Group items tagged

This is a nice chart (with verbs) of Bloom's taxonomy, and Stepes to work through the taxonomy as you create a lesson. Impresses one with all the steps that Bloom's taxonomy requires.

"Today the lecture system is the preferred teaching style used by 89% of science professors. Indeed, lecture is a comfortable format for many instructors and a non-threatening one for students. It is low cost, easy to control, and an excellent method for organizing course content. However, many of us are becoming more aware that during lecture students are not actively engaged with the topic, they don�t seem to listen for very long, and their retention of concepts is minimal. Studies show that students are not attentive 40% of the time they are in class and that although attention is high for the first 15 minutes, it declines rapidly until the final 10 minutes of class. " K. Timberlake makes a good case for student-centered strategies, such as group work, and mini-lectures, peer presentations, and formative assessment.

"GoClass is a learning platform.... Using common mobile devices and an Internet connection, the platform helps you improve student engagement, classroom management ... With lesson plan review, student notes and media annotation, their classroom experience goes home with them." This app seems to have multiple functions, such as sending students follow-up notes and quick polls/quizzes, sharing whiteboards, etc. This will require some exploration. Available for both Apple and Google platforms.

A great collection of links with many tools and ideas.

"A range of ELT publications available in pdf to download. These include Milestones - a series of classic ELT texts published online as part of the British Council's 75th anniversary celebrations." A real bargain if you have ink and printer--free books in pdf.

Four interpretations of guides to help in writing objectives using Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives. These are set out in table format with sample questions and assessments. They should all be very useful in writing curricular objectives and analyzing proposed activities.

Tops sins include too much text with no markers, audio-only sessions (where students can't read and re-check), no to-do list (so students can't tell what's happening), no weekly markers to indicate how they are doing in the course, and over-dependence on Powerpoint presentations (where info is visual, but fleeting).

This important article by the ACTFL discusses how the U.S. Common Core standards can be aligned with the National Standards for Learning Languages. Presents several diagrams and other visuals to help teachers see the crossovers for each skill--reading listening, speaking, and writing--in presentational and interpersonal modes, and how culture is woven into the whole.

"Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers or students use assessment-based evidence to adjust what they're currently doing. "In other words, if teachers or students are not leveraging results/data (from Socrative, Kahoot!, Plickers, etc.) to then differentiate instruction or learning, the app inspired dog and pony show does not qualify as a formative assessment. "Formative assessment is a process…not an event, questions on a piece of paper, or even an app. What makes an assessment formative depends on the context in which it is used." Based on a blog/book co-authored by Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy. You can sign up for more chapters free on the site. The articles represent a measured discussion of how apps and "cool tools" can be used successfully, without hype.

Especially good for young learners- middle school. Has hundreds of games and resources, and subject videos are contributed by kids. You can also search for a word in one of their video, includes history, poetry and other literature, holiday stories, etc. From Carla Arena.