iTIP of the Week: Sponges

Hi all!


I have two questions for you:

1. When do most discipline/classroom management issues arise?

and

2. What is the commodity of which teachers do not have enough?

Here are the answers:

1. During Transitions

2. Time!

I was a band director for 15 years and I took my bands all over the country on trips. We bused or flew to places like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, New Orleans, and many other destinations that small town Nebraska kids might never get to see again. Many times, parents and community members would be in awe that we didn't have discipline problems on those trips.

"What's the secret?"

Pack the itinerary. Give them lots of interesting, structured things to do. Kids always want to just hang out at the hotel and swim. Nope. Not gonna happen.

We would run them until they were nearly dead by 10pm. Once bed check would happen, many times we would be waking them up. We controlled the minutes and hours of the day!

The same is needed in the classroom. Video your class some day and keep track of the wasted minutes due to transitions. Transitions are everywhere! You might be opening a new slide deck, having kids get books, or just changing activities. All of those transitions, while necessary and unavoidable, are eating away at that precious commodity known as TIME!

So what do you do about it?

SPONGES!

Sponges are activities that "sop up" the wasted minutes and turn them into instructional time that might otherwise be lost. They are activities that could be used to:

1. Review material

2. Act as closure for the previous activity.

3. Prepare them for the next activity (Anticipatory Set)

Sponges should not require additional set-up, materials, or anything that will waste the time you are trying to save. KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Some ideas:

Elementary

• Count to 100 by 2s, 5s, etc. (written or spoken)
• List things you can touch, things you can smell, big things, small things, etc.
• "I Spy" - find something in the room that starts with the letter "M."
• Think of animals that live on a farm, in the jungle, in the water, etc.
• Put spelling words in alphabetical order.

Secondary

• List as many states as you can. 
• List all the foods you can think of that contain protein.
• Why were these dates important: 1492, 1606, 1776, 1812?
• Share with your neighbor the steps to solving quadratic equations.
• Write 3 things you have learned so far today, 2 questions you still have, and 1 thing you would like to know more about.

Obviously, these activities are not for learning new information and they might not be aligned to the day's objective (if they can be, all the better!). They are for creating set, closure, or review. Most importantly, however, they help in reducing discipline problems and getting the most out of instructional time.

Go ahead! Video yourself and find out how many minutes go by. Then, see what you can do to "sop up" those moments!

Have a happy day!

Mr. S

Create Videos Using Your WebCam and YouTube!

Hi all!

I had a friend ask me today if it was possible to record videos with the WebCam of a Chromebook. I looked into it and the answer is YES!

There are a couple of ways to do it, but I really liked how one can do this with YouTube!

So here's how:

1. Go to YouTube and sign in with your Google account.

2. Click the "Upload" button at the top of the screen. That one, there...right next to the search bar.

3. Here you will be given some options. Click "Webcam Capture." Be sure to check out the other options as they help YouTube to be awesome!

4. Next, you will be asked to give permission for YouTube to use your webcam and microphone.

• Click "Remember" first! So you don't have to ever again :)
• Click "Allow" second. Otherwise, this whole venture is pointless.

5. Your browser might ask your permission again. Click "Allow." The definition of redundancy is listed twice in the dictionary :)

6. Now you are ready to record! Click "Start Recording" at the bottom of the window and off you go! Click "Stop Recording" when you are done.

7. When you are done, you will be able to Start Over or upload it. Click "Upload" and YouTube will ask for some metadata and settings so that others can take enjoy your glorious creation!

There you go! Look at you getting creative with YouTube! Pretty cool, right?

Have a happy day!

ITIP of the Week: Games in the Brain Friendly Classroom

Hi all!

I am continuing my trek through Marcia Tate's Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites and I keep thinking about "Everything I Need To Know In Life I Learned In Kindergarten." Really, it doesn't start there...we could learn SO MUCH about learning by watching babies, toddlers, and even young animals.

