As a teacher, how can you teach your students to be Self-Regulated Learners? Such a task requires careful implementation and integration of many tools and teaching many skills in your classroom. This article will give you a bump start in your efforts, providing a framework and suggestions for promoting self-regulated learning skills for each step of the process. The article breaks self-regulated learning strategies into three phases: The Forethought Phase, The Performance Phase, and The Self-Reflective Phase. The Forethought Phase indicates that self-regulated learners will analyze the task, set goals, and developed strategies that will allow them to complete the goal effectively. An example of putting this in practice could include modeling how to set goals and asking your students to set goals for themselves before a task; this would help to promote self-regulated learning in your classroom. As a teacher, you could also model self-regulated learning strategies during The Performance Phase of a tasks by modeling self-observation and demonstrating various learning strategies. The Self Reflective Phase occurs after the tasks are completed; a self-regulated learner would evaluate one's performance and recognize strategies that could improve the outcome for next time. Asking students to complete a self-evaluation after they have completed a task will help them to become self-learners, especially if you consistently apply this strategy in the classroom. Helping all students develop self-regulatory habits before, during and after learning, is a worthwhile goal for elementary teachers because once these habits are internalized, they will serve students for life.

This article is a great follow up to the fantastic presentation on ESL students and ESL teaching we were given last week in class. It can be difficult to bridge the gap between you and a student who speaks a different language and/or comes from a different country and cultural background. This article provides you with a few practical tips and 'icebreakers' on how to overcome the language barriers. It is important to establish good rapport with your ESL students; many will not feel comfortable in your class if you cannot achieve good rapport and if your students are uncomfortable, they will probably be unable to produce their best work. Making this connection can be very difficult as many ESL students would rather distance themselves from their instructor and fellow students with whom they cannot connect with right away because of the language and cultural barrier. A good icebreaker to established rapport and gauge the level of your ESL student (s) is Two Truths and a Lie. This activity will tell you whether or not your ESL student (s) know basic English, and will open up conversations between you and your students, as well as between students, about some unexpected answers that hopefully also offer some cultural insights. Another good icebreaker that will challenge student assumptions about each other is Who Wrote This? Many students may be surprised at some of the answers, and this activity will open up the classroom to new discussions about ESL students' personal interests and how they are similar or connect with the rest of the class's interests. Establishing a good relationship with your ESL students and making them feel comfortable and safe in your classroom is half the battle; having good icebreakers will help achieve these tasks and will aid your efforts significantly in presenting yourself to your ESL students as a safe, caring teacher.

Do you keep hearing about how important creativity in the classroom is but have no idea how to teach such a skill? There seems to be an understanding that creativity is something that one is born with and not something that is taught. This article offers reasons why it is important to teach creativity in your classroom and offers examples on how you can accomplish this seemingly incredible task. Creativity is not a bestowed gift; if can be experienced and learned by students in a classroom setting. The article emphasizes that there is a desperate need for creative thinkers in the world; we are in the midst of a creativity crisis. A sustainable future depends on having creative thinkers think up innovative solutions to complex problems. Creativity is a set of skills that must be taught to the future generations. The article provides examples of teaching creativity in the classroom. For example, As part of their social studies report, high school students developed a strong sense of empathy when they worked with the art teacher to create masks representing the emotions embodied by people from significant historical events: Polish Jews during the Second World War; a mother and her children leaving Ireland during the Irish Potato Famine in 1847; and parents receiving news that their son or daughter has been killed in action in Afghanistan. Students' creativity cannot be constantly held back by the tight constraints of producing a specific product to exhibit their understanding in a specific way. Creativity should be further explored in our education system if it is a skill that future generations will need to deal with our future complex concerns; not pulled away from simply because it is a concept that many people have not quite figured out how to explain and teach in a school setting.

Want to save some time in your busy classroom? Wondering how to integrate different subjects effectively? This article demonstrates how to combine social studies and visual arts in an effective and meaningful way for students. Students demonstrate an understanding of both art and history curriculum expectations as they separate what they can observe from a piece of art from what they can infer from the same piece of art. The article offers tips on how to best present a piece of art. For example, you can enlarge a detail of a painting and describe the specific detail. Then return to the larger image and discuss how looking at only part of the picture can be misleading; just like in history how only looking at one part or perspective of the story can be misleading. Artworks are primary resources in the same way that letters, diaries, and other textual sources are. Historical context is extremely important to the "reading" of these resources. This is why combining visual arts and history can be a very useful and practical way of teaching these subjects. As well, Matching an image to a complementary excerpt can help students deepen their understanding of a person, event or concept and will help build up their skill at making connections; a skill that should be well developed in both inside and outside the classroom.

Ever heard the groans of students, "When will I EVER need to know this in real life?" or "I learn better by doing!" The boom of the internet, communication and simulation technologies has allowed students more opportunities for authentic learning experiences, such as experimentation and real life problem solving. Authentic Learning focuses on real world, complex problems and their solutions. These learning programs do not revolve around 'teaching english or math.' Authentic Learning tasks are inherently multidisciplinary; they could require skills from more than one subject area. Examples of authentic learning tasks could be setting a budget, or managing a city. Ensuring classroom learning has real life relevance will allow students to feel like their learning will apply to them beyond the classroom setting. Their classroom learning strategies will teach students how to turn information into useful, transferable knowledge. Making different connections across disciplines is an important skill that will aid students once they reach the 'real world' beyond the classroom.Read this article and prepare your students for the real world complexities they will soon face that cannot be solved simply by applying an algorithm!

