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The quote on my work email states,

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”  -Ignacio Estrada

This has always been my goal, but since I have been researching for this blog, I have found renewed energy to really put this quote into action. One article I read, “Does Our Natural Affinity for Games Have a Place in the Classroom?” by Adam Moler, really sparked a new flame.  He talks about incorporating gaming into the classroom.  I think most of us “more seasoned” teachers remember playing The Oregon Trail simulation.  I remember being excited for choosing the correct gear to take across the plains in my wagon and using my mistakes to plan better for the nest trip.  It was THE educational game of the 80’s!  It was gaming when gaming wasn’t popular.  Now that gaming is popular, where is the application in the classroom?

Moler suggests that we bring back the Oregon Trail idea with a renewed gaming facelift. This could be done by creating learning scenarios with experience points, badges, avatars, and quests. You can find his article at https://www.edutopia.org/article/does-our-natural-affinity-games-have-place-classroom

Jennifer Gonzalez https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/do-something/ , throws some teaching caution into the mix.  She is worried we are teaching things that are not even found in the core.  Memorizing facts, dates, events, and people need to be replaced with doing something!  She stakes, “If we want our students to actually lean the facts and concepts and ideas we’re trying to teach them, they have to experience those things in some way that rises above the abstract words on paper.  They have to process them. Manipulate them. To really learn in a way that will stick, they have to DO something.”

She suggests that in between the direct instruction and assessment step of our planning we start adding some of these activities:

  1. Sorting
  2. Kinesthetic work
  3. Discussion
  4. Graphic representations
  5. Write to learn
  6. Mini-projects
  7. Anticipation guides
  8. Quality note-taking
  9. Retrieval practice
  10. Collaboration

For a more detailed look at her suggestions, visit the link above and read her article, “To Learn, Students Need to DO Something.”

 

With this sudden move to remote instruction, it is easy to view receptive types of media. It is also important to ask students to think critically about and to interact with what they are learning.

Ian Byrd, of byrdseed.com, has a good article on the difference between "remembering" and "thinking," something to think about in these interesting times of teaching and learning in a new format.

https://www.byrdseed.com/thinking-or-remembering/

Remote learning can sometimes lack the personal touch that we have in face-to-face learning with our students. You can make videos of parts of your lessons for your students and post them in your canvas course, website, or email them to help keep connected to your students.

If this is something you would like some help with, let your mentor specialist know!

Here's an example from our Mentor Specialist, Amy Wood!

 

The most effective teachers demonstrate these characteristics

  • Being prepared—come to class ready to teach
  • Having a positive attitude—be optimistic about teaching and students
  • Holding high expectations—believe everyone can be successful
  • Being creative—be resourceful and inventive
  • Demonstrating fairness—handle students and grading fairly
  • Displaying a personal touch—connect with students personally
  • Cultivating a sense of belonging—make students feel welcome and comfortable
  • Showing compassion—relate to students and their problems
  • Having a sense of humor—make learning fun
  • Respecting students—do not embarrass students
  • Demonstrating forgiveness—do not hold grudges
  • Admitting mistakes—quick to admit being wrong

Summarized from research done by Robert J. Walker, Ed.D. at Alabama State University.

For more information about Dr. Walker’s work, please visit:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ815372.pdf

Developing an inquiry-based classroom engages students’ attention and promotes deeper learning of the content.  A few inquiry-based classroom basics, based on resources from the Great Books Foundation, are listed below. For more detailed information, please visit:  https://www.greatbooks.org/emu/student-and-teacher-behaviors-in-the-inquiry-based-classroom/

Inquiry-Based Classroom Basics

Classroom Culture
Students:

  • Develop their own ideas before the teacher gives a “right” answer.
  • Say what they think because it is a safe environment.
  • Students speak and listen respectfully to one another. 

Critical thinking Skills
Students:

  • Develop strong ideas about the meaning of what they read.
  •  Offer evidence from the text to support their ideas.
  •  Respond to each other, rather than only to the teacher.

Participation and Engagement
Students:

  • Students participate willingly in the activity.
  • Students participate are interested and engaged in the process.

