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.
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.
BlindSpeak® - Send Synthesized Messages Online! 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
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 Drawing Autism: Self-Expression by Children & Artists by Maria Popova What the spectrum of difference has to do with 12th-century demons and Google Earth. Autism is one of the greatest modern mysteries of cognitive science, a highly faceted condition that remains largely misunderstood. We’ve previously explored several notable autistic outliers — British savant Stephen Wiltshire, who draws remarkable 3D panoramas of cities from memory; animal scientist Temple Grandin, who is equally well-known for her innovations in livestock herding and her autism advocacy; and autistic savant Daniel Tammet, who was able to learn Icelandic in a week, among other remarkable feats of memory. But what is the actual experience of living with autism in a deep felt sense, beyond the social stereotypes and headline-worthy superskills? Drawing Autism, a celebration of the artistry and self-expression found in artwork by people diagnosed with autism, explores just that. Felix: Imaginary City Map, Age 11 Who are some artists that you like? Vehdas Rangan: A. Emily L.
Teaching to Student Strengths:Recognizing Neglected Strengths Robert J. Sternberg A group of colleagues and I decided to find out (Grigorenko et al., 2004). Our hypothesis was that children from non-mainstream cultures often bring to school the kinds of knowledge and skills that are relevant to their lives and upbringing. Their teachers, however, fail to recognize this adaptive knowledge. Note that I say kinds, not levels. To find out how this kind of adaptive knowledge relates to students' test performance, we assessed the practical knowledge and skills of 261 students in grades 9–12 in southwestern Alaska. When Eddie runs to collect the ptarmigan that he's just shot, he notices that its front pouch (balloon) is full of food. There's a storm on the way. Uncle Markus knows a lot about hunting wolverines. On a slanted tree. We based the content of the assessment items on extensive interviews with Yup'ik Native Americans. Figure 1. A Study in Kenya Some might think that our findings would apply only to native Alaskan students. References Stemler, S.
About Prelude ‹ Heliotrope About Prelude Prelude is a group learning game that fosters 21st Century Skills and Social & Emotional Literacy . This includes: self knowledge, empathy, creativity, communication, collaboration, and appreciation for diversity. Prelude combines several development tools including - , and –in one economical, easy-to-use process. Prelude is used from Grade 6 to 12 by mainstream, learning challenged, and at risk students. Prelude is used in Project Management , Vocational Retraining , Diversity Programs , and Human Resource Management . Prelude is used in different cultural settings. Prelude helps participants to - Better understand their assets, strengths, and capacities Better understand their aspirations and options Better understand their group’s diversity and interdependence Improve negotiation, compromise, and collaborative skills Increase respect and trust Create powerful artifacts for post-game reference and life-career portfolios Understand they all create the “bigger picture” together
Differentiating Instruction For the Gifted How to Think About Differentiating Instruction There are many ways to shake up the classroom to create a better fit for more learners-including those who are advanced. In general, interest-based adjustments allow students to have a voice in deciding whether they will apply key principles being studied to math-oriented, literature-based, hobby-related, science-oriented, or history-associated areas. For example, in studying the American Revolution, one student might opt to write a short story about the life of a teenager during the Revolutionary period. Adjustments based on learning profile encourage students to understand their own learning preferences. Readiness-based adjustments can be created by teachers offering students a range of learning tasks developed along one or more of the following continua: Concrete to abstract. Strategies for Managing a Differentiated Classroom Final Thoughts Back to the Table of Contents References Tomlinson, C. (1995a). Tomlinson, C. (1995b). Credits