing the project. If you are a #3 above, this will explain the research and methodology behind 20% Time in education.
Eight Ways to Use Video With English-Language Learners This blog was co-authored by Katie Hull Sypnieski. This post is excerpted from their new book, The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels. "I like the way you use videos with us -- you get us moving, talking, writing and speaking. The problem is you make us think too much." -- "John," one of our English-Language Learner students We can think of far worse things a student might say to us, and John's comment demonstrates our perspective on using video with English-Language Learners (and, for that matter, with all students) -- research and our experience show that it can be a very effective learning tool, but it has to be used as an active one. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 1. The class could start off by watching this New York Times video about a father grieving his son's death from gang violence: 2. 3.
Give your students 20% time to do whatever they want | I teach. I think. "Seriously? You're going to let us do whatever we want for 20% of our time in English class?" "I'm skeptical." "That's awesome." Taking Google's lead, and inspired by Dan Pink's book, Drive, I decided to take the plunge and give my students the kind of radical autonomy they both suggest, and I gave my students 20% of their time in my English class to pursue a project of their choosing. Rules and expectations Project ideas build a tutoring network of high school students helping middle school studentsdesign a complex videogame map using Valve's SDKstart a business selling originally designed t-shirts and accessorieslaunch a web-design start-up for local organizations and businesseswrite a graphic novelmake a stop-motion animated movie of a scene from Macbethwrite a backpacking guide for teenage girlsinterview local senior citizens and document their historyrecord and produce a full-length album Failure is an option Here is a video of clips from their final 20% talks. My own successful failures
Universal Design for Learning: An Introduction Universal Design for Learning aims to make modifications in three broad areas that together deliver a programme that will best meet the needs of all learners. In each area the barriers to success are identified and where possible removed or minimised. UDL identifies three essential Neural Networks that combine to produce effective learning, each network as a corresponding place in the learning process. Recognition Networks are the systems that allow us to gather information from our environment and we categorise and make sense of that. This is the ‘what’ of learning, the content and especially how it is presented. Present information and content in different waysDifferentiate the ways that students can express what they knowStimulate interest and motivation for learning Universal Design for Learning is about identifying the needs of all learners and then planning to deliberately meet these needs. Is UDL just making things easier, too easy? No. How can I learn more?
The Genius Hour Design Cycle: A Process For Planning - 3. Some students need a push in the right direction Some students will come up with projects that are too simple with answers that could be easily Googled. We introduced the students to ‘High Order Thinking Skills’ and built these into the planning forms students complete. Projects need to include elements of synthesis, evaluation and creativity with the minimum requirement adjusted for individuals. We provide students with a list of verbs appropriate for the top levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and help them use these in framing their topics. 4. A student might have a passion for surfing and decide they are going to write a book about the history of the sport. 5. It can be hard to say no to a project but some are just not feasible. 6. Some projects will clearly take longer than you have available, others are simply too large in scale or will rely on the involvement of too many people. 7. One of the challenges for some students has been the ever changing project. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
The Thinker Builder: Step In, Step Out: A Strategy for Thinking Deeply About Text You're sitting at your guided reading table, your little group gathered around you, wide-eyed. Or are you the one who's wide-eyed? Sure, you know what you're doing, but maybe right now you're thinking your lesson plan doesn't fit the book like you thought it would. "Boy, I could really use a mini-lesson right now," you think. Here's something to try: I call it the "Step In - Step Out" strategy. Step In! Asking students to "step in" to the story means that students enter the world of the story to analyze the choices the CHARACTERS make. Why did this character make this choice? Step Out! Asking students to "step out" of the story means that students look at the story as a piece of writing, and analyze the choices the AUTHOR makes. Why did the author decide to write this part? Let's get back to your lesson. "Today, boys and girls, I want you to 'step in' to the story while you are reading. "Let's go back to when Sue Ellen went to the park. You tell students,
Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs Social Media for Teachers: Guides, Resources, and Ideas Although students are evermore connected to the social web, many of these networks remain out-of-class digital playgrounds where students congregate. In a 2014 survey of 1,000 teachers, just one in five said they use social media regularly with students. Of course, it can be a challenge to incorporate social media into lessons. There are many gray areas for teachers to navigate, like setting guidelines, accessibility at school, and student safety. But to help teachers navigate this ever-changing landscape of social media tools, here are some of the best guides on the web for four popular networks, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. More Great Reads From Edutopia In addition to those great guides, there is a lot of useful information right here on Edutopia.
35 Educational Resources to Encourage Inquiry & Inventive Thinking This is a sponsored post. I’ve scoured the internet, including all of my favourite social media sites, to bring you a fantastic collection of online inquiry and inventive thinking resources that I know will inspire and motivate both you and your students. The collection includes Lego, science, practical activity ideas, engineering, videos, animation, technology and a tonne of fun facts – so there is sure to be something for everyone! Sean Kenney Lego Certified Master Builder’s YouTube Channel: Best-selling author and artist, Sean Kenney, uses LEGO toys to build anything and everything you can imagine. CSIRO Crest: CREativity in Science and Technology (CREST) is an Australian non-competitive awards program supporting students to design and carry out their own open-ended science investigation or technology project. Pinterest is a veritable smorgasbord of great ideas across all grades and subject areas. What are your favourite online resources for inspiring kids to think? You may also like: