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If you move before learning it wakes up the brain and students are ready to learn. After playing games and working as a team, students tend to continue that in the classroom.

Edutopia (Producer). (2015). Fit Lit: How Movement Impacts Learning [Video file]. Retrieved June 2, 2020, from https://youtu.be/BlSYEiycot8

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Children are going to class with bodies that are less prepared to learn than ever before. With sensory systems not quite working right, they are asked to sit and pay attention. Children naturally start fidgeting in order to get the movement their body so desperately needs and is not getting enough of to “turn their brain on.” What happens when the children start fidgeting? We ask them to sit still and pay attention; therefore, their brain goes back to “sleep.” - (Strauss, 2014)

Strauss, V. (2021, November 30). Why so many kids can't sit still in school today. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/08/why-so-many-kids-cant-sit-still-in-school-today/?arc404=true

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The Centers for Disease Control tells us that in recent years there has been a jump in the percentage of young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD: 7.8 percent in 2003 to 9.5 percent in 2007 and to 11 percent in 2011. The reasons for the rise are multiple, and include changes in diagnostic criteria, medication treatment and more awareness of the condition. In the following post, Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England, suggests yet another reason more children are being diagnosed with ADHD, whether or not they really have it: the amount of time kids are forced to sit while they are in school. This appeared on the TimberNook blog.

By Angela Hanscom

A perfect stranger pours her heart out to me over the phone. She complains that her 6-year-old son is unable to sit still in the classroom. The school wants to test him for ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder). This sounds familiar, I think to myself. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I've noticed that this is a fairly common problem today.

The mother goes on to explain how her son comes home every day with a yellow smiley face. The rest of his class goes home with green smiley faces for good behavior. Every day this child is reminded that his behavior is unacceptable, simply because he can't sit still for long periods of time.

The mother starts crying. "He is starting to say things like, 'I hate myself' and 'I'm no good at anything.'" This young boy's self-esteem is plummeting all because he needs to move more often.

Over the past decade, more and more children are being coded as having attention issues and possibly ADHD. A local elementary teacher tells me that at least eight of her twenty-two students have trouble paying attention on a good day. At the same time, children are expected to sit for longer periods of time. In fact, even kindergarteners are being asked to sit for thirty minutes during circle time at some schools.

The problem: children are constantly in an upright position these days. It is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, and spinning in circles just for fun. Merry-go-rounds and teeter-totters are a thing of the past. Recess times have shortened due to increasing educational demands, and children rarely play outdoors due to parental fears, liability issues, and the hectic schedules of modern-day society. Lets face it: Children are not nearly moving enough, and it is really starting to become a problem.

I recently observed a fifth grade classroom as a favor to a teacher. I quietly went in and took a seat towards the back of the classroom. The teacher was reading a book to the children and it was towards the end of the day. I've never seen anything like it. Kids were tilting back their chairs back at extreme angles, others were rocking their bodies back and forth, a few were chewing on the ends of their pencils, and one child was hitting a water bottle against her forehead in a rhythmic pattern.

This was not a special-needs classroom, but a typical classroom at a popular art-integrated charter school. My first thought was that the children might have been fidgeting because it was the end of the day and they were simply tired. Even though this may have been part of the problem, there was certainly another underlying reason.

We quickly learned after further testing, that most of the children in the classroom had poor core strength and balance. In fact, we tested a few other classrooms and found that when compared to children from the early 1980s, only one out of twelve children had normal strength and balance. Only one! Oh my goodness, I thought to myself. These children need to move!

Ironically, many children are walking around with an underdeveloped vestibular (balance) system today-due to restricted movement. In order to develop a strong balance system, children need to move their body in all directions, for hours at a time. Just like with exercising, they need to do this more than just once-a-week in order to reap the benefits. Therefore, having soccer practice once or twice a week is likely not enough movement for the child to develop a strong sensory system.

Children are going to class with bodies that are less prepared to learn than ever before. With sensory systems not quite working right, they are asked to sit and pay attention. Children naturally start fidgeting in order to get the movement their body so desperately needs and is not getting enough of to "turn their brain on." What happens when the children start fidgeting? We ask them to sit still and pay attention; therefore, their brain goes back to "sleep."

