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I think the Jigsaw method, when carried out appropriately can lead to some incredible student-centered learning and discussions. Being able to teach what you have learned about a certain topics to others is one way to show whether you have really understood the concepts.

Through this method, students develop essential skills such as research, collaboration and communication.

The more I learn about it, it also makes me think about how it prepares students for the future, as in many jobs, teams are made up with people who bring different expertise and all have to work together to solve a problem or achieve a goal.

Here are some of the resources I found:
The Jigsaw Method Teaching Strategy Description
This type of cooperative learning strategy allows individuals or small groups to become responsible for a subcategory of a larger topic. After researching and developing their idea, each individual or small group then has the responsibility to teach it to the rest of the group or class.
4 Things you didn't know about the Jigsaw Method
The Jigsaw Classrooms

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Students carefully and purposefully read and reread a text. They focus on what the author has to say, what the author’s purpose is, what the words mean, and what the structure of the text tells us. This approach ensures that students really understand what they’ve read.

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Ensure students’ reading comprehension by emphasizing a purposeful reading and rereading of a text.

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I've actually used this!  I have divided up a story into 5 or 6 parts.  Given the students pictures that illustrate the story. The kids then have to look at their pictures, their friends pictures, discuss the story and order, then make a line so that they can tell the story back in chronological order.  Great game.  Also works with alphabet cards.

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A Human Timeline activity requires students to learn about a particular event and then line up with peers according to their events' chronology. This strategy uses movement to help students understand and remember the order of events.

1. Select Timeline's Content
Establish a context for the chronology you want students to focus on. If you are studying a particular moment in history, such as the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, you would want students to be aware of key events that led up to this moment. Sometimes you also want students to know what occurred after the focal event. You should aim to include enough events on the timeline so that each student, or pairs of students, can be assigned one event.

2. Prepare Materials
In preparation for this activity, we suggest placing each of the events on an index card or a standard-size sheet of paper, along with the date when it occurred. Rather than distributing the timeline slips randomly, you might want to give certain students easier or more challenging items, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. When students present their timeline events, it is best if they are sitting or standing so that they are able to see and hear each other. This activity often works best if students stand or sit in a U-shaped line rather than in a straight-line formation.

3. Students Prepare for Presentations
Assign each student one event from the period that you are highlighting. Each event should be described along with the date it occurred. Whether students work individually or in pairs, here is an example of instructions you can provide:

Read over your timeline event once or twice.

Rewrite the timeline item in your own words. If you are having trouble writing the statement in your own words, ask for help.

An extension of this activity asks students to create or find an image that corresponds with their event.

4. Build Your Human Timeline
Invite students to line up in the order of their events. Then, have students present their events. After each event is presented, students can suggest possible causes of the event and can pose questions about what happened and why. These questions can be posted on the board for students to answer later.

5. Evaluate Students' Learning (Optional)
After all students have presented their events, sometimes teachers give students a timeline with relevant dates but no descriptions. Based on what they recall from the class timeline activity, students then complete this written timeline. This can be done individually or in small groups. Sometimes teachers ask students to add images to their timelines.

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A Human Timeline activity requires students to learn about a particular event and then line up with peers according to their events' chronology. This strategy uses movement to help students understand and remember the order of events. Select Timeline's Content Establish a context for the chronology you want students to focus on.

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Great games for getting to know kids and getting them out of those chairs!

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Great games for getting to know kids and getting them out of those chairs!

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Blobs and lines, helps students quickly discover things they have in common.  Concentric circles gives students the chance to have lots of one-on-one conversations. This or that builds student confidence and the ability to talk in front of the class, and it’s also just a lot of fun.

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Icebreakers that Rock | Cult of Pedagogy

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Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don’t really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.

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Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning

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Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning

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Assess students passions and learning styles by using a variety of assessment tools like one-on-one conversations, journals, and graphic organizers.

Teachers can use rubrics and other assessment tools to let students know what success skills look, sound, and feel like.

Teachers should use low-stakes formative assessments to assess students' content knowledge and skills.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Looks like a great class!

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Station Rotation: Differentiating Instruction to Reach All Students

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Student Centered Recommendations for Online Learning Environment

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Student Centered Recommendations for Online Learning Environment

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This video was very interesting and contains lots of valuable information on how to create a meaningful online learning environment. Here are a few of the key points which stood out to me:
- Planning:

Give up the idea that you need to cover all content and think about few pieces of knowledge that are most essential.

Maybe think about competencies you want to make sure children can develop (eg. writing, reading).

- Choice:

After sharing clear guidelines of the goal and what they need to learn/work on, then give kids options about how they could do that

Let kids propose how they want to learn, do, make, create and think about a topic and then help them build some structure around that

- Collaboration

Anytime you can build in interaction so they can practice together, share, give each other feedback it adds to sense of belonging which is much needed

- Meeting with kids in clusters:

Might be based on interest, skills, etc.

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Distance Learning with Carol Ann Tomlinson

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This article proposes four main student-centered assessment resources which are:

1. Self-Assessment: Self-assessment is simply a matter of having students identify strengths and weaknesses in their own work and revise accordingly.

2. Peer Assessment: Peer assessment consists of students giving informed feedback to one another on an assignment.

3. Process Portfolios: A process portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that documents student growth from novice to master. Successful process portfolios actively engage students in their creation, especially in determining their goals, selecting work to be included, and reflecting on how each piece demonstrates progress toward their goals.

4. Exhibitions: An exhibition is a high-stakes demonstration of mastery that occurs at a culminating academic moment, such as the end of a school year or at graduation.

Out of all of these, process portfolios is one that I don't see used much in Secondary school, however, I think could be very interesting to incorporate more. If we want to help students develop a growth mindset in which they believe that the process and the learning is more important than the results, I think that this form of assessment is essential.

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Try out some of these four student-centered assessment practices: self-assessment, peer assessment, exhibitions, and process portfolios.

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6 Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning

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6 Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning

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Project-based learning, when designed well, can be incredible for student-centered learning. It can provide students the opportunity to apply what they are learning to real world problems and make connections about the relevance of the topics.

I thought this article was great as it demonstrated 6 ways in which project-based learning can allow for differentiation in the classroom. In designing projects in the future, I will definitely keep these elements in mind:

1. DIFFERENTIATE THROUGH TEAMS
2. REFLECTION AND GOAL SETTING
3. MINI-LESSONS, CENTERS, AND RESOURCES
4. VOICE AND CHOICE IN PRODUCTS

5. DIFFERENTIATE THROUGH FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

6. BALANCE TEAMWORK AND INDIVIDUAL WORK

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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When discussing issues or topics which can be controversial, this activity can be a very interesting one to get students moving and at the same time teach them how to disagree in a respectful manner. It can serve as a ice-breaker activity, or as an activity to introduce a new topic and understand the wide variety of opinions that may be present in the classroom.

Here is a small description:

Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues

The Barometer teaching strategy helps students share their opinions by asking them to line up along a continuum based on their position on an issue. It is especially useful when you want to discuss an issue about which students have a wide range of opinions.
Sample Video

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Having an activity that allows of creativity can sometimes increase engagement and make techniques for practicing reading more student-centered. For student who may enjoy performing and theatre, this is a great activity to try.

Reader's Theatre: Students become excited and enthusiastic about reading when they are presented with the opportunity to participate in Readers Theatre. In this lesson, students develop scripts, perform in groups, and practice using their voice to depict characters from texts. Through this activity, students have the opportunity to develop fluency and further enhance comprehension of what they are reading.
Sample Procedure

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When thinking about designing physical environments for Student-Centered Learning, I began doing a bit of research and decided to include UDL in my search. This article opened my mind into what a classroom built for personalized, student-centered and meaningful learning could look like.

The flexibility provided in terms of seating, activities and spaces, is something which stands out to me. I think the focus on children needing spaces that serve different purposes such spaces that "foster creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, connectivity, community, and communication" is also key.

I wonder how these environments could be created in schools that perhaps don't have a huge budget... All students deserve classrooms that provide options and meet their specific learning needs rather than the typical 'one-sized-fits all' classroom environments we are used to.

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Classrooms are typically one-size-fits-all spaces, designed with one focal point and function in mind. Instructional designer Bryan Dean, who goes by the title of "space futurist"-for learning space, not outer space-would like to eradicate this line of thought. Dean strongly believes that educational spaces need to suit all types of learners, not just the most common ones. He is the lead designer for the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) project at Oakland Schools in Michigan; he has also facilitated a UDL seminar at Harvard University. Here, Dean talks with ELLE Decor about the importance of adaptive spaces, and how true universal design goes beyond the physical space.
ED: What does Universal Design for Learning mean, and why is it important?
Bryan Dean: UDL is about understanding that every learner has inherent variability in how they learn, what motivates them to learn, and how they process and synthesize their learning. It is understanding that variability of learners is jagged, and that designing only for the middle ensures that no one gets full access. UDL is about designing opportunities for learning and invitations to discover self-empowerment and self-efficacy. In order for that to happen, lesson planning, curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom culture all become part of UDL as well as learning spaces. UDL is about designing a flexible and agile space that contains options and resources for all students to utilize.

How do you design specifically for child How do the students benefit from these UDL spaces? Do some age groups benefit more than others? ren?
Children need spaces that foster creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, connectivity, community, and communication. And they need all these things in safe spaces where they have permission to fail at them, reflect upon them, and try them again. How do you do that with space specifically? You scaffold the purpose of the spaces, and you create physical spaces that allow for that reflection by providing individual and group space. You take into account student voice and choice, what resources are available, and how the learner is reflected in the space.
What design elements must you always include in a UDL space?
Students in a UDL environment benefit in a multitude of ways. They benefit from self-discovery, from learning self-regulation, and from learning how to advocate for their needs and not just their desires or wants. Learners of all ages can learn these things-it may look different in first grade than it does in 10th grade, and the complexity of it may change, but all students benefit from an accessible environment that reflects them and meets their specific learning needs.

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For a UDL-infused space, it's all about options. Options for flexibility in seating. Options for acoustics, options for movement, options for tactile and emotional regulation, options for technology, and options for creativity.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about UDL?
Spaces need to have multiple ways to represent information. This could be visual learning cues along with technology and presentations. It could be a space that is designed with multiple stations for auditory, visual, and kinesthetic processing of information. Spaces also need to have multiple ways for students to show what they have learned and for them to synthesize their learning-spaces for presentation and for group collaboration, furniture that is easily configured and responsive to the needs of the learners. They need furniture and seating that is light, like soft seating, and has multiple purposes, like flip-top writable surface tables.

Spaces also need to be engaging. They have to have room for movement, for students to have options to stand, sit, rock, or crouch. Spaces need to have vibrancy and engaging palettes that are age-appropriate. Spaces need to have a sense of biophilia, where the natural world is reflected within the classroom. Finally, learning spaces need a sense of fun and excitement. They shouldn't feel institutional. Learning shouldn't be a chore.

In the end, UDL is about the intentional design of learning spaces to meet the needs of all learners. It's intentional design to match the learning space to the learning outcomes and build classroom communities of acceptance. And it puts the learner at the center of the design.

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Classrooms Are the Next Frontier in Universal Design

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Classrooms are typically one-size-fits-all spaces, designed with one focal point and function in mind. Instructional designer Bryan Dean, who goes by the title of "space futurist"-for learning space, not outer space-would like to eradicate this line of thought. Dean strongly believes that educational spaces need to suit all types of learners, not just the most common ones.

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Sorry, I couldn't resist

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-Turn your classroom into a community
-Develop trust and communication
-Find ways to integrate technology
-Create an environment where mutual respect and a quest for knowledge guide behavior–not rules
-Replace homework with engaging project-based learning activities
-Develop ongoing projects
-Allow students to share in decision making
-Give students the opportunity to lead
-Get students involved in their performance evaluation

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by Becton Loveless

It just sort of sounds good as it rolls off the tongue, student-centered classroom. We've all heard the phrase coined before, yet most educators would agree that developing a student centered classroom is becoming more of a necessity and norm these days than a luxury or innovative new approach to teaching. The traditional classroom where students sit quietly and attentively in their seats, while the teacher pours vast amounts of wisdom and knowledge into their sponge like brains is over (assuming it ever existed.) This is especially true for middle school and high school classes where "teaching" can be a constant battle.

So what exactly is a student-centered classroom? In short, a student-centered classroom, or student-centered learning environment, is one where the focus of instruction is shifted from the teacher to the student, with the end goal of developing students who are autonomous and independent, by placing the responsibility of learning in the hands of the students. Many proponents of student-centered learning would argue that it's one of the most effective ways to help students develop the skills required for independent problem-solving and lifelong learning.

In the more traditional "teacher-centered learning" environment, the teacher is the center of the learning experience and takes the "active" role of teaching, while the students assume a more "passive" or receptive role. In contrast, in the student-centered learning environment, the interests of the students' take center stage and the teacher gives students choice and voice, finding ways to provide learning experiences that focus on what students value. In the student-centered classroom, students take a more "active" role in the education experience.

It doesn't matter if you're a kindergarten teacher, high school instructor or college professor, developing a student-centered learning environment will help your students become independent learners who will ultimately take charge of their own education-students who are curious, eager to learn, and willing to do whatever it takes to be successful.

Unfortunately, developing a student-centered learning environment isn't always easy, especially if your experience frames learning in a more traditional way. For many, implementing a student-centered learning environment sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice is a different story. Below we'll explore some strategies, principles and offer some proven tips that can make the student-centered learning environment a reality, and success, in your classroom.

Turn your classroom into a community

In a traditional classroom, the teacher speaks, the students listen. In a student-centered classroom, the students speak, the teacher listens, interjects and facilitates conversation when needed, and then thanks the students for their participation. By involving students directly in the education process, and by enabling them to interact with one another, students begin to feel a sense of community. More importantly they are shown that what they feel, what they value, and what they think are what matter most. In the student-centered classroom, the teacher acts not only as educator, but as both facilitator and activator.

Develop trust and communication

A student-centered classroom or learning environment can not exist without trust and open communication. Trust and open communication are achieved by always being fair with students, listening to them, and allowing them speak. Seems like a tall order? Well, it is. And it may not happen overnight. However, it's much easier to develop a student-centered classroom if you get started right away at the beginning of the year. Getting started at the beginning of the year sets the tone and lets students know what's expected of them the rest of the year.

At the beginning of each new school year, ask your students to discuss how they'd like their classroom experience to be. How should it sound, feel and function during the year? Are there any rules that should be put in place to ensure the classroom experience meets their expectations? Give the students 15 minutes to discuss among themselves and then write their suggestions on the whiteboard. You'll be surprised how many rules students will come up with. As you fill up your white board with their ideas and suggestions, you'll find some common themes start to appear-your students want to be heard, seen, valued, and respected.

This exercise, and similar exercises that can be performed throughout the year, communicate to students that what they say matters, and that you trust and value their input.

Find ways to integrate technology

Developing a student-center classroom is all about engagement. The better you're able to engage students in any activity or project the more involved they'll become in the learning process. In today's world, technology is one of the most effective tools for engaging students. Technology is not the future, it's the present. Everything kids do these days revolves around technology-specifically mobile technology. Allow and invite students to use free web tools to present, curate, and share information. When students are given the opportunity to integrate existing web tools and technology into the learning process, they become eager, anxious participants in just about any learning activity.

Create an environment where mutual respect and a quest for knowledge guide behavior-not rules

A classroom without rules? Seems a little far fetched, doesn't it? Well, it may be if you plan on having a teacher-centered classroom where students spend half their time learning, and the other half trying to keep from being bored out of their skulls. So what's the key to the "no rules" approach? Engagement! If you keep activities engaging, behavior will rarely be an issue. Having an engaging classroom environment, with engaging projects, engaging activities and engaging discussions will foster mutual respect and encourage a pursuit of learning that leaves little time for disruptions.

Replace homework with engaging project-based learning activities

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of homework as it relates to improved grades and test scores. Some studies indicate there is a positive correlation between homework and improved grades and test scores, while other studies suggest little correlation. However, the entire premise for these studies is based on the assumption that grades and test scores are an accurate barometer for academic achievement and learning. In the teacher-centered classroom, in class learning and student productivity is lower, making homework more necessary and regular testing essential for measuring learning and performance. In the student-centered classroom, where activities and projects are engaging, students become much more eager to learn, and in class productivity is much higher. Where students complete school work outside of the classroom in a student-centered learning environment, it's typically because they want to complete projects they're working on inside the classroom.

Many teachers are now using engaging project-based learning (PBL) to teach math standards, sciences, technology and other core subjects to their students and increase student productivity and effectiveness of learning in the classroom. So what exactly is project-based learning? In short, it's learning through identifying real-world programs and developing real-world solutions. Not only is project-based learning extremely engaging when implemented correctly, but students learn as they journey through the entire project. Project-based learning also relies heavily on technology, where projects are driven by interactive web tools and solutions are presented using a multimedia approach.

When implemented effectively, project-based learning can replace the need for out-of-class homework and in class learning becomes more productive.

Learn more about Project-based learning.

Develop ongoing projects

One of the keys to developing a student-centered classroom and learning environment is to create ongoing projects for students. Ongoing projects promotes mastery of subject matter being taught and learned. Learning objectives and standards, for just about any subject matter, can be met through well-designed projects and activities. And providing students with various project choices allows them to demonstrate what they're learning.

Allow students to share in decision making

Creating a student-centered classroom requires collaboration. It requires placing students at the center of their own learning environment by allowing them to be involved in deciding why, what, and how their learning experience will take shape.

Before students will be willing to invest the mental, emotional and physical effort real learning requires, they need to know why what they're learning is relevant to their lives, wants and needs. Explaining to students that they need to study a subject "because it's required for they're grade level," or "they need to know it to get into college" does not establish why in terms of relevance from students' perspective. Such explanations result in lackluster performance, low motivation and poor learning.

Students should determine, or guide, the selection of content matter used to teach skills and concepts. What is taught and learned in a student-centered classroom becomes a function of students' interests and involves students' input and teacher-student collaboration. For example, when learning about American history, students might decide a class play, where each student acts the role of a key historical figure, would be preferable to writing a traditional report or bibliography. In this example, not only do students take ownership of the learning process, all students benefit from the decisions of other students.

The how in a student-centered learning environment is just as important as the why and the what. Students process information, understand and learn in different ways. Offering students the option of how they'll learn will allow each student to adopt the method of learning that will be most comfortable and effective for them. It also allows students to feel more invested in the learning process. Teachers should consider offering students various performance based learning options that meet academic requirements.

Give students the opportunity to lead

Providing students the opportunity to lead in the classroom is a great way to develop a student-centered learning environment that fosters engagement, growth and empowers students to take ownership of the learning experience. Each day consider allowing a few students to each take charge of an individual activity, even if the activity requires content skills beyond the level of the students. Then rote students between leadership roles so each student gets the opportunity to lead an activity. You may even consider introducing the leadership role, or activity they'll be leading, to each student the day before so they'll have time to prepare and really take ownership of their activity.

Get students involved in their performance evaluation

In a traditional classroom, performance evaluation and learning assessment are reduced to a series of numbers, percentages, and letter grades presented periodically on report cards, through activities and via standardized testing. These measures say little about what a student is learning and provide little in the way of useful feedback to the student so he or she can improve their performance and achieve mastery. The student-centered learning environment is based on a form of narrative feedback that encourages students to continue learning until they demonstrate they've achieved mastery of a subject. This form of learning, feedback and evaluation encourages students to resubmit assignments and work on projects until mastery is achieved.

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Explore strategies, principles and tips for developing a student-centered classroom and learning environment.

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Real-Time Assessment: Providing a Window Into Student Learning

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Real-Time Assessment: Providing a Window Into Student Learning

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At this school every teacher gathers real-time data—daily. They do this to gain insight into their students’ needs, informing how they teach every day. They use a variety of tools ranging from a free online personalized learning platform to Google surveys, paper assessments, and quick and easy formative assessments, like counting thumbs up and down.

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Real-Time Assessment: Providing a Window Into Student Learning

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Should cell phones be allowed in classrooms.

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Should cell phones be allowed in classrooms.

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This is a tricky question for me.  I'm certainly an old school teacher used to traditional ways.  I can see the benefits, but I think you are certainly putting quite a bit of trust in the students.  As a language teacher there would certainly be issues, especially not been able to read Chinese.  But having translation and english teaching apps would be a huge advantage.

Come to think of it. I think if I were to allow my kids to use devices in class, I'm not entirely sure I would even have the support of the parents.  Taiwan is still a very traditional country.  As we have seen with China recently there is real apprehension with regards to children using devices especially for long periods.  I have yet to witness a student pulling out a cell phone during class, but have heard that this is a normal feature of todays 'modern' classrooms.

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These days, more and more students are bringing cell phones to class. Even elementary school-aged students have cell phones in their pockets and backpacks.

However, the news of Ontario's decision to ban cell phones in classrooms opens again the debate about whether or not students should have cellphones in school. It also brings up the question of whether it's possible for technology to exist in the classroom as a learning tool-rather than simply a distraction.

Ontario's Classroom Cell Phone Ban

Starting in September 2019, cell phones will be banned in Ontario classrooms during instructional time.

The new ban means elementary and secondary school students won't be able to use their cellphones in the classroom unless it is for educational purposes, medical reasons, or as a support for students with special needs. How the ban is enforced will be up to individual boards and schools.

By banning cellphones, Ontario's Education Ministry hopes to remove distractions so students can focus on acquiring foundational learning skills they need, including reading, writing and math.

The decision and renewed debate has many teachers and parents left wondering: can cell phones ever really benefit students in class, or are they best left tucked away?

Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of students having cell phones in school.

Cell Phone Use In The Classroom

Students check their phones in the classroom an average of more than 11 times a day. That can add up to a lot of time spent distracted from schoolwork. And when students are distracted, it's a recipe for extra stress, frustration, and catch-up time for everyone.

With students spending up to 20% of their in-class time texting, emailing, and checking social media, it's no wonder the debate about cell phones in the classroom is alive and well.

Students check their cell phones in the classroom more than 11 times a day.
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Learn more about the pros and cons of students bringing their cell phones into the classroom.

How Cell Phones Can Be Used Effectively In the Classroom

If properly managed, cell phones can be used as tools to help children learn in the classroom. The following are some of the pros of allowing cell phones in school:

1. Using educational learning apps

Cell phones give students access to tools and apps that can help them complete and stay on top of their class work. These tools can also teach students to develop better study habits, like time management and organization skills.

2. Incorporating digital platforms into lessons

Using social media can keep students interested in class and encourage them to participate in the discussion. Some teachers create twitter hashtags or message boards students can use during class discussions to share thoughts and ideas. This can be especially helpful for students who might not be comfortable speaking in class.

3. Supplementing lessons with digital materials

Teachers can take advantage of cell phones by providing students with resources to find more information about a topic. This can include videos, news stories, online discussion groups, and more. Allowing students to access these resources in class can help encourage participation and discussions.

4. Providing easy access to more information

Cell phones can give students access to more information, letting them research more about a topic while having class discussions. This is especially true for current events that have not yet been covered in school textbooks.

The Drawbacks Of Allowing Cell Phones In Classrooms

While cell phones can be used as learning tools, it is a challenge to make sure students are using them for school-related tasks. A cell phone can easily turn from "classroom learning tool" into "classroom disruption".

Cons of allowing cell phones in school include:

1. Distractions and interruptions

When students use their cell phones to check social media and text their friends in class, it leads to distractions for those students as well as for their peers. This can cause disruptions in class, particularly if the teacher is constantly telling students to turn their devices off.

