Most ideas about teaching are not new, but not everyone knows the old ideas. - Euclid, c. 300 BC
This is a work in progress.In the spirit of "peer poaching" most of these ideas were borrowed from others.Please borrow and add your own! (Jon N)
Learning Log. As you go through your lesson/activity write the key words/vocab on the board in the order of the lesson. Five minutes before the class is over, students write in their "learning logs" a paragraph summarizing what they learned for the day and incorporate those words into the summary. The order of the words will help with recall and this serves as a good connection/refresher the following day.
Reverse the unit. Instead of introducing a new idea or work of literature by first reading and then following it with application activities such as a video, reverse the sequence. Start with a lab, video, demonstration or other hands-on activity, then use the text to reinforce both content and key academic language.
Provide “think time.”Provide students with increased “think time” after posing a key question.Most of us wait a little more than a second before calling on a student to answer.However, research has shown that waiting a full three seconds can improve the length and accuracy of student responses.This is especially critical for English language learners who may have to translate your question, think of the answer, then translate it back into English.Think time also helps improve teaching -- by decreasing the quantity and increasing the quality of our questions.Less is more. Read about the research at http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/think.htm
Use graphic organizers. Give students a representation (e.g. timeline, diagram) which relates information and helps to organize new concepts. Sometimes called “thinking maps,” graphic organizers can also arrange ideas by rhetorical mode (compare/contrast, cause & effect, etc.). Students and teachers can create mind maps using Inspiration software (see the attached example.)
Collect an "Exit Ticket" -Five minutes before class ends, ask students to write one thing they learned and one question that they still have about today's lesson. Collect these as students' "ticket" to leave class.Exit tickets can provide valuable feedback about uptake as well as where students might be getting stuck.
Use Subtitles.Turn on the subtitles in English for videos when possible. This supports students’ listening comprehension, especially when the speaker has an accent that may be unfamiliar to some students.The visual cue of subtitles can also help students to understand important information such as names of people and places.
Add a self-assessment.On a homework assignment, test or project -ask students to evaluate their own work.Students can use a rubric to grade themselves or write a short reflection about how they think they could have improved this assignment.This helps English language learners by confirming they understand assessment criteria and promoting meta-cognitive skills.It is also very useful to ask students how they studied and for how long!
Restating directions.After explaining a task or assignment, ask a student to explain to the class his/her understanding of what is expected.This is a great way to check comprehension (i.e. confirm that the blank stares are because students were up all night on Facebook...) and address any questions before students get started.It also helps other students to hear your directions restated by their peer.
Simultaneous vs.Sequential participation.When posing key questions or reviewing concepts, have ALL students discuss with a partner for a minute and then open it up to the entire class.This provides a chance for English language learners to rehearse a response, and even the most reluctant students get to verbalize their ideas - before those same three hands go up.
Sort it Out:Take any set of information you can organize into a chart (characters and traits, words and definitions, games and rules, dates and events) and cut it into squares. Give pairs of students envelopes with the mixed up information that they must sort into the “whole.”When students have finished, give them a handout with the completed information to check their answers. This supports English language learners in relating key concepts, helps kinesthetic learning styles and promotes interaction for all students.
Study a foreign language:Try to learn a little about your students’ native languages.Start with their native language names.It may seem like Greek (Korean, Indonesian, or Chinese) to you at first, but by the end of Semester One, no matter how well or poorly you learn foreign languages, you will know their names and give them that much more of a sense of belonging and respect.(handout from LEARNER ENGLISH in faculty room) Focus on vocabulary - Part A. Provide students with thematic lists of challenging words before a new unit or keep a running list as words come up. Return to these words throughout the unit.
Pay particular attention to how common words may be used differently in a specific academic context (think about table in math, science, social studies, English).
Point out the part of speech so students can use the word correctly.
Encourage students to use other languages to help them understand vocabulary, but emphasize that words rarely have a one-to-one translation equivalent, and an English word may be used differently from a similar word in their home language.
Give students a Vocabulary Inventory (sample attached) or practice with student-created flashcards or crossword puzzles.
Reverse outlining.In the left-hand margin, write down the topic of each paragraph. Try to use as few words as possible. In the right-hand margin, write down how the paragraph topic advances the overall argument or purpose of the text.Students can use reverse outlining for revising their own writing or to help them read or review a textbook chapter. (Source: Online Writing Lab at Purdue -http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/689/01/) Focus on vocabulary - Part B.Provide students with thematic lists of challenging words before a new unit or keep a running list as words come up. Return to these words throughout the unit.
When writing a word on the board, mark the stress (loudest syllable) to help students with pronunciation.
Teach students to recognize prefixes, suffixes and roots to understand and remember new words since approximately 60% of English words have Latin or Greek origins.
