Tag Archives: know your students

“Very informative, presented so well. Enjoyable”

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“Teaching a room full of learners the same thing in the same way over the same time span with the same supports and expecting good results from all students has never happened and never will.” Tomlinson

row-of-reading-children2

Last week I facilitated a couple of workshops on working with non funded students. They were well attended, interactive workshops with a mix of teacher and education support staff  who were very eager to share their expertise and experiences with colleagues and other staff from different schools and sectors. One school even sent their whole education support unit!

Introduction

The morning sessions began with a quick discussion of the roles of teachers and education support staff and then covered specific learning disabilities with which students may present in schools. Many students who have experienced these learning difficulties are not funded but the impact it has on their learning and ability to work effectively in mainstream classes is similar to those who are funded. These difficulties can lead to withdrawal, behavioural issues, anti social behaviour and low self esteem. Our role as educators is to help these students overcome or compensate for their learning difficulties, funded or not. Below is a representation of Dr. Sheldon’s Horowitz‘s idea of the basic psychological process used in understanding and using language. His explanatory videos are great, easy to follow and well explained.

Specific Learning Disabilities

Strategies

I then presented some strategies and ideas that can be used in the classroom to assist the students with learning difficulties in accessing the curriculum. I believe that if we take the time to assess what the students know and then plan a variety of activities that take into account learning preferences, abilities and readiness of students, our classes would be more engaging not just for those with difficulties but also the mainstream cohort as well as those students who display particularly well developed strengths in specific areas.

Differentiation and modification

The day continued with a focus on differentiation and modification. What is the difference? It is surprising, based on my own experience in schools, that many teachers and education support staff have a limited understanding of these two methods. I often come across so called ‘modified’ tasks where the teacher has simply removed the last few questions on the test or asked that the student completes every second question. This folks is not modification. I have found however, that teachers implicitly do differentiate their curriculum but may not be aware of the many more ways this could be done so all students are engaged in deep learning.

The ‘guru’ of differentiation is Carol Tomlinson. Her premise is that there are essentially 3 P’s in differentiation i.e. Presentation, Process and Product.

Presentationdifferentiation

  • How are you going to teach it?
  • What do you want the students to know and do?

Process

  • How will the learning be done?

Product

  • How will the students demonstrate learning?

When modifying work for students, teachers and education support staff must take into account the abilities, readiness and learning preferences of the child. Before modifying work for any student, especially those who are not funded, the school should seek permission from the parent. In some cases the parent will not give permission, and while this is disappointing, teachers must abide by this decision although they can make extra efforts to ensure the child has access to a differentiated curriculum. This is one where by the delivery of content is varied, and accommodations such as more time, different settings, choice in presentation and response are offered.

handsSimply, the difference between differentiation and modification comes down to the expectation of work to be assessed. In differentiation there is no change to the assessment criteria or rubric but a modified task requires us to make changes to the assessment criteria. In all cases, modifications are instructional or test adaptations that allow the student to demonstrate what he knows or can do, but they also reduce the target skill in some way. So if a student is provided with a modification, generally it will lower the performance expectations. It often reduces the learning expectations or affects the content in such a way that what is being taught or tested is fundamentally changed.

When planning for either differentiated or modified tasks, there are three questions we must ask ourselves:

  1. What do I want students to know?
  2. What do I want students to understand?
  3. What do I want students to do?

Collaborative task

The afternoon was dedicated to activities that allowed the participants to use their own assessment tasks, or mine, to make accommodations or modify based on student profiles that I provided. We then came together and discussed our learning.

boy2-1ne7o1bStudent Profiles

The day ended with an example of what I think a student profile should contain so that informed decisions about the student’s individual learning can be made.

Feedback

While two out of 53 participants thought the workshop was too focused on education support staff and one thought it more valuable for early career teachers, overall, the feedback was very positive (see below) and many participants took away ideas and strategies that I hope they have begun implementing in their classes. For me it’s always about the students, so anything extra we can do to improve their learning experience is very worthwhile and very rewarding for us as educators.

“Jo touched on many ideas that I can share and implement at my school.” Anita

“Wonderful & engaging presentation” Anon

“The course was quite informative, found out about a few strategies which can be easily applied at our workplace.” Claudine

“Very informative, presented so well. Enjoyable” Anne

“Very relaxed and informative conference.” Anon

“Presentation was very comprehensive and information was very beneficial to my teaching.” Anon

“Excellent speaker. Fantastic, useful info/strategies to put into classroom practice.” Debra

“A great presenter with lots of ideas, hints, etc.” Alexandra

Many thanks are extended to all who participated last week in Geelong and at the Mulgrave venue!

If you’d like to learn more, why not register for the workshop delivered through Critical Agendas. I’ll be running similar workshops in Geelong on May 29 and Bulleen on June 6.