2. Cyberbullying

Cell phones can also lead to increased problems with bullying on the schoolground. Cyberbullying can be harder to see than other forms of bullying, making it difficult for teachers to identify and stop when it is happening.

3. Cheating

Cell phones can be a helpful learning tool in class. But they can also be used by students to access information while taking a test, leading to cheating. Even if a student isn't caught, this can lead to him or her having a poor understanding of the material in the future, and is unfair to students who studied hard to do well.

4. Disconnection from face-to-face activities

While cell phones can help encourage participation by offering different channels, this can also lead to less in-person discussion and fewer learning opportunities. Learning to work together with others is an important part of students' education, and can be lost with too much dependence on cell phones and other digital technology.

The Bottom Line: Should Students Have Cell Phones In School?

There's no easy answer: there are both pros and cons to students having cell phones in school. Although they can be used as a learning tool in the classroom, this only works as long as students use them effectively.

This means for teachers who decide to use cell phones (or any other digital device) as part of their lessons, it's important to set ground rules and keep a close eye on how they are being used.

Where do you stand on the cell phone debate? Let us know by tweeting @oxfordlearning on Twitter!

Related Resources:

Is Multitasking Bad For Students?
How To Study Without Being Distracted

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Should Cell Phones Be Allowed In Classrooms? | Oxford Learning

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Should students have cell phones in the classroom? Learn more about the pros and cons of students having cell phones in school, and weigh in on the debate.

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I love this idea.  It mixes collaboration, physical movement and reading. Not sure I could incorporate this into my current closet sized classroom. Gallery mosh pit more like!

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Gallery Walk for Distance Learning

Students can engage in a virtual gallery walk to share ideas and give feedback.
Implementation steps:

1. Before having students engage in a gallery walk during distance learning, determine the purpose of the gallery walk.

If the purpose is to have students give feedback on each other's work, make sure to schedule a due date for student assignments and a way for each student to share/post assignments for the gallery walk.

If the purpose of the gallery walk is for students to generate or share ideas to build or share their knowledge during a synchronous class session, follow the following steps:

Determine whether students will engage in the gallery walk independently through using a tech tool or whether the teacher will guide the gallery walk

If students are engaging in the gallery walk independently, create a Padlet, googledoc, or googleslides (see resources below) in which students can explore links, images, resources, etc that you would like them to see during the gallery walk

If the teacher would like to guide the gallery walk, he or she could share the screen during a call and post what he or she would like the student to look at. Then, after an allotted period of time, the teacher could share a new image/video, etc. for students to explore.

Determine which tool in which students will post their gallery walk responses, such as padlet and flipgrid

Prepare questions, images, videos, etc. that you would like students to respond to during the gallery walk and post them to the tool that students will use for the gallery walk such as Padlet or Flipgrid

Note: If students have limited access to technology, they could share photos of their gallery walk responses with each other using a phone and respond to each other using text messages. Another low tech option is to use the portfolio feature of ClassDojo which students can access and post to using a phone.

2. Establish norms and expectations for what a gallery walk during distance learning should look like. Consult the Developing Norms for Digital Tool Use strategy linked below for guidance in co-creating norms and expectations with students.

3. Preview the gallery walk for students by showing them what they will see/click on in each part of the gallery walk (e.g. if in Padlet, students can click on different images or videos to watch), how they should share ideas/feedback (e.g., if in Padlet, students can respond to videos or images in writing via threaded comments, and how long they will have at each station.

4. Model for students how to engage in the gallery walk or consider engaging in the gallery walk with students by posting your own comments/feedback or responding to students' comments/feedback

5. Reserve time after the gallery walk to reflect on it gallery walk with students.

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Gallery Walk for Distance Learning Students can engage in a virtual gallery walk to share ideas and give feedback. Implementation steps: Before having students engage in a gallery walk during distance learning, determine the purpose of the gallery walk.

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Next Generation Classroom Design Ideas and Learning Benefits

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Next Generation Classroom Design Ideas and Learning Benefits

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Summary of what this article talks about
Significant research and educator experience alike confirm that the traditionally designed classroom – and the transference model it represents – lacks what is needed to prepare engaged 21st-century citizens. Instructors and administrators are working to apply this knowledge to new classroom design practices, leveraging flexible furnishings and collaborative technology to create spaces that promote active engagement and meaningful learning.

Here are some topics it proposes:
- Flexible seating
Selective seating – Offer a variety of seating options to enable student choice and facilitate different working styles/activities/projects. This can include couches, floor pillows, beanbag chairs, and traditional chair/ desk combos as well as DIY seating

Mobility – Bookshelves and other wheeled furnishings can be rearranged to open up the room or create cozy collaborative nooks

Collaborative configurations – Replace individual workspaces with a large round or rectangular tables, or put desks together to form a more collaborative space

- The modular classroom
- Evidence-based learning environments
- Lerner-centered spaces
- Active learning envrionments/classrooms

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Differences in old classroom designs and the need for change

Review multiple factors that will create a better learning environment

Assess the value and need for educational technology in the classroom

Classrooms Design Then and Now

The traditional classrooms are quickly being replaced by a new breed of learning spaces and classroom designs that are evolving in response to shifts in technology. We will reviews this evolution, taking a look at the research that supports the evolving best practices in classroom design and briefly outlining the types of classroom design ideas and technologies at the heart of these changes.

The use of the traditional one-to-many classroom arrangements is largely attributed to the need for expediency, a transmission centered philosophy of pedagogy, and the available technology of the time. Rows of seats made for easy setup, efficient use of space, and faster custodial cleaning. This physical arrangement fits nicely with the pedagogical assumption that instructors impart knowledge to students, as did the technology of the time: blackboard or overhead projector for the teacher, pencil, and paper for the student.

Today education is changing at an unprecedented pace and this traditional approach is widely seen as outdated and ineffective. The transmission (or transference) model is being replaced by a constructivist approach, which emphasizes the ways in which students join instructors and one another in making connections and developing knowledge. This shift is a result of, and further propelled by, technologies like the internet, personal computing devices, interactive displays, and collaborative software. Within this fluid environment, schools are seeking to adapt and deliver classroom spaces that better supports successful 21st-century learning. These future-forward classroom arrangement are designed to provide the flexibility to support the different ways in which learners can actively conduct experiments, perform real-world problem solving and come together in groups to ask questions, explore, assess what they know and expand their knowledge, while instructors serve as facilitators, guiding activities to address and build upon student understanding.

Many umbrella terms are used to identify these classroom design ideas, including:

Flexible seating

The modular classroom

Starbucking the classroom

Classroom cribs

Next generation classroom design

Evidence-based learning environments

Learner-centered spaces

Active learning environments / classrooms

A fifth-grade teacher who completely re-worked her classroom after exposure to a flexible seating environment at a charter school calls it the "Best Decision I Ever Made." A participant in the CUE Bold Classroom Cribs Initiative, like many of today's most dedicated teachers, she shares her experiences on her blog.

The Research into Classroom Design Ideas and Factors

Supporting the development of new best practices in classroom design is a growing body of research that demonstrates the ways in which the classroom environment affects student engagement and academic performance.
A groundbreaking study released in 2012 found that classroom design affects a student's academic progress over the course of an academic year by 25% in either direction - positive or negative. That is, the academic performance of a child in the best environment is expected to be 25 percent better than an equivalent child in the 'poorest' classroom environment. Even more astounding, the difference between the best- and worst-designed classrooms accounted for a full year's worth of academic progress.

The authors ultimately concluded that 73% of the variation in performance among students could be attributed to five key design factors: color, choice, complexity, flexibility, and light.

Color - Providing enough visual stimulation around the classroom through the use of color on walls, floors, and furniture

Choice - Quality furniture including interesting and ergonomic tables and chairs that support a sense of ownership

Complexity - Providing novel surroundings and attention-grabbing décor in balance with orderliness

Flexibility - The ability of a classroom to accommodate students without crowding them, along with how easily furniture can be rearranged to support a variety of activities and teaching approaches.

Light - Quality, and quantity of natural light, and degree of control with the level of lighting

Follow up studies have provided deeper insight into the relative impact of each of these factors. At the outset of a major 2015 study the authors' hypothesized that "clearly from the literature, it can be anticipated that the built environment of the classrooms will have a great impact on pupils' academic performance, health, and wellbeing..." Their own study confirmed the significant impact of the physical classroom features on academic progress, finding that factors within the following three categories accounted for the differences in performance:
Naturalness - Accounting for around 50% of the impact on learning, this category relates to environmental factors required for physical comforts, such as light, sound, temperature, air quality and 'links to nature.

Stimulation - This category refers to the vibrancy of the classroom balancing color and complexity for optimal engagement and positive behavior - and accounts for about 25% of differences in learning.

Individuality - Accounting for the remaining 25% in learning differences and of particular relevance to this paper, this category encompasses how well a classroom meets the needs of a particular group of children through offering:

Ownership - how identifiable and personalized the room is

Flexibility - how well the room addresses the needs of a particular age group and any changing pedagogy

Connection - a measure of how readily the pupils can connect to the rest of the school

Introducing Evidence-Based Classroom Design

Educators everywhere are embracing the need to adapt the classroom design based on the forces, philosophies, and research outlined above. The specific form these spaces take differ due to curriculum, class size, space, budget constraints and the like, however, two commonalities are consistently seen: the flexibility to deliver adaptable, active learning spaces and the integration of technology that fosters collaboration and sharing.

Flexible Furnishings in the Classroom

Flexible classroom design creates learning environments that are continuously adaptable and model the resilience we want to see in our up and coming generations.
In a case study published by Edutopia.com, the website of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, the author notes that "Flexible classrooms give students a choice in what kind of learning space works best for them, and helps them to work collaboratively, communicate, and engage in critical thinking."

Tips for creating future-ready classrooms on a budget abound in the blogosphere and manufacturers of education furnishings have taken note of the trends and offer a wide variety of streamlined modular furnishings for an easy and efficient flexible arrangement.

Flexible classrooms give students a choice in what kind of learning space works best for them, and helps them to work collaboratively, communicate, and engage in critical thinking.

Among the recommendations for functional flexibility classroom design are:

Selective seating - Offer a variety of seating options to enable student choice and facilitate different working styles/activities/projects. This can include couches, floor pillows, beanbag chairs, and traditional chair/ desk combos as well as DIY seating

Mobility - Bookshelves and other wheeled furnishings can be rearranged to open up the room or create cozy collaborative nooks

Collaborative configurations - Replace individual workspaces with a large round or rectangular tables, or put desks together to form a more collaborative space

Huddle spaces - Common in corporate settings, these spaces offer convenient seating plus technology (audio, display, sharing software) for small group collaboration and content sharing. Furniture marketers and educators may refer to them using an array of terms that include: teaming tables, media tables, lounges, hublets, coves, team gardens, learning suites, informal learning environments or learning labs.

Transformational Tech in Classroom Design

The most successful active learning spaces include well-matched educational technology resources. From student devices to an interactive front-of-room display and the ability for students to digitally share their work, technology matters more than ever in today's classroom.

Among the most common ways in which technology is being leveraged toward constructivist learning are:

Front of room interactivity - Today's educators seek a front-of-room display that empowers students and instructors to actively interact with content. ViewSonic offers a range of options to fit any budget that includes interactive flat panels, interactive projectors and retrofit interactive kits.

Interactive software - Existing flat panel displays can often be updated with interactive software, such as ViewSonic® myViewBoard® for Education, which in addition to delivering robust interactive features that bring lessons to life, also supports direct file saving to Google Drive and encourage active engagement.

Content sharing - Wireless content sharing eliminates cord clutter and makes it easy and efficient for students to display content from their personal or school-issued devices. ViewSonic options include the ViewSync® 3 wireless interactive presentation gateway, the ViewStick 2 wireless HDMI adapter and AutoProject app, and Solstice enterprise-class collaboration software.