Practice with communicative activities like taboo, password or pictionary
. Use dialogue journals. Have students write back and forth with a partner to articulate what they have learned and share any questions that remain- then exchange journals and answer/comment.This is a good warmup or closure activity.It can be surprising how much students enjoy dialogue journals (maybe their experience with SMS or IM) and how writing about a subject helps them to use academic vocabulary in English with a specific purpose. Homework Habits:Write the homework assignment in the same place on the whiteboard every day. Give some thought to how organized your whiteboard looks- those visuals are crucial in helping many students to understand. Make sure that your notes are legible and logically placed.Color-coding really helps! Dictoglos:A strategy for connecting listening, speaking, vocabulary and writing developed by Ruth Wajnyrb 1990.
Choose a particularly meaningful or interesting text.
Read it aloud at a normal pace.Ask students to just listen carefully.
Read it again (once or twice) and have students write keywords.
Students work in pairs to re-create the text.
Students work in groups of four to refine their version of the original text.
Groups read their text aloud and discuss how closely their versions align.
Hand out the original text.
Use Graphic Organizers (Part B) Graphic organizers also provide a “visual grammar” by allowing common language patterns to be connected to key concepts (e.g. smallpox vaccine was developed in 1796, the Red Cross was founded in 1864).ATTACH A SAMPLE? Vocabulary and multiple intelligences. Try some new approaches to teaching vocabulary by incorporating different learning styles. A simple questionnaire on learning styles can be found at http://www.vark-learn.com . Since we often teach in the way we are most comfortable learning, it is good to mix up our approach from time to time.It can be useful to survey your students and see if your preferred learning style matches with theirs! Here are a few teaching ideas:
Skits, songs and role plays can help to dramatize words for kinesthetic and oral/aural learners (see Glen Blair for some terrific activities!)
Semantic mapping (relating words on a mindmap) can help students to literally see the relationship between groups of words.Visit www.visualthesaurus.com for amazing examples of this.
10 + 2. For every 10 minutes of teaching, give 2 minutes for processing.Allow students to write some notes, fill in a graphic organizer, respond to a prompt or ask each other questions. This “pause that refreshes” allows English language learners to use new language or put new ideas into their own words. As teachers, the two minute break lets us take a step back and observe our students’ interactions. This can help us to notice the type of language that is used (or not used) and see patterns of understanding (or confusion).
Increase the volume. (April Fool’s Day). Research has shown that when a student does not understand what you are saying in a foreign language, it helps to repeat what you have said more loudly. Try to avoid rephrasing, explaining key vocabulary or giving context clues - just keep repeating (yell if necessary) until students understand.
Strip search. Give each student a piece of information on a strip of paper. Students need to search for a partner with corresponding information (e.g. vocabulary word & definition, question & answer, date & event, cause & effect, character & trait).After a certain amount of “organized chaos” partners find each other and sit together to discuss their topic.Variations might include:
Memorized strips: students read their strip and then put it in their pockets before searching for partners
Strip stories: students need to find a small group with the same story then sequence events in the narrative
Timelines: match events/dates/cause/effect with partners, then line up as a class in chronological order
Information Gap.Provide a “gap” in information by giving pairs of students two parallel handouts (version A and B).The two versions are identical except each one is missing information that is given on the other version. Students must work with their partners to find the missing information- without looking at each other’s papers. This is an interactive way to present a new set of vocabulary words & definitions, or a technical diagram with labels. If students "cheat" and look at each other's papers (which they probably will), they are still actively engaging with the information. Inside/outside circles.This simple fluency activity allows ESOL students to share information or discuss with a number of different partners.Arrange the class into a circle with half the students on the inside facing out and the other half on the outside facing in.Pose a question or put a prompt on the board.Students discuss for 1-2 minutes, then rotate the inside circle one person so everyone has a new partner.Change the question or prompt after each rotation or allow students to refine/challenge their response two or three times. Vocabulary Bullseye.Long lists of words can be overwhelming. Use a layered or “targeted” approach to teaching vocabulary by thinking of words in a bullseye pattern. ØThose in the center are words students need to know ØThe next outer ring contains words students should know ØThe outermost ring lists words that would be nice to know Vocabulary Inventory explain and attach an example. One stray, three stay.This cooperative learning activity (from Spencer Kagan) is useful for group projects or collaborative review. While a group is in the middle of completing a task, one student visits another group as an “independent consultant” to answer any questions and offer feedback on the work in progress. Teach “power words”Help students to differentiate between types of tasks by reinforcing what Larry Bell calls “power words” (analyze, infer, evaluate, describe, support, explain, summarize, compare, contrast, predict, formulate, trace). These words are essential academic vocabulary for test-taking and can be confusing because the differences are subtle and may not always translate easily.The SAS social studies handbook has a helpful section on how to interpret these prompts in answering short answer questions. Teach discipline-specific genres. Identify and explain different the kind of writing you expect (e.g. lab report, newspaper article) by modeling and unpacking patterns of organization, text structures and transition words. Provide samples, writing frames or sentence starters to scaffold students’ writing in each genre. Give advance notice:When calling on ESOL students, give them a warning so that they can prepare. (While on question #2, teacher quietly says to X, "Be ready to give us the answer to #5 in a couple of minutes.").When posing a challenging question to the class, allow all students to discuss/rehearse with a partner for a minute before asking for answers.Research shows this improves student performance and teacher effectiveness!(ACTIVE LEARNING WEBSITE)
Most ideas about teaching are not new,but not everyone knows the old ideas.