Games!

Our earliest learning situations are engulfed in game-play, aren't they? We learn physical skills, shapes, letters, words, social skills, and much more through games. Take a minute and think about the skills being honed when playing Monopoly, Life, Pictionary, or Scrabble. Don't worry...they will still be fun even though you know, now, that you are actually learning something.

So why does it stop when we get older and as we go through school? Playing games makes the learning environment positive and fun which lowers stress and allows for greater memory-for-content. As a matter of fact, when the environment is stressful, the body produces cortisol which actually inhibits recall. Playing games also increases motivation, focus, and cognition.

As teachers, we operate in an environment that is one huge Trivial Pursuit game! Why don't we take advantage of that? Transform your content from a boring PBS show (no offense, PBS. Go Big Bird!) to an exciting and fun game show every now and again. The research is there to back up that game-play is effective in learning. Don't feel guilty about it!

Do you want to make it even more powerful? Research shows that game-play is even more effective in the classroom when the students not only play the game, but also create the rules and content. Make them owners of their learning and it will be longer-lasting and more meaningful.

So if you were going to lecture today, play a game instead! I need to start another Words With Friends game with my dad.

Have a happy day!

ITIP of the Week: Creating a Brain-Friendly Classroom with Field Trips

Hi all!

Sorry I have been away. I am juggling a few books right now and I got away from Marcia Tate's Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites. I'm back at it, though!

Today's topic: Field Trips

I remember many of the field trips from elementary school. I remember the trip to the Nebraska State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion, the Kennard House, the one-room school house on the fairgrounds, and McDonalds. Yep...we went to McDonalds. That teacher was genius!

These trips are very clear memories. According to Marcia Tate, "the brain has but one purpose--survival in the real world," and real-world experiences stick with us for a long time. So, any time we can get our kids into the real-world and out of the theoretical-based classroom, the more life-long connections will be established. Pair that fact with Daniel Pink's "Motivation 3.0" idea that today's learner wants autonomy, self-determinacy, and purpose, and you will find real-world experiences are a must for the 21st Century student.

Here are just a few reasons why this works:

• Leaving the normal daily classroom will assist better recall.
• Field trips help kids to develop better observation and inquiry skills.
• Authentic and experiential learning build greater connections.
• The 21st Century learner needs to know how the content relates to their life. Creating life-experiences centered around the content will help build a sense of purpose.

I realize that budgets are tight all around, but studies show that virtual field trips can be just as effective. Here are a few to check out:

• Google Art Project: Here you can visit 230 of the world's galleries using Google Street View technology. It is pretty awesome! 

• World Wonders Project: This, too, is by Google and takes you to the World's natural and architectural wonders using Street View technology.

• Here is a list of virtual field trips for several curricular areas from Simple K-12

Of course, with the advent of Distance Learning, Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts, kids can be taken to practically any location we desire. Get them out of the classroom!

Have a happy day!

iTIP of the Week: Drawing for Learning

Pictionary is fun! Many of us have played it and had a blast! But if you start thinking about it from a teacher's perspective, the words you had the most difficulty drawing and conveying were probably the ones you didn't know very well yourself. The ones you could draw easily are the concepts and words you knew very well.

Check out this video to get your brain moving:

Granted, Sheldon is just conveying a set of words, but the game can also have the teams draw concepts. Drawing is a powerful tool to help make the abstract tangible, make connections with previous learning and other disciplines, and personalize notes and ideas. 

How much do you use this in your classes? 

Drawing and Artwork is Strategy 2 in Marcia Tate's Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites: 20 Instructional Strategies That Engage The Brain. In this section, she makes some very important points about how drawing aids in student learning:

• Adding drawings to notes helps in future recall and demonstrates a higher level of understanding (Bloom's Taxonomy)
• Drawing and artwork help to better understand abstract concepts.
• In math, drawing can help students visualize the problem before solving it.
• Success in STEM is due to keen observation, spatial reasoning, and kinesthetic understanding. These are all skills utilized in Art.
• When involved in art activities, different parts of the brain are activated thus increasing connections and engagement.
• Understanding artistic patterns can help the brain find patterns more easily in other learning.
• This personalizes the notes and ideas being given by the teacher.