Huddle spaces/learning labs - Call them what you will, these tech-laden spaces foster exactly the type of active, constructivist learning 21st-century educators seek. Convenient and conducive to conversation among a small group of students, huddle spaces typically feature an interactive display or smart display and may also include content sharing capabilities such as those mentioned above for easy wireless visual data sharing from smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Smart desktops - Displays equipped with an integrated Android OS or thin/zero clients offer cost-effective, all-in-one solutions that conserve space and deliver easy-to-use functionality. ViewSonic offers a range of models that let users create high-impact dual display configurations or fold flat for tablet-like performance.

Case in Point: Providing the Learning Environment That Kids Need
Since implementing flexible classrooms, Albemarle County Public Schools have found that:

Students grades have improved.

Students seem happier and more engaged.

Students are participating more and having more invigorating conversations.

We're really looking at how we support kids working collaboratively. And we can't do it if they're isolated in rows and every kid is an island." - Becky Fisher, the director of educational technology at Albemarle County Public Schools.

Conclusions on choosing the best classroom design

Significant research and educator experience alike confirm that the traditionally designed classroom - and the transference model it represents - lacks what is needed to prepare engaged 21st-century citizens. Instructors and administrators are working to apply this knowledge to new classroom design practices, leveraging flexible furnishings and collaborative technology to create spaces that promote active engagement and meaningful learning. ViewSonic offers a wide range of technologies that bring greater interactivity and collaboration to any classroom's front of room display, huddle stations, desktops, learning labs, and more. To learn more for to ViewSonic Education Solutions and talk to one of your Solutions Experts.

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Next Generation Classroom Design Ideas and Learning Benefits - myViewBoard Blog

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Differences in old classroom designs and the need for change Review multiple factors that will create a better learning environment Assess the value and need for educational technology in the classroom The traditional classrooms are quickly being replaced by a new breed of learning spaces and classroom designs that are evolving in response to shifts in technology.

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This article has really good summaries on lots of different approaches to collaborative learning!
-Choice Boards
-Jigsaw
-Inquiry-Based Learning
-Project-based learning and problem-based learning
-Flipped Classrooms

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The educational system as a whole is one which has experienced significant changes over the last 50 years or so. Traditional educational models have been very teacher-centered, with teachers providing direct instruction with little to no room for student engagement opportunities or empowerment in their own learning.

Over the last ten years, the traditional classroom model has changed dramatically with a shift in the model of content delivery. One of the most prominent themes in K-12 education currently is student-centered instruction, and teachers today utilize a myriad of student-centered learning strategies to equip, prepare, and produce students capable of success after graduation.

Benefits of a Student-Centered Approach to Learning

A student-centered approach varies greatly from the traditional teacher-centered instructional model. In a student-centered approach to learning, classrooms move from direct instruction to a more community-driven environment, one which supports student empowerment, conversations, critical thinking skills, independence, and problem-solving techniques. In student-centered classrooms, the change begins with the teacher. Student-centered learning strategies do require and involve students in the overall planning process, implementation, and assessments. As educators continue to refine and hone their instructional practices, here are several strategies for implementing a student-centered classroom:

Student-Centered Teaching Strategies

Choice Boards

Choice boards allow students to select activities they will complete to practice a skill or demonstrate understanding. In this approach to learning, students are given ownership and empowerment opportunities while teachers differentiate their instruction. Choice boards can be utilized not just for assessment purposes, but also to introduce new material, for supplemental practice, or as a combination of multiple parts of a lesson or unit.

Jigsaw/Stations/Centers

Although an older concept, the Jigsaw method has evolved and been combined into a center/station approach. In its most basic form, this strategy involves students utilizing cooperative learning as they seek to put the "puzzle" together. Each student takes responsibility for an individual component of knowledge, then takes knowledge learned and gained and applies it to the larger body of work (puzzle). I have seen this concept used at the elementary, middle, and high school level with teachers establishing stations and centers in their classroom to help facilitate the individual or small-group knowledge piece of the Jigsaw strategy, leading to some type of presentation, discussion, competition, or other strategy used to demonstrate learning.

Inquiry-Based Learning

In this learning strategy, student questions, ideas, and analysis are highlighted and fostered, focusing on the student perspective regarding a particular open question or problem. This strategy is particularly useful for initial student engagement, leading students to move beyond basic knowledge to a deeper understanding of critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and creative problem solving. Within inquiry-based learning, various components of a lesson can include case studies, group projects, and research projects, among others. More in-depth connections to the material provide opportunities for students to hone skills that are highly valuable in the world in which we now live.

Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning

Teachers have their own educational jargon, and often-times, you will hear "PBL" used in teacher discussions. Two learning strategies being implemented more often are project-based learning and problem-based learning. In project-based learning, students work on longer tasks that culminate in the creation of an original presentation or product. This learning strategy depends heavily on student collaboration, communication, and creativity, with the teacher serving as a facilitator student work and progress.

Problem-based learning includes shorter projects that examine a current problem, and through definition, research, and causes of the problem, students collaboratively evaluate solutions to the chosen problem, solve the problem, or report potential solutions and/or findings. Both of these learning strategies utilize relevant, real-life connections to the outside world, providing students valuable experience with problem solving and critical thinking opportunities that will behoove them after graduation.

Flipped Classrooms

Teachers continuously seek ways to maximize instructional time within the classroom. A learning strategy that takes this into account is the use of a flipped classroom. In this learning format, new or introductory content is delivered to students outside of the classroom, with teachers incorporating many of the strategies already discussed such as choice boards or jigsawing to allow student choice in their learning. Learning material can include readings, videos, pre-recorded presentations or direct instruction, or research assignments.

In this model, classroom time is used by the teacher to facilitate learning and help students gain practice applying knowledge learned outside of the classroom. Instead of the typical " exit ticket," in which students hand in a ticket showing mastery or further questions about understanding, students use "entrance tickets," in which they enter the classroom with a completed assignment, written response, quiz, or blog post serving as their "ticket." Ultimately, the flipped classroom model can incorporate multiple student-centered learning strategies, making it very popular in schools today.

The educational model of content delivery as we know it is changing. Now more than ever, student-centered approaches to learning are critical. Just as school leaders seek to build capacity in their teachers, we must seek to build capacity, leadership, critical thinking skills, and complex problem solving in our students. Student-centered learning strategies provide empowerment opportunities that allow a deep dive into more than just mandated assessments or canned, standards-based curriculum. Utilizing the strategies discussed can set you on a path to producing students ready to make a difference in an ever-changing, global society.

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Student-Centered Learning Strategies - TeachHUB

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Want to empower your students with real-world skills and experiences? Then explore these fantastic student-centered learning strategies in your classroom.

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Creating learner-centered assessment strategies for promoting greater student retention and class participation

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Creating learner-centered assessment strategies for promoting greater student retention and class participation

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Strategies which ensure students have read the material

The use of take-home examinations

Giving short answer tests with questions at an integrative and/or applied level on Bloom's taxonomy

Using Formative summative assessments during class time (FSA)

Being responsive to results from Audience response systems (ARS)

Student learning style inventories

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Many teachers still use in-class multiple choice exams in their classes, the primary goal of which is to see how much the students have already learned. The assessment strategies we will examine in this paper change the focus from assessing whether students have learned anything to creating assessments which double as learning experiences themselves. Assessments do not have to merely measure what was learned; rather, they can be methods for getting students to learn while they are completing the task you have given them. The theoretical framework of learner-centered assessment emphasizes problem solving, higher order thinking skills, the promotion of a sense of ownership in learning, and a dialogic approach to instruction (Rich, 2011).

The purpose of this paper is to discuss six specific strategies for implementing learner-centered assessment in the classroom.

The six research based strategies we will discuss are:

Strategies which ensure students have read the material

The use of take-home examinations

Giving short answer tests with questions at an integrative and/or applied level on Bloom's taxonomy

Using Formative summative assessments during class time (FSA)

Being responsive to results from Audience response systems (ARS)

Student learning style inventories

The students have to read the material to learn anything from it!

A key to effective teaching is to ensure that students have read all the material. If the student doesn't read the material they will not be as ready to understand what is going on when the teacher covers the work in class (Krashen, 2004). As an instructor, breaking up the material may be beneficial because many students just breeze through the chapter instead of actually reading it. If teachers ask a question about the assigned reading at the beginning of the first class when that information will be discussed, and students are informed that there will be an in-class quiz on the reading, more students will do the reading (Sweet et al., 1998). If your students persist on ignoring their assigned readings, according to Felder and Silverman ( 1988) and Lucas and Bernstein ( 2004), there is not much point in punishing them. The students who fail to read will then be punished enough on examinations and quizzes.

Take-home exams

Despite the common perception that take-home examinations are "giveaways" by teachers with low expectations, some research (e.g., Rich, 2011) demonstrates that the process of preparing a submission for a take-home test, can produce longer retention of material than studying for in-class examinations. When a student is answering items on a take-home exam, the student will often review the textbook and notes more frequently than they would have if they studied for a more traditional exam. Additionally, students are more likely to work in group study sessions, summarize material in their own words, and ask questions in class. While the student thinks that she/he is getting a break, in reality, she/he is learning while completing the test and being encouraged to take the work seriously. In a study by Weber et al. ( 1983), scores on knowledge items were significantly higher on take-home tests, a result attributed partially to the additional time students spent looking up answers.

Take-home tests help increase student knowledge about the information that will be covered in class by providing a base of pre-existing knowledge to which lectures and class activities can attach themselves. Students also have additional time to complete the assessment and therefore, they are not rushing through the test like they may be with an in-class examination, thereby reducing the level of student test anxiety. According to Rich ( 2011), giving students work to take home can reduce test anxiety, incentivize students to work collaboratively and elicit study habits that are at a deeper level. In his experiment on take-home examinations and retention, students indicated that when they were given tests to complete out of class, they learned more and studied harder.

Short answer tests

Short answer questions give students a better chance to explain their thinking behind an answer than multiple-choice questions do (Tamir, 1990) and promotes more in-depth studying as students must be able to think conceptually to do well (Balch, 2007). Short answer questions can cover a wider range of content than a multiple choice item, and also allow for the teacher to demand integration of themes and ideas from the students. Short answer questions reduce the possibility of guessing. Further, when grading these examinations, teachers can see or understand the point the student was trying to make, as opposed to multiple choice tests where there is only one right answer. This proposition is supported by research which indicates that more difficult tests promote greater learning than simpler tests (Gay, 2005). In a study by Balch ( 2007), students who were expecting a short-answer test performed better on definition questions in a multiple choice test than did students expecting a multiple-choice test. Balch suggested that the study practices that students use with short-answer examinations involve elaboration, rather than merely an attempt to recall, which promotes performance on more difficult test questions and deeper understanding of material.

Formative summative assessments (FSA)

Wininger defined formative summative assessment as "the measurement of student progress before or during instruction for the expressed purpose of modifying instruction and improving student performance by going over exams in class with students and garnering both quantitative and qualitative feedback from the students about their comprehension" (2005, p. 164) Formative summative assessments (FSA) are a way for you and the student to communicate and help them gain a better understanding of the material. FSA's inform both teachers and students about student perception and allow timely adjustments to be made. FSA's are done to improve student understanding and the quality of teaching by providing feedback for both the teacher and the student about learning progress with the goal of improving both instruction and learning (Wininger, 2005). As we are teaching, we can use FSAs to find out how well students comprehend the instruction (Harlen and James, 1997). One example of an FSA is reviewing practice examinations and answering questions about items on which many students are confused, or identifying questions these students may have about the material before the real examination is administered. Some instructors will give practice exams that check on student knowledge, and then use statistical analysis of those practice exams to reiterate or re-explain information that students are finding difficult (Black, 1993).

