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sfcanady

​8 Proven Ways to Help Close the Achievement Gap | EdSurge News - 13 views

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    An informative and engaging article that provides eight solutions to tackling the achievement gap.  It is well organized and written with clear reasoning for each solution.
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    Emotional start, easy to read eight part checklist that can help bridge the instructional gap; good tools to make sure all is being done to properly cater towards the full comprehension of material by students.
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    This short article highlights years of research that examined the racial achievement gap. Research and finding suggest that much of what accounts for the disparities in achievement is attributed to socioeconomic factors. The article offers 8 ways for closing the gap among those most impacted based on the findings and best practices.
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    Great article. Another source of proof that higher levels of expectations and rigor really do help close the gap. I also like that they reinforce the value of school and home connection.
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    This article talks about using assessments to tell if interventions are working, this like a response to intervention. Raising the bar for the student to they can be successful. Monitor the students progress on a monthly basis and get the parents involved
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    When we met, April's mother was in drug rehabilitation and her father was in jail. She would stare at the ground and rarely utter a word. I was a sophomore in college and was serving as April's mentor; I feared that we might never develop a close relationship.
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    When we met, April's mother was in drug rehabilitation and her father was in jail. She would stare at the ground and rarely utter a word. I was a sophomore in college and was serving as April's mentor; I feared that we might never develop a close relationship.
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    I almost put this article up myself. Very moving.
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    This article highlights 8 ways to provide educational gains to students needing them most. The goal is closing the achievement gap between struggling learners and high performing students. 1. Use Evidence-Based Instruction, 2. Provide a Rigorous Curriculum, 3. Increase Instructional Time, 4. Introduce Supplemental Instruction, 5. Monitor Progress, Ideally Monthly, 6. Motivate & Engage, 7. Deepen Professional Development, 8. Link School and Home
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    This is a great article that highlights different things that can be done in the classroom to close the achievement gap the two that I think are most important are the increased instructional time, and link between school and home. I think almost every teacher has wished for more instructional time in the classroom, I know I only see my students every other day and I often think about how much more I could teach them if I saw them every day like math and ELA. I also think the communication between home and school is important to a student's ability to learn.
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    Great article! I like how it was connected to an inspirational story. I like how each of the ways was described. Often in the busyness of teaching, it's good to have reminders of what is needed, so that you can strengthen weaknesses.
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    (Week 9: Sheila, Suzanne and Cathy) This article is accessible through the link above. This article explains eight ways educators can inspire academic advancements in students, especially students from lower socioeconomic statuses. While mentoring the author gain insight on how to help close the achievement gap. The writer and her team identified that evidence base instruction, a rigorous curriculum, increased instructional time, supplemental instruction, progress monitoring, motivating and engaging, professional development, and a link to school and home would accomplish those gains. The author believes that "if teachers know about and follow those suggestions they could help close the achievement gap." (Fisher, 2015) This article can be a great resource for teachers. Many of the suggestions could be incorporated by most teachers. However, the article also assumes that if followed these eight tools will close the achievement gap. The author also does not explain how teachers can increase instructional time. Reference: Fisher, O. (Oct 2015). 8 proven ways to help close the achievement gap. Istation. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-10-27-8-proven-ways-to-help-close-the-achievement-gap
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    The article was very informative. I especially liked the 8th suggestion, "Link home and school." This is an essential piece that I think educators need to do a better job with for at-risk students. When there are more people engaged and involved, students have a broader network of support to ensure success. We need to do more community outreach to help our students improve both academically and in the broader sense.
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    I really enjoyed this article. As a new instructor I am constantly looking to engage my adult students. Through my instruction, making that personal connection is so important. Once you make that personal connection I find that students start making a personal connection with their assignments as well. I find having a non-academic conversation at the beginning of class can help the students feel involved classroom citizens.
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    This article really gives great advice on how teachers can help close the achievement gap by changing small things they do in the classroom. The two things that stuck out to me was allowing more time and progress monitoring. Sometimes time is all a student needs to succeed. When students feel rushed they end up just picking whatever answer they think is right or just something to complete the assignment. Allowing students to return to their unfinished work could really help students concentrate knowing that they don't have to rush to finish an assignment. As far as progress monitoring goes, it helps when the teacher really cares about making sure the students are on the right track and that their parents are aware of the work they have completed or would need to complete to get them on track.
lvirgil

PROSPECTIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE IN MATHEMATICS AND PEDAGOGY FOR TEACHING ... - 0 views

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    Week 8: Authors Yeping Li and Dennie Smith wrote this article which provides research on a teacher's knowledge of fractions; particularly fraction division, and is beneficial to upper elementary and middle school teachers who need to build upon what their students have learned in previous years. It shows that their is a divide between a teacher's confidence in teaching and their mastery of content; specifically in this case of fraction division.
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    Week 8: Authors Yeping Li and Dennie Smith wrote this article which provides research on a teacher's knowledge of fractions; particularly fraction division, and is beneficial to upper elementary and middle school teachers who need to build upon what their students have learned in previous years. It shows that their is a divide between a teacher's confidence in teaching and their mastery of content; specifically in this case of fraction division.
Erika Eason

A framework for supporting students with learning disabilities in Spanish courses: Conn... - 5 views

