Diverse Learning Needs

April 26, 2014April 26, 2014 Alison.Board Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, Integration, Use of Technology

Integrating Learning with Technology

“Some teachers feel technology is being pushed on them, especially those who struggle with it. They might start using technology just for the sake of using it. This has shown to be an ineffective method for both tech-savvy and tech-challenged teachers. There is a big difference between using technology to teach and the successful integration of technology into lesson plans.“(http://www.edutopia.org/blog/help-teachers-struggling-with-technology-josh-work)

Here are some suggestions to integrate technology in a meaningful way that connects to curriculum:

in primary grades, use programs like Kidpix to have students create 2-D representations to demonstrate understanding for Science (Life Systems, Structures and Mechanisms)
watch videos of dance performances, (YouTube) and have students respond
have students select nature/architecture photo from images or take a photo with iPad and write poem to accompany photo/image
using spoken word poetry in the classroom https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC5PJtWBigV2f4TM4Gx7IlPe1ummqg5jt

in junior or intermediate, use YouTube to allow students to compare the same scene from a novel with several film adaptations
students use iPads to document steps in Science experiments
create a class wiki for students to write and entry about specific topic (character from novel, etc.). To create go to www.wikispaces.com
design a webquest for a language or history project
50 ways to use twitter http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom
10 ways to use instagram http://www.weareteachers.com/community/blogs/weareteachersblog/blog-wat/2013/07/22/10-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom

Also, don’t feel that you have to be an expert before you “teach” the technology to your students. Think of yourself as a facilitator of a technological opportunity! You can and will learn along with your students.

April 22, 2014April 24, 2014 Mike Beetham Before School Starts, Building Inclusion, Challenging Topics, Mentorship, Planning, Professional Learning and Growth

Shared Learning – Not Competition

In a learning community the focus becomes a shared learning, teamwork and helping each member to reach their potential. This collaborative classroom design creates a community of risk takers, where talents blossom and are shared for the good of all over time. Now, lets shift the scene to a school staff. It is made up of a wide variety of individuals with unique talents and levels of experience. A diverse talent pool that when shared creates a school portfolio that meets the needs of all of its learners.

I share this blog topic based on my many years of teaching in a wide variety of schools and communities. My early years of teaching witnessed classrooms as separate entities within a larger building where the only sharing that took place was at staff meetings. The most rewarding settings were always where classrooms were not a competition between teachers but rather a continuum of grades that were seamless in their beliefs and goals. Teachers seeking help from each other was encouraged and not frowned upon. The sharing of resources should be common practive and not items to be hidden. Mentoring, teaching partners, grade level planning are all significant enhancements to teacher planning pedagogy. Regardless of your level of experience, I highly encourage that you make time for colleague collaboration for it will become a regular part of both your learning and planning. “Even Einstein asked questions!”

April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 Erin.Grewar Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, General, Student Ownership, Students as Teachers

Meeting the Challenge – What to Do With Immersion/Francophone Students in your Core French Classroom

     Imagine the following scenario. A former French Immersion student for the past 5 years transfers schools and winds up in a Grade 6 Core French classroom and is subjected to a year of learning basic vocabulary, how to conjugate “er” verbs and doing skits with “AIM” hand gestures. What a nightmare – and our Core French students think that they have it rough!
Over the years, I have had several competent French-speaking students who end up in the Core French stream for a variety of reasons. It can be quite daunting as a teacher to try to effectively accommodate and integrate them into the classroom. It’s almost like having a first year university student suddenly join your Grade 8 History class. I also find, somewhat ironically, that they can be even more challenging to deal with than your neediest students and actually pose the same problem. The difficulty becomes how involve them in the class in a way that they remain interested and motivated to keep challenging themselves as French learners.
     This year, I have a student in one of my classes who is a fully bilingual Francophone who went to all francophone school up until the end of Grade 6. After conferencing with him at the beginning of the year, he felt most comfortable learning alongside the rest of the class. I obviously altered the scope of the work and assessments and in consultation with him, designed some individual project. I still noticed that he wasn’t bursting with motivation (perhaps he never was) but still felt guilty at the thought of his languishing away.
     Finally in a conversation, it came up that he really enjoyed the time I had him working with a group of students on their pronunciation for a presentation. Suddenly, I had an idea. One of my most vivid memories of being in French Immersion in high school was getting to speak in small groups with an older (very good-looking by the way) student from France named Yves. We would go visit with him and just spend the time having a natural, relevant conversation. I thought this could serve two purposes: Charles would feel valued as an expert helping his peers and my students would also benefit by increasing their conversational skills.
Every Friday, I reserve the last 20 minutes of the period for Charles to lead the discussion group. Students must then report back to me and demonstrate the new language they learned so that everyone is accountable on all fronts. So far, it’s been a welcome experience for everyone.