In an article by Wininger ( 2005), a teacher examined the use of one FSA method-namely, a review of questions and explanations of correct answers after students had already taken their first examination. In his study the teacher gave two of his classes the same examination. After the examinations were returned he used the FSA method for Class A allowing the students to review and ask questions to help them obtain a better understanding of key concepts covered in the exam, while Class B did not receive any review of the examination. One week later the classes were given the same exam for extra credit to see whether the class who was given the exam review would score higher than the class who did not receive the examination review. In the results, Wininger found that there were no significant differences between the two classes on the initial exam administration. However, students who received the FSA method scored significantly higher on the retake. Students exposed to the FSA method demonstrated an improvement of almost 10% in their test scores, whereas scores for students in the control group improved by only 2%. The results of this study support the effectiveness of the FSA method with regard to student comprehension.

Audience response systems (ARS)

According to Cain and Robinson ( 2008, p. 1), "Audience response systems are an increasingly popular tool in higher education for promoting interactivity, gathering feedback, pre-assessing knowledge, and assessing students' understanding of lecture concepts." Audience response systems (ARS) can give students a chance to evaluate what they have learned and how beneficial they felt each lesson was to them. There is an increased motivation to be engaged in the lesson when students get the chance to participate in ARSs (Doucet et al., 2009). It is important that teachers find ways for students to engage in lessons in order for the students to be able to get a chance to give their feedback on what they were taught. Once given this feedback the teacher can then alter the plan of instruction or students can work out misunderstandings with their peers or classroom discussion. According to an article by Stowell and Nelson ( 2007), increasing student participation is one of many strategies that could lead to improved student learning. To increase student participation, instructors can use "active student responding" methods. Using clickers, or giving student the ability to text answers to questions through a website like www.pollanywhere.com can help gain more feedback from more students, because their responses will be anonymous (Dallimore et al., 2010).

Making instruction and assessment responsive to student learning style differences

Some research suggests that helping students and being aware of their learning styles can help them develop better study habits. Teachers can also benefit from information about their students learning styles by incorporating the learning styles of their students into lesson plans (Charkins et al., 1985). This may be done by placing students in learning situations with other students whose learning strengths are different from their own which allows them to practice skills in areas that are opposite to their current strengths (Pashler et al., 2008). As a result, teachers who create multiple forms of assessment to match learning styles may facilitate student performance at their level of competence by removing barriers that uncomfortable test formats can create. Some of the learning styles which have been identified are: auditory (learning best through hearing), visual (learning best through seeing), and kinesthetic (learning best when concepts are more hands-on).

Although most people use a mixture of all three learning styles there is a broad belief among educational researchers that they usually have a clear fondness for one (Kolb, 1984; Leite et al., 2010; see also the implications behind Fleming et al., 2011). Knowing and understanding the types of learning styles is important for students. To find out what your learning style is, you may use an index of learning styles questionnaire like the one at http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.phpl (Soloman and Felder, 1993). Participants will be asked a series of questions to which they will respond. At the end the results of the questionnaire will show which style of learning best fits the participant and which styles fit the least. Once students discover their learning style it can become much easier for studying and less stressful when it comes to homework because students are now aware of what methods of learning are optimal for themselves as individuals (Felder and Silverman, 1988). For example, if you know that you are more of a visual learner, one who prefers graphs and pictures, as opposed to a verbal learner, one who prefers to hear or read information, when looking for directions, you know you are more likely to be successful by looking at a map as opposed to hearing someone give you directions.

Presenting course material that reflects each of the six learning strategies above can help to elicit deeper approaches to learning than standard learning strategies which focus solely on memorization and isolated facts. In particular, the use of learner-centered assessment methods can encourage students to connect new material to previously learned concepts, and/or apply them to real life. For a more in-depth discussion of surface and deep processing, see Chin and Brown ( 2000).

In conclusion, the use of learner-centered assessment methods can produce more effective instruction, deeper study strategies, and longer-term retention of material than the more traditional methods. Specifically, teachers are encouraged to implement one or more of the strategies discussed in this paper; namely, short quizzes before important readings, take-home examinations, short answer essays, Formative Summative Assessments, student learning style inventories, and ARS.

One way to conceptualize how these strategies might work together would be to first have each student identify his/her learning style, so that the students and their instructor might become knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses present in the class. Knowing about the student learning styles that are represented in a class will allow an instructor to create groups that may be more effective, because they have more diverse skillsets. Students can use the knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses to use study strategies which capitalize on the approaches which will lead them to the best outcomes.

After an instructor has gathered the information about learning styles from his/her students, s/he can now engage with the other strategies in this paper in a way that is conversant with that information. Alternate methods for completing homework assignments or assessments can be devised. ARS can be infused into instruction, to allow all students the chance to demonstrate understanding or raise questions. In so doing, the instructor can communicate a genuine interest in student learning, and continually seek improvement in the art of teaching.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

Dr. John D. Rich Jr wishes to thank Delaware State University for the opportunity to research my areas of interest, my wife for her constant support, my children for their inspiration, and my friend James Casiano for his salient editing advice.

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Creating learner-centered assessment strategies for promoting greater student retention and class participation

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Many teachers still use in-class multiple choice exams in their classes, the primary goal of which is to see how much the students have already learned. The assessment strategies we will examine in this paper change the focus from assessing whether students have learned anything to creating assessments which double as learning experiences themselves.

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Podcast and article about differentiated instruction within a student-centered classroom

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Podcast and article about differentiated instruction within a student-centered classroom

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Here is a little portion of their podcast:
I think the hardest part about wrapping your head around differentiation of instruction is how we are all taught what it is. So, we’re taught that differentiation of instruction in your classroom means making sure that every student’s needs are met in a way that works for them. The way that we are taught to do that is to amend our assignments, chunk this, add more time for that.

Even if a student isn’t classified, it doesn’t have any type of accommodations, we’re still expected to kind of see where we might be able to help them and to do that through the differentiation of instruction. If you’re in the younger grades and you have a couple less students, it might be a little bit easier than say in high school where you might be teaching upwards of 150 students.

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Student-Centered World: A Student-Centered Learning Resource

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Click above to listen to Episode 37 of the Student-Centered World Podcast: Simplifying Classroom Differentiation (Transcript at the bottom of this page)

Differentiation of instruction shouldn't be the bane of a teacher's existence. Though there are many ideas for differentiated instruction out there, it seems overwhelming to attempt to do this for every single one of your students, and often, the question " what is differentiation " still lingers.

Differentiation of instruction means meeting every student where they are in their learning so they can master the most content. Often it is not a question of "what", but a question of "how"?

It is not as difficult as it seems and differentiation of instruction will meet each of your students on his or her level and you will be so excited to watch them excel. The "magic bullet"? Student-centered learning.

When defining differentiation of instruction and explaining the creation of a student-centered environment, there is one thing that I have heard a number of times from the naysayers of student-centered learning:

"My students would NEVER do that!"

It saddens me every time to hear this since it simply isn't accurate. Student-centered learning can work in any classroom and is a perfect way to implement naturally occurring differentiation of instruction. I know there are a number of reasons to think this way. A group of students could be particularly challenging, or apathetic, or maybe it's just simply a fear of trying something "outside of the box".

It might seem impossible to differentiate for each and everyone one of them with such varying personalities and learning styles. What most of these educators don't realize, is that in most cases, this type of classroom approach appeals to the more difficult students even more.

Differentiation of Instruction and Student-Centered Learning

Will you definitely reach every single student 100%? I cannot promise that. Just as a more traditional method does not reach every student, this method may not either. I offer no false platitudes here. However, I can promise you that once you have student buy-in, you will be able to reach more of them than with any other method of instruction.

Student-centered activities in the classroom naturally lend themselves to a level of differentiation that helps reach each child more than traditional methods of instruction.

What do I mean by "buy-in"? When I am explaining this method of instruction to others, I always joke that getting the students to sign on to it is like going through the stages of grief. For my high school students, I open on the first day of school explaining that I will never show them one PowerPoint, nor will they take notes on lectures.

They think this is the most amazing thing they have ever heard; what kind of a history class is this?!

Then, as the days move forward, I almost always receive some backlash in the form of "Why do we have to DO something every day in this class?!" Once students realize that student-centered learning is an active learning process, not a passive one, older students will often buck the system a bit.

My response at this point? I generally just smile. I know what's coming.

In the next few days and weeks, the entire energy of the classroom changes. You can actually see Bloom's Taxonomy in action right before your eyes. As students start going through the motions, they become more and more engaged in the activities.

The differentiation starts happening naturally and on each student's own personal terms.

Suddenly, they're "learning by accident" as I like to call it.

They're living the content and becoming more deeply involved in learning about it than if they were passively trying to absorb the information. On teacher appreciation day this year, I received an email from a student that included this:

I just want you to know that I appreciate you as a teacher because the methods you use to execute information are brilliant. I have already learned so much in your class without even realizing it. You taught me how to teach myself and have lots of fun while doing so. If I look back in years of my education your class definitely stands out.

Nothing summarizes student-centered learning as eloquently as this. The students become immersed in their choices so much, they forget they're learning as they do it. I say choices for a reason.

It is important to give students a bit of choice when laying out their assignments or projects. This straight-up naturally lends the class as a model of differentiation for each one of them.

I may give them some general guidelines, but then every question that comes across to me I usually answer with "whatever works best for you".

This method of student-centered classroom management helps everyone involved. Who wants to see cookie-cutter work over and over again when grading?

Though we may wish to see consistent concepts, it is a breath of fresh air to see the student creativity come forth with the understanding of those concepts. They get an idea and run with it without the restraints of what their work "has" to look like.

When each student is completing their own work within the boundaries of the same content, it is differentiation at its finest.

This is honestly one piece that teachers have a tendency not to think about. We have had it beat into our heads for so long to make sure our students are on target and are learning the curriculum that we forget that there isn't one set way to do that. We are told to differentiate all the time, but we know how impossible that can seem.

Student-centered learning not only naturally differentiates, but also allows us to get into the heads of our students a bit more. What makes them tick? What do they enjoy? What interests them?

By learning these little tidbits, it helps us to shape how the classroom functions and there is more student buy-in. They, in turn, will give better work and you get to see different assignments come rolling in that the students actually have pride in completing, not just something they put together because they were told they had to (or, even worse, didn't complete at all because they didn't see why it was important).

Thinking about giving your students that much power can seem downright scary. What if it doesn't work and the class runs amuck?

Yes, that is a valid fear, but guess what?

Chances are that is NOT what is going to happen and you will be pleasantly surprised. Imagine coming into work each day and not knowing what awaits you....but in a positive way.

Instead of spending time lesson planning out for your students, they begin planning the lesson outcomes based on their own needs in the classroom. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have a classroom that runs itself in a way that benefits each student's individual learning style and strengths, while also helping them improve their weaknesses?

Below is the transcript from the Student-Centered World Podcast Episode 37 "Simplifying Classroom Differentiation":

I think the hardest part about wrapping your head around differentiation of instruction is how we are all taught what it is. So, we're taught that differentiation of instruction in your classroom means making sure that every student's needs are met in a way that works for them. The way that we are taught to do that is to amend our assignments, chunk this, add more time for that.

Even if a student isn't classified, it doesn't have any type of accommodations, we're still expected to kind of see where we might be able to help them and to do that through the differentiation of instruction. If you're in the younger grades and you have a couple less students, it might be a little bit easier than say in high school where you might be teaching upwards of 150 students.

But it's still not easy, especially again, if you're in the younger grades, you have all the subject areas to worry about. It just becomes really, really overwhelming.

I think it's such a disservice to everybody in education to not understand how easy differentiation of instruction is without driving yourself crazy and truly the key to all of this is student-centered learning. There is a reason why the data out there says that we should be teaching in a student-centered manner that has a natural element of the differentiation of instruction.

But alas, as I've mentioned so many times, there's so much out there that explains what student-centered learning is, and that we should be doing it, but not really anything that explained how to be doing it. That's why I ended up creating a " Passion for Progress " and Student-Centered World to help teachers figure this out when you have a fully student-centered lesson with differentiation of instruction.

That doesn't mean that your students are running amok and it's chaotic and you're kicking back and reading the newspaper.

