40 Alternative Assessments for Learning When people think of assessment, pencils and bubble sheets may be the first things that come to mind. Assessment does not always have to involve paper and pencil, but can instead be a project, an observation, or a task that shows a student has learned the material. In the end, all we really want to know is that the skill was mastered, right? Many teachers shy away from alternative assessments because they take extra time and effort to create and to grade. The project card and rubric can be run on card stock (one on each side of the page), laminated, and hole punched with other alternative assessment ideas. Here are 40 alternative assessment ideas to get you started! Alternative Reading Assessments 1. Create a bookmark to match the theme of the last book read. 2. Put together a group of 5 things from the story of the week. 3. Students can make a stuffed animal that matches the theme of the story read. 4. Summarize the story by designing a business card (this will be harder than it sounds). 5.
Differentiation - tools, tips and resources Differentiation is an important aspect of education. Students learn differently, have different needs, different backgrounds, different skills, different ability levels, different interests and more. As educators, we try to create engaging lesson activities that provide a variety of learning experiences and allow students to demonstrate their learning in different ways. Differentiation should occur in both how students learn and gain knowledge and skills, and in how they demonstrate and are assessed on what they have learned. “In the practice of education, differentiation is defined as working to address the abilities, interests, and needs (both perceived and real) of individuals. Differentiation provides students with opportunities to approach curriculum from their strengths, as varied as these might be.” Here are some resources, tips, and tools on differentiation: Digital Differentiation - ideas and tools for differentiating with digital resources
Two Handy Web Tools to Create and Draw on Maps Somebody sent me an email earlier this week asking for web tools to create and draw on maps. Below are two of the tools that I know of but you can also check this collection of map tools I have published a few months ago it also features some other good applications to use while working on maps with your students. 1- Scribble maps Easily draw on maps and then share them with friends, completely for Free! Simple enough to be used by children, but powerful enough to be used by GIS professionals - Scribble Maps is the easiest way to draw and share maps with friends. Watch the video below to learn how to use Scribble maps Quickmaps allows users to draw a quick map.
Teaching Critical Thinking I just came across a 2007 article by Daniel T. Willingham “Critical Thinking: Why is it so hard to teach?” Critical thinking is very commonly found in lists of learning outcomes for general education or even at the institution level. In practice, it’s very difficult to even define, let alone teach or assess. The article is a nice survey of the problem. I just came across a 2007 article by Daniel T. The approach I've taken in the past (with the FACS assessment) I've simplified 'critical thinking' into two types of reasoning that are easy to identify: deductive and inductive. For example, solving a complex but familiar physics problem by applying a multi-step algorithm isn’t critical thinking because you are really drawing on memory to solve the problem. Applying a multi-step algorithm is deductive "follow-the-rules" thinking. In the quote above, the creation of a new algorithm exemplifies critical thinking--this is precisely inductive thinking, a kind of inference. A Model for Thinking
Introduction to Cooperative Learning | An Overview Of Cooperative Learning David W Johnson and Roger T Johnson Without the cooperation of its members society cannot survive, and the society of man has survived because the cooperativeness of its members made survival possible…. It was not an advantageous individual here and there who did so, but the group. In human societies the individuals who are most likely to survive are those who are best enabled to do so by their group. (Ashley Montagu, 1965) How students interact with each another is a neglected aspect of instruction. In the mid-1960s, cooperative learning was relatively unknown and largely ignored by educators. Definition of Cooperative Learning Students’ learning goals may be structured to promote cooperative, competitive, or individualistic efforts. Cooperation is working together to accomplish shared goals. Types Of Cooperative Learning Formal Cooperative Learning 1. 2. 3. 4. Informal Cooperative Learning 1. 2. a. b. c. d. The question may require students to: a. b. c. d.