Playing video games in school? How is THAT educational! In fact, schools are beginning to allow students to learn through interactives and video games. Video games create an environment that includes many of the positive factors school programs are looking for: immediate feedback, clear goals, encouragement and motivation to do better the next round! Video games and technological interactives provide activities that stimulate problem solving skills, strategic thinking and non-linear thinking patterns, amongst many others. For example, in Projectile Motion, students explore the properties of projectile motion. Students use the interactive to try and hit a target in varying conditions; they learn about the direction and location of the launch, the projectile's mass, shape and size, and the presence of air resistance. This article includes links to hundreds of whiteboard interactives and ideas for video games that encourage development of critical thinking, strategic thinking, communication skills and more. Incorporating video games and technological interactives is a great way to provide differentiated learning alternatives in your classroom. Check this article out and consider putting those 'dreaded' video games to educational use!

Serious mismatches between the learning styles of students and the teaching style of the instructor be damaging for the education of the student, as well as the confidence of the teacher. Students in mismatched teaching/learning style situations will often be inattentive, do poorly academically even if they are quite capable of learning the material and/or simply give up on the course. This article specifically addresses how the dominant learning styles of East Asian students (teacher-centred, book centred, independent) often do not match up with the global, Western, and/or extroverted teaching styles often used by teachers from the Western world. To reduce teacher-student style conflicts, this article suggests that teaching and learning styles should be matched so that students can get the most out of their classroom experience. Introducing new learning strategies to East Asian students is not discouraged by the author; he provides a list of activities that can help to alter learning behaviours but advocates that these strategies should be introduced slowly and should not take over as the dominant teaching method if the students do not learn the best this way.

This opinion article touches on the pros and cons of Black History month. While the author does not agree that Black History Month should be removed from schools, he challenges us to reconsider how we present Black History Month, the content we include, and how we can change the current program to make it more effective. The article asks why slavery is rarely discussed in depth during Black History Month, then immediately after, asserts that Black History does not begin with 17th century slavery - did black people not exist before this time? The author is concerned with how Black History Month approaches the issue of black inequality as if it is completely disconnected with the present - the issues are still relevant and should be taught as such. As well, the author recognizes that discussing black history in the classroom should not be restricted to one month of the year - Black History month is a great opportunity to celebrate the past from the perspective of African Americans, but this perspective should not be lost for the rest of the year. Weighing the pros and cons of having 'Black History Month,' or any month dedicated to one ethnic group, will be important to consider when developing your own social studies program.

This article attempts to convey why Cass Technical High School's students in Detroit continue to succeed in social studies even though the worsening social and economic situation in Detroit would suggest that students would be finding school more difficult. An anonymous study was conducted with 85 students enrolled in the social studies program at Cass Technical Highschool; the study asked the students to explain in their own words why they thought they and their peers in social studies did so well on achievement tests. Their responses were very similar, suggesting that the students really appreciated the enthusiasm and passion their teachers emmitted while teaching. The students also replied that the regular use of primary documents really hooked them into the topic about to be discussed. Regular use of internet sources for research and technology in the classroom was another favourite answer amongst the students. The students really appreciated the facilitation of deep discussions that included everyone and diverse opinions. Humour in the classroom, regular inclusion of images and field trips were all included in the reasons why students felt they continued to succeed in social studies. These teaching strategies are important for teachers to keep in mind when preparing units and lessons that they want students to get excited about and succeed in. This article is a positive reminder that effective teaching strategies really can make a difference; even when the odds are against you.

If anyone can tell me how I can add another tag to this that would be awesome! I thought I had the five all clicked but I guess not:(

This is a research seminar paper written by a student from York university. She argues that the current Ontario curriculum for Primary and Junior Social Studies needs to be changed for several reasons. She argues that the current curriculum is exclusive to minority groups that include immigrants, people from the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, people of colour and kids from non-nuclear families. She stresses that the curriculum is written from a Eurocentric perspective and does harm to the history of Aboriginals and coloured peoples. In a nutshell, the author believes the current curriculum does not generate a positive means of socialization for students. Even if you do not agree with her arguments, take note of the issues she raises and we can see if the new curriculum touches on these issues when it is released this year. As a teacher, this paper is a good reminder to create an inclusive class room environment and academic program, even if the curriculum fails to outline this as a guideline for teachers.

This article suggests to teachers that they engage their students in social studies by show how the content is connected to real life. To do this, the students should investigate the topic they have chosen from a menu of topics provided by the teacher in real life contexts; an example would be investigating hunger as a social issue by experiencing a food bank/shelter, speaking with the shelter director, volunteering, etc. In experiencing the curriculum content in the present time and in real life, the student will be more actively engaged in the material, see the relevance to his/her own life and the adult workplace, care about and connect with the task and possibly develop a passion for the issue. The article argues the strategy is beneficial to both the student and the teacher and offers concrete examples of the strategy as suggestions to readers who may be teachers searching for new ideas.