Why should teachers have students practice routines? If you have ever had the chance to observe kindergarten, especially at the beginning of the year, you may see a lot of repetition of directions. Kindergarten teachers know that their students need to  practice basic skills a lot: sitting in their seats, moving to the carpet, raising their hands to talk, sharpening pencils, lining up... you name it. Kindergarten teachers are pros at establishing routines.

Routines should be established and built in all levels of teaching. It is important for teachers to set these expectations and practice them with their students, even with older grades and students in secondary schools.

In this TED Talk, How To Use A Paper Towel, Joe Smith teaches adults how to help the environment by using paper towels more effectively. Watch the video and see what techniques he uses to help his audience remember the directions.

When we give directions, we should try to follow these basic ideas:

  1. Get the student's attention and make sure you have it!
  2. Give clear, positive directions with high expectations.
  3. Limit the number of directions and steps to the directions. 
  4. Vary the way directions are given (teacher modeled, student modeled, using phrases like, "When I say go...", students repeating directions). 
  5. Be consistent and follow through.
  6. Give students time to process.
  7. Repeat directions if needed.

If you find you are struggling to have students follow directions or they struggle to do routine tasks, try using some of these ideas to help your students remember the routines and procedures for your classroom. It is never to late to polish up routines and procedures to help students be successful!

One of the most challenging components of teaching a quality lesson is the ability to format and ask questions.  Below are listed some areas in the lesson when questions can be used to promote student learning and understanding.

WHEN TO ASK QUESTIONS

We use questions at the beginning of learning experiences:
 To initiate a discussion
 To pique student curiosity
 To focus students on a new concept or a different aspect of a concept
 To access prior knowledge and experience
 To consolidate previous learning
 To surface misconceptions

We use questions during and following learning experiences:
 To break down complex tasks and issues
 To promote transfer and retention
 To control shifts in discussion
 To keep discussions on track
 To invite student questions
 To elicit student opinions
 To promote student interaction
 To facilitate flexible thinking
 To challenge the obvious
 To check for student understanding
 To help students confront their misconceptions and reframe their thinking
 To focus on process
 To promote student evaluation of credibility of sources and strength of evidence
 To cause students to consider alternative viewpoints
 To help students make connections

Beginning your first year of teaching can be exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. Getting a classroom ready and planning those first few weeks can be all encompassing. Here are a few suggestions to make your transition to teaching in Jordan District a little easier:

1. Create an account in JPLS:

Here’s a new acronym for you to learn: Jordan Professional Learning System (JPLS). This is the district portal to find professional development classes offered in the district. To set up your account, you will want to contact the Help Desk at (801)-567-8737. The link is: https://jpls.truenorthlogic.com/U/P/Channel/-/Guest/Login

2. Sign up for a JPAS class:

JPAS (Jordan Performance Appraisal System) is our district evaluation system. Each year the JPAS department offers classes to help new teachers and veteran teachers learn how to work through the evaluation. New teachers even receive a stipend for taking the course if you attend the face-to-face version. Now that you have an account on JPLS, you can sign up for a class! Here’s their course schedule: http://jes.jordandistrict.org/educators/trainings/

3. Become familiar with Employee Access:

Do you know where to enter a sick day? Employee access is where you can find out how many days you have, what your current salary is, and even get a check estimate for what your next paycheck might look like. If you need help figuring this out, your mentor may be a great resource. (Have you met your mentor yet?)  Here’s the link for Employee Access: https://skyfin.jordan.k12.ut.us/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsFin/seplog01.w

In our current world, positive interactions and good conversation skills are more important than ever.  The following article by Allen Mendler gives suggestions to help educators teach these important skills.   Fostering the skills in your classroom will create a culture and environment of warmth and trust.  

8 Tips for Speaking and Listening

While it is impossible to know all of the reasons, there is no doubt that learning to listen and talk is an extremely important way to broaden knowledge, enhance understanding and build community. Perhaps this is why the core standards in English-language arts include an important emphasis on developing speaking and listening, the basic tools for conversation. The eight tips below can be used regularly to help your kids learn good conversational skills.

1. Model a Good Conversation

Make a point of having one-to-two minute interactions, one-on-one, at least a few times each week with students who struggle conversationally. Share information about yourself as you might when meeting a friend or acquaintance, and show interest in the student by asking questions about his or her interests. Conversation enhancers include responses and prompts like:

  • "Really?"
  • "Wow!"
  • "That’s interesting."
  • "No kidding!"