Aha Moments on the Road to Better Teaching By Myron Dueck Change can be difficult. We find ourselves entrenched in old habits, and, therefore, much of what we do is simply what we have always done. A home-improvement friend of mine suggested that I get someone unfamiliar with my home to point out things that could use a little TLC. He suggested two changes for my home and, after I recovered from the subtle sting of criticism, I appreciated the analysis. Grading Smarter Starts with Awareness For many teachers, what stands in the way of change is not a lack of willingness but a lack of awareness. With that idea in mind, here are a few epiphanies I’ve had throughout my career that have helped me to see the need for change and enact it effectively. Improving Unit Plans I never noticed that my learning targets were hidden from sight and actually quite nebulous should anyone succeed in uncovering them. Based on Rick Stiggins’ work, I highlighted what students needed to know, reason, demonstrate, and produce. Improving Grading
32 Characteristics Of High-Performing Classrooms 32 Characteristics Of High-Performing Classrooms: Spotting The Holes In Your Teaching by Terry Heick Instructional design is the strategic creation of learning experiences through intentional planning, sequencing, and data-based revision of learning. This process includes both the ways content is accessed, and the learning needs and objectives (and how they are determined) themselves. This puts instructional strategies, literacy strategies, curriculum mapping, standards unpacking, assessment design, digital literacy, and a dozen other facets of education beneath its umbrella. With that in mind, we’ve created the following 32 characteristics of higher-level instructional planning to help you spot the holes in your teaching. Technology Integration Cognitive Demand Lesson Planning Assessments Curriculum Mapping Learner Choice Classroom Management Student Support Image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad; 32 Characteristics Of A High-Performing Classroom
Reciprocal Teaching: A Reading Comprehension Package The intervention package teaches students to use reading comprehension strategies independently, including text prediction, summarization,question generation, and clarification of unknown or unclear content. For effective-teaching tips to use when introducing this strategy, consult the guidelines presented introducing Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach. Materials: Overhead transparencies of practice reading passages, transparency markers Student copies of Be a Careful Reader! Preparation: Prepare overheads of sample passages. Step 1: Set aside at least four successive instructional days to introduce students to each of the following comprehension strategies: Day 1: Prediction,Day 2: Summarization ("list main ideas"),Day 3: Question Generation,Day 4: Clarifying. Step 2: After students have been introduced to the key strategies, the group is now ready to apply all four strategies from the Reciprocal Teaching package to a sample reading passage. Jim's Hints
The Question Game: A Playful Way To Teach Critical Thinking The Question Game by Sophie Wrobel, geist.avesophos.de The Question Game: A Playful Way To Teach Critical Thinking Big idea: Teaching kids to ask smart questions on their own A four-year-old asks on average about 400 questions per day, and an adult hardly asks any. In A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas, Warren Berger suggests that there are three main questions which help in problem solving: Why questions, What If questions, and How questions. Regardless of the question, the question needs to be phrased openly and positively in order to achieve positive results – a closed or negative question only raises bad feelings against each other. Why questions help to find the root of a problemWhat If questions open up the floor for creative solutionsHow questions focus on developing practical solutions Learning Goal: A Pattern Of Critical Thinking Introducing The Question Game Evaluating Learning Progress
Reciprocal Teaching From Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology Elizabeth Foster and Becky Rotoloni The University of Georgia Review of Reciprocal Teaching Introduction Mrs. Mrs. What is Reciprocal Teaching? Reciprocal teaching is a cooperative learning instructional method in which natural dialogue models and reveals learners' thinking processes about a shared learning experience. Reciprocal teaching is based on Vygotsky's theory of the fundamental role of social interaction (dialogue) in the development of cognition. Effective reciprocal teaching lessons include scaffolding, thinking aloud, using cooperative learning, and facilitating metacognition with each step. Whole class introduction or reinforcement of reciprocal teaching is appropriate, but this should serve as opening and closing activity. Palincsar, Brown, and Campione (1989) define reciprocal teaching as a dialogue between teacher and student. Mrs. Predicting Vignette Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. We think that: Ms. Mrs. The students in Mrs.
Non-Fiction Text Structures! « Reading. Writing. Thinking. Sharing. How are you doing with teaching non-fiction, informational texts? Do you feel you have a good grasp on expository text structures? With the Common Core ELA standards, students are expected to be proficient in reading complex informational texts. State assessments are also becoming more non-fiction focused, to evaluate student abilities in navigating these complex texts. So what can we do to help our students meet these standards? The purpose of this post is to provide a few resources for teaching non-fiction, in preparation for the higher levels of achievement students are expected to reach! The Non-Fiction Text Structures: What are text structures? Non-fiction text structures refer to HOW an author organizes information in an expository text. Why are the text structures important? Understanding non-fiction text structures is critical for “Reading to Learn” (i.e., reading for information). Introducing & Reviewing Non Fiction: Introducing Non-Fiction: Introducing the Text Structures: Mrs.
Cooperative Learning Strategies Global rating average: 0.0 out of 50.00.00.00.00.0 Read articles that define and explain how to use cooperative learning strategies in the classroom. Includes cooperative learning lesson plans for a variety of subjects and grade levels. There are links to eThemes Resources Teaching Tips: Cooperative Learning for High School, Teaching Tips: Cooperative Problem Solving Tasks, and Teaching Tips: Team Building Activities for Elementary Students. Grades Links A Guide to Cooperative Learning Learn about the basic elements of cooperative learning, helpful tips, and the structure of cooperative learning activities such as: think-pair-share, three-step interview, roundtable, numbered heads together, pairs check, send a problem and jigsaw. Education Standards Request State Standards
186 Videos that will make you go Huh, Whoa, Wow, Ahhh, and Ha-Ha Follow @paulbogush An updated version of this post is here 286 Videos Four years ago I wrote a post simply called 99 Videos that will make you go Huh, Whoa, Wow, Ahhh, and Ha-Ha. I decided to reincarnate that post because many of the videos are no longer on the internet, some of the sites have gone under, and I have always wanted to get to an even 100. Videos play an important role in my class (well not so much this year, because of something I can’t write about here, but they will continue again next year They serve as much more than a time filler (ok maybe sometimes), they are played for more than just cheap laughs (although I am a big fan of cheap laughs), and they all usually have some point to them (maybe the snoring dog video has no point). Yes conversations can bond people, yes sharing personal stories can create a common bond between people…but so can video if used carefully and purposely. While many might say staring off class with a random video is a waste of time (no way!)
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