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    While a bit long (10 pages, including the reference list), this article provides ideas and strategies to help students with learning differences (LD) be more successful in Spanish classrooms. It references recent brain research and also reminds readers that students with LD do not have diminished intellectual capacity. The first part of the article gives background on LD, latter sections give suggestions about things Spanish teachers can do to help their students with LD be more successful in their classes.
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    (Week 8: Margarita, Erika, Frances) Article originally posted in Diigo. An additional source is here: http://www.academypublication.com/ojs/index.php/tpls/article/view/tpls0502225234/64 This article describes "multi-sensory approaches" and the kind of instructional strategies, informed by brain-based research, that can help students with learning disabilities succeed in learning Spanish or another second language. The article focuses on how to create meaningful inclusion and skill building in Spanish courses through general accommodations, existing resources, and learning strategies. The article also references the relative lack of scholarly research on this topic and how that negatively impacts wider knowledge of ways to help students with learning disabilities learn a foreign language. This article was of interest to our group because the SMART goal is directly tied to improving the performance of special education students in Spanish class. In some schools, special education students are often pulled from language classes to get reading support, so implementing strategies that might keep the students in language class are of interest to the Spanish teachers. While several of the strategies discussed were already known, there were a couple that reinforced practices that have already been implemented as a result of our group's data action plan and at least one new idea that our practicing teacher would like to try. Reference Tolbert, J. B., Killu, K., & Lazarus, B. D. (2015). A framework for supporting students with learning disabilities in Spanish courses: connecting learning characteristics and instructional methods. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(2), 225-234. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0502.01
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    (I tried to edit my previous comment with some corrected info, but the changes wouldn't stick, so I am just reposting again) (Week 8: Margarita, Erika, Frances) The original link for this article was to a standalone PDF link. An additional source is here: http://www.academypublication.com/ojs/index.php/tpls/article/view/tpls0502225234/64 Students with learning disabilities commonly either avoided or have been discouraged from taking World Language classes. This article describes "multi-sensory approaches" and the kind of instructional strategies, informed by brain-based research, that can help students with learning disabilities succeed in learning Spanish or another second language. The article focuses on how to create meaningful inclusion and skill building in Spanish courses through general accommodations, existing resources, and learning strategies. The article also references the relative lack of scholarly research on this topic and how that negatively impacts wider knowledge of ways to help students with learning disabilities learn a foreign language. This article was of interest to our group because the SMART goal is directly tied to improving the performance of special education students in Spanish class. The goal of the world languages department is for every student to learn one of the languages taught, yet that is not always possible since special education students who are not meeting the reading goals are frequently pulled from language classes to get reading support. Implementing strategies and other instructional moves that might keep the students in language class, are of interest to the teachers. While several of the multisensory strategies discussed were already known, there were a couple that reinforced practices that have already been implemented as a result of our gr
jkiska

Not your mama's gym class - CNN.com - 2 views

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    Week 8: It's been called the fourth "R" of education: reading, writing, arithmetic and now, aerobics. But the gym class of generation Wii isn't the same one you probably remember from school. "You hear sometimes the old stories ... where you roll the ball out and students just played the game," says Hanna Vaandering, president of the Oregon Education Association.
comaracopley

Teaching Biology Content is Teaching Reading - 0 views

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    Week 8 This reading selection is for Honors High school Biology students learning about Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. It is an article from CSA Discovery Guides by Deborah M. Whitman titled "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" released in 2000. The reading discusses what genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are, what the advantages and criticisms are, how prevalent GM crops are, what plants are involved, and how GM food are regulated and labeled. The assignment for this reading is to: 1. Read the article 2. Take notes on the pros and cons for the use of GMOs (Cornell Notes as part of my data action plan) 3. Choose a side (for /against) 4. Make a claim and justify that claim 5. Create a persuasive poster to support that claim. For differentiation, the article can be shortened and simplified for readers of different levels.
scottie_jarrett