If these students don't or won't share easily at first, don't give up.

2. Encourage Physical Cues

Identify procedures for having a conversation that includes appropriate non-verbal behavior. For example, you might teach a strategy like S.L.A.N.T. (Sit up straight. Listen. Answer and ask questions. Nod to show interest. Track the speaker.)

3. Challenge Put-Downs or Hurtful Comments

For example, if a student says, "I think what she did was really stupid," challenge with "How else can you say that without being hurtful?" If the student seems unaware, teach an alternative like, "I disagree with that." Ask the student to repeat what you said and then move on to:

  • "What happened to make you feel that way?"
  • "How would you have handled things differently?"
  • "Do you think there is only right answer, or could there be more?"

4. Ask Open-Ended Questions

These are questions without one correct answer, questions that stimulate discussion and can be a very powerful way to reinforce the idea that there are different views of an issue, or a set of beliefs that can be equally valid. For example: "So if Columbus came knocking on your door and told you that sailing to the New World would be an amazing adventure and there might be lots of riches there, but you might never arrive because the world was flat, would you go?"

5. Put Thinking Ahead of Knowing

When asked a question, don’t accept "I don't know." Tell students that you don't require them to "know" but that you do expect them to "think." Teach them how to wonder aloud, speculate, guess or give the best answer they can. ("I'm not sure about that, but I think _____ .")

6. Have Informal Chats

Before class begins or in the hallway, ask students about their other classes, what they think about a current event, or how they feel about the outcome of a game. Share your thoughts as well. ("I thought it was more that the Jets lost the game than anything the Eagles did to win. How did you see it?")

7. Make Eye Contact

When a student is speaking in class and you are listening, give him or her your eye contact. However, gradually scan away from the speaker and direct your gaze and movement towards other students. This will often get the speaker to redirect his or her talk toward peers, and it invites peers to get and stay involved with what is being said.

8. Encourage Turn-Taking

Use an object, such as a talking stick, as a signal for turn-taking. Teach your students that when they have the object, it is their turn to talk or pass while others are expected to listen.

Apter, B., Arnold, C., & Swinson, J. (2010). A mass observation study of student and teacher behaviour in British primary classrooms Educational Psychology in Practice, 26(2), 151-171.

Brophy, J. (2006). History of research on classroom management. In C. M. Evertson & C. S. Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues (pp. 17-43). Mahwah, NJ: Eribaum.

Rath, T., & Clifton, D. O. (2015). How full is your bucket? (Rath & Clifton, 2015, p. 5-31).

How Full Is Your BucketNobel prize winning scientist, Daniel Kahmeman states that as individuals we experience about 20,000 interactions each day. Daniels calls these interactions moments. These moments are recorded by our brains as experiences. The quality of  our day is determined by how our body and brain can categorize our moments- either positive or negative, or just neutral. Neutral moments do not make as great of an impact, nor are remembered.

Over the last decade Scientists have studied the impact of positive to negative interaction ratios in our work, and personal lives. They can predict success in live with amazing accuracy in many ways- including education, workplace performance, and relationships.

Noted psychologist John Gottman’s research on positive to negative feedback using a ratio of 5:1  He calls this the Magic Ratio. In Donald Clifton’s and Tom Rath’s Book, “How Full Is Your Bucket” – He uses the term Bucket & Dipper.

The Effect size of using positive feedback in your classroom is a 0.75 percent. In-order to make Feedback most effective, remember to provide the following:

  • Use timely prompts to our students when they have done something correctly or incorrectly.
  • Give students the opportunity to use the feedback to continue their learning process.
  • End feedback with the student performing the skill correctly and receiving positive acknowledgement from you-the teacher.

Please view these two video clips from the Teaching Channel on creating a comfortable classroom environment, and how to use some silent attention-getting techniques.  Both of these videos cover Standard 1, Positive Learning Environment / Classroom Management.  The focus is on positive behavior and using instructional supports in a positive environment.

Creating a “Comfortable” Classroom Environment: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/building-a-comfortable-classroom

Get Their Attention Without Saying a Word: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/silent-attention-getting-technique