It means that it is a very well thought out planned lesson that has student choice, a flipped element to it, opportunities for children to have leadership roles and really show their strengths and also their weaknesses. But in doing all of that, which sounds overwhelming, but again, it's not when you know how to do it, you will find that the differentiation of instruction happens naturally for every single student in there.

I have not spoken with one person who has gone through " A Passion for Progress " and has implemented it in their classroom and is not in 100% agreement that not only is everything fully differentiated for literally every child that walks through the door, but it makes your life so much less stressful and you get to enjoy the time that you have with your student.

Especially in today's educational climate, I can't tell you how many teachers have reached out to me on Instagram or Facebook or sent me an email and said that they are drowning, that they are burning out, that they don't know if they can make it through this school year. I've had conversations with all of them about just some simple tweaks that they can make. So many teachers right now are just trying to keep their heads above water.

So many teachers right now are hitting levels of stress that no human being should have to go through. The support that they are receiving from the people that should be helping them is almost non-existent or it's making their life harder. So, when you're in an environment like this, and you're supposed to be differentiating for every student, in the way that we were all taught that differentiation of instruction should happen for every student, it seems impossible, and rightly so.

Teacher Stress

But let me tell you, the teachers that I was able to train prior to the pandemic, or over the summer of 2020 have said that they are not overly stressed out, just that they are tired.

Of course, teacher tired we know is a thing no matter what and they are rolling with the punches, just like we all are. But they don't have this dread and this overwhelming stress and this feeling like they can't do it anymore. They've all said that they're okay, that their students are engaged, that their lessons are naturally differentiating and if they are trying to teach through a screen, or they're trying to teach in a classroom with a mask on or whatever the case may be, they've got it covered and they're doing okay.

That's the pure beauty of student-centered learning and the differentiation of instruction. It doesn't make your life harder; it doesn't make it more stressful. As a matter of fact, it does the complete opposite of that and makes it, so you are reaching every single student.

Not only are you reaching them in curriculum and ability, but it gives you the opportunity to get to know each one of them on a personal level. It gives you the opportunity to talk to every single one of them every single class period.

No longer are you only focusing on the kids that are struggling. You don't have the high-flying kids that barely get your time because you don't have a chance. We're just assuming that they are doing what they need to be doing. You don't have students that are hiding it and are falling through the cracks because of the way it's structured, and the way that you have the ability to almost be teaching every student on a personal level.

I know there are some people out there that just don't believe it because it seems like it's not possible. But again, I was a high school history teacher that didn't lecture, and I have trained teachers from pre-K, all the way up to 12th grade with the same techniques. Obviously, it's a little bit different for grade level or for the subject area but it works. It differentiates and it's not more work for you.

That is EXACTLY what student-centered learning does every single day. Give it a shot and watch the differentiation of instruction happen naturally... you have NOTHING to lose!

Differentiation of Instruction with the 4 Keys

The differentiation of instruction in your classroom isn't difficult, it just needs to ebb and flow with the students and where they are (physically, mentally, and emotionally). Being flexible is the key to making all of this work. The key is engagement. There are four keys to student engagement that I discuss in my video training challenge called "Finding Your Student Engagement Formula" and it walks you through those four keys and how to implement them in the classroom.

If you are interested in registering (it's totally free), visit the Finding Your Student Engagement Formula Challenge registration page and you will be notified the next time the series is available.

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An Easy Path to Differentiated Instruction | Student-Centered World

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Differentiation of instruction shouldn't be the bane of a teacher's existence. Though there are many ideas for differentiated instruction out there, it seems overwhelming to attempt to do this for every single one of your students, and often, the question " what is differentiation " still lingers.

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Student-Centered Learning in PE

To use student-centered learning in physical education, instructors may allow students to pick among various activities. They may also allow students to select from among various levels of competition in those activities, so that each student is optimally challenged and engaged.

Benefits

So why use student-centered learning in PE? Well, considerable research shows the advantages of student-centered learning in both physical education and scholastic instruction.

One, it increases student decision-making power and ownership of outcomes, both of which are essential to promoting lasting behavior habits and achievements. In order to maintain long-term health, students will need to remain physically active throughout their lifetimes.

In addition, self-monitoring is an important component of long-term health maintenance through physical activity. In student-centered learning, students are practicing this essential skill by keeping an individual fitness tracker, logging miles walked or steps taken, or otherwise observing and recording their progress and activities.

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A Student-Centered Approach to a Whole-Class Novels

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A Student-Centered Approach to a Whole-Class Novels

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This is an interesting activity that English teacher Kate talks about in a short video.

"If we want students to be working on the same thing, we are going to have to create supports and experiences that will allow them to get to a similar place. We are going to need to devote considerable time and energy to making sure the students for whom the book is too hard can learn the strategies for tackling a tough text, and we are going to need to create for the readers who find the text easier some work they can do to deepen their reading experience."

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As an English teacher, Kate Roberts has seen the power of whole-class novels to build community in her classroom. But she's also seen too many kids struggle too much to read them--and consequently, check out of reading altogether.

In the following video, Kate walks you through what you can expect to find in her new book, A Novel Approach and shows you how you too can find a student-centered, balanced approach to teaching reading.

The best part of a whole-class novel is that the kids are all reading the same book. It forms community and encourages productive struggle. But the worst part of a whole-class novel unit is that the students are all reading the same book, no matter what their reading ability is. It's as though we're saying to kids, "I am going to grade you based on how well you can perform on something that is ridiculously hard for you the same way I do for the kids who find the work easy."

If we want students to be working on the same thing, we are going to have to create supports and experiences that will allow them to get to a similar place. We are going to need to devote considerable time and energy to making sure the students for whom the book is too hard can learn the strategies for tackling a tough text, and we are going to need to create for the readers who find the text easier some work they can do to deepen their reading experience.
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Learn more about A Novel Approach at Heinemann.com

KATE ROBERTS is a national literacy consultant, author, and popular keynote speaker. She taught reading and writing in Brooklyn, NY and worked as a literacy coach before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in 2005, where she worked as a Lead Staff Developer for 11 years. Kate is the co-author (with Christopher Lehman) of the popular Falling in Love with Close Reading, and of DIY Literacy (with Maggie Beattie Roberts), along with two Heinemann Unit of Study books on Literary Essay. Her work with students across the country has led to her belief that all kids can be insightful, academic thinkers when the work is demystified, broken down and made engaging. To this end, Kate has worked nationally and internationally to help teachers, schools, and districts develop and implement strong teaching practices and curriculum. Her blog, indent, is a touchstone for teachers and she uses social media, particularly Twitter (@ teachkate), to help build community and solve problems among her educator peers.

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A Student-Centered Approach to Whole-Class Novels

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As an English teacher, Kate Roberts has seen the power of whole-class novels to build community in her classroom. But she's also seen too many kids struggle too much to read them--and consequently, check out of reading altogether.

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I saw Madeline mention this  in the collaboration section.  I think flipped classrooms are also great for differentiation.
-Students get less frustration with their homework.
-They can ask questions and get immediate targeted answers
-Explore subjects in a deeper manner
-Can catch up with their peers faster and easier with the flipped classroom model than with the standard one.

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So, how the flipped classroom benefits both students and teachers? Let us start from the beginning.

It's funny how some things in our present days seem to be stuck in the past. Take the classroom for example. The place where students spend most of their time preparing to become successful citizens in our ever more connected modern world hasn't evolved much since the pre-industrial era.

Markers and whiteboards have replaced chalk and blackboards, the furniture is nicer, and maybe there's a projector in each classroom. But the setting is the same as always.

The teacher has a defined space -usually in front of the classroom- where he/she makes use of markers, whiteboards, projectors, and other tools to hold a lecture. All the while, students -who sit in their own part of the classroom, neatly aligned in rows, with equal distance between them- are supposed to pay attention to that lecture, do their homework, and later reproduce most of the new information in a standardized test.

You'll argue that nobody is glued to the floor, and teachers can walk around the classroom and interact with students freely. But a lot of class time is allocated to keeping students attentive to what the teacher is lecturing.

This setting can't possibly nurture great academic results for everyone. Yet it has had an incredibly long tenure.

The good news is that things have started to change. Here are 8 flipped classroom benefits for both teachers and students.

Turning Things Upside Down: The Flipped Classroom

Thanks to a handful of educators who care more about their students and their success than keeping the school's general status quo, the flipped classroom model is no longer a theory, and keeps spreading across more and more educational institutions.

What does a flipped classroom look like? Physically, the same as a normal classroom.

But instead of paying attention to lectures while in class and applying the new knowledge in their homework after school, students will watch or listen to the lectures at home, before the class starts, and use the time in the classroom to do their homework. Instead of telling students what to learn, how to learn, when to learn and how to prove that they learned, teachers support them in becoming self-directed learners.

While there are plenty of concerns regarding the success of a flipped classroom -how to ensure all students have access to the lectures at any time, how to create the best lectures, and even trust students to come prepared to class- I'm going to focus only on the bright side of this educational model. Why is that? Because 1) I like to think that I'm a positive person, and 2) I really believe that the benefits of the flipped classroom outnumber its shortcomings.

The flipped classroom seems to create a win-win situation for both students and teachers. Once they try it, they no longer want to go back. I guess the 28,000+ members of the Flipped Learning Community can back me up on this.

4 Flipped Classroom Benefits For Students

The classical setting of a classroom is all about the teacher and the teacher's needs. All the tools are the teacher's to use, for the best delivery of instruction. The students are merely passive receivers of information.

But whoever entered a classroom knows that students are anything but passive. Their natural curiosity makes them actively seek new knowledge, and when they're passionate about a subject they try to learn all there is to be learned about it.

A student-centered approach to teaching shifts the focus from the teacher's needs to the student's. And this is what the flipped classroom model supports:

1. When students watch or listen to lectures at home, and then solve problems and apply the new knowledge in the classroom, they get less frustration with their homework.

2. When they don't understand a new concept, they can ask questions and get immediate targeted answers.

3. The time spent in the classroom becomes not enough for all the conversations and collaboration that inevitably spur from exploring subjects in a deeper manner.

4. Last but not least, students who are absent due to illness, too long a commute, or any other reason, can catch up with their peers faster and easier with the flipped classroom model than with the standard one.

4 Flipped Classroom Benefits For Teachers

With a ton of information available at the fingertips of whoever cares to search for it, teachers are no longer the only source of knowledge for students. But don't get me wrong; they aren't obsolete either. In fact, they are more important than ever.

A flipped classroom is more demanding than the traditional one. Teachers need to identify the individual learning needs of students, making sure they all use the class time engaged with the learning process. And this can be harder than the traditional teaching model. At the same time, it comes with a set of rewards:

1. When students come prepared to class, there's little to no need for teachers to address content related questions. Instead, they can support students in better understanding the concepts through practical application.

2. Once a lecture is done, it can be reused as many times as the teacher wants, until the content becomes outdated. But H2O will always be the symbol of water, the same as Alaska will always be the biggest US state in terms of area.

3. The flipped classroom gives more freedom to teachers to decide upon how much time to spend with each student. Struggling students, great performers, introverted kids, and extroverted ones can get the attention each of them needs.

4. Last but not least, it offers more transparency for parents, who will know exactly what their kids are preparing for at school. This can also improve the communication between parents and teachers.

The flipped classroom inspires teachers to offer a versatile and engaging way to share learning content, while putting more control into students' hands regarding their own learning processes.

The FLIP Learning Network and their online community connect like-minded teachers and offer all sorts of reports, resources, tips, and examples of successful flipped classrooms. While this model of education has not spread in each and every classroom yet, it seems like it's going there. The more success stories get known, the more teachers get interested, and eventually more classrooms will get flipped.

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8 Flipped Classroom Benefits For Students And Teachers

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Want to know how the Flipped Classroom Benefits both students and teachers? Check 8 Flipped Classroom Benefits for everyone in the learning environment.