Strategies to Level Up Learning - 20 views

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    Week 8: In our Data Action meeting we discussed intructional strategies involving simulation and games. This article explain some advantages and fears for educators implementing games into their lesson plans. Matthew Farber Social Studies Teacher, Ed Tech Leadership EdD Candidate, Author In the fall of 2014, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop (a nonprofit founded by Sesame Street creator Joan Ganz Cooney) assessed the impact of the gaming in school settings.
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    I have not had much experience with gaming in the classroom, but I have seen other teachers use it and have much success when it comes to motivating students and bridging the learning gap. One interesting point the article mentions is the the "platform" model strategy. In this, students have one log in, and are able to access a variety of games which can be reported t to the teacher as a formative assessment. Teachers are also able to log in and track students progress.
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    I see the ideas for digital game-based-learning as a method of differentiation that can be particularly effective for students with special needs and learning disabilities. Interest in using games in the classroom continues to grow, as evidenced by the recent Library of Congress grants to build civics applications for classrooms. The full report mentioned in this article is linked within, and worthwhile reading. The learning gaps that we see in our team's data could possibly be addressed using digital games from iCivics, Shephard Software, and other sources.
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    I agree 100% with Andrea's quote "I see the ideas for digital game-based-learning as a method of differentiation that can be particularly effective for students with special needs and learning disabilities." I only have to think back to this morning in my 2nd period where this worked with one of 8th grade students in special education who has a severe visual disability. In fact I even have the link to the game I use in that class all the time. I encourage everyone to set up a free account: https://kahoot.it/#/ !!!! Kahoot was introduced to me in my Electives Professional Development. More than one of the teachers has issues with incorporating technology into their health classroom. I agree with this article when they write "Additional teacher training, as well as creating a common language between educators and developers, was recommended."
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    I am a little familiar with a few digital games. In my classroom, I use Kahoot.it to assist my students in learning their vocabulary. I use this website to make a classroom game that we all play together. Everyone can participate at the same time, competing for first place in points. I can create the questions on my smart-board, and the students can play on another computer or they can download the app on their phones. This makes our lessons more interactive, and the students get more involved and enjoy the class more.
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    Just like the article suggests, I use games to help students review or understand a lesson. A great one that was mentioned, and that I use is iCivics. Since Government is tested in my county, we have to make sure that our students fully understand the purpose, how the government works, and why it was created. When it comes to making sure the students are comprehending the information I will use iCivics, Kaoot.it, and a Jeopardy game I find online. It promotes students to take learning and their education into their own hands. I think the games don't have to be created by us or super complex, as long as you find one that relate to your content and engages students.
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    I love the idea of using these types of games to keep students engaged. At my son's school, he often has online math games given for homework. He loves IXL and it keeps him motivated to practice skills and learn new ones. In my 6th grade Spanish class we are exploring quia.com. Students can play vocabulary building games while I work one-on-one with students. It is a great way to keep kids engaged while doing assessments, too.
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    Initially, I was very hesitant to buy into learning through online games. I know that children today spend so much time in front of screens, and I didn't want to contribute to this obsession (for some children it does border on that). I did see that BrainPop, a site which I use frequently, introduced GameUp and Spotify. I figured if BrainPop was okay with gaming for learning, then I had to give it a try. Well, my students will now beg for BrainPop and will do evey activity, quiz and graphic organizer associated with a lesson in order to get to sortify. What a great tool. I am now a firm believer.
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    I too see the benefits of using these online games within instruction. The games provide students with a means of engagement that we often struggle to provide students. With the growth of technology, students are becoming more in-tune with new technology and are using it more often at home. By connecting technology to instruction, we are able to meet them in the middle. There are so many tools available online that it's a shame not to use them!
tricia1022

The 5 Keys to Successful Comprehensive Assessment in Action | Edutopia - 19 views

  • goals
  • These methods mean that assessment is no longer done to students, but with them, putting the focus on the student and learning.
  • Although students are awarded grades, they are rewarded through being at their best and coached through their challenges.
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    • tricia1022
       
      I do aspire to coach students through their difficulties. This articles gives teachers a lot to live up to. I like how it condenses unit planning.
  • podcast or a Prezi
  • learning
  • I want to make sure that all of my students succeed, so I must know those goals for all students.
  • "Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content." "Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience." "Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources."
  • Whether those are Common Core State Standards or other important district- or school-level objectives and outcomes, we must make sure that our units of instruction are aligned to them.
  • I began with the end in mind when I planned this unit
    • tricia1022
       
      Having a picture in mind of what product I want students to create is easy. Mapping out all the skills that students will need to create the product I am still working on but very possible.
    • tricia1022
       
      These standards have to be incorporated into your entire school year for students to receive enough practice to master them. Feedback on the little things like warm up responses should have impact on the larger pieces of writing. LIGHT BULB IDEA have students rewrite responses from warm-ups and read them out loud to a partner. Have them do it the old way once, then the new way.
    • tricia1022
       
      Explaining a concept in writting is a higher-order thinking skill. A student can demostrate learning through writing an explanation. teachers have to give students enough sustenance to build knowlegde upon to own the concept.
  • . Student Ownership of Assessment Process
  • "How do advertisers trick us?"
  • Even though there was choice in the written products, there was a common, standards-aligned rubric that could be used to assess all the products to ensure that all students were meeting the same outcomes.
  • Portfolio
  • In fact, students were able to show some of their content knowledge as well as speaking and listening standards around collaboration and effective presentation.
  • Performance assessments like these allow us to check not only for engagement, but also for deeper learning through 21st-century skills.
  • Feedback
  • differentiation decisions
  • Students were also given specific, timely, and actionable feedback through the formative assessment process, with peer critique, teacher critique, and even outside expert critique on their performance assessments.
  • the power of media.
  • the rubrics
  • ments
  • learning
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    WEEK 8 - (Chris Baugher, Patricia Bankis and A. Burns) Assessment is the key to good instruction. It shows us what students know and allows us to adjust our instruction. Assessment is tied to learning goals and standards, but students must own the assessment process as well, as they must be able to articulate what and how they are being assessed -- and its value.
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    point 4 - Formative assessment and feedback along the way - "Formative assessment allowed students to experiment and, yes, sometimes fail. However, they were given the tools, both through feedback and instruction, to improve and move forward to success." In the video it is mentioned that we often grade students on a paper, tell them what they have done wrong, but do not let them go back and rewrite the paper. Students should be able to experiment and fail... but need to be able to take these failures as lessons to go forward and succeed!
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    Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University "A false distinction has cropped up in the United States which seems to suggests that it is ok for outside summative assessments to just be multiple choice." She goes on to mention other countries that use project based summative assessments as well as essays, performance and oral examination to allow students to show understanding or learning im more real world methods.
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    This article provides five useful strategies to help students improve and to improve assessments. There are two key factors in this article which ring true for me. The first is "formative assessment and feedback along the way" (Miller 2015) where students are given specific feedback on their assessment on how to improve and continue forward (Miller 2015). "Formative assessment allowed students to experiment and, yes, sometimes fail. However, they were given the tools, both through feedback and instruction, to improve and move forward to success." (Miller 2015). What this entails if differentiated instruction; something my district and school are pushing for. The second is "student ownership of assessment process" (Miller 2015). Giving students choice, options, and freedom allows students to take ownership and responsibility for doing something all while doing their best on it. In addition, students will know more about what is being asked of them or what they're supposed to do in order to earn a higher grade or preform the task more effectively. "These methods mean that assessment is no longer done to students, but with them, putting the focus on the student and learning" (Miller 2015). Hopefully with these implementations and integration, students can feel the focus from assessment scores to learning content and gaining understanding.
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    This article is useful when considering big picture assessment objectives. In my own experiences, I have touched upon each of these strategies when conducting an assessment, but I've never built each of them into one assessment. The (5) strategies mentioned in this article include: Aligning Essential questions at the beginning of a unit to standars, building in written assessment components for students to describe/explain in writing, creating performance and project-based assessments to demonstrate understanding and application of concepts taught, regular and on-going formative assessments and feeback to help teachers to better tailor instruction to meet each learner's needs, and involving students in the decision-making process when choosing activities and when determining diagnostic measurement tools. As a World Language teacher, I think that these tasks which are challenging in themselves to build into curriculum, become extremely difficult in the L2 setting. I'm wondering how L2 instructors find themselves doing each of these things on a regular basis. Do they conduct all of it in L2, as it is suggested that L2 teachers do, or does some of this end up being done in English?
jlinman7