Drop me a line, or comment below. I’d very much like to know what measures you take to support non-funded special needs students at your school.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Teaching does not equal learning

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quality_teacherThe Australian Professional Standards for Teachers clearly states in Standard 1. Know students and how they learn, that teachers must take steps to meets students’ needs. The proficient teacher, it reads, should “structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.”

Before I go any further, I do hope we all agree that the same teaching method does not work for all learners, that learners learn in different ways and that teachers should employ a variety of methods in teaching, learning and assessment. AGREED?

Learning styles are just one category that can be used in conjunction with other strategies and learner attributes such as prior knowledge, motivation, aptitude and confidence to assist in developing and facilitating relevant, interesting, fun, engaging and motivational learning experiences.

Learning should be a holistic experience engaging the learner in all facets; I always ask my students to remember just four things when engaged in reflection and learning – see, hear, feel and think. Many have used these simple examples and have developed excellent reflective skills that have in turn improved writing and listening skills. 

Learning should be a process by which the learner can investigate, participate, interact, reflect and create. Learning is not about transmitting pre-existing ideas but of creating knowledge that can be integrated into the prior knowledge and experience of the learner. In order to do this successfully the learner must be explicitly taught how to learn and a positive learning culture must be established and maintained. The learning ambience must be safe, supportive and accepting of all; a place that allows learners to thrive and facilitators to open doors.

Relationships are a key part of the learning process. I always ensure to give students ample opportunity to feedbackWhat students say their thoughts and ideas at the end of each semester or teaching stint (right). Through this simple task, that could be quite confronting for some teachers, I have been able to develop further as an educator while simultaneously receiving positive and affirming comments. I spend much time planning and devising the learning experiences and I have high expectations of my students. More times than not they step up to the challenge.

For me to be successful in developing and implementing the learning activities I feel I need to really know my students. One way to do this is to watch and learn from them, especially over the first few classes. I also run quick sessions to discover how they like to learn and one of the strategies I use is Learning Styles traits. It is not however, the only tool I use, a good dose of listening and sharing my own story also works a treat in getting the students to share their own experiences. Trust after all is the first step in building a relationship. More importantly, discovering learning styles is not intended to pigeon hole or label students as this or that type but rather, the discovery leads to a conversation and learning opportunity not only to develop their preference but to offer strategies that can assist learners to expand their learning repertoire and adapt to different situations.

Teachers do not necessarily have to do more work but instead we need to change our approach. Our role as educators is to facilitate learning, not to deliver content and hope for the best. Forming relationships, really ‘knowing’ our students is part of the learning process, as are setting goals, self-assessment and peer assessment. Just because we teach doesn’t mean they learn.

While I recognise that it is important to have research support our claims, there is also validity in our own experiences, and that of colleagues. Our experiences should not be dismissed simply because the research does not support it. I don’t think we should abandon Learning styles altogether as the concept isn’t necessarily incorrect, maybe it just needs to be fully reviewed.

5 top tips to try in your classes this week

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take-a-smile1. Surprise them – Greet each student individually at the door, ask them how their day has been – smile!!

2. Be unpredictable – Post a sign on the door asking your students to meet you in some other place around the school – preferably where you have never held a class before! AND tell them to RUN!

3. Ignite their curiosity – Instead of giving the late student the third degree, make a fuss about how happy you are that they have finally made it and how sorry you are that they missed the best part of the lesson…then just continue on with the class without faltering!

late4. Connect with them – speak and/or make eye contact with each student in the class – three times – remember that some students have difficulty meeting your gaze, ensure that you are not making them uncomfortable but rather think of some other way to make contact, maybe you could ask them to show you their learning, or ask them a direct question about that learning once the class has settled into the task-at-hand.

5. Change your tune – instead of calling it WORK call it LEARNING – see what happens.

Drop me a line and tell me how it went… 🙂

Top tips for a positive classroom

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  1. happyKnow your students – really know; find out what makes them tick, walk in their shoes, remember that they are just smaller version of you, with similar feelings and really they just want to feel that you care enough about them to make a difference.
  2. Recognise their individual differences and take action; make it your mission to find out how they learn, what they like to do and arm them with strategies so they can experience success. Teach them how to learn and the rest will fall into place.
  3. Be clear on your expectations of work and behaviour; say it, write it, show it, do it
  4. Establish a relationship; don’t think you have to be their best mate, certainly not, you are their teacher, but let them know you care enough to ask how they are travelling, to follow up, to give praise where praise is due and to explain how they can do better for next time.
  5. Encourage them; to be their best, set them high standards but not so high they cannot reach them, scaffold their learning so they can. Ensure everyone leaves with a sense of achievement.
  6. Believe in them; believe they not only can learn BUT they will learn. Now put in place the steps they need to do so, challenge them, question them, learn from them. Watch, listen, learn, they are very good at letting you know what they need so pay attention.
  7. Make learning relevant; find a link between what it is you want them to know and do and their own lives as 21st Century learners. ICT takes care of the facts, your task is to bring the ‘humanity’ to class.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Teaching strategies that work for boys

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boy_visualI believe that boys’ behaviour is linked to the way we teach. Good teaching will ultimately deliver good behaviour. Whenever you can, I encourage you to negotiate the curriculum with boys; make it about them. In fact I’m going to also say that whatever you do with the boys can only but benefit the girls as well.

