tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30861038123845502112024-03-13T18:46:49.828+08:00Roaming TeacherA space for sharing great teaching ideas using the best of the InternetAbenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02967604467565119215noreply@blogger.comBlogger291125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-14753400237263587092017-03-29T21:26:00.000+08:002017-03-29T21:26:02.200+08:00Inside Outside Circles Discussion ActivityDo you sometimes set up discussion activities, only to watch as students either gawk at each other uncomfortably, allow 1 or 2 individuals to dominate or end up talking about something completely off-topic? This activity is a great way to generate lots of focused talk. Because the discussions are short and have a specific prompt to guide them, there is no option to not speak, and not enough time Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-90085776104164112372017-02-19T20:25:00.000+08:002017-02-19T20:25:57.572+08:00Cooperative Play - Race the Game!My teen students had such fun playing my Zombie Apocalypse game; I have mostly used it for review - with the students producing question banks - but sometimes they just play it for the sake of seeing if they can overcome the game. Seeing them work together so enthusiastically convinced me I just had to expand the cooperative model to another game. One aspect I wanted to work on was the fact Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-20175975982755263192017-01-04T17:13:00.000+08:002017-03-24T21:28:52.994+08:00Cooperative Gaming - Playing Together v Playing AgainstA while back, I came across the concept of cooperative gaming through the popular boardgame Pandemic. I thought the idea of having players cooperative rather than compete was brilliant, and getting students to work together toward a common goal much more conducive to positive relationships than traditional boardgames where players are pitched against each other.
Playing is how we learn to behaveUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-22927705541505665422016-11-18T19:24:00.002+08:002016-11-18T19:24:50.930+08:00More Ideas for Task Cards
For related posts, click on the 'Task Cards' label in the right-hand column.
I've been using task cards for a long time now, and I've come to love them. For some reason, students never tire of them and the fact I can get students physically moving as they learn is an additional bonus to the differentiation, student choice and variety they allow for.
In a previous post I outlined some ways Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-40191587362261446872016-06-11T18:18:00.001+08:002016-06-11T18:18:21.670+08:00No More Grammar Worksheets! Part 1Every English teacher soon realises that at least a basic understanding of how grammar works is essential for efficient student-teacher communications. I have no interest in producing near-graduate linguists, but just try asking for an apple, without using the word 'apple'. It's a lot more time (and energy) consuming than just using the specific word.
The same applies when trying to explainUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-55156470128486528462016-06-09T17:50:00.001+08:002016-06-09T17:51:32.092+08:00Zombies Everywhere!In my previous post, I set out my intention to create some 'zombie-themed' resources for my upcoming Learning to Learn unit. While I might not have been posting about it, I've been really busy and now I've made a start on a resource each for reading, writing and speaking and listening. While they are not entirely new, being based on activities I've used before, I'm excited that they are now in a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-55073390631885844832016-05-17T21:07:00.000+08:002016-06-09T17:50:57.578+08:00Learning to Learn with ZombiesIn a previous post, I raved about the Coursera 'Learning to Learn' MOOC I took, and also set out my intention to create a start-of-year unit for my students that would address their readiness to learn, while helping them understand how to work with their brains to maximise learning success.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to settle on a way in, but I finally decided to engage theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-67890778473058900932016-05-14T20:57:00.001+08:002016-05-14T20:57:45.825+08:00What to do with task cards?One of the main reasons I have so many sets of task cards is that it allows me to differentiate and give students choice. No longer do I have to stand at the front and teach a concept that some already know, or drag students through the one task on offer. With task cards, I can introduce variety and engagement. My students regularly ask if we can use them more frequently than we do, so that's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-52877341814488480902016-05-06T05:50:00.000+08:002016-05-06T05:50:18.643+08:00Memory and Learning
I recently completed Coursera's offering Learning To Learn. Apparently, it's the most popular MOOC ever and, although I've taken many a course in metacognition and learning, I can totally agree that it was the most useful PD and personal learning experience I've had in a long time.
Barbra Oakley, the main lecturer, fills the course with anecdotes and interesting neuro-research, while Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-90648378783227380952015-10-10T18:53:00.002+08:002015-10-10T18:53:29.586+08:00Who'd Have Thought? 6th Grade Rocks!Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator for the International Baccalaureate Diploma program was my last full-time role, and I saw my future as developing within the IB program. I enjoyed the Language and Literature course immensely and was (and still am) in whole-hearted agreement with the IB's holistic approach.
So how did I end up teaching 6th Grade in a non-IB school? I suppose my current school Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-32620406432446534452015-10-04T10:31:00.001+08:002015-10-04T10:31:30.429+08:00Writer Workshop & Block Schedule (The Answer)
Since writing this post expressing my frustration with our block schedule when trying to fit in reading and writing, I've found a solution that works for us. Unsurprisingly, it comes courtesy of Kasey Kiehl so rather than trying to summarise what she says so well, here's the link.
I downloaded her free advice pack from TeachersPayTeachers and realised I was not using my time efficiently. Now Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-13017507047844433822015-10-04T10:21:00.001+08:002015-10-04T10:21:50.661+08:00Note-taking with Google Slides
Although I'm not a fan of teaching at the front, there are times when we just have to stand up and guide students through a concept or information. If you'd like students to be active listeners and take notes as you present, here's an idea I thought may be worth sharing.
Make a copy of your Google Slides presentation, delete your presentation notes and then distribute a copy to each individual (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-6322517636364754632015-09-21T20:33:00.004+08:002015-09-21T20:33:54.924+08:00Good at learning or good at school?