Fidgeting is a real problem. It is a strong indicator that children are not getting enough movement throughout the day. We need to fix the underlying issue. Recess times need to be extended and kids should be playing outside as soon as they get home from school. Twenty minutes of movement a day is not enough! They need hours of play outdoors in order to establish a healthy sensory system and to support higher-level attention and learning in the classroom.
In order for children to learn, they need to be able to pay attention. In order to pay attention, we need to let them move.
Here's a follow-up piece from the same author, titled, "The right - and surprisingly wrong - ways to get kids to sit still in class

More from Answer Sheet:
How hard is teaching? How much teachers get paid state to state LIST: Famous people who grew up with dyslexia

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Why so many kids can't sit still in school today

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The Centers for Disease Control tells us that in recent years there has been a jump in the percentage of young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD: 7.8 percent in 2003 to 9.5 percent in 2007 and to 11 percent in 2011.

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Flexible Seating is a student-centered approach, which allows students to decide where they want to sit in the classroom. Students can sit at desks, on exercise balls, on bean bag chairs, etc. With flexible seating, students are allowed to move and fidget, which gives them more movement opportunities throughout the day. Research has shown that students enjoy coming to school knowing they have flexible seating, student engagement increases and test scores have improved.

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Reimagining Classrooms: Teachers as Learners and Students as Leaders | Kayla Delzer | TEDxFargo

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Kinesthetic-Tactile Style

Like to make things with your hands

Remember best when you make things for your studies

Making something for a subject helps you understand better

Prefer making charts or posters for group projects to gathering the information

Remember spelling words better if you write them several times

Study Strategies

Use all the manipulative study strategies you can think of, for example:

Write

Make visuals (concept maps, time lines, charts, graphs

Make models

Use your fingers (e.g. for counting off items you are reviewing)

Prepare/use index cards

Use the movement of your body to increase attention to your study, for example:

Chew gum

Pace

Tap your foot or pencil

Study in a rocking chair

Look for participation activities with other students to enhance your learning

(Adapted from: Laskey, Marcia L. and Paula W. Gibson, College Study Strategies. Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 1997.)- taken from https://www.houghton.edu/current-students/center-for-student-success/academic-support-and-accessibility-services/study-advisement/general-study-information/kinesthetic-learning-style/

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Experiences and Movement Outside the Classroom

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Experiences and Movement Outside the Classroom

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Allow students what they will learn and encourage student-led projects. Teachers may find that learning will continue beyond the walls of the classroom.

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The power of student-driven learning: Shelley Wright at TEDxWestVancouverED

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Come up with ways for students to move while responding (thumbs up, thumbs down or standing to answer a question).

Move around during class discussions.
(Gallery Walks)

Move during independent work (getting assignment resources/supplies, move to ask teacher help, moving to different location for independent work).

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Over the past few years, more research has been done on the effects of movement and exercise on the brain. In recent images of brain scans that have been taken during 20 minutes of sitting quietly and 20 minutes of walking, there is a much higher level of brain functionality following the walking. We know that blood flow helps brain waves and brain function, and body movement helps blood flow.

If we want our students to be thinking, we need them to not sit for long periods of time. This can be challenging-sometimes students can be very wiggly and any type of movement around the room can disrupt the environment. Movement has to be taught, and there should be clear routines and procedures in place in order to make it effective for the learners.

Get Moving!

Here are some simple, easy, and quick ways to get students moving for brief periods throughout the instructional time:
1. Movement During a Student Response
Have students respond to a question or prompt by moving instead of just speaking or writing. For example, if they know the answer, they could:

Stand on one leg.

Stretch their hands up as high as they can up over their head.

Walk to a corner of the room (could be multiple choice with an option in each corner).

Stand up and do 3 jumping jacks.

Rub their hands together.

Sit on the floor.

You get the idea. These don't take any more work or time than raising hands. If you are a teacher who doesn't like to have students raise hands and call on students randomly, the same sorts of tools can be used-just individualize with the students.
2. Movement During Independent Work
Even though it seems a little counterintuitive, having students move while they should be working independently is a great idea. When it is time for students to work independently, there are different strategies for students to move while doing so.

The teacher can post independent work and creative locations. For example, the 10 questions on the quiz can be posted individually around the room and students could use a clipboard to circle around and answer the different questions. This gets them moving, walking, and thinking, but also gets the quiz accomplished. For many of our students, this is much better than just sitting at a desk.

If/when students need help, they can move around the room to get it. This could be moving to the teacher or moving to a location (like the IWB) to put their name on the list to get help. Instead of sitting in a stationary position, students can get a little movement break in as they wait for assistance.

These are just a few creative ways to get students moving while they are working on their own. Movement doesn't necessarily need to be noisy-if teachers plan to use these structures, they need to provide clear expectations about behavior and classroom climate.
3. Movement During Classroom Discussion
These are strategies that teachers can use when students are having a class discussion. Even though movement can sometimes be loud or distracting, these ideas can keep the discussion focused while allowing students to move.