Creating an assessment-centered classroom: Five essential assessment strate...: UMUC Li... - 0 views

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    (Week 8: Javon and Kim) I found this article on UMUC in the online Library. Traditionally, classrooms are not assessment-centered focus. Most often students take an assessment after learning specific content, but in an assessment-centered learning environment, the teacher and students have a road map for learning and is more positive. Author and Professor, Steven L. Turner, PhD., raises an article on creating an assessment-centered learning classroom. He does this by presenting PILOT -an acronym for an assessment strategy. PILOT Assessment Strategy P- Preassessment The purpose of Preassessment is to evaluate a student's knowledge about a particular subject that will be taught. Turner suggesting asking a series of questions to gain this information (i.e. "What is the student's current knowledge about this unit", "What students are interested in this topic?" etc.). Preassessment surfaces student thinking and information that helpful for teachers and those designing curriculum and assessments. I-Identify student strengths and areas of need (readiness) Identifying the areas where students are strong enables them to be more engaged in the topic. Students are also able to self-assess to identify where they presently are, become aware of their challenged areas, and what it will take for their progress. L-link differentiated classroom learning experiences to district standards and learning goals Linking the classroom learning experience to standards and benchmark testing have proven to be successful. Curriculum that links with the Common Core Standards - what students in K-12 should learn in language arts and math, strengthens foundational knowledge for students. O-offer multiple in-class assessment opportunities Offering multiple assessment methods allows the student to take control of their learning while putting them in the "driver's seat." Although this step could be time consuming it shows the student that the instructor cares and is conc
fleetstacy1

Learning Models | Differentiated Instruction Strategies - 3 views

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    Week 8- Article posted by Concordia Online Education in Teaching Strategies and shares 4 effective learning models (hands-on learning, collaborative projects, experiential learning, and direct instruction) that educators can use when engaging their students. Not only does the article define what these 4 models are and why they are important, it also provides examples of how these 4 models have been used in the classroom.
cbeard615

Early Identification of Student Performance and Effort Using an Online Homework System:... - 0 views

shared by cbeard615 on 26 Mar 18 - No Cached
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    (Week 8: Cathy, Sheila, Suzanne) This article is accessible through the link given above or by accessing the UMUC Library. This journal article focused on a study that looked at using an online homework system to identify struggling students early in the semester of a chemistry class. The program studied was Mastering Chemistry, a program supplied by Pearson textbook company. The article identified that students who took longer to complete the homework correlated ~65% of the time with students who did poorly in the class. By having an early detection system in place for struggling students, teachers could supply additional resources and modify instruction earlier than after the first exam. Teachers can benefit from utilizing electronic resources such as the Mastering Chemistry program mentioned in the article. One benefit is that teachers get immediate feedback on how much time students spend on homework and areas that students succeeded or struggled. According to the study, students who took longer to complete homework generally performed worse in the class. Utilizing the system to monitor student work can help teachers identify students who need intervention and topic areas that need clarification. References Perdian, D. (2013). Early Identification of Student Performance and Effort Using an Online Homework System: A Pilot Study. Journal Of Science Education & Technology, 22(5), 697-701. doi:10.1007/s10956-012-9423-7
mmclementson

Improving Reading in the Primary Grades - 6 views

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    Week 8- Fifteen years later, this article investigates recommendations provided by the National Research Council's seminal report:Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. The article discusses which of these recommendations have been implemented in U.S classrooms over the past 15 years and which strategies have been avoided. The authors then share more recent research studies sharing strategies that may help teachers improve primary-grade reading. Authors: Nell K. Duke and Meghan K. Block
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    This article provide some honest and prevalent difficulties when it comes to teaching reading to primary aged children. It mentioned three main obstacles for students, including a short term orientation toward instruction, a lack of expertise among educators on how to teach specific reading skills, and limited availability in the school day to teach all content. As a current primary educator, I would have to add two further obstacles--lack of support in the classroom, either due to not having an aid, or having an intervention specialist, as well as lack of home support, specifically in low income areas.
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    The article provides valuable insight into the impact that vocabulary instruction can have on reading comprehension. It is also noted that because reading instructional has changed over the years this too has contributed to comprehension and vocabulary development. It appears that the approach to reading instruction needs to be revisited to determine which strategies works the most effectively.
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    I loved this article. My school is currently focusing on Academic Language in our School Improvement Plan, we are also an IB school where students are to use Academic Language more often. I'm glad to see that many of our commonly used words are included in this list. I also love how they go through the examples of how to teach a new word. In middle school I feel these higher level vocabulary words are used more often than in primary ages.
kmthoms5

Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom - 0 views

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    Week 8: Dave and Kristina This article is found by searching "differentiation" in the MEd Program Diigo. This article is mainly about how teachers need to continue to observed and held accountable for their teaching methods in order to best educate high-ability learners. According to VanTassel Baska (2012), "teacher effectiveness has been shown to be the main determinant of student progress." The author is of the belief that if teachers are continually observed, sometimes in an unannounced situation, that they will continue to teach using complex higher order behaviors and that this is the way that gifted students will learn best. Teachers in our group can use this article to understand the reasoning behind continual professional development and observation. Both of us teach gifted students in our classes and we need to remember that these students need to provide extended activities for these students and that we need to consider if our lessons include the use of higher level skills. Often time as teachers, we tend to focus more on the students that struggle academically but, we need to remember that our gifted students also need extra support as well so that they are able to grow as learners. References VanTassel-Baska, J. (2012). Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom: Using the COS-R. Gifted Child Today, 35(1), 42-48. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1177/1076217511427431
scottie_jarrett

10 TIPS EVERY TEACHER /RESEARCHER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GOOGLE SCHOLAR - NSays.in - 2 views

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    Week 8 Google Scholar is among the best scholarly search engines online yet only a few select of educators know its secrets.As a rule of thumb that applies to all Google products, the effective use of any service from Google s can only be achieved through mastering its deep and hidden features.
sdonahey37

Improving Reading in the Primary Grades - 0 views

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    @ Jessica Carr
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    (Week 7: Jessica Carr, Sarah Donahey, and Mark Cook) This journal article is accessible through the link given above by accessing the UMUC library. This article discusses the need for vocabulary and comprehension instruction in the primary grades in order for long-term, adequate reading skills in elementary students. The authors examine research that have been done on primary grades in order to closely examine the reading skills that are needed for elementary-aged students. Reading outside of school, vocabulary, word-reading skills, conceptual knowledge, and comprehension strategies are the instructional approaches that the authors believe need to be taught in the primary grades in order for long-term goals to be met. Teachers can implement the instructional strategies being encouraged in this article, in their own practice. Teachers can also encourage reading outside of school for homework to help improve reading skills among their students. References: Block, K., M., & Duke, K., N. (2012). Improving reading in the primary grades. The Future of Children, 22(2), 55-72. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23317411?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents
ceciledroz

Use of Warm Up Exercises in Just-in-Time Teaching to Determine Students Prior Knowledge... - 6 views

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    Week 8: Partner: Cecile Droz This article discusses a new way to give student's warm-up exercises. Instead of having them complete them at the beginning of class, the students will complete the warm ups up to 3 days before they are due. The warm-ups will prepare the students for the upcoming week of assignments. The best type of warm-up assignments give the students a scenario that they are familiar with. It is important for the educator to determine if there are any misconceptions by looking at the warm-ups to determine what concepts need to be addressed again.
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    Although not everything described in this article applies necessarily to all subjects, the idea that teachers need to be more aware of the prior knowledge students have before they present new materials is very interesting. In second language, for example teachers use students' oral and written productions to assess their command of grammar but before any cultural or historical unit, it would make sense to address prior knowledge and rectify what needs to be rectified before introducing new ideas/material.
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    The use of warm-ups as a combination of extension, priming, and pre-assessment is novel. This gives students time and mental space to make a prediction and then bring it to class, prepared and ready to learn. I will definitely be employing this in a class I am designing next year.
akhanu

What Research Tells Us About Reading, Comprehension, and Comprehension Instruction | Re... - 4 views

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    Without comprehension, reading is a frustrating, pointless exercise in word calling. It is no exaggeration to say that how well students develop the ability to comprehend what they read has a profound effect on their entire lives.1 A major goal of reading comprehension instruction, therefore, is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and experiences they must have if they are to become competent and enthusiastic readers.
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    (Week 8: Adiatu, Julie, and Heather) This journal article was found on Diigo by Heather, and is accessible through the link given above. The article was written by the Texas Education Agency, and explored a 1970 classroom study on a reading comprehension strategy taught by teachers where students had to complete an assignment by applying a specific skill mentioned by their teacher. Assessments showed the strategy did not enable comprehension. Following the 1970 study, cognitive scientists found that comprehension is not a skill application. Rather, comprehension is about constructing meaning, which involves interaction, strategy, and adaption. The article is useful to teachers because it suggests activities that teachers can use in the classroom to improve how students construct meaning. For example, having students think aloud as they read. This journal article is useful to our group because the teachers' artifacts are based on the reading comprehension and vocabulary gaps of their students, and the authors stress that teachers should strictly monitor the oral reading skills of students that are having reading comprehension difficulties. Reference What research tells us about reading, comprehension, and comprehension instruction. (2009, January 2). Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-research-tells-us-about-reading-comprehension-and-comprehension-instruction
jlinman7