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3 Ways to Create a Student-Centered Learning Environment Using Technology

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3 Ways to Create a Student-Centered Learning Environment Using Technology

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1.Digital instruction for individualized learning.
2.Print and digital resources to reach every learner.
3. Integrate PBL to make real world connections.

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Imagine a classroom where every student is actively engaged in the progression of a lesson, where students take ownership over their own learning, and where critical thinking skills are in constant development. What you're imagining is a student-centered learning environment, an approach to instruction that flips the traditional "sage-on-the-stage" teaching model on its head. This vision might seem idealistic - to cultivate that level of student agency, engagement, and intrinsic motivation is almost utopian. It is an ambitious goal: but a worthwhile one. With the right tools and the right mindset, it's totally possible. In this blog, we'll show you three ways to create a student-centered learning environment, using technology, project-based learning, and print resources.

1. Lead with Digital Instruction to Individualize Learning

According to ISTE, technology plays a key role in personalizing learning and enables teachers to closely monitor and respond to student engagement. When creating a student-centered learning environment, you should seek to incorporate technology that individualizes instruction based on student needs. You should also look for digital programs that focus on gradual skill development through scaffolded instruction, ongoing assessments, and even games or activities. Ultimately, once you've implemented the right technology in your classroom, it's key that you strike a balance between student, teacher, and tech where the students' academic needs are always at the forefront of instruction.

2. Use Print and Digital Resources to Reach Every Learner

Perhaps the most difficult part of creating a truly student-centered learning environment is engaging all students proactively in the lesson. You'll always have some students who light up when discussing a certain subject, but how can you consistently reach each one of them? Consider: if you want students to take ownership of their learning, it may also make sense to allow them to take ownership of their learning modality. By offering a variety and blend of print and digital learning resources, students can experiment with the best fit for their preferences and strengths. Print also offers unique opportunities for teacher-led lessons, group discussions, and shared reading experiences. So, while you should lead with digital instruction, don't forget other modalities. Agency can start with the power to influence how learning happens.

3. Integrate Project-Based Learning to Make Real World Connections

To keep students engaged, construct opportunities for them to apply what they've learned to real-world problems in a group setting. Project-based learning activities will allow students to collaborate with peers while exercising critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and even social emotional skills. Allow students to pursue topics that are relevant and interesting to them, while still providing a framework for the project, such as conducting research and giving presentations. It's crucial that this element of a lesson is rooted in real world problem-solving and practical application. Part of creating a student-centered learning environment isn't just about making sure instruction is individualized to student needs, but that students understand why they need this instruction to begin with, and stay more invested and engaged in the learning process throughout the school year.

Fostering a student-centered learning environment using technology, print, and projects from scratch won't be easy. But if you're armed with the right resources and approach the task with a growth mindset of your own, the results will be worth it.

For more on student-centered learning using technology, see what resources and support your district might find from Future Ready Schools:

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3 Ways to Create a Student-Centered Learning Environment Using Technology

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Imagine a classroom where every student is actively engaged in the progression of a lesson, where students take ownership over their own learning, and where critical thinking skills are in constant development. What you're imagining is a student-centered learning environment, an approach to instruction that flips the traditional "sage-on-the-stage" teaching model on its head.

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The use of prints and digital resources to embark every learner the main critical target in the classroom to create a self-centered learning environment is to start and sustain the learners engage in the lesson. Mainly there is always learners that who light up when a certain subject or topics are in the plot of discussion. The way we can consistently reach one of them, is by allowing the student to take ownership of their learning modalities. By introducing the learners to with a blend of variety of print and digital learning resources, student will research with the best fit for their preference and strength. The advantages of prints mainly is to offer adequately and balanced opportunities for the teachers to lead the lesson, group discussions and shared experience whether is reading or life experiences. Agency begins with the power to influence the learning path

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Building connection and trust, nurturing social and emotional learning, designing learning, deafferenting teaching, feedback and monitoring, collaborative learning, embedding reflection and self-regulation promoting student voice, choice and agency.

Trust with students is essential to building their confidence and enabling them to maintain meaningful, positive relationships with their teachers and each other, and to support them to engage in challenging and rewarding learning opportunities

Learners learn to understand and manage their emotions, how they set goals, show they have empathy for others, develop positive relationships and develop resilience. By regularly checking in with students learning remotely, teachers can identify issues and collaborate with students, and their families, to support wellbeing.

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Understand small groups dynamic and group learners: Divide the classroom in group of three each group requires a talkative learner and less talkative students in groups of four or five.  Stimulate a better exchange of ideas by putting shy students in groups of three rather than in pairs. Sometimes have two students talk while a third listens and takes notes, then have the third provide feedback at the end of the conversation.

To ensure that each group member is contributing, consider allocating roles. These might be combination of all or some of: timekeeper (when discussions or other tasks are timed); scribe (where someone has to write down the groups thoughts/conclusions; editor (who is responsible for the accuracy of the group's written work); task master (someone whose specific job is to keep the group focused on the task in hand); and summarizer (who periodically sums up where the group is in its discussions).

Collaboration does not have to be limited to being within your classroom. Using teachers' own connections, it may be possible to set up video links with classrooms in other schools (even in other countries) studying either the same topic as your students or perhaps a complimentary one. This can be very helpful in providing different perspectives.

Another way to foster collaboration is to put your class in groups with the strong and weak students evenly distributed and give them real-life problems to solve. (May not even be on subject) It forces the group to work together and the students tend to be more engaged because they don't deem it as learning instead, they see it as fun.

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Assessing Student Passions and Learning Styles

We can use a variety of assessment tools like one-on-one conversations, journals, and graphic organizers to learn more about our students and what drives them to learn. Tools like learning profile cards can allow us to differentiate appropriately, leverage our students' strengths, and push them to learn in different ways. Assessing for passions and interests can also push us to know our students more deeply and create a classroom designed for them.

Assessing 21st-Century/Success Skills

Teachers can use rubrics and other assessment tools to let students know what these success skills look, sound, and feel like. In addition, they can use these assessment tools for self, teacher, and expert assessment. While some students may really know math content, for example, they may need support in building their grit, and we can make the classroom meet their needs in a targeted way.

Formative Assessment of Content and Skills

Test data lets us know how students are progressing toward learning content and skills from the standards. However, these standardized tests may only assess the bare minimum (if that) of the level of rigor that we want and expect from our students. Teachers instead should use low-stakes formative assessments to assess students' content knowledge and skills. This way, we can learn which concepts and skills need to be retaught, and which ones students have mastered. These assessments are not graded. Instead, we can use them to create a learning environment that is more student-centered.

Assessing for Instruction

Whenever we plan instruction, we know it is never set in stone, and we use on-the-spot assessment to make immediate decisions for instruction, as well as using these assessments to feed forward for future instruction. If we use assessment to provide the right just-in-time instruction, we can increase student engagement in a more student-centered classroom.

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There are many different ways to approach to Student center differentiation. Before applying differentiation, one might like to look at the 2-D of differentiation which are divided between the teacher dependent dimension and the student dependent dimension. The teacher dependent dimension uses differentiation through content, process, product, and environment. Student dependent dimensions focus on differentiation according to student readiness, interest, and learning profile.  After knowing the 2D in differentiation one then needs to look at choosing learning goals, making practical pedagogical decisions about the nature of the learning experience, and selecting and sequencing activity types to combine to form the learning experiences. (Hobgood, Ormsby)

When it comes to differentiating instruction, according to the Pennsylvania Training and technical assistance network, Differentiation is not an IEP for each student, chaotic, another word for tracking, giving additional work to accelerated students, or watering down the curriculum. What it is, it is proactive, student centered, a blend of whole class, group, and individual instruction, using multiple approaches, rooted in assessment, dynamic.

Instruction Skills, With Experiential, Individual Study, Interactive Instruction, Direct Instruction, Indirect Instruction. For Experimental one could include, skits, role playing, dramatizations, field trips, games, and field observation. For Indirect Instruction, guided inquiry, composing, Socratic questioning, unguided inquiry, concept mapping. For Direct instruction, lecture, panels, tutorials, workbooks, assigned questions, tape recordings, and handouts. For Interactive instructions, one can include buzz groups, brainstorming, debate, open discussion, and role playing. For Individual study one could use papers, contracts, reports, Assigned questions, and brainstorming. (http://education.ky.gov/educational/diff/Documents/StrategiesThatDifferentiateInstruction4.12.pdf)

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1.     Choosing the right activities for a child's age: If you don't, the child may be bored or frustrated.

2.     Giving kids plenty of opportunity to be active: Kids need parents to make activity easy by providing equipment and taking them to playgrounds and other active spots.

3.     Keeping the focus on fun: Kids won't do something they don't enjoy.

(http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/active-kids.html)

When kids enjoy an activity, they want to do more of it. Practicing a skill, whether it's swimming or riding a tricycle, improves their abilities and helps them feel accomplished, especially when the effort is noticed and praised. These good feelings often make kids want to continue the activity and even try others.

The concept is to help students learn to read, but to comprehend it on a whole new level. Sometimes it might seem that there are no chances to use movement in the class, but given the chance to move students do learn better.

Approaches or Techniques:

Fishbowl:

Students switch between sitting in a circle and standing behind listening

Students in circle ask questions, present opinions and share information

Roles reverse

Teaches being contributors versus listeners

Helps ensure all students participate and see a good discussion

Great for pre-writing activities

Five Steps:

Select a topic for the fishbowl: most effective topics don’t have one right answer

Set up the room: circle of chairs with enough room behind chairs for standing students

Prepare: give students a chance to prepare ideas

Discuss norms and rules of the discussion: many variations

Debrief the fishbowl discussion

2 Main Variations:

A fishbowl for opposing positions

A fishbowl for multiple positions

Four Corners:

Debate that requires students to show positions on a specific statement by standing in a corner of the room

Options are: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree

Ensures everyone participates

Great warm-up activity

Four Steps:

Prepare: Label corners and generate controversial statements

Introduce statements: distribute statements and give students chance to think and write

Four corners discussion: read statements, students move to corner, then students defend corner

Reflection: many different approaches to this step

Even time magazine has an opinion on moving around in class.

When we free ourselves from the notion of one person delivering information at the front of a classroom at a set pace, it allows us to completely rethink our assumptions of what a classroom or school can be. We could then consider having multiple teachers in the same room working with students of multiple skill levels and age groups. A bell would no longer need to be rung to artificially stop one subject and to start the next. Ironically, by removing lecture from class time, we can make classrooms more engaging and human.

(http://ideas.time.com/2012/10/02/why-lectures-are-ineffective/)

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YouTube Stories:

Students search for one narrated story on YouTube or TV. They must then provide a summary of the story. After they must they create a similar story where they change one key part of the story to give it a different ending, change the narrator's point of view, or some key difference (Department of Education, 2015).

What’s in the News?

Student find a newspaper clipping or print an online article, the article should include a picture. Have them read the article underlining the facts in green and the opinions in orange. Then they can discuss their ideas in pairs. They should write a few sentences describing the photograph. Articles give themes such as food articles, cartoons, or travel articles (Department of Education, 2015)

Reading Work Stations:

The room is configured into workstations based on a specific learning purpose. Stations can be comprised of independent, pair, or collaborative assignments. The station can include guided reading, listening, computer activities, or writing. Teacher should continuously assess the student participation at each station. Each station should have a clear set of instructions, and it is good to give these stations structure which can build into a larger routine. Assessments should have meaning and usefulness behind them, this can be used together with informal monitoring of progress (Literacy Center, 2017)

The Drawbacks of Work Stations Large class sizes can create not only a logistical problem but also increase the amount of preparation time. Guided reading may not be enough for upper elementary students and may not target struggling students enough. Classrooms should have a well-structured management system to keep the stations focused. Also, having so many different activities required extreme amounts of planning, and execution time. Sometimes it is hard to keep the children accountable for their goals. Lastly, this method can only teach things the students can do independently, for subjects such as math can be a challenge (5 Ugly Truths, 2017)

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I'm starting to look at these reading apps for my kids. Benefits of them are, that you can

Meet digital generations on their own turf. ...

