Thursday, April 23, 2020

Interactive Classroom Strategies for any Venue (114)

What Does Universal Mean?

Universal strategies are sought after. I cant count the posts, tweets and books that are out about this subject. There is a cornucopia of knowledge out there about, student-centered design, distance learning, motivation and engagement, technology tools, mindfulness, SEL, STEM- the list is endless.

The sheer multitude of points of view, expertise per se, is overwhelming. What works for one classroom might not work for another. Some students need strategy A, while others B, and yet, even others, C, D, or E.

There are not universal strategies. Because, there are not universal mindsets, outlooks, learning styles or personalities.

As the saying goes- to each their own. With education that has never been more obvious than at this moment in time. Where most students are left to their own devices, literally, to self-guide through the learning process.

Some students have mastered this path, some are doing okay, they are completing work, but with little absorption or depth, while others are shutting down, at the sight of all of this.

We all have students in these different stages. We all are doing our best to reach every student.

We all are continuing to innovate and lead with the best of intentions. We are all screaming inside, while we smile on the outside. We are all juggling private and professional, emotional, and spiritual, physical, and mental. We are all human.

Location is Irrelevant
Distance learning aside, there are some strategies that can be tweaked and prodded to be what you need them to be- in any classroom setting. These are what I am going to share today. I am a teacher. I am a writer. I am realistic. I am optimistic. Hopefully one or more of these will spark something in you as they have for me.

What's Missing- show students a list of content vocabulary, set of pictures, diagram, or a series of steps related to the course content, but omit a piece of information. Challenge students to predict what is missing from the list or picture.

This works perfectly for distance learning.

ELA- Retrieval practice of vocabulary, looking for literary devices or elements in a text. The "what's missing" will encourage them to look deeper.
SCIENCE- Marine animal anatomy, leave steps out of processes such as generating electricity from a fuel source, formation of acid rain, etc.
MATH- steps of a problem, Math problem, scientific diagram, flow chart. Up challenge and opportunity as appropriate: students create these challenges for each other or have them ‘fill-in’ unexpected/provocative steps. Simple e.g. instead of 2+blank=6 being 4, its 3 + 1.
SOCIAL STUDIES- capitals and major landforms, a See, Think, Wonder VT routine. Looking at a picture and only show a small par, to get them looking at details and then enlarge what the part they can see and have them explain the process.

Brainstorm Challenge-If you want students to brainstorm a list of ideas or possible solutions, challenge them to generate more ideas by using an online randomizer (dice rolling).
then you can encourage them to analyze, sort, or prioritize their lists based on a set of criteria. Then adding the pressure of a ten-minute time clock adds pressure and engagement. Have them respond in a live chat format of your choosing.

ELA-Having a closed time deadline fires them up to generate ideas quickly love the idea of random number of ideas required, Love debating. My students are currently studying Social Issues and Argumentative Essay Writing, so we have been doing ‘Speed Debating’ in class...
SCIENCE-This would be a great approach to making predictions before a science experiment, video, or classroom activity, use this when kids are gearing up for their coral bleaching essays. This would be really helpful for them to generate useful search terms.
MATH- That would help them decide which path to take when the calculations come around. If they can list all the possible "happenings" during each step, they will likely pick up on which will happen and how they can minimize measurement error.
SOCIAL STUDIES- This would be fun for students to plan a group project. Or, once they have chosen a project, deciding what needs to be done and in what order.

ADI-Argument-Driven Inquiry

ADI are generally completed within a class period. However, I have had the debate portion, in an online live chat, after time has been provided to peruse the graphs and charts. ADI will generally have 6-8 photos, or you can simplify it down for distance learning, depending on the complexity of the question.

Student Task : In this activity, you will utilize actual data sets collected from maps of the United States to determine ecosystem impact by tornadoes in the US. Data sets were collected by amateur storm chasers and USTornadoes.com. More information can be found at http://www.ustornadoes.com/about/
Guiding Question: Tornadoes will have the greatest impact on which ecosystem?
Getting Started: To answer the guiding question, you will need to examine the data set of tornado occurrences to explore the relationship between tornado incidents and ecosystem location.
To determine how you will analyze your data, think about the following questions:
  • ·          What data is relevant?
  • ·          What type of calculations will you need to make?
  • ·          How will you organize and represent your data?
  • ·          What type of graph could you create to help make sense of your data?

To have students share their information they will complete a document as follows:
To have them share their argument with others, use an on-line chat format. A group discussion format or even just send them to you directly.

Problem-Based Learning

PBL generally progress over a single week-2 weeks depending on the problem. Problem-based learning or Project-Based learning must follow the four basic principles of PBL

·        Students work with their peers to solve problems. (on-line chats and discussions)
·        Students research and gather information on their topic.
·        Students use technology with purpose, to design and create a culminating project.
·        Students need to see themselves as the ultimate resource. (independence)

Using primary sources, current events, and science resources, they collaboratively solve the problem- they design a persuasive presentation (power-point or podcast) to convince a political leader (me) that something needs to happen. For example:

Title:  Human Impact on the Environment
Challenge (Driving Question): How can political leaders be persuaded to implement changes in policy regarding environmental damage?
Summary: Students will research how humans are negatively impacting various ecosystems.  They will write a persuasive speech and video presentation including the effects of human actions and ways to repair or end the damage.
Students will: Receive a randomly assigned ecosystem, create questions, research, revise questions (add or revise), synthesize findings, write persuasive essay utilizing documentation and quotes, create plausible solution to ecosystem rehabilitation, and present findings in a speech/video to classmates and ultimately, politicians (calling for reform)

Student-centered teachers carefully guide students as they begin to explore or investigate their topic, being careful not to dominate the conversation. They allow the conversation to be led by students and for the discussion, to take twists and turns, based on the evidence and interest of the students. This can be done as a WebQuest, you set up in a module or on a website.

Then you give students plenty of time to develop responses or think about the issue more carefully, giving students the time to reflect and think more carefully about the issue, is key. Distance learning allows for this aspect of PBL.


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