- TeachingForward Developing higher order thinking skills in your learners By Rachel Jones: (extract) All teachers work in one way or another using taxonomy. Many of us use Blooms hierarchical taxonomy, which sets out levels of learning from Understanding, through various stages to Analysis, right through to Evaluate towards the zenith of the pyramid, with Create at the top. This was designed to promote higher order thinking skills in education, and is really useful for encouraging teachers to consider Metacognition- the actual processes of how students learn. Of course there is also SOLO Taxonomy, which has been embedded into teaching practice, allowing students reach towards an extended abstract. Whichever taxonomy you use as educators, we should be guiding our learners to achieve their potential and beyond. As a happy coincidence many exam boards ask questions that reward higher order thinking- so encouraging your learners to operate at this level is worth your time, in terms of skills gained as well as potentially improving student outcomes.
BOSTES Teacher Accreditation - News 22 Jan 2015 Over Term 1 a number of BOSTES endorsed providers will be running registered professional development across a variety of focus areas. As these activities are QTC registered, accredited teachers will be able to use this professional learning towards their maintenance of accreditation. To view more details on the professional learning running throughout the remainder of Term 1 please click on the links below: Listing as of 19 January 2015 4MATS System Australia 4MAT Basic Training Ascham School Apply First Aid (refresher course) Association of Independent Schools Chemical Safely in Primary Schools 2015 NSW and ACT 2015 Experienced Teacher Professional Support Session Steiner Education Australia Conference 2015 Thinking of a Leadership Role? Work Health and Safety Consultation Australian Communications and Media Authority Connect.ed - Online Learning Course Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Ltd (AITSL) Australian Literacy Educators Association (ALEA NSW)
Before You Assign That Homework – What Students Wish You Knew “Should teachers assign homework?” was the question I asked my students today. I thought I knew the answer, a resounding no I was sure, and yet, once again my 7th graders surprised me. While some pleaded for no more homework, many said they understood the purpose of it, that it was a necessary component of school and then wrote a paragraph asking for change. Asking for their thoughts to be considered. They wish teachers knew just how busy they are. They wish teachers knew just how stressed they are. They wish teachers knew that they don’t always need the practice. They wish teachers knew how much we all assign. They wish teachers knew that they have worked really hard in school and wish they could have a break. Finally, they wish teachers actually did their own homework. Once again, my students thoughts push my own thinking. I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Like this: Like Loading...
The Challenges of Digital Leadership As founding director of CASTLE (the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education), the nation’s only university center dedicated to the technology needs of school leaders, I have had the good fortune to work with administrators all over the world on digital leadership issues. Because digital devices and online environments can simultaneously be transformatively empowering and maddeningly disruptive, the work of integrating digital learning tools into schools is usually difficult and complex. Common challenges arise, however, and can be thoughtfully addressed by proactive leadership. Vision By far the most prevalent issue I see in schools struggling with their technology integration and implementation is the lack of a collective vision for how digital learning tools will be used to enhance learning. The most successful schools that I see have rich, robust visions for how digital technologies will transform learning and empower students. Fear Control Support
How to Create Your Own Textbook — With or Without Apple By Dolores Gende Apple’s iBooks2 and authoring app has created big waves in education circles. But smart educators don’t necessarily need Apple’s slick devices and software to create their own books. As the open education movement continues to grow and become an even more rich trove of resources, teachers can use the content to make their own interactive textbooks. Here’s how to create a digital textbook and strategies for involving the students in its development in three steps. 1. Teachers can work with colleagues within their subject area departments and beyond the walls of the classroom to aggregate resources through social bookmarking. Also try Paper.li or The Twitted Times, which will sift through your connections’ resources and organize them. 2. One of the most user-friendly tools to post resources for your course is LiveBinders. You can find many more useful tools for curation. 3. Google Sites also allows you to create and share Web pages, and has lots of customizable features.
Vygotsky's constructivism Chad Galloway The University of Georgia Vygotsky's Theories The work of Lev Vygotsky and other developmental psychologists has become the foundation of much research and theory in developmental cognition over the past several decades, particularly of what has become known as social development theory. The MKO In order to gain an understanding of Vygotsky's theories on cognitive development, one must understand two of the main principles of Vygotsky's work: the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). In fact, the MKO need not be a person at all. Caption: This animation depicts Vygotsky's principles of More Knowledgeable Others (MKOs) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD The concept of the More Knowledgeable Other is integrally related to the second important principle of Vygotsky's work, the Zone of Proximal Development. Caption: In the animation, a bar with many divisions is presented. Example of ZPD References Wertsch, J. Vygotsky, L.
60 Ways To Use Twitter In The Classroom By Category Communication Twitter makes staying in touch and sharing announcements super simple and even fun. These ideas offer a great way to put the tool to good use. Organization Twitter’s hashtags and other tools share a great way to organize information for your classroom. Twitter recaps: At the end of the day, teachers can summarize what has been learned in the classroom, encouraging reflection and discussion between students.Classroom connections: Classrooms around the world can collaborate using Twitter as a communication tool.Collating classroom views: Students can share their opinions on issues or any open questions, and they can be organized using Twitter.Corraling comments in class: Monica Rankin at the University of Texas at Dallas uses weekly hashtags to organize comments, questions and feedback that students have used in class, while also projecting live tweets in class for discussion. Resources Use these ideas to take advantage of the vast resources that Twitter has to offer.
