Notes: Edutopia's Top 10 for 2014

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/edutopias-top-10-for-2014-betty-ray 

Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding

A Simple Way to Gain Information from Your Students: Ask Them

When preservice teachers are confused as to why their students performed poorly on an assignment, I gently say, "Did you ask them why?" After all, having learners use their own vernacular to articulate why they are stuck can be profoundly useful for identifying where to target support.

According to the American Institute of Nondestructive Testing, the simplest tool to encourage student self-assessment is evaluative prompts:

• How much time and effort did you put into this?
• What do you think your strengths and weaknesses were in this assignment?
• How could you improve your assignment?
• What are the most valuable things you learned from this assignment?

Ways to Check for Understanding

[Short writing activities - > Longer writing activities - > Writing and Drawing activities]

Twitter Post

• Define _______ in under 140 characters.

5 Words

• What five words would you use to describe ______? Explain and justify your choices.

Simile

• What we learned today is like _______.

Explaining

• Explain the main idea using an analogy.

The Minute Paper

• In one minute, describe the most meaningful thing you've learned.

So What? Journal

• Identify the main idea of the lesson. Why is it important?

Muddy Moment

• What frustrates and confuses you about the text? Why?

Opinion Chart

• List opinions about the content in the left column of a T-chart, and support your opinions in the right column.

Intrigue Journal

• List the five most interesting, controversial, or resonant ideas you found in the readings. Include page numbers and a short rationale (100 words) for your selection.

Sticky Notes Annotation

• Use sticky notes to describe key passages that are notable or that you have questions about.

Top Ten List

• What are the most important takeaways, written with humor?

Advertisement

• Create an ad, with visuals and text, for the newly learned concept.

Doing It Differently: Tips for Teaching Vocabulary

Teaching Words

Robert Marzano stresses that in all content areas, direct vocabulary instruction is essential and suggests six steps:

Step one: The teacher explains a new word, going beyond reciting its definition (tap into prior knowledge of students, use imagery).

Step two: Students restate or explain the new word in their own words (verbally and/or in writing).

Step three: Ask students to create a non-linguistic representation of the word (a picture, or symbolic representation).

Step four: Students engage in activities to deepen their knowledge of the new word (compare words, classify terms, write their own analogies and metaphors).

Step five: Students discuss the new word (pair-share, elbow partners).

Step six: Students periodically play games to review new vocabulary (Pyramid, Jeopardy, Telephone).

Marzano's six steps do something revolutionary to vocabulary learning: They make it fun. Students think about, talk about, apply, and play with new words. And Webster doesn't get a word in edgewise.