Exercise and thinking

“Every teacher is looking for ways to make their students better readers, thinkers, and problem solvers.”  This was the first line on a previous entry in our Curriculum and Instruction blog, and I agree with this even as a PE teacher.  One of the best strategies teachers can use to help make better thinkers is by promoting exercise.  There are many, many studies that prove that people who are exercising are better thinkers.  We teach this information to our PE students through our “Fitness Knowledge” lessons.  For example, here is a slide where we teach students what documented evidence there is for the effect of exercise on the brain:

Students learn that there is documented proof that exercise helps with greater attention, faster cognitive processing, and better performance on standardized test. 

Physical activity improves brain activity and capacity on three different levels:

1.        It improves alertness, attention, and motivation.

2.       It encourages nerve cells to bind together which is, essentially, how we are able to log new information.

3.       It encourages the development of new cells.

So, if you want your students to become better readers, thinkers, and problem solvers, you should promote and model exercise in your classes, as well.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a good way to generate ideas.  Some suggestions for effective brainstorming are:

• Set a clear time limit.  As teachers, we need to remember that brainstorming can be an exhausting process as creativity does not come naturally to everyone.  Although it is sometimes difficult to wait for students' creative juices to start flowing, it is always well worth it!

• Begin with a clear question.  The boundaries are set by the question being addressed.  Have you ever had students brainstorm and generate ideas that are too diffuse to be relevant?  Take time to present a clear question.

• Record every idea.  Whoever is leading the brainstorming session should record every idea. Recording every idea reinforces the notion that all ideas are welcome.

• Ask everyone for input.  Sometimes the most talkative or the loudest students take up time disproportionate to their actual creative contribution.  If a few students have not or are hesitant to contribute, written input can be used.  Asking for input from each member of the group is helpful in balancing out the voices.  

Recently, in my biology classroom, I asked groups of students to come up with ways to perform mitosis for their classmates.  Mitosis is a complicated process that often times confuses and baffles those that have to learn its steps.  Some groups were asked to perform mitosis without errors while other groups were tasked to perform mitosis gone awry. Group leaders collected everyone's ideas and placed them into a graphic organizer.  Afterwards, each group had to work together on the actual performance and, of course, perform!  Students understood the process better which enabled them to comprehend how cells are able to regenerate and how the heredity material is duplicated and passed on.  

Welcome Back!

It's a new school year, and now that the first nine weeks is coming to a close, the Curriculum and Instruction team is ready to share more of our favorite tips, tricks, and strategies with you! You can expect to see literacy strategies, writing tips, and technology finds that we are integrating into our lessons. Our plan is to have at least one entry each week, so please subscribe to our blog and be on the lookout for updates. Please, let us know if there are any topics you are interested in hearing more about. 

THINK-ALOUDS (pg 121 - 123)

Every teacher is looking for ways to make their students better readers, thinkers, and problem solvers. A think-aloud is categorized as a before reading activity, as a way to show your students an effective way to think though different reading and problems. The professional development book 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy describes a productive reader as someone who asks themselves questions, monitor their own understanding, creates visuals, draws inferences, and makes connections to other things they have learned. Some students are able to do this on their own, others need this process modeled for them and explained. What a think-aloud does is makes your thinking process of different situations observable to the students. Which they can then model in their own way. 

Think-Aloud Process:

1. Read a short version, STOP

2. Step aside from the text

3. VERBALIZE to the students what you are doing

4. Repeat for other situations when you see fit

This process can show students that reading is not passive and that we are in control of what we understand. 

Other Subjects:

This is most easily used in English and Social Studies when given stories and short passages. But it can also be used in Math and Science classes. In my math classes I use think-alouds almost every day. I always state the process that I am doing out loud and stop when I see key items that will help students make decisions. I believe that a lot of teachers do this naturally, they just may not know that it is actually a literacy strategy!

Word Scavenger Hunts- p.136-138

The name says it all for this one.  There are a variety of ways for students to find examples, illustrations, or objects to show the definition of vocabulary words.  Here are the steps the book suggests.

Choose a list of words for your unit of study.  It should include about 5-10 words.
Have students define the words.  This could be done electronically or on index cards.
In teams, students gather objects or pictures to show the word's meaning.  This could be done using magazines for pictures, digital pictures put in a document, or actual physical objects.  Add more fun by making it a team competition with a prize.  We all know students can be bribed with food and bonus points!
Teams present their definitions and representations to the class.  The class votes on the best display.
Students can create a collage, power point, or display of items.

I have done a variation of this with my Economics class in the past.  Students have to find pictures online that are examples of vocabulary words.  I plan on fully implementing this strategy when Economics starts next nine weeks.  Students are putting the textbook definition into practice by finding, deciding, and finally choosing something to represent that vocabulary term.  Students have a much better understanding of concepts that may be completely foreign to them (like Economics) when they can visualize something tangible for that vocabulary term.

Vocabulary Cards

A better way to learn vocabulary...vocabulary note cards.  Duh!  See Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy for any variations to the vocabulary note card strategy.  There is more than one way to do this activity.  Feel free to modify.  The students need the following: vocabulary list, note cards, a dictionary, and a pencil.

1.  Write the vocabulary word in the middle of the index card.
2.  Write a simplified definition
3.  Write an example of the word and maybe a sentence with the word.
4.  Write a non example of the word or maybe an antonym.
5.  Draw a picture of the word.
6.  Study cards to ace the test!  Awesome!

Word Grids/Semantic Feature Analysis

Word grids allow teachers and students to construct charts to give a visual representation of characteristics of a given topic. A word grid allows students to actively participate as they organize a group of related information. It allows students to demonstrate prior knowledge and also leaves room to record the new information they learn.

For instance, in Geometry, the teacher could start a word grid for quadrilaterals. Of course, students are familiar with many four sided figures such as squares and rectangles. They could quickly identify characteristics of those - four right angles, opposite sides equal, opposite sides parallel, etc. As the chapter progresses, new quadrilaterals such as parallelogram, trapezoid and rhombus could be added to the word grid. By the end of the chapter, students have an excellent study guide with all of the related shapes and characteristics in one location.

Word grids or charts are useful in all subject areas. They can be used anytime during a unit - before, during or after. How do you use word grids in your class?