An Educator’s Guide to Creating Learning Spaces in Small Places… “If a seed of lettuce will not grow, we do not blame the lettuce.
Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly.” ~Buddhist Proverb. Elizabeth Richards School Supplies. Instant Display Teaching Resources, A Sparklebox Alternative,Free and Low Cost Teaching Resources. SMART Teaching Strategies. 27 Attention-Getters For Quieting A Noisy Classroom. Working walls - not just wallpaper!
So working walls –when used well they become an integral part of the learning process, used badly they become terrible wallpaper.
Until this year, working walls were pretty much an unused tool in my teaching toolkit until I moved to a school which lives and breathes working walls and now I can’t imagine life without one. Here is my low down on what I think makes a good working wall (and I am still learning and improving this!) So why have a working wall? In the past, teachers have used their wall displays for a multitude of reasons: to celebrate great work, topic display boards of maths and English vocabulary walls (VCOP!).
Creating a Classroom Studio with an iPad and a Green Screen. One way to depict the cycle of education is that it moves between the development of learning and the subsequent expression of understanding ... and the amazing growth of inexpensive mobile technology tools is affording learners the ability to communicate their understanding in ever more creative and personalized manners.
Media is moving center stage (yes, the pun was fully intended) and what once required tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and training can now be accomplished with an iPad and some inexpensive props. One of the first places I visited when I first came to the United States was Universal Studios. Of course, being a relatively young and willing tourist, my hand automatically shot up when they asked for a volunteer to put on tights and a cape and "fly" like Superman in front of a green screen. Needless to say it didn't springboard me into an acting career but it did spark my interest in how movie magic could be used for education. Kitchen gardens at school - Science (F,3,6) - ABC Splash - Overview Does your school have its own kitchen garden?
Gardening Australia presenter Leonie Norrington meets with Stephanie Alexander, renowned cook, restaurateur, and founder of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Stephanie strolls through the kitchen gardens of two Darwin schools and discusses the program and its aim of teaching children good gardening, cooking and eating habits.
Whiteboard Tables – A Tool for Collaboration. Google’s Zurich Office Spaces As I started my exploration into innovative classroom spaces, I became very inspired by both the design thinking movement and modernization of mega-companies’ office spaces.
Places like the Google and Apple campuses’ across the globe have demonstrated how space can encourage collaboration, innovation and fun. The d.school (The Institute of Design at Stanford) is one such incubator of creative thought regarding working together. The research and work they have contributed to collaborative space has certainly inspired me. As I read through the d.school’s book, ‘Make Space‘, I came across a section explaining how to make white boards out of a variety of materials. This discovery led me to trying to make a variety of surfaces ‘writable’. The tables benefits may seem obvious but I’m happy to list them:
Art Lessons: Color Outside the Lines. Pin by Kathy Ryan on KindergartenKlub.com. Awesome Visual on The Importance of Reading Aloud to Kids. Below is a graphic I come across while wading through my feeds today.
The visual emphasizes the importance of read-alouds in early literacy learning. It also features a set of interesting facts on how reading aloud helps in kids' literacy development. Reading aloud to kids is not only beneficial to young learners linguistic abilities but is also connected to their social and cognitive development. "Table Texting" is a strategy to use with any ... 10 tips for creating a class agreement. Pin by Lori Chesser on Teaching Words. How to Promote Your Classroom Library Infographic. Teacher Infographics Classroom libraries can make a big difference in the reading lives of students in your classroom—no matter their age or reading ability.
Research is clear that: A Great Study Skills Poster for Your Class. Learning is a lifelong process.
It is also an ongoing experience in which we get to discover new and inspiring things about our world. Some argue that with maturity comes mindful and conscious learning but regardless of age variable, thinking about learning from a metacognitive perspective (thinking about how we learn what we learn) does definitely improve the way we learn. In the visual below created by Create Innovate Explore, Rachel dissected the metathinking levels of studying and provided some of the tips on how to hone in one's study skills.
I invite you to have a look and share with your students. Cooperative Learning Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom. July 9, 2013 by Norene Wiesen It’s more than just a generational trend: research has shown that employing cooperative learning strategies in the classroom can actually help students learn better and even like each other more.
But breaking students into effective working groups, training them in cooperative learning techniques, and promoting positive experiences for all learners takes know-how. Research out of Stanford University shows that lower-status students may be excluded from full participation in cooperative learning groups even when they repeatedly attempt to engage with the group. Manage Class Seating and Behaviour with Class Charts. Class Charts is a free website that lets teachers manage their classroom seating charts online and add additional information about their students.
Seating charts are an essential tool of any good teacher . They allow them to organise students into appropriate learning groups as well as help to minimise behaviour issues. With Class Charts you can also choose to include and display key data such as SEN or reading age which can be used to position pupils in the classroom, whatever your classroom setup. The seating plans you create in Class Charts can also be used collaboratively with colleagues to track and analyse student behaviour over time. Speech stuff / Teacher's Pet - Our iPad Rules Poster - FREE Classroom Display Resource - EYFS, KS1, KS2, apple, computer, safety, ICT, IT, ipad, tablet. Improve Your Learning From A to Z. Hexagon learning: making and justifying connections. This week I tried hexagons with my students. It worked really well. The beauty of following inspiring educators on Twitter is that you benefit from their ideas and knowledge.