March 24, 2014March 24, 2014 Mike Beetham Diverse Learning Needs, General, Learning in a Real Life Context

Context – That Makes Sense

Please turn to page 134 in your Mathematics text and complete questions 1 -5. Students comply with smiling faces, complete the work, take up the solutions and then move on. Next day when you revisit a topic, it almost seems like they had forgotten everything that had been done the previous day. This is not a rare occurrence in classrooms of all ages. Research clearly points out how important the role of emotion is in learning. One of the most critical tools for a teacher is the strategy of context. I always ask myself prior to developing a unit of study what would this concept or skill look like in the everyday life of my students. That helps me frame the context for the learning task.

When I am able to make connections to the everyday lives of my students and the focus of instruction in the classroom I find that the learning is more likely to be consolidated and accessed by the student in future related tasks. Here is an example of how I used context in February. I took my class to camp for 3 days. Prior to going to camp we had to look at what the total costs would be per person as well as for the group. The level of engagement was extremely high as they explored a real life task that required them to access prior mathematical knowledge. While at camp they took photographs and filmed a specific activity they took part in. When we returned to school we did a recount of our experience that was to be shared with their families. It was some of the best writing they had done all year and it allowed me to see a transfer of the skills we had been working on since September. There was no reluctance, no hesitation as the task was real for them.

March 5, 2014 Erin.Grewar Classroom Management, Diverse Learning Needs, Students as Teachers

The ”EXPERT” Solution

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog about the difficulties of trying to meet the needs of all the students in my grade 7 class. Just to refresh your memory, this particular group has a unique set of factors at play which undeniably influence the overall dynamic and structure of the class: 33 students in total, almost a 2:1 ratio of boys to girls, 5 gifted students, 3 hsp and another 3 on IEPs. As a solution to managing the endless questions and difficulties of all students, I had set up a system of students who acted as “experts” in their group. I had recruited those students who felt they had a solid grasp of the material and who equally were able to demonstrate patience and good communications skills. Luckily I had more than enough who fit the bill. I had asked the remaining students to submit the names of the top three experts they felt comfortable working with and after spending a couple of months in this arrangement, I decided to move them around to new groups. In the process, I had asked the class to provide me with some written feedback on their thoughts about the “expert” system. On the whole, people thought that it was an effective solution but there were quite a few amusing comments which I had not anticipated. I thought I’d share them with you.

They could all see that having an intermediary was a good form of “blockade” and made life much easier for the teacher. Some were annoyed that their experts couldn’t answer all their questions while others were grateful for the time and effort they had put forth. Funnily enough (I suppose in response to those super demanding students), some had felt rather intimidated and overwhelmed with having to look up all the words in the dictionary for their charges. Others reflected how it was sometimes a thankless job where people were quick to criticize but slow to appreciate.

We had a subsequent discussion as a class where we had to specifically define the duties of the experts who were really only supposed to be the first line of defence. We talked about the need to balance demands with also giving the experts some space to get their own work done. Finally, it was established that the experts were not free labour nor did their duties include literally doing the work of others. With these new parameters in place, the system has been fine-tuned and is now running like a well oiled machine. The experts have achieved a near celebrity type status and seem to enjoy the esteem of their peers. We have now added a new tier as well – the “Experts In Training.”J

March 3, 2014March 4, 2014 Mike Beetham Before School Starts, Planning, Wellness

Personal – Professional Balance

Just a few more hours of marking. I can coach three teams this fall. Sure, I will gladly help out with the school musical. No, sorry I can’t spend time with you this weekend I have work to do. I will just have to cancel my time at the gym again for that parent meeting. Does this sound familiar? It is a fine balance between teaching, volunteering and personal wellness. Often we will sacrifice our own well being for the benefit of our class and school. It is extremely vital that each and everyone of us know what that balance looks like (teacher, partner, aunt, sister, daughter, Mom) and to ensure that we are buidling in time and/or activities that keep us physically, emotionally and professionally healthy.

