ToonDoo - World's fastest way to create cartoons! 6 Tips For Creating Effective Student Groups 6 Tips For Creating Effective Student Groups by TeachThought Staff Grouping students is easy; creating effective student groups is less so. The following infographic from Mia MacMeekin seeks to provide some ideas to help make group work easier in your classroom. MackMeekin’s suggestion to consider problem-based learning in a group setting is especially useful in that it also provides a link to the design of curriculum and instruction as well, rather than merely being a grouping strategy. Create a ZPD ZoneCognitive Dissonance is GoodNumbers CountPraiseGive Them Something to DoFacilitate image attribution Mia Mackmeekin; This work by Mia MacMeekin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License; 6 Tips For Creating Effective Student Groups
Fuel the Brain | Educational Games and Resources Test Prep Games - Fun Online Test Prep Games For Your Kids | JogNog: Everyone. Smarter. home Strategies to Build Intrinsic Motivation "The fox leapt high to grasp the grapes, but the delicious-looking fruit remained just out of reach of his snapping jaws. After a few attempts the fox gave up and said to himself, 'These grapes are sour, and if I had some I would not eat them.' The fox changes his attitude to fit his behavior." - Aesop’s Fables There is a general misconception that our beliefs are the cause of our actions. Often it is the other way around. Just like the fox, people will tell themselves a story to justify their actions. Punishment, Rewards, and Commitment The issue with classroom management policies in most institutions is that it operates on a carrot-and-stick model. The goal of self-persuasion is to create cognitive dissonance in the mind of the one being persuaded. Punishment In 1965, Jonathan Freedman conducted a study in which he presented preschoolers with an attractive, desired, "Forbidden Toy." Weeks later, Freedman pulled the students out of class one by one and had them do a drawing test. Rewards
Games in Education - home home The Best Ways of Using Essential Questions in the Classroom When we first put the driving question of a lesson to the students, the goal is to begin a lively discussion with them. In this discussion, we guide them beginning with what they think or “assume” they already know about what the question is asking. Encourage them to speak openly and share ideas about the issues that are being posed by the question. The students begin to realize that finding an answer is not always easy, but certainly not impossible with the right mindset. As things begin to pick up steam, think about using essential questions that will moderate and expand the discussion. These are questions meant to elicit varied responses from students: What do we know (or believe we know) about what this question is asking? A good exploration of our learners’ assumptions will foster curiosity for the question. Giving the Question Ownership to Learners In any inquiry- or project-based challenge, we want to shift responsibility for the learning to the students. Shifting Gears
Resources from TopicBox.net - free teacher resources for every UK primary school teaching topic Protocols and activities good for classroom use | National School Reform Faculty A number of NSRF protocols and activities work beautifully even with students as young as kindergartners. Students at about the fifth grade and older find protocols an especially fascinating way to learn, especially as they come to appreciate the value of silence! Almost all of these protocols will need to be modified for use with students (for example, times should often be cut). We do not recommend the use of these protocols unless led by an NSRF-certified coach or someone who has seen the protocols led by a certified coach numerous times. Many of these require essential scaffolding activities before used with students in the classroom. Use outside these circumstances may lead to adverse effects. You will notice that some of these protocols and activities are not available to you in updated form. Click on the symbol (not the name) to open the PDF. If the links don't work, please open a second tab or window with the A-Z listing and click on the links in that window.
ICT For Educators The 10 Commandments of Teaching Difficult Students Difficult students come in all shapes and sizes, ages, cultures, and demographics, you name it. The reasons for difficulties are as numerous as the stars. However, they all share one thing: they’re hard to reach. Whether it be a learning disability, hardship, or trauma, they require extra effort and attention. But the master teacher can wade through all the outer displays of challenging behavior and pinpoint root causes. They can reach even the most difficult students. Congratulations to you for taking on their cause. What follows is an amalgamation of advice on teaching difficult students gleaned from personal experience, advice from experts, and other teachers themselves. These are the 10 commandments, if you like, for teaching difficult students. 1. You may find that this is the best thing, the first step, the prime directive. I find that breathing cold air through the nostrils awakens a part of the brain that creates good feelings. 2. This is getting to the root cause. 3. 4. 5. 6.
4 Types of Accurate Rubric Descriptors Working on improving your rubrics? Trying to keep them simple, yet provide accurate feedback? Rubric descriptors, which are the actual “meat and potatoes” of rubrics, need to be constantly tweaked to be easily understood. This should ideally be done by both by the evaluator and the one being evaluated. The general rule of thumb as that descriptors should be specific, observable and measurable. Rubric Descriptors as Specific—They always target a specific action.Rubric descriptors as Observable—A skill should be a performance skill, an action taking place. In our constant search for great formative assessment, these 4 types of rubric descriptors should guide students and their evaluators to provide meaningful class content. To that end, let’s imagine a “fictional driving class.” 1. Action words determine proficiency. Remembers safety rulesRemembers and understands safety rulesRemembers, understands, and applies safety rules 2. 3. 4.