Try it! The easiest way to incorporate drawing and artwork is to have kids add it to their notes. When you give them a definition or concept, have them draw a picture of it. If it is difficult, they may need more instruction as they have not reached full understanding yet.

Here are some other ideas Marcia Tate provides:

• Have the kids design a "Pictionary" game with the key vocabulary for the unit.
• Let the students draw on the marker board (or a big piece of paper) a key concept from the unit thus creating a class mural. Be sure to have them explain and defend their drawing.
• Have kids diagram the steps of a lab much like the instructions we all get for putting together home appliances.
• Have students design a book cover for the main idea/concept of the chapter or unit.

IMPORTANT!

It does not have to be aesthetically pleasing, a Van Gogh, or anything worthy of displaying. Also, it doesn't have to be what you would draw. It is personal to the student and its sole purpose should be to help he/she learn.

Have a happy day!

iTIP of the Week: Creating a Brain-Friendly Classroom

Hi all!

There is an awesome series of books out there and you must get them! They are written by Marcia Tate and they are the Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites series. Each book discusses "20 Instructional Strategies That Engage The Brain." Here is a video of Marcia explaining the series:

As with my walk through of the Jane E. Pollack's Feedback: The Hinge That Joins Teaching and Learning, I will be commenting on a tip per post.

Today's Strategy: Brainstorming and Discussion

Think about how we learn. We learn from our families, friends, churches, and a variety of other outlets. Learning is a social activity. Very rarely are we left out on our own without any support or learning partner.

Now think about our classrooms. How often do we leave kids out on their own? Don't talk, don't share, don't use your phone...it really is unnatural learning. Granted, we are trying to create self-supporting learners, but we don't have to throw them into the deep end of the pool without their water-wings! Even when learning to ride a bike, we first start with training wheels, and then when we take them off, mom or dad holds onto the seat until we gain our balance. And if we start to lose it, they grab the seat again. They don't just push us down a hill and wave.

So we need to provide more natural learning in our classrooms and one method is that of discussion. Here are some key points to consider:

• Not talking is unnatural. Communication is necessary in learning.
• Speaking actually sends oxygen to the brain. This will "wake-up" the student and increase engagement.
• Many of us find it necessary to "talk through" our problems in an effort to better understand the problem and find a solution. This is why brainstorming is such a good technique in the classroom.
• Discussion and using Graphic Organizers ensure that ALL students are involved and engaged.
• Kids 10 and younger benefit most from a teacher-led discussion. Students over the age of 10 benefit most from their own discussions in collaborative  groups. The secondary teacher needs to move from the "Sage on the Stage" to the "Guide on the Side."
• When brainstorming, enforce the DOVE guidelines: Don't judge, One idea at a time, Variety of ideas, Energy on task.
• Have students in collaborative groups as a rule. During your instruction, give them processing time periodically. Use the 10:2 rule: after 10 minutes of instruction, provide 2 minutes of processing.
• Use Think-Pair-Share! Make it commonplace. This is a simple and POWERFUL tool to increase engagement.
• Provide "wait time" before eliciting an answer. Give everyone a chance to wrap their brains around what you have asked of them.

When a brain is deprived of oxygen for more than six minutes, it is considered dead. If you want to increase engagement, get them talking!

Have a happy day!

A Thought on Engagement

Student engagement needs to be overt.

Politeness is not engagement.

I can't see my students' thoughts.

I can see writing, talking, creating, moving, DOING.

I love The Big Bang Theory! Watch this clip and then think about your students. How do you know they are engaged?

Have a happy day!