The 5 Keys to Successful Comprehensive Assessment in Action | Edutopia - 0 views

  • If we don't know where we are going, we may or may not get there.
  • Even though there was choice in the written products, there was a common, standards-aligned rubric that could be used to assess all the products to ensure that all students were meeting the same outcomes.
  • It is important that we allow students other modes of showing what they know, and we can also use these performance assessments to assess different learning outcomes.
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  • It allowed them to go deeper and express their creativity with the content.
  • Formative assessment allowed students to experiment and, yes, sometimes fail. However, they were given the tools, both through feedback and instruction, to improve and move forward to success.
  • By providing choice, more students were able to own how they showed what they knew.
  • These methods mean that assessment is no longer done to students, but with them, putting the focus on the student and learning. Although students are awarded grades, they are rewarded through being at their best and coached through their challenges.
  • The 5 Keys to Successful Comprehensive Assessment in Action | Edutopia
    • jlinman7
       
      (Week 7: Javon and Kim) I found this Edutopia article on Diigo. This article is about using well-developed assessments to set goals for student-learning and how it can shape instruction. The author, Andrew Miller of Edutopia, highlights Stanford Professor Linda Darling-Hammond's 5 key nuggets for a successful assessment. 1. Meaningful Unit Goals and Question Professor Darling-Hammond states the importance of beginning with the end in mind which is setting a purposeful goal at the beginning. Kim stated during our implementation meeting #2 last night that "this is very realistic when creating lessons plans as it ties in with Common Core State Standards." With the "Question" piece, Professor Darling-Hammond surfaces having a relevant "question" for the students to examine around the topic. 2. Summative Assessment Through Writing The second key the author states for a successful assessment is 'Summative Assessment Through Writing.' She stated with the written assessment, she would give the students some choice (i.e. write a letter or do an essay around the given subject), but they would still need to perform research and cite evidence. 3. Performance Assessment Through Presentation and Portfolio 'Performance Assessment Through Presentation and Portfolio' is the 3rd key of this article. Within this section, the author conveyed the importance of allowing students to show what they learned. Within this article is an 8-minute very informative video that shows students having the freedom to express their learning through presentations, projects, papers, and collaborative efforts with their peers. Kim and I both feel this is a great tip as this will show what the students learned and the areas where additional instruction time may be needed for deeper engagement. 4. Formative Assessment and Feedback Along the Way The fourth key Miller focuses on of Professor Darling-Hammond's is 'Formative Assessment and Feedback Along the Way.' Ensuring s
  • The 5 Keys to Successful Comprehensive Assessment in Action Stanford professor Linda Darling-Hammond shares how using well-crafted formative and performance assessments, setting meaningful goals, and giving students ownership over the process can powerfully affect teaching and learning. By Andrew MillerMarch 16, 2015close modal
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    This is a great read for our SMART goal. An assessment is a great way to figure out what the students know, what they want to know, and what interests them the most so we are able to improve and adjust our teaching.
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    Week 9 Melissa and Claire: This article is accessible using the link above though Diigo Well crafted formative and performance assessments which include setting meaningful goals, and giving students ownership over the process can powerfully and positively affect teaching and learning. The key to good instruction is assessments. Assessments show what students know, what they want to know, it allows us to adjust our instruction to cater to each student. There are 5 keys to an effective assessment: Meaningful unit goals and questions, summative assessment through writing, performance assessment through presentation and portfolio, formative assessment and feedback along the way, and student ownership of assessment process. These methods of assessments are to be done with the students putting a focus on the student and their learning. Resource: The 5 Keys to Successful Comprehensive Assessment in Action By: Andrew Miller
margarita_lp

Guided Visual Vocabulary Practice: Spanish Language Vocabulary Instruction ...: UMUC Li... - 2 views

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    Group 3: Erika Eason, Margarita Lugo, Frances Parker Week 8: This journal article is accessible through the link given above by accessing the UMUC library. Description: Students with learning disabilities commonly either avoided or have been discouraged from taking World Language classes. This article describes "multi-sensory approaches" and the kind of instructional strategies, informed by brain-based research, that can help students with learning disabilities succeed in learning Spanish or another second language. The article focuses on how to create meaningful inclusion and skill building in Spanish courses through general accommodations, existing resources, and learning strategies. The article also references the relative lack of scholarly research on this topic and how that negatively impacts wider knowledge of ways to help students with learning disabilities learn a foreign language. This article was of interest to our group because the SMART goal is directly tied to improving the performance of special education students in Spanish class. The goal of the world languages department is for every student to learn one of the languages taught, yet that is not always possible since special education students who are not meeting the reading goals are frequently pulled from language classes to get reading support. Implementing strategies and other instructional moves that might keep the students in language class, are of interest to the teachers. While several of the multisensory strategies discussed were already known, there were a couple that reinforced practices that have already been implemented as a result of our group's data action plan and at least one new idea that our practicing teacher would like to try. This article would be particularly useful for Spanish teachers who are learning to differentiate their instruction and assessment for the first time and who need ideas about how to involve more Citation: Tolbert, J. B.,
melrichardson21

8 Tips for Teaching With Mentor Texts | Edutopia - 0 views

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    Week 9: Claire and Melissa This article is accessible though Diigo using the link above This article provides instructional strategies for language arts teachers trying to teach writing to their students. While it is well-known that teaching by example is an effective strategy for writing instruction, this article provides steps for teaching students through mentor texts in a way that mitigates frustration and maintains engagement. Resource: 8 Tips for Teaching with Mentor Texts Edutopia
barrellpony

