Common Core: 5 Technology Tools To Measure Text Complexity by Kellie Ady, District Instructional Technology Coordinator, Cherry Creek Schools I posted some time ago about finding accessible online text, but a recent blog post from Eye on Education (“How to Select Complex Text to Increase Rigor”) made me think about revisiting the topic. My original post was more about finding reading passages for differentiation purposes, but the Common Core’s approach to measuring text complexity has now elevated that need to a whole new level. This post specifically addresses one aspect of text complexity — what the Common Core terms “quantitative evaluation.” Currently, there are many web-based tools that help with the quantitative evaluation of books (for example, you can use Barnes and Noble to search by Lexile measure); however, as our students will likely be reading a combination of print and digital materials (especially in states giving the PARCC test), tools that help identify scales for online or digital text are also necessary. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
249 Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking Bloom’s Taxonomy’s verbs–also know as power verbs or thinking verbs–are extraordinarily powerful instructional planning tools. In fact, next to the concept of backwards-design and power standards, they are likely the most useful tool a teacher-as-learning-designer has access to. Why? They can be used for curriculum mapping, assessment design, lesson planning, personalizing and differentiating learning, and almost any other “thing” a teacher–or student–has to do. For example, if a standard asks students to infer and demonstrate an author’s position using evidence from the text, there’s a lot built into that kind of task. Though the chart below reads left to right, it’s ideal to imagine it as a kind of incline, with Knowledge at the bottom, and Create at the top. 249 Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking Guide Critical thinking is a skill, so develop the following habits to help develop your critical thinking skills: Check the requirements of your courses What are the lecturers' expectations of their students? Read strategically Look at the title, abstract, summary, introduction, and conclusion of your readings to decide whether you need to read all of the text, only some of it, or whether you can skip it altogether. Make notes as you read Make notes as you read, using your own words. Work with classmates to discuss ideas You should always write your own assignments, but you can improve your understanding by discussing ideas and information with your peers and your tutors. Write regularly about your own ideas Write regularly about your own ideas, thoughts and feelings on a topic. Find your voice Express your ideas and do not be afraid to take risks.
This sentence has five words. | kunjulam This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. Like this: Like Loading... Developing 21st Century Critical Thinkers | Teaching Strategies | Mentoring Minds As we venture into the 21st century, we as a society, are faced with more innovation and challenge than ever before. We now live in an interconnected world, where the Internet and global communications are simultaneously uniting and isolating us as a society. How do we raise critical thinkers to best face the challenges that face our modern society? Click here to download an 11X17 version of the "Developing 21st-Century Critical Thinkers" infographic. Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below):
Critical Thinking in Everyday Life: 9 Strategies Most of us are not what we could be. We are less. We have great capacity. But most of it is dormant; most is undeveloped. Improvement in thinking is like improvement in basketball, in ballet, or in playing the saxophone. It is unlikely to take place in the absence of a conscious commitment to learn. Development in thinking requires a gradual process requiring plateaus of learning and just plain hard work. How, then, can we develop as critical thinkers? First, we must understand that there are stages required for development as a critical thinker: We develop through these stages if we: In this article, we will explain 9 strategies that any motivated person can use to develop as a thinker. There is nothing magical about our ideas. First Strategy: Use “Wasted” Time. The key is that the time is “gone” even though, if we had thought about it and considered our options, we would never have deliberately spent our time in the way we did. When did I do my worst thinking today? Go to top
5 Powerful Questions Teachers Can Ask Students My first year teaching a literacy coach came to observe my classroom. After the students left, she commented on how I asked the whole class a question, would wait just a few seconds, and then answer it myself. "It's cute," she added. So that day, I learned about wait/think time. Many would agree that for inquiry to be alive and well in a classroom that, amongst other things, the teacher needs to be expert at asking strategic questions, and not only asking well-designed ones, but ones that will also lead students to questions of their own. Keeping It Simple I also learned over the years that asking straightforward, simply-worded questions can be just as effective as those intricate ones. #1. This question interrupts us from telling too much. #2. After students share what they think, this follow-up question pushes them to provide reasoning for their thinking. #3. #4. This question can inspire students to extend their thinking and share further evidence for their ideas. #5.
