Fuel Creativity in the Classroom with Divergent Thinking
Recently, I showed a group of students in my high school art class a film called Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink), about a seven-year-old boy named Ludovic who identifies as female. Ludovic has an active imagination, but is bullied by both adults and other kids who are unnerved by his desire to wear dresses and play with dolls. The film challenged my students to broaden their understanding of gender and identity and led to a discussion about ways in which our imaginations are limited when we are forced to be who we are not. It also reminded me of other examples in which character is forced to choose an identity, such as the movie Divergent, based on the popular trilogy of novels by Veronica Roth. In Divergent, a dystopian future society has been divided into five factions based on perceived virtues. Defining Divergent Thinking The word divergent is partly defined as "tending to be different or develop in different directions." In the Classroom: Strategies Strategy #2: Let the Music Play
Movies and Listening Comprehension in FOCAL SKILLS Programs
Clinging to the face of a cliff, Indiana Jones watches as crocodiles devour his enemies in the river far below. Westley kisses Buttercup after rescuing her from the evil Prince Humperdinck. Kevin whoops in glee as the Wet Bandits are hauled off to jail. Teachers in IEPs using the FOCAL SKILLS approach have developed a specialized movie technique for accelerating the growth of students' listening comprehension. FOCAL SKILLS is built around the concept of "functional skill integration," (Hastings 1995), which means simply that students' stronger language skills are used as tools for building their weaker skills. The Listening Module meets for three hours daily, with a fourth hour normally reserved for elective classes. In designing the instruction for the Listening Module, we are faced with several challenges. Movies help us meet all three of these challenges. the students' understanding of the story. Dozens of movies have been used successfully in this way.
6 Good Tools to Generate Writing Prompts
All writing starts with an idea which is then expanded and elaborated, but coming up with ideas to write about is not always easy particularly when you have to teach different classes. This is where digital writing prompts come in handy.These are web tools that you can use to generate ideas and story starters for students to write about. I have compiled some of these tools for you below , check them out 1- Things to Think About Kids’ Things to Think About provides 100 prompts to spark thinking for written responses and encourage conversations about ideas and issues for kids. Created by students and teachers in Michigan, it can be used in classrooms or with families by allowing children to explore the prompts and by using them to guide a discussion or lesson. This is a good tool that can helpyou generate new ideas to be used for writing short stories, plays or any other writing task. Plinky is another wonderful tool for writing prompts. A story start is the first chapter of the book.
A Global View: The Adventure of Kid-Friendly Foreign Films
Image credit: iStockphoto For many of us, Oscar week can serve as the annual reminder of how many great grown-up films we have yet to see, and how many kids' movies we've already seen -- over and over and over. Next time you're faced with indoor recess or a snow day, movie night or a free period before a holiday, resist the temptation to pop in Finding Nemo or Shrek (though I love these, too), and use the opportunity to take a journey around the world. Of all the great global learning tools out there, films from diverse countries are among of my very favorites. The Benefits of Active Viewing First and foremost, a good movie draws us in, and we simply enjoy the experience. Pre-screen movie trailers or short clips, easily accessible through YouTube or Vimeo, and archive your favorites to fill a gap on a rainy day or to weave into literature, social studies, music, art or science lessons. Don't shy away from subtitles, either. 6 Foreign Films for Every Classroom Ponyo (all ages)
The FOCAL SKILLS Approach to Language Education | International Center for FOCAL SKILLS | ICFS
10 Social Media Tips for Reaching World Language Learners
Feeling outdated, not connected, or even totally lost in the digital age? Well, let me assure you, droning on and on about grammatical structures is a surefire way to quickly lose student interest in the world language classroom. Instead, embrace something which truly interests the millennial student: social media. Here are ten ideas to get you started on your journey toward not becoming the classroom dinosaur you have always feared becoming. 1. Blogging is a wonderful way to keep your students connected, even when they are no longer in class. 2. Micro-blogging via Twitter is another way to link students outside of class. 3. Photo sharing a Spanish word of the day via Instagram has become an activity that my students truly enjoy. 4. Video sharing via YouTube and Vimeo allows students to publish their work. 5. Presentation sharing via SlideShare is a great mode for having students search, create, modify and share presentations with the world. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Gallery: What inequality means to me
Inequality is a complicated term. It can be applied to so many factors, for one thing. There’s income inequality, asset inequality, gender inequality, social, class, political … you name it, someone, somewhere likely feels (and is) hard done by. And, for all the focus that Thomas Piketty has gained for his analysis of a new, ever-diverging global class of the superrich, inequality is still personal. As such, we asked an international group of artists, designers, photographers and activists to provide one image that encapsulates what inequality means to them — and to explain their selection. Photograph: Ryan Lobo. Ryan Lobo, photographer, India “Here is a photograph I made of a little boy who lives in a slum outside one of India’s most successful IT companies, the Infosys building in Bangalore. India has very unequal patterns of development, and though the economy has benefited, most of India’s 1.28 billion people remain deeply disadvantaged. Photograph: Monika Bulaj. Photograph: Aaron Huey.
Effective WL Instructors…
Effective WL Instructors… Every teacher wants to be the best they can be for their students. While there are many attributes that can make a great teacher we can also observe some behaviors and routines that are in a great world language teacher’s classroom. It’s good to be reminded of the actions that make a good foreign language teacher. Below you will find some rubrics we have found around the web, but first we’d like to highlight some we believe to be most essential. Units have real world language performance goals and students have opportunities to communicate in real world context.Teacher uses the target language to conduct class (with out English translations). Take a look at the following rubrics. 1. Check out the TELL (Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning) Project, who has some great rubrics and self-assessments, including this checklist for teachers: We’d like to hear your thoughts. Like this: Like Loading... Related Starting at the End In "Discussion/Methodology"