What is the value of your ‘yes’, if you never say ‘no’. Over the course of my career this has made more and more sense to me. Sometimes life feels like that runaway snowball that just keeps building and building. It seems that nothing is ever taken away. My change came from a very profound moment I had with my young son many years ago. I was focussed on school work when he approached me and I quickly brushed him off and said, I am busy right now. He looked at me with his bright blue eyes and said, “That is okay Daddy, we can do it in the summer”. Needless to say, I had to re-examne my priorities. Did he really believe that family life only occurred in the summer? I soon found out that even if I did not get every paper marked, every lesson done or gave up a volunteer activity or two that life at school still went on and there was no loss in the quality of the program I delivered nor in the relationship I had with my students.

Today, well into the years of my career I have learned that I can still put 100 percent of my effort into my class and school during the day, have time for my family and most importantly stay healthy. I hope that this message can be learned by others faster than it was for me. A healthy teacher is more likely to have a healthy classroom. Your career is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. You are the most important asset in your classroom, take care of yourself.

February 10, 2014 Mike Beetham Classroom Layouts, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, Learning in a Real Life Context

The Power of the Outdoors

A traditional classroom is seen as a room with four fixed walls, desks, books, manipulatives, educational supplies etc… Imagine the enthusiasm running through your students as they scoop, lift and observe the life in that small stream or the piece of art coming to life as they sit and sketch the wonderful scenery that surrounds them from nature’s canvass in the fall. Nature and the natural wonders of the world opens up options to both the students and the teacher as they ask questions and experience the process of discovering how the world around them works.

Outdoor education is more than just visiting a local conservation area or board run program. Outdoor education is making use of the local parks, school yard playgrounds, school gardens or any natural area that is connected to the lives of your students. Developing an awareness of their environment and just how precious their day-to-day lifestyle habits are must be experienced and not just observed or researched. Over the many years of my career I have learned just how powerful the outdoors can be as witnessed in the level of engagement and the quality of the work produced by my students. You belong outdoors!

February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 Alison.Board General, Inquiry, Integration, Planning

Big Idea of Balancing Needs

Back in October, I wrote about the 4 big questions we would use as a lens to consider our curriculum. I had noted that the first question, How do we balance our needs with the needs of others? was presented in September, but students were cautious. It was as though they weren’t sure what the right answer was, or how to form their own opinions based on their own experiences and the information they were learning in class. A bulletin board in the classroom was set-up dedicated for items we may collect that would contribute to our understanding as we worked to answer this question. When I taught grade 1/2s, they enjoyed adding information or images to our research board and watching the accumulation of ideas as the board filled.

In the grade 5/6 class this year, the concept of collecting representations of related ideas was difficult for them to either grasp or see as worthwhile. So as we discussed new books or issues, I would add something to our Inquiry Research board. Needless to say, it was more sparse than the research boards I was used to seeing in the younger grades. One of the first additions to the board was to add their initial responses to the question. This provides a good starting point. So, when asked How do we balance our needs with others?, the students responded with:

“Be kind and friendly.”
“Cooperate with others.”
“Eat healthy.”
“Some people in some countries don’t have food to eat, so don’t let your food go to waste.”
“Treat others the way you want to be treated, for example, if you’re mean to your brother he will be too.”

When I reviewed the responses I had to ask myself if the students understood what needs were and if they were providing answers they thought were “right.” The answers seemed like stock answers for a variety of questions, but not the question that I had asked of them. I realized we needed to backtrack and look at needs and understand them by definition. We considered what needs are (physical, emotional, and group needs).

Then, to understand the meaning of the balance between individuals or groups, we used books such as “The Encounter” and “Sees Behind Trees” to deepen through read-alouds and discussions. I was surprised that a visual of a scale was what really worked to help them grasp the concept. We then used that image to look at the curriculum to consider:

needs of First Nations vs. European explorers
needs of Space Explorers
needs of residents in areas of development (Fracking for gas extraction) – a topic that emerged from our look at matter.

At the end of our inquiry, students provided responses that showed a better understanding of needs and some were able to use specific examples from their learning:

“The Europeans wanted to change First Nations’ culture but what they didn’t know was that First Nations already had a culture – Nature was their god but the Europeans didn’t know that.”

“Balancing your needs is how you manage things in your life. The needs of the First Nations didn’t matter (to the Europeans). Nobody cared about their religion. They felt useless.”

“Some people need more than others.”

“I don’t think that they balanced their needs with First Nations when they took their children to schools far away so they can forget their culture and their language.”

