SCIMAST Classroom Compass
In recent years educators have explored links between classroom teaching and emerging theories about how people learn. Exciting discoveries in neuroscience and continued developments in cognitive psychology have presented new ways of thinking about the brain-the human neurological structure and the attendant perceptions and emotions that contribute to learning. Explanations of how the brain works have used metaphors that vary from the computer (an information processor, creating, storing, and manipulating data) to a jungle (a somewhat chaotic, layered world of interwoven, interdependent neurological connections). Scientists caution that the brain is complex and, while research has revealed some significant findings, there is no widespread agreement about their applicability to the general population or to education in particular. Opportunities for Learning Most neuroscientists believe that at birth the human brain has all the neurons it will ever have. Emotions and the Mind Caine, R.
A Teacher’s Guide to Differentiating Instruction
Introduction Does effectively teaching 30 students in one classroom require teachers to develop 30 lessons, one tailor-made for each student? Or should teachers “aim for the middle” and hope to reach most students in a given lesson? The answer is not simple. While most would agree it is impractical to try to individualize every lesson for every child, research has shown that teaching to the middle is ineffective. It ignores the needs of advanced students, often leaving them unchallenged and bored, while it intimidates and confuses lower functioning learners. What is Differentiation? Simply stated, differentiation is modified instruction that helps students with diverse academic needs and learning styles master the same challenging academic content. How to Start Four planning steps set the stage for effective differentiated instruction. Vary Materials Nonfiction and fiction, written at a variety of reading levels. Vary Process Vary Assessment Conclusion References Good, M. View Full Article
Teaching with UDL
To further my understanding of teaching with UDL (Universal Design for Learning), I chose to create a lesson using the CAST Lesson Builder within the CAST UDL Exchange. CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) seeks to guide educators to incorporate UDL into their curriculum to provide students with greater opportunities to learn in an environment that is more flexible and accommodating for all learners. Below are screenshots of the project I created using the CAST Lesson Builder that I posted to the CAST UDL Exchange. I'm currently teaching a unit on war and society so I wanted to create something that I could implement in the classroom. Common Core Standards were built into the lesson builder. Here is the link to the NPR story on Just War Doctrine since the project is presented as screenshots.
Four Things All Educators Should Understand About the Dyslexic Brain
What do you think of when you hear the word dyslexic? All too often the reflex reaction is a stream of negative associations -- "slow reader," "under performance," "extra time on exams," "difficulty spelling." While it is true that these are common symptoms in students with dyslexia, they are surmountable problems. For any educator, the key to unleashing academic success in dyslexic students lies in understanding how their brains work. A recent Edutopia blog post by Judy Willis made the case for adding neuroscience to the curriculum for student teachers. Disenchantment and despondency about education are big problems in the dyslexic community, and it may go some way towards explaining why such a high percentage of the prison population has some form of dyslexia, a statistic that is way above the national average of dyslexics. Here are four key characteristics of the dyslexic brain that are crucial for educators to understand. 1. 2. 3. 4.
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Active Learning Is Key to Differentiated Instruction
When I was a new teacher, I remember looking at my roll sheet and seeing multiple letters after several students' names. I asked colleagues what the abbreviations stood for and soon learned that the common perspective was that they stood for more work and more trouble. Yet these acronyms were supposed to help me differentiate instruction, or vary a lesson, to meet the needs of these students. I also remember thinking to myself how much easier it would be to just have the "good kids." You will be interested in reading more about this from the queen of creating multiple learning paths, Carol Ann Tomlinson. I was lucky, in a sense, because I had been trained in thematic instruction, and teaching a language -- I was a Spanish instructor -- lends itself to project learning and performance-based instruction, both active-learning strategies that naturally differentiate. Finding the Right Match Give Them Options
Homepage - Differentiation Central
How do you teach?
Flip This: Bloom’s Taxonomy Should Start with Creating
Teaching Strategies Chris Davis, Powerful Learning Practice LLC By Shelley Wright I think the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy is wrong. I know this statement sounds heretical in the realms of education, but I think this is something we should rethink, especially since it is so widely taught to pre-service teachers. Conceived in 1956 by a group of educators chaired by Benjamin Bloom, the taxonomy classifies skills from least to most complex. Many teachers in many classrooms spend the majority of their time in the basement of the taxonomy, never really addressing or developing the higher order thinking skills that kids need to develop. Rather than starting with knowledge, we start with creating, and eventually discern the knowledge that we need from it. The pyramid creates the impression that there is a scarcity of creativity — only those who can traverse the bottom levels and reach the summit can be creative. Here’s what I propose: we flip Bloom’s taxonomy. Creating at the Forefront Related
Speech Recognition for The vOICe
Leveraging Technology to Differentiate Instruction
