Group items tagged

Following on from the result of the #UKEdChat poll on Twitter, the chat this week focuses on: Modern and Effective Homework Strategies. The questions to be asked are below, which will then be released for discussion during the session. What are the greatest issues for teachers in setting homework? How do you communicate to parents your expectations of pupils completing homework? Does you school have a homework policy? How often is it updated? Homework and technology - How can we ensure all pupils have access to resources? Research about homework - John Hattie argues that homework in primary has zero effect (Radio 4 link). Do you agree / disagree? What is the most effective (and positive) homework strategy that you have experienced?

"Watching my students' faces as I explain to them that they will be sitting a test in a fortnight is something to behold.  I often witness a whole range of emotions, from annoyance, to despair, to completely blank and unreadable expressions. It's never a good look! So, a priority I've been working on for the past few months is improving knowledge retrieval, so that when a test is announced, my students can deal with it in a much more positive way."

"A programme that brings live fish into classrooms to teach the fundamentals of biology not only helps students learn, but improves their attitudes about science, a new study finds. The study of nearly 20,000 K-12 students, who raised zebrafish from embryos over the course of a week, found that kids at all grade levels showed significant learning gains. They also responded more positively to statements such as "I know what it's like to be a scientist." The results, to be published by the journal PLOS Biology, suggest that an immersive experience with a living creature can be a particularly successful strategy to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and maths."

Few people enter the teaching profession because they are passionate about controlling behaviour or disciplining prospective pupils. Most become educators because they want to make a positive difference in students' lives. However, countless well-intentioned yet potentially ill-prepared teachers find themselves in situations during the school year where they feel compelled to use forms of intimidation, manipulation, bribery, yelling, scolding, or even false praise to make students behave. These archaic classroom management techniques often backfire- as they did for me early in my teaching career-and result in students losing respect for and disliking the teacher.

"Formative feedback is instrumental in the learning experience of a student. It can be effective in promoting learning if it is timely, personal, manageable, motivational, and in direct relation with assessment criteria. Despite its importance, however, research suggests that students are discouraged from engaging in the feedback process primarily for reasons that relate to lack of motivation and difficulty in relating to and reflecting on the feedback comments. In this paper we present Online FEdback System (OFES), an e-learning tool that effectively supports the provision of formative feedback. Our aims are to enhance feedback reception and to strengthen the quality of feedback through the way feedback is communicated to the students. We propose that an effective feedback communication mechanism should be integrated into a student's online learning space and it is anticipated that this provision will motivate students to engage with feedback. Empirical evidence suggests that the developed system successfully addressed the issues of student engagement and motivation and achieved its objectives. The results of using the system for two years indicate a positive perception of the students which, in turn, encourage us to further explore its effectiveness by extending its functionality and integrating it into a an open source learning management system"

This is the end result of one of my favorite units I do with my 7th graders. This year students brainstormed various positive messages they thought would make our school community a better place or would reinforce some of the positivity that already exists. Our school TV news will broadcast these to our entire school over the next few months (one per day). Enjoy!

"Praise seems such an obvious part of a teacher's role that it is often overlooked. However, like all tools the use of praise does need constant practice and planning in order for it to become a positive habit. With care, its use can be a highly effective intervention that supports young people with social, emotional or mental health needs as well as benefitting all pupils."

A four quadrant coordinates game. Set the position of your characters and try to find where the computer or a friend has hidden them. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

Power of positive feedback as an instructional strategy. 

This is probably a good article, but it can't be accessed without paying a $25 fee.

I write extensively about narrative feedback in my forthcoming book, ROLE Reversal (ASCD 2013). I quote Hattie and Timperly several times on the subject. Dylan Wiliam is another expert who has researched feedback for decades.

Counter to "posit that college professors do not work hard enough" and by extension the lack of teaching/teachers below this echelon

As an endorsing partner of the CCSS, and having followed this movement from its inception, Renaissance Learning is uniquely positioned to help you achieve the goals of the Common Core.

We proudly fund nonprofits that support our core initiatives. Through these efforts, we can make a positive impact on the world.

To ensure that we make a positive impact, the Community Grants Program will focus on inclusive programs and programs for children with disabilities under age 21; academic and enrichment programs at public schools; and programs that provide access to quality health care services and health education for at risk and underserved populations of all ages.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: This is a graded internship that allows you to integrate your own coursework with a hands-on service learning experience. The central objective of this course is to provide students with community experiences and reflection opportunities that examine community needs, the importance of civic engagement, and social justice issues affecting ethnic minorities and marginalized populations in contemporary American society. Students dedicate 70 hours at a pre-approved site (including Title I K-12 schools, youth programs, health services, social services, environmental programs, government agencies, etc.) directly serving a population in need or supporting activities that contribute to the greater good of our community. A weekly seminar, course readings, discussions, and reflection assignments facilitate critical thinking and a deeper understanding of cultural diversity, citizenship, and how to contribute to positive social change in our community. The course is also designed to provide "real-world" experiences that exercise academic skills and knowledge applicable to each student‟s program of study and career exploration. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Student will be introduced to essential skills associated with their baccalaureate studies to actively serve the local community. While completing this in-depth study of cultural diversity, citizenship and social justice issues facing our community, students will gain an understanding of the value of Social Embeddedness and the importance of incorporating civic engagement into their collegiate careers, as they strive to become civically engaged students. Students will be introduced to inequalities, discrimination, and other community issues facing ethnic minorities and marginalized populations, as well as the correlation with greater societal issues. INTERNSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:  Service hours - 70 hours of community outreach (spread throughout the semester in which you are enrolled in the course)

A maths game where players must position a square in a set of geometric puzzles. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Maths

Great post about the potential for using the new Timeline feature (as of Dec 2011) in Facebook to help craft a positive digital footprint.

A lovely carbon calculator designed for children found via @martingibb. Enter the answers to a few questions about transport habits, energy and food and see how green your students are. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/PSHE%2C+RE%2C+Citizenship%2C+Geography+%26+Environmental

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2055191/Scientists-said-climate-change-sceptics-proved-wrong-accused-hiding-truth-colleague.html Interesting news