Tag: activities
Student Mastery Activities Book for use with How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education
by on Jan.26, 2010, under Uncategorized
Product Description
This education research text takes a gentle approach, laced with examples and summarizing charts, tables and diagrams. A simple, direct writing style and two-colour design add to its appeal. It includes end-of-chapter application exercises forcing students to apply the information presented to a research project of their own choosing. This second edition contains two new chapters on ethics and research and doing research in schools…. More >>
Student Mastery Activities Book for use with How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education
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Learning from Knitting
by on Dec.12, 2009, under Uncategorized
If you told me 5 years ago that I would be a knitter, I would have told you that you were crazy! I finally took up knitting about a year ago.
It may look hard but actually may be easier than expected. Many times I look at a pattern and feel overwhelmed, yet I really want to make the item that looks so cool in the picture. I decide to try it because what is the worst thing that can happen? Then I find out it really wasn’t that hard and if I had given up before I started, I would never have found this out. Maybe that is the way my lessons appear to my students. My explanation may sound more difficult than it really is so I have to be careful about overwhelming them. I need to find ways to simplify what I’m teaching and then when they understand the concept, I can go into more detail. This way it won’t scare them.
Sometimes you have to rip out and start all over. When things don’t go right, I sometimes have to rip it out and begin it again. But that is alright. That is how I find out my mistake so I don’t do it again. If I hadn’t found out what I was doing wrong, this might never turn out right. That is why I make my students correct their mistakes early on. So many times they want me to just give them a grade a move on, but they won’t learn that way. They will just keep making the same mistakes over and over again.
It helps to get have a support system. I found a group of people who do well in knitting and are willing to help me. Over time I feel more comfortable sharing my mistakes so that they can show me an easier way to do things. That is one reason I think we need to put students with various strengths together in groups in order for them to learn from one another. Also if students are working on a project if they have the same interests, it is likely they will learn different strategies for learning the material.
Mistakes happen but don’t agonize over them. I made a sweater where the arms were too long but didn’t find out until I tried it on when it was done. I made a pair of socks where the foot was too long and the heels stuck out of my shoes when I put them on. These are things that I can adjust the next time I make a sweater or a pair of socks. From these mistakes, I learned what I need to do differently but I don’t just give up on knitting because of them. I need to encourage my students the same way about their learning. Sure they will make mistakes but those are just building blocks for future successes. I don’t want them to give up on learning because of their mistakes.
Sometimes you just have to believe. Once I really didn’t understand how a pattern would make a sock but it did. I studied and studied the pattern but could not make sense out of all the steps. Somebody just told me to believe it would happen and just start following the steps. Well, I did and was amazed that it really turned into a sock. After I actually made the sock, I was able to understand how the pattern worked and it made sense to me. It would never have made sense if I didn’t try it. Sometimes we need to get our students to do the same things. If they go through the process, they may actually understand it better. That is why I feel that hands on activities are so important to learning abstract ideas. If I can relate the abstract to a real thing, the students seem to grasp the concept so much better.
I think I learn something new every day from my new knitting adventure. If you haven’t ever tried it, I would highly recommend it to all men and women. It is a great stress reliever and research shows that it lowers high blood pressure. If you aren’t into knitting, I suggest finding something new to learn because the lessons you learn will definitely help your classroom lessons be more successful!
Original image: ‘Noro Socks finished (365.2.7)’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33953253@N00/3131969145 by: caro sheridan
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De-stress Your Class
by on Dec.03, 2009, under Uncategorized
Thanks to Meaghan Montrose from TutorFi for sharing The Positivity Blog’s list of 7 Tips to Lift the Stress Out of the Morning in her post 7 Tips for Stress-free Mornings .
I thought about these tips and how I could apply this in the classroom. Simple steps like this can help the student and the teacher from being stressed out. Let’s face it, sometimes chaos happens but the little routines we have bring some sanity to our lives. The tips suggested are in bold italics and my comments follow the tip. I hope these tips help the class be more successful on a daily basis.
- Plan the night before. I think it is good to let the class know what is in store for them. If I know each day’s activities, I try to post them on the board or a sheet that is posted for them to refer to. Some of my students get the schedule for the week given to them so they can refer to it when they need to.
- Pack your bag the night before. I try to help my students plan what they will need for the next day. Just like writing a grocery list before we go shopping, I think it is important to know what materials are needed so everyone can plan to bring them. Making a list helps many students come in more prepared than they would without the list. Before they leave home, they can check the list to make sure they have everything they need.
- Make your lunch the night before. Encourage students to get assignments done as soon as they can. How many times have we all thought that we would get to it tomorrow, or the next day, or right before it is due. Once it is complete, it isn’t hanging over our heads and causing stress. It actually can feel good to be ahead of the game.
- Don’t forget to just relax. Enjoy learning! Be excited about any new knowledge you might learn today that you didn’t learn yesterday.
- Get enough sleep. Let’s face it. Sometimes our students have busy active weekends and are tired and cranky when they arrive on Monday mornings. When I notice that the students are not focused and seem tired, I am usually spinning my wheels by trying to teach something new. I actually stop teaching and give us all a 5 minute time out. This allows so students to put their heads down, some to just refocus. I ask that no one talk and find something to do quietly for these five minutes. It really seems to help them. When the five minutes are up, I try to do a review before we start into any new material.
- Use a morning routine. I have a daily class routine that we follow. When the students’ lives are in chaos, this steady routine can have a calming effect. I would usually have 5 minute journal writing after the bell rang. I give a suggested topic, quote, or they may write anything they want. After I have collected all the journals, I collect homework and discuss the answers. Next we review what was learned yesterday and then transition to new material. The last five minutes of class, I assign new homework and we straighten up the classroom. No one is allowed to leave until all trash is picked up off the floor.
- Keep everything in its place. Take the time to file papers as I get them. Once I let things pile up, I tend to get overwhelmed. I teach my students how to organize their notebooks. I have them have a section for notes, a section for handouts, a section for graded work and a section for homework. At the end of each week, I give students 10 minutes to get their things organized. I know this takes class time, but I would rather do this and help my students be successful than rant about how it isn’t my job and let students get more and more discouraged. After we do this the first two months, the students have learned a new habit and it doesn’t take as much time to do this. By the second semester, they are doing it on their own and I don’t even have to plan class time for this activity
Original image: ‘Day 79 – f o c u s’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56387066@N00/1810357551 by: Margo C