Anchor Charts | EL Education - 25 views

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    a posted visible support for just-in-time learning that includes only the essential information about strategies, procedures, and concepts that students can access at any time.
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    My SMART goal is to make sure 80% of student in my class are reading by level K (using Fountas and Pinnell) by December. Anchor charts could definitely help this by having strategies for comprehending texts and how to be an active reader up around the classroom. Students could refer to them while reading to make sure they are being active readers and taking in what they are reading about. I would rate this 4 for student engagement and high impact on learning.
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    This video about anchor charts would work great with my SMART goal- "Given 2 months of guided reading instruction, students in below grade-level reading groups will increase their reading level by at least two levels." Anchor charts are a really important tool for students to use as they're reading texts and after reading texts. For example, I have an anchor chart in my classroom that explains the rate of speed for reading. Students can refer to this as they're reading so they can monitor themselves as they're reading to make sure they're reading at a fluent rate of speed. Another anchor chart in my room that students can refer to is the asking questions anchor chart. This anchor chart explains to students how to stop and ask themselves questions throughout the reading. This supports my SMART learning goal because some of my students were held back from moving forward in reading because of their reading comprehension. When referring to the planning protocol rubric, I would rate this a 4 for impact on learning category.
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    This would be good for my fellow teacher on my team for their SMART learning goal of "by the end of quarter 1, 60% of students will score a 70% or higher on the Quarter 1 Literacy Assessment on Theme." This will allow students to review/ use different anchor charts to review theme. If the teacher wanted to take it to an another level, students could create their own anchor charts in groups that helped them identify the theme in ways so that they would remember them.
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    Dimension: Student Engagement Rating: 4 My partner's SMART goal is, "By the end of the numbers unit, 60% of students in the Special Education program in MS Spanish 1A - Period 2 will achieve 80% or higher on each formative assessment including listening, speaking and writing assessments." Anchor charts could be useful in the Spanish classroom because they could help prompt students about the use of expressions and structures they would need to master the vocabulary in the numbers unit, which would help more students achieve an 80% or higher. While many of those expressions and structures involve common, everyday vocabulary and concepts that also exist in English, the syntax is different enough from English that having something up in the classroom that helps scaffold the students' learning of the syntax would help them communicate with more ease. These would be charts that every student would refer to, and they could change for future units of study.
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    This video describes anchor charts. Anchor charts are a visual learning tool that helps students work through any type of process. I could see this as being beneficial to my my SMART goal because I could use this with my Biology I students to help them identify learning gaps and work through those.
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    Dimension: Student Engagement Rating: 3 SMART Goal: Given 1 month of guided reading instruction, students in below grade-level reading groups will increase their reading level by at least one level. In order to promote achievement of their SMART goal, my groupmate could use an anchor chart to remind students of strategies to apply when reading unknown words. Anchor charts are designed to encourage students to apply a process when solving problems. While guided and direct reading instruction are beneficial to student reading development, it is not realistic for teachers to work with every student every minute of instruction. My groupmate could use an anchor chart to display strategies for sounding out words (ex. "Stretchy Snake" or "Chunky Monkey"). Within the anchor chart the teacher could use colorful pictures and words to remind students of previously learned strategies. This system will allow students to continue their reading development even while they are not working with a teacher. This will ultimately enhance their engagement when reading independently.
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    Dimension: Impact on Learning Rating: 3 SMART Goal: By the end of the third quarter, 80% of first grade students will score 16-20 points (80%-100%) on the next Unit Test which covers all reading skills. Throughout this video, the teacher discusses the importance of anchor charts in a classroom. She expresses how anchor charts guide students through a process in their learning where they rely on the anchor charts to remember what they learned, what their task is, and where they should go next. Anchor charts are written with different colors to grab student's attention and to make the information visibly pleasing to look at/easy to follow along with. The SMART goal that I have for my class is that 80% of my students will score 16-20 points on their next Unit Test which covers all of the reading skills that they have learned so far in first grade. Most of these reading skills are about the long and short vowel sounds, dipgraphs/blends, and comprehension skills. I have posted multiple anchor charts around my classroom that covers these skills. I use different colors, words, and pictures to teach the information on the charts. I constantly remind my class to use these anchor charts to help assist in their learning and when they have questions. This is why I rated anchor charts a 3 on "Impact on Learning". They have a medium-high impact because students can refer to them anytime they need to in the classroom. They also remind students what they have learned so far in the school year. However, in first grade, they sometimes have trouble reading the anchor charts because they are still learning how to read. This is why I did not rate the anchor charts a 4.
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    Dimension: Student Engagement Rating: 3 Smart Goal: By the middle of the fourth trimester, 80% of 3rd grade students will score a 3 or 4 on their reading and math assessments. By the middle of the fourth trimester, 80% of 3rd grade students will increase at least 40% on STAR reading. By the middle of the fourth trimester, 80% of 3rd grade students will increase at least 40% on STAR math. Integrating anchor charts into a classroom is a wonderful way to maintain student engagement. Anchor charts are a great tool for teachers to use to help explain content to students. Anchor charts can be interactive in a classroom. A teacher can write a topic on an anchor chart and students can join in the conversation by adding content to the chart. As a third grade teacher, I use anchor charts on a weekly basis. Anchor charts can be used to teach a lesson, to explain rules, or as an exit ticket. Posting anchor charts around a room can help students as they learn a lesson. The best part about anchor charts is how they are more engaging than a poster. Typically, students do not read a poster in a classroom. However, when students are involved in creating an anchor chart, students are more likely to refer back to the chart and it can also help students remember content better. Anchor charts can be used in class to help students reach their SMART goal. In my classroom, I have the students STAR goal for reading and math on an anchor chart. When the students reach their STAR goal, students can put a star by their name on the anchor chart. Also, I have another anchor chart in my classroom listing different strategies to remember when taking STAR reading and math. I rated anchor charts a 3 on student engagement, because anchor charts are wonderful tools to use to keep a student motivated in their learning. I did not rate anchor charts a 4 because technology is a tad more engaging than anchor charts. However, my students sill love anchor charts! EDTC 615