You will be surprised at how closely the negotiation is with the actual curriculum you intended to deliver anyhow. Discuss assessment with them; come to an agreement which suits both the expectation of the course they are about to undertake and their needs. Give them choices on how they might like to present their learning. This gives them the opportunity to shine using their strengths. Create the environment in which they might come to understand more deeply the learning intended.

“Boys are impressed by what they see or feel more than what they hear.” Shea (1964) Use their own experiences and set up environments to engage them more deeply. Here are a few ideas from colleagues and from my own classes that work.

Power of One (Year 6 boys) Consider the strength of this introduction to South Africa and Apartheid: The teacher divides the room with a thick strip of white tape. Twenty-five boys occupy one-third of the room, two-thirds of the room, by only five. These five are the ‘chosen ones’. For a day the ‘chosen ones’ are given special privileges: they are treated to lollies, use the toilets closest to the classrooms, leave the room first, go to specialist classes before the oppressed twenty-five. The underprivileged ones are not to speak in class, can only play in a small grassed area, must use the toilets in the far end of the courtyard about 50-60 metres away and may only exit the room from the back door. The ‘chosen ones’ were given permission to throw their rubbish on the ground and simply by pointing, signal their wish for the underprivileged to pick it up. The 25 must obey.

This behaviour might seem harsh but the teacher assured me that they made it as difficult for this group as was possible without jeopardizing their safety. A number of parents called the school, not to complain, but to congratulate the teacher on his efforts in establishing the setting for the novel with such realism that their boys would not stop talking at home. The conversation in the classroom the next day was amazing.

“Was it fair?” the teacher asked.

“Certainly not!” The oppressed group responded.

“Yes” replied the ‘chosen ones’.

“Would you want to swap?”

“Yes!” came the roar from the 25.

“No!” said the ‘chosen ones’.

And on it went…a wonderful first hand experience of oppression and power.

boy_learning_geographyTropical Rainforests (Yr 8 boys) My daughter actually told me this story…but it’s great for boys. It is amazing what a couple of humidifiers and some tropical fruits to share can do to set the scene for a geography unit on tropical rainforests.

Michelangelo and the Sistine Ceiling (Yr 7 boys) It is always great to have boys imitate life, especially those of famous artists. It certainly gets their attention when one mentions their sexual orientation but getting them to lie under their tables armed with pencils, (not paints, mums tend to not like them having paint all over their uniforms!), and have some paper already attached to the bottom for them to draw on. I have since found that this is not accurate and that Michelangelo probably leaned backwards while standing to paint the Sistine Chapel, but it worked for a while, much taller desks might be invaluable for future sessions!!

Vincent Van Gogh (Yr 9 boys) Even 15 year olds enjoyed the introductory picture book story read to them from the teacher’s chair as they sat or lie on the ground. Their next task was to coordinate a human chronological timeline featuring the different episodes in the artists’ life and times. Then we moved to completing a mind map of what we had retained followed by a journey into cyber space. This was an excellent way to introduce the artist and his work and their literacy skills were advanced simply by using the words and simple phrases they had used to build their mind maps, the discussion and stories they had heard and then the interaction they had with the websites. Their essays were wonderfully personal and full on emotions. Needless to say they were very proud of their achievements and it wasn’t hard at all.

Italian Region’s Project (Yr 7 boys) Why not encourage the boys by setting up a travel unit, asking them to complete forms, interview them using your colleagues as the government officials. Boys tend to get quite motivated knowing that someone who does not teach them the language can actually understand them. Once successfully completing the interview, issue passports which act as the criteria sheets for all the different sections of the assessed tasks. The boys collect each assessment as they complete the tasks and return is anticipated with the final date stamp. It is a wonderful way to engage them and make them accountable for holding onto their passport. If they lose it the cycle begins again. We have yet to lose one!

The Dadaists (Yr 12 boys) The Year 12 History teacher invites the Year 11 Studio Arts class to discuss Dadaism with her class. What does one do apart from panic because this is your first year at the school and she has been there forever and probably knows a lot more about History than you do!

Answer: send her class outside while your class sets the scene. In one corner we have a couple with a dictionary, at the back another couple set up with easels and paint, some more cut newspaper headlines and throw them into a hat, another few are perched on top of the desk ready to make a stand, throw in a couple of harlequins and suits and the scene is set. Call in her class when you’re ready and ACTION!

I am always on the look out for more great ideas. Why not share some of yours with us? It can only benefit our boys after all.