Critical Thinking Model 1 To Analyze Thinking We Must Identify and Question its Elemental Structures Standard: Clarityunderstandable, the meaning can be grasped Could you elaborate further? Could you give me an example? Could you illustrate what you mean? Standard: Accuracyfree from errors or distortions, true How could we check on that? Standard: Precisionexact to the necessary level of detail Could you be more specific? Standard: Relevancerelating to the matter at hand How does that relate to the problem? Standard: Depthcontaining complexities and multiple interrelationships What factors make this a difficult problem? Standard: Breadthencompassing multiple viewpoints Do we need to look at this from another perspective? Standard: Logicthe parts make sense together, no contradictions Does all this make sense together? Standard: Significancefocusing on the important, not trivial Is this the most important problem to consider? Standard: FairnessJustifiable, not self-serving or one-sided Think About... State the Question
Critical Thinking - Making the most of your coursebook - ELT Connect I joined in yesterday in the Macmillan Education online conference and Ed Newbon’s webinar in particular on Critical Thinking Skills really got me, well…thinking. He argued that our role as teachers is changing, that nowadays it is not enough for students to only speak English, they need to have transferable skills for work, studies etc. Critical thinking is one of the skills that we can incorporate into the ELT classroom which can help students perform in the outside world. So what is critical thinking? Newbon gave several examples but in a nutshell, it is seen as higher level thinking: problem solving, making judgements, evaluation and reflection. Do you already incorporate critical thinking into your classes? Is there time in amongst all the learning outcomes, aims and syllabus requirements to even squeeze this into a lesson? Practical Ideas to use in class Lindsay Clandfield suggested taking quotes and deleting the last line. Do students want this style of teaching in class? Over to you
Teaching Information Literacy Now Last week, a new study from Stanford University revealed that many students are inept at discerning fact from opinion when reading articles online. The report, combined with the spike in fake and misleading news during the 2016 election, has school librarians, including me, rethinking how we teach evaluation of online sources to our students. How can we educate our students to evaluate the information they find online when so many adults are sharing inaccurate articles on social media? While social media isn’t the only reason for the surge in fake news over the last 10 years, it’s certainly making it harder for information consumers of every age to sort through fact and fiction. Until now, I have taught web evaluation the same way every year: I start by introducing students to the CARS method of web evaluation (similar to the CRAAP test), using tools to evaluate credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, and factual support. Rethinking how we teach evaluation Read laterally. Switch it up.
untitled Five Laws of MIL Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy We are travelling towards the universality of books, the Internet and all forms of “containers of knowledge”. Media and information literacy for all should be seen as a nexus of human rights. They are inspired by the Five Laws of Library Science proposed by S. For more context to the Five Laws of MIL, please see related chapter in the MIL Yearbook 2016 published by UNESCO, Media and Information Literacy: Reinforcing Human Rights, Countering Radicalization and Extremism. Law One Information, communication, libraries, media, technology, the Internet as well as other forms of information providers are for use in critical civic engagement and sustainable development. Law Two Every citizen is a creator of information/knowledge and has a message. Law Three Information, knowledge, and messages are not always value neutral, or always independent of biases. Law Four Law Five Media and information literacy is not acquired at once. (Click to enlarge)
21st Century Icebreakers: 11 Ways To Get To Know Your Students with Technology In honor of the start of a new school year, I am sharing one of my popular posts again with you with a couple of new additions! On Monday I will begin my new job. As I’ve mentioned before, I will be working as a Technology Resource Specialist as well as teaching a couple of classes. As always, I am nervous and excited for the first day of school, and eager to meet a new group of students. As an educator, I often find myself repeating the same icebreakers each year, trying to quickly get to know my students through “Two Truths and a Lie” or a “Getting To Know You” fact sheet. In an effort to bring my own classroom to the present, I’ve put together a list of 13 icebreakers that use technology and fit with 21st century students: Have students create a Pinterest board with 10 pins that summarizes them.Ask students to create a 30 second podcast that introduces themselves. Have any other 21st century icebreakers? Like this: Like Loading...