The discussion could involve a game or a ball. For example, if all students stand in a circle and whoever is speaking has to be holding the ball, students could bounce the ball across the circle to each other. It can work like a talking stick, where the only person talking is the person with the ball.

Another idea would be to toss a bean bag from one speaker to another. This could happen like the ball, but in smaller groups passing the bean bag around more quickly. Bean bags are better for activities like this because the balls could (would) be flying around the room. Think of something like practicing math facts or spelling words-the rapid pace of tossing the bean bag from speaker to speaker keeps students engaged and thinking quickly.

Any type of "mixing" activities are great for classroom discussion, too. Students can circulate around and mingle until the teacher prompts them to stop. The students can question each other, getting their knowledge activated and learning from one another at the same time. After a few rounds of this, the whole group class discussion could be much richer and deeper, plus the students have been up and moving.

All of these facilitate discussion just like if they were sitting on their desk, but they include a component of engagement and fun along with movement.
As students move more in your classroom, they will think and perform better than ever. Want even more ideas for getting your students moving? Be sure to check out our indoor recess blog, which has same great recommendations for indoor movement.

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Incorporating Movement Into the Classroom

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Over the past few years, more research has been done on the effects of movement and exercise on the brain. In recent images of brain scans that have been taken during 20 minutes of sitting quietly and 20 minutes of walking, there is a much higher level of brain functionality following the walking.

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One of my favorite ways to incorporate movement in a lesson is to add a gesture or motion to vocabulary words or important concepts. For example, for the word “weathering,” the motion would be one hand making a chopping motion, representing wind or water chipping away at a rock. For “erosion,” the motion would be one hand moving like a wave, representing the movement of sediments from one place to another. Each time the students say the word, they do the gesture/motion. Having the connection between the word and the accompanying gesture helps students internalize the vocabulary.

Ferlazzo, L. (2021, March 5). Eight ways to use movement in Teaching & Learning (opinion). Education Week. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-eight-ways-to-use-movement-in-teaching-learning/2020/07

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Teacher Toolkit: Total Physical Response

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Simulations or skits are great student-centered tools.  In these, students demonstrate a concept with some kind of motion or interactivity.

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Classroom Simulations and Role-playing - Ask an Educator

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Songs are a really great way to teach concepts to students and incorporate movement as well.

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Integrating Music and Movement with Literacy Video Workshop for Teachers

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Not only are stations great for differentiated learning, but teachers can also incorporate movement in the individual learning activities as well as moving from station to station.

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Description

Summary: Download of 40 reproducible sensory motor activities that incorporate motor skills with learning language arts, reading, math, teamwork and cooperation.

Product Details:
E-Book: 90 pages
Language: English

LIST PRICE: $16.95 for digital edition $24.95 for print edition (print is in black and white)

Shipping: Free for electronic version OR $4.50 for print

Summary: This is an electronic book (90 pages) of over 40 activities that incorporate movement with learning. This book is an excellent tool for: direct group or individual therapy sessions, the consultant therapist, the traveling therapist and teachers to promote tactile kinesthetic learning.

Educational Sensory Motor Activities provides you with a great assortment of creative activities that are so easy to prepare. Simply copy the page and the activity is ready to go. Practice balance skills, coordination, fine motor skills, gross motor skills and sensory awareness all while learning academic material. Children will be entertained and motivated to participate while working on their motor skill and cognitive development. Educational Sensory Motor Activities is appropriate for children ages preschool through elementary school.

PREVIEW sample pages from book.
Table of Contents:

Language Arts and Reading Activities: Shape Finder Game, Action Cards, Action Verb Story Starters, Action Sentence Match Up, Animal Actions, Q&A Fitness Fun, Hands and Feet, 4 Sight Word Games, Laundry Letters, Bug Sightings, Pit Crew Challenge, Opposites, Walking Word Families,

Sensory Motor Mini Books: I Can!, The Pretend Parade, I Can Touch, I Like to Go.

Sensory Motor Math Activities: Jump Up, Up and Away, Action Patterns 1,2 and 3, Find the Action, Counting Animal Pockets, Motion Math, Dancing Dice, Graphing Dancing Dice, Flyswatter Facts, Balance Challenge, Math Football Fun, Fold It Over, Sporty Math, Sort It Out, Long Jump Math, Math Problem Mix Up.

Sensory Motor Activities for the Classroom: Energy Bulls Eye, Searching for Action, Motion Mystery, Partner Match Up, Secret Handshake, Fire Truck Fitness, Physical Puzzlers, and Pre-Work Pizza.

