Write Around

Do you have a class that won't talk to you?  Or only a few in the class dominate the discussion?  I found a way to get everyone involved and writing at the same time.  Write around is a strategy that gets students to write and be involved in the class discussion.  Students are in groups of 4 of 5.  Students write their names on the paper and then write their initial thoughts on the given topic.  When time is up, students pass their papers in the same direction and are given time to read and respond to what is on the paper.  Continue the process until all students have written on all papers.  Students may respond to the comments, add additional questions, disagree, explain their opinions, etc.  This strategy can be done with any subject area.  I found a great resource for this which includes detailed instructions.  Here is the link.
Write Around and more  - http://www.sthelens.k12.or.us/Page/678
 

Book Track Classroom

I’ve just found a cool app for teachers and students! It is called Book Track Classroom. It allows students to read stories but also upload/type/paste stories, poems, etc. Work can be published privately and/or publicly on the web. This Google app is a great way to encourage students to write and read! Just what we’re supposed to be doing in all of our classes. The site offers tons of books to read – books have music background so students are encouraged to read and listen with headphones. Students can adjust the reading speed. The great part about the site is uploading your own material. After you load your written work, you can choose various music to add to the background – scary music for a horror story, ocean music for a soothing poem – you get the idea. Lastly, students create a book cover – or upload one of many provided on the app – and then publish. As a teacher, student work goes into folders similar to classroom google (which I LOVE). Easy to manage! Stories can easily be shared on Google Drive, too. Take a minute and check it out – the app is very user friendly – you’ll be publishing your written work in no time at all!  This app is also available for droid and apple users, so you can read anytime, anywhere. 

Reciprocal Teaching

Reciprocal teaching is a strategy in which the students become the teacher in small group reading sessions.  Students guide the discussion while summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and making predictions about the material.  My class did this type of activity with primary documents that influenced American government.  Each group read a certain document and determined the effect it had on our government.  The students discussed each one and did a great job first describing it and then analyzing its influence.  Students talked about the information and asked each other questions.  I heard great explanations coming from students to other students.  The groups seemed to embrace this activity.

Technology Tip - Office Remote

One technology tip that has helped me teach my students more effectively in my PE classes is an app on my phone called “Office Remote”.  This app allows me to run my PowerPoint presentations by using my phone. Since I do not have access to a Smartboard, this has been a great asset in teaching my students in our “Fitness Knowledge” unit.  This app can be added to apple or android phones, it is free, runs to your computer through Bluetooth technology, and it is relatively simple to use.  The app looks like this:

I hope you find this technology tip as useful as I have found it to be.

My Spanish 2 class recently read the book The Circuit for our literacy unit.  I used the socrative website to better facilitate our class discussions.  I posted the discussion questions and had students respond in the socrative website.  Then I projected the responses for all to see.  The great thing was the students' names were blocked.  I found students were more open in their discussion and were more willing to share in this manner.  This was an easy way for me to check for comprehension as well.  There was no fear of getting the answer wrong and there was better participation in class discussions.

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.