How can I Enhance Learning by Teaching Students to become Curriculum Reviewers?
Having students act as curriculum reviewers helps to really engage students at a meta-cognitive level and encourages more active involvement in learning. Writing a book review is a task that is often assigned, but how many students are asked to review the curriculum and think about what and how they are learning?
An elementary […]
What is the SLANT Strategy and How does it Improve Student Achievement?
It is important that a teacher studies a student’s body language. It helps them gauge if students are attentive, interested, and understand the lesson being taught. Sitting slouched, fidgeting and doodling are sure signs that the student is inattentive. This adversely affects the process of learning. The crux of the SLANT strategy is […]
Teacher Resources, Tools & Giveaways for the week (Mar 9 – 16, 2013)
TOOLS
Tagxedo
Create word clouds.
postermywall
An online poster and collage maker.
PrintWhatYouLike
Print only required parts of any webpage using this tool.
RESOURCES
Butterfly life cycle game
An online game to learn the life cycle of a butterfly.
Inquiry Charts (I-Charts)
A strategy guide that enables students to generate meaningful questions in any topic.
Tell a story
Learn how to make movies and tell stories […]
Addressing Teachers
Mrs. Paxton? Ellen? Miss Ellen? Deciding what students should call us can be a dilemma. Yet, it’s certainly possible to have both the students’ respect and to come across as approachable.
As we model respectful behaviors, we must also comply with the practices in our community and demonstrate a sensitivity to how others like […]
How can I use Socratic Questioning to Support Learning in the Classroom?
Socrates believed that using thought provoking questions could stimulate students to scrutinize ideas logically and arrive at the right answers. This idea paved the way for Socratic questioning or Dialectal approach, a technique in which the instructor feigns ignorance of the topic and assists students in learning through questioning.
The technique encourages students to […]
How can I help Students with ADHD deal with Negative Thoughts?
Many experts study and write about the issue of self-esteem in students. Dr. John Ratey focuses in this area for students with ADHD. He writes about “ANTS” – which stands for Automated, Negative Thoughts – and claims that this is something students with ADHD often tend to develop.
These ANTS can either crush the spirit […]
Teacher Resources, Tools & Giveaways for the week (Mar 2 – 9, 2013)
TOOLS
Spree Games
Educational games for K-12 students.
youSENDit
Send, sync and securely share files and folders from any device.
DarkCopy
A full screen text editor for distraction free writing.
RESOURCES
Hot Spots
An activity to identify what your students are struggling with while reading independently.
Virtual Lemonade
Help students understand the basic concept of profits and losses using technology.
Authentic Assessments for the […]
Noticing the Details
Try the following exercise: Draw two circles. In the first, sketch in the details that are on the front side of a penny. No reaching into your pocket, wallet or bottom of a handbag here, stay with me. Now, in the second circle, draw the elements that are on the back of a […]
How can Strategy Instruction be used to Support Learning in the Classroom?
Research shows that students’ academic performance is enhanced when teachers implement Strategy Instruction in the classroom. Strategy Instruction involves teaching students various skills that can facilitate learning. Students are taught to choose the strategy that is best suited for the material and content that they have to learn and to make this part […]
How can Sequencing be used as a Strategy to Improve Student Learning?
Sequencing is a strategic tool to help students develop a specific skill in the classroom and improve student learning.
The human brain tends to physically change and expand to accommodate new tasks. It continues to do this as long as the task requires new connections and newly recruited neurons. Sequenced tasks do not let […]
