5 Classroom Tested Ways on How to Adjust Your Instruction
January 20, 2009 by admin
Filed under Teaching Tips
When students aren’t engaged, it’s usually time to reexamine how you can adjust your instruction. Adjusting instruction means providing more opportunities for students to learn successfully based on information you gather such as their interests, work habits, motivation and learning styles and academic performance. Doing this on a consistent basis helps refine instruction so they can succeed.
Successful teachers are those who pre-assess their students abilities and then use that information to determine how and what they will teach. They use educational standards only a guide, constantly focusing on 1) what the students know and 2) what objectives (or steps) they need to take) to fulfill their goals. They focus on what the students can TODAY.
So here are 5 simple ways how you can adjust your instruction.
1) Pre-assess your students. Knowing what your students know is incredibly important for helping them succeed.
2) Use any assessment results to differentiate instruction. For your struggling K-2 ELLs, this may mean for example, that you may need to present information in a more structured oral-reading context. (ie. saying the words and then matching them to a picture)
3) When you know significant areas of weakness, provide students with guided practice focusing at one skill at a time.
4) Use the power of R’s: Review, redefine and reinforce. Avoid assuming that your students have not had any previous encounters with the subject.
5) Create more student-centered lessons. Remember – how to teach is just as important as what to teach. Refine content based on questionnaires you gave your students on learning styles, learning preferences, etc.
What other suggestions do you have for adjusting your instruction. Please share your ideas. I’ll respond to it.
So what are you waiting for? Try it!
10 Ways to Plan a Student-Centered Lesson that Will Get them (and You!) Excited
January 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Classroom Management and Organization
You hear snippets of student conversation in the hallways or perhaps during lessons. You chuckle with them or to yourself. Maybe you even make a comment to them that's agreeable. No doubt - this kind of scenario strengthens the teacher-student relationship and class dynamics.
But in my mind, the real connection to students comes with learning. As Anthony Cody says, "put the student in the driver's seat." I like that metaphor because it implies many positive things regarding how students can take control over the learning process.
Here are 10 ways to plan a student-centered lesson. You will gradually enhance your classroom management techniques when you provide quality content that is student-driven and centered. By doing so, you also put the focus on your students instead of on yourself. These links below have been classroom tested for many years with my students. Be aware however, that some of the questions and/or content may not be suitable for some of your classes/groups of students, so adapt accordingly. Good luck!
1. Learn your learners. Ask students what topics they enjoy learning about. You can distribute a survey or simply have them look in their textbook. Use the results to plan your first unit.
2. Distribute a student attitude survey. Click on the English version here, download it. Use the results to create an individual student profile.
3. Gather learner feedback pages. I like the reminders here on gathering feedback. You can adapt some of these questions on formative and summative questions to suit your classes.
4. Click and download this page "How Well Do You Know your Students?" Again, adapt it to suit your own teaching needs.
5. Encourage sudents to reflect on their lessons. This page is for teachers but again, the topic can also be approached from a student-centered position as well.
6. Provide opportunities for students to self-assess themselves using rubrics you custom design based on your students' skills and abilities. Rubrics.com is an excellent resource for all teachers.
7. Provide as many opportunities as possible to enrich your curriculum using alternative assessment such as projects and performance tasks. Such learning tasks create a positive learning atmosphere because they focus on what the students can do and cater to their interests/learning styles. Students are also more likely to learn when they are motivated about a topic.
8. Encourage students to ask questions. Whenever possible, provide guiding questions that encourage students to thinking about a process they have just learned.
9. Provide students with opportunities to work with their peers using group and pair work. Social goals are connected with educational goals, which should be weaved into the curriculum and lessons as often as possible. Click here for an article on how to prepare your class for group work.
10. Ask students to give you feedback on how to improve the lessons. Note of caution: Don't do this just yet if you have still a shaky relationship with your class. Strengthen your class dynamics, classroom management techniques and student-teacher relationships and then ask students for their feedback. Use these simple questions to guide you:
1. What worked? (in the lesson)
2. What didn't?
3. What's next? (What part(s) of the lesson can be improved?)
If you have any other ideas for involving students in the learning process, please leave your ideas in the comment box. I'll respond to them. Much appreciated!
21 Ways to Network with Other Teachers Online
January 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Teaching Tips
Teachers are constantly under time and curriculum constraints which is why online networking can be such an important way for professional development. Creating time to network with other teachers will ultimately help you become a better teacher. You'll be able to share information and resources with other teachers who are devoted and passionate about teaching and perhaps learn a bit about yourself along the way.
Successful online networking can also ultimately lead to productive collaboration, which is how I found my co-author for the book we are currently writing. Here are 21 ways to broaden your online professional teacher network, which can help you save time and maximize your curriculum.
1. Join social networking sites such as twitter, facebook, myspace, ning.
Make sure your group focuses on your subject areas and expertise. Click my facebook group on teacher collaboration.
2.Join listservs and online forums for teachers.
3. Visit other education and teaching blogs and leave a meaningful comment along with a link to your blog or website.
4. Start your own blog for teachers.
5. Sign-up for an online professional development course.
6. Start your own networking group for teachers.
7. Guest post for other teaching blogs.
8. Start a free ezine for teachers.
9. Teach online teaching workshops and course for teachers.
10. Provide teleseminars for teachers.
11. Use articles from other writers/teachers on your site(s) that you find on online directories such as www.ezinearticles.com.
12. Help promote other teachers' products such as prodcasts and teaching resources.
13. Create a mailing list that allows you to stay in contact with other teachers.
14. Start a discussion with other teachers
15. Join important teaching/education causes.
16. Interview other educators and professors.
17. Form partnerships with other teachers.
18. Write a short article for a journal or blog entry for a website on teaching and education.
19. Start a blogchain or meme for teachers.
20. Create a power point presentation on subject of similar interest another teacher shares.
21. Sign up to receive monthly newsletters.
As you can see, the list is endlesss...and we're just warming up! Do you have any other ideas for online networking with other teachers? Share your response in the comment box. Other teachers can benefit from them as well.