I first saw Hexagon learning on @jivespin’s blog, which led me to David Didau, NoTosh, SOLO (HookEd), Chris Harte and TheLearningGeek. All explain how these versatile hexagons encourage deeper thinking and rich conversations in the classroom. The Global Classroom Project: 2013-14 - home. A Really, Really Well-Written Set Of Classroom Rules. A Really, Really Well-Written Set Of Classroom Rules Well, actually 2. You could make the argument that they’re too simple I guess.
Or that they seem elementary and wouldn’t work beyond 4th grade. Glue a pom pom ball to the top of students' dry erase ... Essential Questions in Teaching and Learning. Death by Anchor Chart! It has become quite a running joke with my year 5/6 students that I am obsessed with posters- or ‘anchor charts’ in our classroom.
For months I have continued to brush off their comments, believing what I have always been told…that students need these visual displays that have ‘captured their learning’…that I was creating a ‘print rich’ classroom environment that gives my students (and visitors to the room) a clear image of our classroom culture and what we are currently learning about. I had often been told by casual replacement teachers that they were appreciative of the (many) charts as they found it easy to pick up and teach if I was absent. I was commended by other staff, with many often coming in to take pictures for their own ideas.
I loved the colours and maybe became a little too obsessed about which textas and paper I would use…only the best would do. And this is what we saw- School / Great activity for the beginning of the school year! Art Projects for Kids: Me & My Goals Self Portrait. Bouncy Balls: A Fun Way To Monitor Classroom Noise Level. This is what Bouncy Balls looks like when the classroom is silent: This is what Bouncy Balls looks like when the classroom is noisy: Essentially, Bouncy Balls is a website that activates your microphone and detects noise level. The more noise in the room, the more the balls bounce. Are mini-whiteboards the ultimate teaching and learning resource? - Mathematics teaching - TES Mathematics. There’s no shortage of resources out there to give teachers feedback on what pupils have learned.
Assessment for Learning (AfL) is without doubt a good thing, but there are good and bad ways to go about it. The array of technological options to conduct AfL is bewildering. Services like www.polleverywhere.com allow you to ask questions with multiple choice answers where pupils text in their answer from their phone and the graphic of the results updates in real time. School ideas / Marzano: "This is probably one of my favorite things for my classroom so far. It’s a little self-assessment flip chart. I have made one for each student and it will sit on the corner of their desk. It is small enough that it won’t be embarr. It's Not How Your Classroom Looks, It's About How It Feels. Last week, before the arrival of Ida and Oskar, I was able to sneak in some work time in my new room. As I stood there trying to envision what the room would look like, I realized that it didn’t much matter for two reasons.
Shoeless learning spaces. School / NOISE…removing one letter at a time when our voice level gets too loud. When NO is left, there is NO more talking! Love this! A lot more clearer than just putting up strikes on the board or letting the noise escalate to a point where you just cut. A teacher's heart at Good Shepherd Academy / Inspiration Quotes, Inspiration Sayings, Inspiring Quotes. 6 Creative Tools for Displaying Learning Objectives.
It’s commonly accepted that you should start every lesson by displaying the learning objectives. But they don’t have to always be displayed in the same, boring way. These Are My Kind of Classroom Rules. Simple Teaching Tip. Brain Teasers, Puzzles, Riddles, Trivia and Games. The First Five Minutes #EdChat #EdcampSWO. The Expert Learner with Voice and Choice. 1000s FREE K-3 Primary Teaching Resources and Printables - SparkleBox Australia. What Does It Mean To Inspire? Teaching Resources, Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans - TES Resources.
What’s the Best Way to Practice Project Based Learning? By Peter Skillen Project Based Learning can mean different things to different people, and can be practiced in a variety of ways. For educators who want to dive in, the good news is that a rich trove of resources are available. In order to create your own definition and practice, here are some parameters to consider.
This diagram, enhanced by the critical eye of Brenda Sherry, can help you figure out what’s important to you and your students. We like to think with the frame of continua rather than dichotomies simply because things are rarely on or off, black or white, ones or zeroes. Work Hard, Be Courageous, Celebrate Growth: The Story of Our Brain Books. 30 Dr. Seuss Quotes That Can Change Your Life. Teaching, Learning, & Life. Lt-litlearningwalks.pdf. Teaching / Timer Trick! Put your timers on stretchy bracelets to keep your students from wandering on washroom trips, extra-long library visits or manage computer sharing time! Kiddos love it!! This sign posted outside our classroom door gets lots of stop. Learning Hub banner (SB9276) Tips for Holding Students Accountable to Choice Reading: Reading Ladders.