- Euclid, c. 300 BC
This is a work in progress. In the spirit of "peer poaching" most of these ideas were borrowed from others. Please borrow and add your own! (Jon N)
Learning Log. As you go through your lesson/activity write the key words/vocab on the board in the order of the lesson. Five minutes before the class is over, students write in their "learning logs" a paragraph summarizing what they learned for the day and incorporate those words into the summary. The order of the words will help with recall and this serves as a good connection/refresher the following day.
Reverse the unit. Instead of introducing a new idea or work of literature by first reading and then following it with application activities such as a video, reverse the sequence. Start with a lab, video, demonstration or other hands-on activity, then use the text to reinforce both content and key academic language.
Provide “think time.” Provide students with increased “think time” after posing a key question. Most of us wait a little more than a second before calling on a student to answer. However, research has shown that waiting a full three seconds can improve the length and accuracy of student responses. This is especially critical for English language learners who may have to translate your question, think of the answer, then translate it back into English. Think time also helps improve teaching -- by decreasing the quantity and increasing the quality of our questions. Less is more. Read about the research at http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/think.htm
Use graphic organizers. Give students a representation (e.g. timeline, diagram) which relates information and helps to organize new concepts. Sometimes called “thinking maps,” graphic organizers can also arrange ideas by rhetorical mode (compare/contrast, cause & effect, etc.). Students and teachers can create mind maps using Inspiration software (see the attached example.)
Collect an "Exit Ticket" - Five minutes before class ends, ask students to write one thing they learned and one question that they still have about today's lesson. Collect these as students' "ticket" to leave class. Exit tickets can provide valuable feedback about uptake as well as where students might be getting stuck.
Use Subtitles. Turn on the subtitles in English for videos when possible. This supports students’ listening comprehension, especially when the speaker has an accent that may be unfamiliar to some students. The visual cue of subtitles can also help students to understand important information such as names of people and places.
Add a self-assessment. On a homework assignment, test or project - ask students to evaluate their own work. Students can use a rubric to grade themselves or write a short reflection about how they think they could have improved this assignment. This helps English language learners by confirming they understand assessment criteria and promoting meta-cognitive skills. It is also very useful to ask students how they studied and for how long!
Restating directions. After explaining a task or assignment, ask a student to explain to the class his/her understanding of what is expected. This is a great way to check comprehension (i.e. confirm that the blank stares are because students were up all night on Facebook...) and address any questions before students get started. It also helps other students to hear your directions restated by their peer.
Simultaneous vs. Sequential participation. When posing key questions or reviewing concepts, have ALL students discuss with a partner for a minute and then open it up to the entire class. This provides a chance for English language learners to rehearse a response, and even the most reluctant students get to verbalize their ideas - before those same three hands go up.
Sort it Out: Take any set of information you can organize into a chart (characters and traits, words and definitions, games and rules, dates and events) and cut it into squares. Give pairs of students envelopes with the mixed up information that they must sort into the “whole.” When students have finished, give them a handout with the completed information to check their answers. This supports English language learners in relating key concepts, helps kinesthetic learning styles and promotes interaction for all students.
Study a foreign language: Try to learn a little about your students’ native languages. Start with their native language names. It may seem like Greek (Korean, Indonesian, or Chinese) to you at first, but by the end of Semester One, no matter how well or poorly you learn foreign languages, you will know their names and give them that much more of a sense of belonging and respect. (handout from LEARNER ENGLISH in faculty room)
Focus on vocabulary - Part A. Provide students with thematic lists of challenging words before a new unit or keep a running list as words come up. Return to these words throughout the unit.
Reverse outlining. In the left-hand margin, write down the topic of each paragraph. Try to use as few words as possible. In the right-hand margin, write down how the paragraph topic advances the overall argument or purpose of the text. Students can use reverse outlining for revising their own writing or to help them read or review a textbook chapter. (Source: Online Writing Lab at Purdue - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/689/01/)
Focus on vocabulary - Part B. Provide students with thematic lists of challenging words before a new unit or keep a running list as words come up. Return to these words throughout the unit.
- When writing a word on the board, mark the stress (loudest syllable) to help students with pronunciation.