What Do Schools Need? Collaboration and Principals Who Lead It | Karin Chenoweth John Hattie is back -- and once again he is marshaling the evidence needed to improve schools. Keep in mind that Hattie took the education world by storm a few years ago with his book Visible Learning: What Works Best for Learning. Visible Learning and its sister book, Visible Learning for Teachers, began to solve a knotty problem. To wit, thousands upon thousands of education research studies -- some high-quality, some low-quality, some large-scale, some tiny -- confuse just about everyone. Individual teachers and principals have no practical way to sift through all of them on their own, which leaves educators vulnerable to fads and fashions -- in part because no matter how unrealistic the idea, some study somewhere can be used to validate it. When aggregated together, however, all those studies provide important guidance. As it turns out, pretty much any policy, program, or practice can have some positive effect for students. And what is the one thing that has the most effect?
Free Webinars from Microsoft Help Educators Get up to Speed New to Windows 8.1? Looking for great ideas for Windows-using classrooms and schools? If so, Microsoft has some helpful webinars for you! For starters, you can join Microsoft, educators and industry experts for a monthly webinar series designed to help educators and administrators support students to meet college and career goals. These free educasts are offered by the Microsoft IT Academy and the the Microsoft Educator Network. How You can Transform Your Classroom with Technology [now available on demand] Flip This Classroom! Check out the Microsoft EduCast landing page for a complete schedule and registration info. If you’re looking for a broader array of Microsoft webinars – ranging from What’s New in Windows 8.1 and What it Means for Education to Exploring Microsoft Cloud Services – visit the Microsoft Events landing page and search using the pull-down menus and tabs.
Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives Benjamin Bloom’s (1956) prominent work is the development of the Taxonomy Anderson, et al. (2001), defines taxonomy as a special kind of framework that classifies objectives. They explain that “a statement of an objective contains a verb and a noun. The verb generally describes the intended cognitive process. In 1948, Bloom participated in an informal meeting of college examiners attending the American Psychological Association Convention in Boston. After much discussion, the group mutually came to an agreement that they could obtain this type of framework through a system of classifying educational goals and objectives. This group of college examiners continued to meet informally at a different university each year, and eight years later the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives – The Classification of Educational Goals – Handbook 1: The Cognitive Domain A domain categorizes the classes and sub-classes of Bloom’s taxonomy. Description of the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives References
Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding What strategy can double student learning gains? According to 250 empirical studies, the answer is formative assessment, defined by Bill Younglove as "the frequent, interactive checking of student progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs and adjust teaching appropriately." Unlike summative assessment, which evaluates student learning according to a benchmark, formative assessment monitors student understanding so that kids are always aware of their academic strengths and learning gaps. Meanwhile, teachers can improve the effectiveness of their instruction, re-teaching if necessary. "When the cook tastes the soup," writes Robert E. Alternative formative assessment (AFA) strategies can be as simple (and important) as checking the oil in your car -- hence the name "dipsticks." In the sections below, we'll discuss things to consider when implementing AFAs. Observation: A Key Practice in Alternative Formative Assessment A fundamental element of most AFAs is observation.
Motivating teenagers: How do you do it? Photo by Bevan Gold Swain/Thinkstock Ian was sitting at his usual place during what his parents had decreed was his nightly homework time. But he had his chair turned away from his open books and calculator, and he was removing the fourth raw hot dog from the package. He gingerly placed it sideways on the family dog Walter’s muzzle and commanded him to “walk.” Ian got the idea after a liberal sampling of YouTube’s stupid pet trick videos. Ian’s mother, Debbie, peeked in on her son and then turned around to stare at her husband. “Ian, it's almost 8, let’s get going!” “Ian, if you don’t get started now, I will not help you with your math.” Ian commenced homework but soon drifted to watching more dumb pet tricks on YouTube. Michael and Debbie had realized early that Ian was extremely bright but that he couldn’t often work up to his capabilities. Lately, we have been schooled on the hell that is adolescence, and more specifically, the collateral damage this phase of life inflicts on parents.
These 6 questions determine if you're technology rich, innovation poor Think your school is innovative with tech? Answer these 6 questions and prepare to reassess At the start of a webinar I recently conducted for school leaders, I asked attendees if they felt they were leading an innovative school as a result of the implementation of technology. More than 90 percent responded that they were. The complete reversal was due to a presentation on the six questions that you will read about in this article—a list of questions that were developed to help clarify for educators the unique added value of a digital learning environment, and whether their assignments were making the best use of this environment. Want to test your own level of innovation? (Beyond SAMR: Special note to those of you applying SAMR. (Next page: the 6 questions and how to shape your lessons for innovation)