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    Dimension: Impact on Learning Rating: 3 SMART Goals: Given 1 month of guided reading instruction, students in below grade-level reading groups will increase their reading level by at least one level. Anchor charts are a great way for the students to reference important skills and strategies during lessons. As the teacher is teaching the strategies during guided reading, they could make a anchor chart to reference during the lesson in order for the students to use. As the students are reading and they are stuck on a word they can reference the anchor chart in order to find a strategy that would work for them. For example, a student may be struggling with a sentence, then they look at the chart and find the strategy that says "Look at the picture". After they find the strategy, then they are able to apply that strategy in order to help them to read the story. These strategies must be explicitly taught in order for these anchor charts to be effective in the classroom, but it is a great tool to use. EDTC 615 Spring2018
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    SMART Goals: By the end of the marking, 80% or higher of students will score a 90% or higher on a base ten assessment. I believe that anchor charts are a great strategy for students to use in the classroom. When my students are working independently they can use an anchor chart in order to help them answer a question they may have instead of asking their teacher. It is also helpful when these are really colorful and organized for students. I think that these are a way that teachers can really support student learning because as they say in the video these anchor charts can be based on the curriculum where they are taken down or they can be left up all year long. For example, in my own classroom I have a place value anchor chart on my wall. Now we do not cover this concept in this quarter but since some of my students still struggle with the concept it is important I keep it up. I would say based on the protocol I would be looking at this in the impact of learning dimension. I would say that this would rate as a 4 because students would be able to use this to impact their learning in a positive way either independently or in small groups. EDTC615 Spring2018
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    Dimension: Student Engagement Level: 4 SMART Goal, "By the end of module 3, students will be able to use various manipulatives to effectively solve measuring equations." Anchor charts are a great way for students to gather information and strategies during lessons. As the teacher is going through the various parts of the lesson, both the students and teachers can write down or draw pictures to explain their thought process and clear up any confusion. When it comes to measuring, teachers can create an anchor chart by putting longer than on one side and shorter than on the other. Students can use linking cubes of different quantities to measure each other sticks. Another activity that will be helpful when it comes to measuring is using print outs of objects with different lengths. Using a string, students will be asked to measure their objects using their string, place it on the correct side, and explain their choice using the sentence frame, 'My object is longer than or shorter than my string.' Using the anchor chart gives each student an opportunity to participate in the group discussion and serves as an process monitoring mechanism for teachers. EDTC615 Spring2018
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    An appropriate use of Anchor Charts could greatly improve student learning. The visual aids allow students guide their own learning. I think that I can instill confidence and improve engagement, since they do not have to ask the teacher for assistance as often. This would help those students bridge their learning gap, because they have continually reinforcement posted at times to reference and retain. I think that Anchor Charts could be used in multiple contents areas including Biology.
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    I really enjoyed this video. It seems like anchor charts are a tool before students see a rubric. They are colorful, easy to read, and less intimidating than a rubric. I may use an anchor chart in a class in the future instead of a rubric and see if students have a better understanding of what is expected.
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    Anchor charts are always helpful to students throughout the day that helps them visualize their learning throughout the unit. Because of this, I believe this can be helpful in guiding our students to be successful in our SMART goal. The goal in our group is students will be able to not only answer a real-life mathematics question, but they will also be able to defend their thinking/reasoning accurately and precisely 75% of the time. They way that we can use the anchor chart is to show students how to create an appropriate response, and what makes an appropriate response.
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    EDTC615 FALL2018 (Week 8 Ericka, Michele, Spencer) The article and video is via diigo library SMART GOAL: By the end of 1st quarter 75% of the LSN Government students will be able to analyze political cartoons and historical content with 75% accuracy for historical content and meaning for the LSN FAST I test. The video states it is for grades 3 - 8 but I find that it can be appropriate for high school students also. Anchor charts can be used for any subject matter, really any grade level for many different purposes as a visual aid for individual learning and for groups activities. Anchor charts can be used as warm up activities, classroom assessments, exit tickets, and classroom activities. Anchor reports can be used within the members of our group to make key vocabulary points especially for ESOL students. They are used to access what the students have learned on an independent level. These anchor chart can be used to fortify information needed in small groups for the overall whole class. The use of color, large fonts, and well organized and easy to read anchor chart are much more viable for students. Anchor chart when used with practice the students can use them to guide their own learning. These are important for all students because at some point we want the students to take charge of their own learning and be self-sufficient within the classroom setting. There is some prep work completed by the teacher and the teacher facilitates the learning but the overall learning is done by the students. For my students I would like to use anchor charts as a class survey, assessing the knowledge learned by a particular lesson or as an exit ticket forum.
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