- Teach students to recognize prefixes, suffixes and roots to understand and remember new words since approximately 60% of English words have Latin or Greek origins.
- Practice with communicative activities like taboo, password or pictionary
.Use dialogue journals. Have students write back and forth with a partner to articulate what they have learned and share any questions that remain- then exchange journals and answer/comment. This is a good warmup or closure activity. It can be surprising how much students enjoy dialogue journals (maybe their experience with SMS or IM) and how writing about a subject helps them to use academic vocabulary in English with a specific purpose.
Homework Habits: Write the homework assignment in the same place on the whiteboard every day. Give some thought to how organized your whiteboard looks- those visuals are crucial in helping many students to understand. Make sure that your notes are legible and logically placed. Color-coding really helps!
Dictoglos: A strategy for connecting listening, speaking, vocabulary and writing developed by Ruth Wajnyrb 1990.
Use Graphic Organizers (Part B) Graphic organizers also provide a “visual grammar” by allowing common language patterns to be connected to key concepts (e.g. smallpox vaccine was developed in 1796, the Red Cross was founded in 1864). ATTACH A SAMPLE?
Vocabulary and multiple intelligences. Try some new approaches to teaching vocabulary by incorporating different learning styles. A simple questionnaire on learning styles can be found at http://www.vark-learn.com . Since we often teach in the way we are most comfortable learning, it is good to mix up our approach from time to time. It can be useful to survey your students and see if your preferred learning style matches with theirs! Here are a few teaching ideas:
10 + 2. For every 10 minutes of teaching, give 2 minutes for processing. Allow students to write some notes, fill in a graphic organizer, respond to a prompt or ask each other questions. This “pause that refreshes” allows English language learners to use new language or put new ideas into their own words. As teachers, the two minute break lets us take a step back and observe our students’ interactions. This can help us to notice the type of language that is used (or not used) and see patterns of understanding (or confusion).
Increase the volume. (April Fool’s Day). Research has shown that when a student does not understand what you are saying in a foreign language, it helps to repeat what you have said more loudly. Try to avoid rephrasing, explaining key vocabulary or giving context clues - just keep repeating (yell if necessary) until students understand.
Strip search. Give each student a piece of information on a strip of paper. Students need to search for a partner with corresponding information (e.g. vocabulary word & definition, question & answer, date & event, cause & effect, character & trait). After a certain amount of “organized chaos” partners find each other and sit together to discuss their topic. Variations might include:
Information Gap. Provide a “gap” in information by giving pairs of students two parallel handouts (version A and B). The two versions are identical except each one is missing information that is given on the other version. Students must work with their partners to find the missing information- without looking at each other’s papers. This is an interactive way to present a new set of vocabulary words & definitions, or a technical diagram with labels. If students "cheat" and look at each other's papers (which they probably will), they are still actively engaging with the information.
Inside/outside circles. This simple fluency activity allows ESOL students to share information or discuss with a number of different partners. Arrange the class into a circle with half the students on the inside facing out and the other half on the outside facing in. Pose a question or put a prompt on the board. Students discuss for 1-2 minutes, then rotate the inside circle one person so everyone has a new partner. Change the question or prompt after each rotation or allow students to refine/challenge their response two or three times.
Vocabulary Bullseye. Long lists of words can be overwhelming. Use a layered or “targeted” approach to teaching vocabulary by thinking of words in a bullseye pattern.
Ø Those in the center are words students need to know
Ø The next outer ring contains words students should know
Ø The outermost ring lists words that would be nice to know
Vocabulary Inventory explain and attach an example.
One stray, three stay. This cooperative learning activity (from Spencer Kagan) is useful for group projects or collaborative review. While a group is in the middle of completing a task, one student visits another group as an “independent consultant” to answer any questions and offer feedback on the work in progress.
Teach “power words” Help students to differentiate between types of tasks by reinforcing what Larry Bell calls “power words” (analyze, infer, evaluate, describe, support, explain, summarize, compare, contrast, predict, formulate, trace). These words are essential academic vocabulary for test-taking and can be confusing because the differences are subtle and may not always translate easily. The SAS social studies handbook has a helpful section on how to interpret these prompts in answering short answer questions.
Teach discipline-specific genres. Identify and explain different the kind of writing you expect (e.g. lab report, newspaper article) by modeling and unpacking patterns of organization, text structures and transition words. Provide samples, writing frames or sentence starters to scaffold students’ writing in each genre.
Give advance notice: When calling on ESOL students, give them a warning so that they can prepare. (While on question #2, teacher quietly says to X, "Be ready to give us the answer to #5 in a couple of minutes."). When posing a challenging question to the class, allow all students to discuss/rehearse with a partner for a minute before asking for answers. Research shows this improves student performance and teacher effectiveness! (ACTIVE LEARNING WEBSITE)