Utilize students' online social community to motivate and influence them. ...

Personalize content based on a student's ability and level. ...

Set goals and keep track of progress more easily. ...

Gamify learning through awarding virtual badges.

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Not all screen time is bad! There are plenty of amazing ways for kids to learn on mobile devices, meaning they'll always have educational fun on hand. Case in point: reading apps for kids. While some kids practically need to have books pried out of their hands, others struggle to gain skills and maintain interest. Reading apps for kids can help both groups find what they need to succeed.

Some of the reading apps for kids on this list help them learn important skills, while others provide libraries of books for storytime or independent reading. Either way, these apps support reading in a meaningful and engaging way that kids will enjoy. Find your new favorite today!

Best For: Kids 12 and under

Why We Love It: Epic! gives kids unlimited access to an outstanding library of books, videos, quizzes, and more. These are books kids actually want to read, with lots of cool extra features like personalized recommendations and motivational badges and rewards.

Cost: Free for teachers and librarians. For others, free for 30 days, then $7.99 a month. Currently, teachers of schools closed due to COVID-19 can get free remote access for their students by clicking here.

Best For: Anyone who has a library card for a participating library.

Why We Love It: Tired of waiting for your library holds to come in? Try Hoopla! Everything on the app is always available for immediate virtual check-out, and it's FREE. Hoopla is especially popular for its wide selection of audiobooks, comics, and graphic novels. Plus, it has a dedicated "Kids Mode," making it easier for everyone to find books they'll love.

Cost: FREE for anyone with a library card at a participating library.

Available On: Hoopla is available on a variety of devices, including phones, e-readers, and even smart TVs. Find all the links you need here.

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Best For: Anyone with a library card for a participating library.

Why We Love It: Most libraries use Overdrive for their e-book and online media lending. If kids have their own library card, they can set up an account. There's a whole section dedicated to kids, so they can find books just for them.

Cost: FREE

Available On: Overdrive is available on a wide variety of devices. Get all the links you need here.

Best For: Students of participating schools

Why We Love It: Sora is Overdrive's lending system just for schools. It allows teachers to assign, monitor, and assess reading. Students get access to the school library's online catalog, as well as their local library if available.

Cost: Free for students and teachers at participating schools. Schools interested in adding it can learn more here.

Best For: Anyone with a library card for a library with Overdrive

Why We Love It: Libby is another way to access books through Overdrive, with an interface specially designed for mobile devices. You can change the audience preference to Juvenile or Young Adult to limit the offerings kids see, plus there are dedicated guides for kids and Teens.

Cost: FREE

Best For: Grades 3-5

Why We Love It: This is the kind of reading kids do in school (and on tests), with comprehension questions to ensure they understand what they've read. It includes fiction and non-fiction to appeal to all readers. Teachers can use it in the classroom, while parents will find it great for home enrichment or practice.

Cost: The free version offers 12 stories to try, with additional stories available by subscription starting at $2.99 a month.

Best For: Pre-K and early readers

Why We Love It: Older teachers may remember Living Books, which were originally issued on CD-ROM for computers in the 90's. Today, these same books are available for download as an app. They're fully interactive: each page is read aloud, then kids can click on the text to hear the individual words again, or anywhere on the page to interact with the characters and other items. These books are a rich environment for individual exploration, but teacher guides are available to help you use them in a classroom setting too.

Cost: Try a free sampler app to see how it works. Each individual book title app is available for purchase for $4.99 each, some in multiple languages.

Available On: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Kindle App Store. Find all the links here.

Best For: Kids 12 and under

Why We Love It: This app offers thousands of books, videos, and games for kids, and gives parents lots of control over what kids can use and when they can use it. Teachers are likely to find lots of uses for this vast media library in the classroom, too.

Cost: Single child subscriptions start at $2.99 a month for Prime members. You can also get monthly or annual family plans that include unlimited access for up to 4 children.

Available On: Amazon devices including Kindle, plus Android and iOS devices too. Find all download options here.

Best For: Ages 2-8

Why We Love It: HOMER promises to create a personalized reading program for every child, based on their interests and current skill levels. Membership also includes access to 200+ interactive animated stories, with a whole section dedicated to favorite Sesame Street characters.

Costs: HOMER is FREE for educators. Other users can try it free for 30 days, after which subscriptions start at $7.99 a month.

Available On: Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Amazon App Store

Best For: Pre-K to grade 3

Cost: After a one-month free trial, individual Skybrary subscriptions start at $4.99 per month or $39.99 annually. Classroom and school plans are available through Skybrary for Schools.

Available On: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon App Store

Best For: Pre-K to grade 4

Why We Love It: Farfaria allows you to customize by reading level for personalized recommendations from their library of thousands of books. Kids can choose to have the books read to them, or read on their own. Farfaria is aligned with Common Core reading standards, too.

Cost: Individual monthly subscriptions start at $4.99. Special pricing is available for teachers and classrooms, starting at $20 per year.

Best For: Grades K-12

Why We Love It: Tales2Go is a subscription audiobook service designed for schools and classrooms. Individual subscriptions are also available. Their catalog has more than 10,000 audiobooks, with plenty of well-known titles and authors. They even have audiobooks in Spanish.

Cost: Classroom annual subscriptions start at $250, with library, building, and district licenses also available. Individual subscriptions start at $29.99 for three months. Schools currently closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak qualify for a special discounted price; learn more here.

Best For: Ages 3-7

Why We Love It: These very low-cost paid apps offer a wide range of fun, interactive games and activities to help kids learn to read. They build skills starting with letter recognition, eventually working toward reading complete sentences.

Cost: Reading Raven costs $1.99 on Android, $2.99 on iOS.

Available On: Apple and Android devices. Get the links you need here.

Best For: Early elementary

Why We Love It: Remember Choose Your Own Adventure books? SwapTales is an app version! Readers swap the words on each page (or not) to create new versions of the story. They also solve puzzles to help Leon along to one of 30 different endings. You can even read in 2-player mode. Readers are already clamoring for more of these engaging tales!

Cost: $4.99

Best For: PreK and early readers

Why We Love It: Phonics is a reliable and proven way to build reading skills. Kids will love these fun games designed to help them learn the 44 phonemes that make up the English language.

Cost: Schools can receive free access here. The app is free to download for individual users, with complete content available for $7.99.

Available On: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon App Store

Best For: Ages 5-8

Why We Love It: This app uses speech recognition to listen to a child read, correcting them and helping with the hard words as necessary. The real fun comes when kids race to see how fast they can read! Reading Racer is a really fun way to work on reading fluency.

Cost: FREE

Available On: Apple App Store

Best For: Ages 2-13

Why We Love It: A placement quiz at the beginning makes sure readers start at the right level. Then, animated interactive lessons use phonics and other concepts to improve reading skills. The program includes books made up only of words covered in completed lessons, ensuring kids meet with success every step of the way.

Cost: $9.99, add up to 3 additional users at $4.99 each. Teachers can receive a 4-week free trial here.

Best For: Early readers

Why We Love It: Kids read the words and sentences on the screen out loud to the cute animated character. Speech recognition technology provides instant assessment and feedback.

Cost: FREE

Available On: Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon App Store

Best For: All students K-12

Why We Love It: IXL is a comprehensive learning app for all subjects. They offer reading and language arts practice for every grade level, with activities that are a terrific complement to other learning methods. IXL is ideal for kids that need extra practice outside the classroom.

Cost: A single-subject subscription is $9.99/month; full core subjects subscription $19.99/month. Schools can contact IXL for classroom and district pricing.

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Find reading apps for kids to use in the classroom or at home, whether they're learning to read, need extra practice, or just plain love books.

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Students seek out and share ideas and information with classmates through this cooperative learning strategy.

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Use this strategy to stimulate students' thinking as they investigate an essential question or search for evidence in response to an essay prompt over the course of a unit of study. In this strategy, students formulate initial positions and arguments in response to a question or prompt and then share them with each other through a structured procedure. That way they can test, refine, and strengthen their ideas as they share their ideas and hear the ideas of others. Students will practice being active listeners or readers-an essential skill for learning new information.

1. Students Prepare
Ask students to divide a sheet of paper into two vertical columns. Label the left side "Give One" and the right side "Get One."

2. Students Respond to a Question
Ask students to respond to a question such as "Do you agree that laws are the most important factor in overcoming discrimination? Why or why not?" Students should write their ideas on the left-hand column on their paper. They do not need to write complete sentences; responses can be in list form.

3. Give One, Get One
Tell students to walk around and find a partner. Each partner "gives," or shares, items from his or her list. For example, Partner A shares his/her responses until Partner B hears something that is not already on his/her list. Partner B writes the new response in the right-hand column on the paper, along with Partner A's name. Once Partner B has "gotten" one, the roles switch. Students repeat this process with other peers until time runs out.

Teacher's role
As students share their ideas, teachers should keep notes. Pay particular attention to these details:

Patterns of insight, understanding, or strong historical reasoning

Patterns of confusion, historical inaccuracies, facile connections, or thinking that indicates students are making overly simplified comparisons between past and present

The goal is for students to share text-based evidence effectively and accurately. The following categories can guide you, the teacher, as you listen to your students' discussion. Listen for these elements:

Factual and interpretive accuracy: offering evidence that is correct and interpretations that are plausible

Persuasiveness of evidence: including evidence that is relevant and strong in terms of helping to prove the claim

Sourcing of evidence: noting what the source is and its credibility and/or bias

Corroboration of evidence: recognizing how different documents work together to support a claim

Contextualization of evidence: placing the evidence into its appropriate historical context

As students debrief, weave in feedback. Affirm their insights. Highlight strong historical reasoning and text-based arguments. Choose one or two misconceptions about the content to address. Point out areas where students may want to reevaluate the ways they are connecting past and present.

4. Debrief
After this strategy, you will want to debrief in a class discussion and/or a journal writing session. Prompts for journal writing include:

How might you respond to the prompt or essential question now?

What did you learn today? How does this information relate to the prompt or essential question?

What else do you want to know?

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Use this strategy to stimulate students' thinking as they investigate an essential question or search for evidence in response to an essay prompt over the course of a unit of study. In this strategy, students formulate initial positions and arguments in response to a question or prompt and then share them with each other through a structured procedure.

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Create a space that allows students to investigate concepts for themselves so that they learn by doing. This video reviews concepts of Dewey's theory and could be used as a basis for creating a classroom environment that has among other things: hands-on materials, manipulatives, and depending on objectives or topics covered materials that allow for student experimentation in a given subject area (e.g.- soil, worms, etc. for a study of earthworm environments).

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Students have a freedom to select a preferred topic to work on in their groups. Teachers approves the topic and supports group effort. Each group member volunteers his part of work/presentation based on their strengths and interests.

Student centered Learning

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Hattie's Influences on student achievement
Self-reported grades are second most prominent factor in student achievement.
For student centered assessment:
+Allow students to set their own expectations for performance
+Help students set goals for overall learning
+Help create standards and rubrics for self-assessment that will be a reliable reference tool available and applicable for the entire quarter or semester, or even school year.

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Assessment – Understanding what students know and still need to learn

Content – What the student needs to learn or how the student will access the information

Process – Activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content

Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit

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Physical activity is what is lacking in today's classroom because of emphasis on digital learning and technology centered instruction.
Here are some great ideas for productive, educational movement in classroom

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I love the idea of having a guest reader visit the classroom and introduce a whole new way and joy of reading to students. Not only is it a memorable event, it can be inspiring, elevating and captivating experience. Guest reader can be a children's book author, a scientist, a historian or any author of choice. He/she can be a prominent local celebrity or cultural ambassador like kapunas and kupunawahine of Hawaii.
Here are some marvelous ideas for guest reader program in your classroom