Now in class, students continue to make connections about needs. They also consider their own needs as something that requires balance with those around them like their family, and especially other students. Going through the first Big Idea required more scaffolding than I planned, however it was necessary for the students to understand how to consider their knowledge in the context of bigger idea or question. We are now moving on to another question/lens, “How do people overcome challenges?” I am predicting richer responses from the initial question and the culminating task.

January 4, 2014 Erin.Grewar Classroom Management, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs

Cutting Them Loose – Letting Your High Achievers Soar…

My one grade 8 class is challenging in a couple of ways – very chatty, various social dynamics at play and perhaps most importantly, a disparaging degree of ability and motivation. Up to now, I have always ended up spending most of my energy on those students needing the most help and attention. As I’ve discussed several times in my blogs, I have used this approach ultimately as a means of classroom management. This may not sound politically correct, but for some time now, I have always felt guilty that my higher achieving students tend to come second place in terms of my priorities. That is not to say that they are totally ignored but I do tend to pay closer attention to them once the others are settled. In this particular class, there are four students who consistently achieve the higher end of the level 4 spectrum (one who has always attended a francophone school, and 3 others who are gifted for all intensive purposes).

I finally decided that as they are high functioning, it didn’t seem necessary to have them wait patiently for the others to settle and sit through oft repeated explanations/instructions. I thought of giving them the opportunity to embark on an ISU (Independent Study Unit) like the higher grades do in high school. That being said, we were at point in the unit where this was feasible – basic vocab and grammar had been covered in depth and several diagnostic and formative assessments had also been completed. I explained what the rest of the class would be working on (CD cover design with reviews on the back) and gave them a couple of ideas (press release package for a new band, newspaper article comparing the music of the 80’s with the music of today) and welcomed their own suggestions. Once they had decided on a format, I basically release them each period to work in the library or at the back of the classroom. We have set up goals and deadlines for different phases of the project and at the beginning and at the end of each class, we meet to review expectations and to check on the work they managed to complete.

At this point it seems to be a win-win situation. For me, I no longer feel guilty or as stretched. It allows me that much more time to work with the others who I have since subdivided into their own ability groupings (those who can work independently after explanations have been given and those who work with me in another group for additional support or “task management” assistance). For my higher level students, they are thrilled with the sense of responsibility and independence. I think they also appreciated how I acknowledged their patience and their need to work unencumbered so to speak. Perhaps the best bonus of all? That kind of earned independence is now sought after by lots of other students as well.

January 2, 2014 Alison.Board Anti-bullying, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, General, Integration, Literacy, Resources

Engaging Idea

A new year is an opportunity for introducing new routines or learning opportunities. If your routines are already established and your planning is complete, you may just want to add a new “twist” to the assignments, addressing different learning styles and increasing student engagement.

Depending on the age group that you teach, – receive infographics on a wide-range of topics at Daily Infographic, see http://dailyinfographic.com/. This is a great way to get comfortable with the use of infographics. View before sharing with students. Infographics (information graphics) are all around us in subway maps, advertisements, and historical representations. They provide students with an alternative way to read information as well as present information. An infographic is a graphic visual representation. Larger amounts of data or information are presented in a visually appealing way that the reader is able to easily retain. Infographics can include timelines, maps, charts, graphs, illustrations or photographs, making them a useful and beneficial resource for social studies, math, language, science and art.

Suggestions for introducing or integrating infographics:

– receive infographics on a wide-range of topics at Daily Infographic, see http://dailyinfographic.com/. This is a great way to get comfortable with the use of infographics. View before sharing with students.

– in Google search a selected topic and “infographic” to find a reputable author/creator of an infographic that connects to your lesson or subject. Preview the infographic. Provide it to your students to read individually or have them discuss in small groups.

– use infographics for specific knowledge-building. For example, if studying First Nations treaties with the Canadian Government, a government produced infographic is provided at: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1380223988016/1380224163492. This infographic provides factual information in an interesting format for students that is easy to understand.

– after using infographics and understanding the components that make them effective, have students create their own infographics. It could be their own life story, their community or outer space. It could replace the pamphlet idea for presenting information on another city, country, or issue.

– create a campaign against bullying (or address various social issues) using student created infographics modelled on a reputable resource such as the infographic at Stop Bullying Gov, see http://www.stopbullying.gov/image-gallery/what-you-need-to-know-infographic.html.

– students can design their own infographic with pencil or paper, or electronically with tools such as Infogr.am or Piktochart.

Enjoy introducing something new to your students for the New Year!