A former student responding to a prompt asking the difference between learning and studying:
"It’s one thing to read Romeo and Juliet, and I can tell you, you know, which ones were the Capulets and, you know, I can name and tell you Juliet, who she is. I can pick out the symbolism and I can say, this is a reference to this, that was happening in Elizabethan England. It’s another thing to read Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-91952174538369412452015-09-21T20:24:00.001+08:002015-10-04T10:32:19.218+08:00Writer Workshop & Block Schedule (The Question)The school I've recently joined has been using the Lucy Calkins Units of Study. The wordiness and overly-scripted plans feel prescriptive rather than guiding, although I acknowledge they are not meant to be so. This has encouraged me to look at how others (such as Kasey Kiehl) are doing it, and dip in and out of Calkins as needed for my 6th Grade students. Furthermore, my positive experiences Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-42345383162760491672015-09-10T06:06:00.000+08:002016-05-06T06:08:30.158+08:00What I've Learned So Far about Writers' Workshop
Writer Workshop
As keen as I was to give Writer Workshop a go, it doesn't fit a timetable where you see the kids every other day. It's designed to have kids write every day. While I saw some great things about it - not least the learners considering themselves as 'writers' and writing much more than before - the pace is too slow to maintain in my current context. I have reached out to all the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-36814061383128505462015-08-05T11:49:00.000+08:002015-08-05T12:40:17.227+08:00Assessment - Positive & Negative ExperiencesThis year, my school is focusing on assessment as part of the strategic plan. Along with reading Classroom Assessment for Student Learning by Chappuis, Chappuis, Stiggins and Arter, we will have regular training sessions as a faculty.
Our first activity is to reflect on one negative and one positive assessment experience and why made them so.
Negative Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-41855005420019444002015-05-03T11:13:00.004+08:002015-10-04T11:10:52.185+08:00A Martian Sends a Postcard HomeWith the long weekend, I finally got around to giving my much-neglected store some attention. Below is my latest offering on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Are you tired of reading dull prose that fails to capture the imagination? Have you had enough of the same worn-out similes and metaphors that do nothing to enliven the mind? This lesson focuses on encouraging students to write fresh and original Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-84062240627681903632015-04-01T14:55:00.000+08:002015-04-01T14:55:03.853+08:00Persuasive Writing: Student-Made Videos
I've recently been teaching Grade 9 English Language Acquisition - or ESOL if you prefer - in the IB MYP program. The four students have been with us between 2 and 6 months, so the are very much developing all their skills.
Outcomes for our current unit include being able to plan and write a persuasive essay, so in a bid to make the elements as clear as possible, the four students each Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-87989938759237518272015-03-24T09:37:00.000+08:002015-03-24T10:01:15.046+08:00Accountability & Student Surveys
'The Flawed Culture of Education Today'https://artofeducation.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/the-flawed-culture-of-education-today/
It may seem self-evident, but I'll say it anyway: accountability in teaching is one of those things schools always struggle to balance. On the one hand, teachers are human so there will always be a certain number of people trying to 'get away with it'. However, on the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-48656429365812392282014-11-27T13:51:00.001+08:002014-11-27T19:57:19.240+08:00Global Education Conference: Online and On Target
Last week, I finally had the opportunity to take part in the online Global Education Conference, organised by Steve Hargadon @stevehargadon and Lucy Gray @elemenous after managing no more than a 'dip' into it in previous years. It only made me realise what I'd be missing! The presentations I was able to participate in and moderate were of great benefit for people like me looking to develop Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-8471501211425132792014-10-29T10:40:00.001+08:002014-10-29T10:40:31.953+08:00MOOC: What Future for Education? Activity 5.1This post is the for the required activity 5.1 in Coursera's massive online open course (MOOC) 'What Future for Education?' from London University's Institute of Education. To follow the thread on this blog, use the label FutEd.Why do you think governments consider education to be such a high priority?My initial thoughts on this is that the answer is rather obvious and twofold i.e. (1) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-6736068996525022632014-10-27T12:48:00.000+08:002014-10-27T12:50:11.846+08:00MOOC: What Future for Education? Unit 4 Reflection - SchoolsThe fourth unit reflection for the Coursera MOOC What Future for Education? To follow the thread, click on - or search for - the label FutEd.
How has your experience of school shaped you as a learner, and as an adult?
In what ways do you think your own schooling could have been improved, and what priorities do you think are the most important for schools today?
The Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-32286907817277425692014-10-14T18:49:00.000+08:002014-10-14T18:49:00.368+08:00MOOC: What Future for Education? Activity 4.1This post is the for the required activity 4.1 in Coursera's massive online open course (MOOC) 'What Future for Education?' from London University's Institute of Education. To follow the thread on this blog, use the label FutEd.
Reflect on your own schooling. Did you go to a 'good' school? What 'residuals' did you take away from your school and how has it helped you subsequently?
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-6105132871324489752014-10-08T09:30:00.000+08:002014-10-17T12:06:46.593+08:00MOOC: What Future for Education? Unit 3 Reflection
The third unit reflection for the Coursera MOOC What Future for Education? To follow the thread, click on - or search for - the label FutEd.
Reflect back on the teachers you considered in the first reflection task at the start of this week. Reconsider what it was about them that made you consider them to be so good. Would others that were taught by them have the same Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3086103812384550211.post-86158769100371523032014-10-07T13:29:00.000+08:002014-10-27T12:52:53.703+08:00MOOC: What Future for Education? Activity 3.1
This post is the for the required activity 3.1 in Coursera's massive online open course (MOOC) 'What Future for Education?' from London University's Institute of Education. To follow the thread on this blog, use the label FutEd.
Do you remember having a good teacher? Or a particularly bad one? Reflect on your memory, what was about it about this teacher that makes them stand out Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0