To purchase the download with credit card for $16.95 of Educational Sensory Motor Activities click on the ADD TO CART button. Following payment you will receive a link to download the book.

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Summary: Download of 40 reproducible sensory motor activities that incorporate motor skills with learning language arts, reading, math, teamwork and cooperation. Product Details: E-Book: 90 pages Language: English LIST PRICE: $16.95 for digital edition $24.95 for print edition (print is in black and white) Shipping: Free for electronic version OR $4.50 for print Summary: This is [...]

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Teachers can use quick guided movement breaks between subject instruction to get students moving.

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Brain Gym Exercises can be done at the start of class or before starting a new subject. This helps wake up your brain and improves learning.

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Some students may need to take a break when feeling overwhelmed, tired, sad, etc. Zones of Regulation is a social and emotional curriculum that incorporates how to identify the student's emotions and uses movements for self-regulation.

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Teach Kids to Manage Big Feelings Through Effective Social Emotional Learning

Over 80% of U.S. public schools reported in 2022 on the negative impact of the pandemic on child well-being and self-regulation. Kids are:

Struggling to manage their feelings and mental health

More disruptive in the classroom

Needing additional social, emotional, and behavioral support

(source: National Center for Education Statistics)

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The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created to teach children self-regulation and emotional control.

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Assigning classroom jobs for students is a wonderful way to encourage independence and to allow for functional movement breaks throughout the day. When students have to complete their classroom jobs, they are being responsible and usually getting in some physical activity and functional fine motor skill practice.

Yourtherapysource. (2021, February 22). Classroom jobs for students that require physical activity. Your Therapy Source. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2021/03/01/classroom-jobs-physical-activity/

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Assigning classroom jobs for students is a wonderful way to encourage independence and to allow for functional movement breaks throughout the day. When students have to complete their classroom jobs, they are being responsible and usually getting in some physical activity and functional fine motor skill practice.

All children benefit from physical activity throughout the school day. Whether it be brain breaks, multisensory lessons or recess, physical activity helps students get the brain ready for optimal learning. Classroom jobs or chores can also provide proprioceptive input (heavy work) that helps the nervous system to regulate.

List of Classroom Jobs for Students

Here are some suggestions for classroom job ideas for students that encourage physical activity, gross motor skills, fine motor skills and more!

Classroom messenger - student can walk throughout the school to deliver messages from the teacher to the office, other teachers, etc.

Team Mate - student can be a buddy for anyone who has to go on an errand.

Board Eraser - student is responsible to wash the whiteboards or chalkboards at the end of the day.

Sweeper - sweep the dust up off of the classroom floor.

Attendance Officer - walk around the room and check off the names of each student.

Window Watcher - student is responsible to open and close the shades.

Computer Technician - student turns on and off all of the computers. Help other students as needed with computer issues if able.

Door Monitor - push open and hold open doors for the students and staff.

Pencil Sharpener Classroom Job - great hand strengthening to sharpen all those pencils!

Line Leader - simply put LEAD the classroom line

Visual Supports: Schedules, Self-Regulation, & Classroom Inclusion

Caboose - be the last person in the classroom line

Garbage Collector - Bend over, squat or crawl to pick up all the larger items that the broom can not get.

Librarian - lift, carry, and organize the books in the classroom library.

Recycle Duty - check all recycle bins and bring to proper location to empty bins.

Paper Duty - pass out and/or collect papers for the teacher.

Book Duty - pass out and/or collect books for the teacher.

Chair Stacker Classroom Job - stack all the chairs at the end of the day.

Mail Duty - picks up mail from the teacher's mailbox in the office.

Desk Washer - wipes down the desks.

Organizing Officer - walks around the room and helps students keep their desks neat.

Phone Operator - gets up to answer the classroom phone when it rings.

Life Skills: Chores, Routines, and Responsibilities

Need More Ideas to Encourage Physical Activity Throughout the Day

Research has shown a positive association between 5-20 minute movement breaks in the classroom and cognitive skills, academic achievement, test scores, attitude and behavior. These quick movement breaks require no equipment and minimal space.

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Classroom Jobs for Students that Require Physical Activity

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Assigning classroom jobs for students is a wonderful way to encourage independence and to allow for functional movement breaks throughout the day. When students have to complete their classroom jobs, they are being responsible and usually getting in some physical activity and functional fine motor skill practice.

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This is a great cooperative learning strategy where each student in a group takes responsibility for one part of the content and then teaches it to rest of the group members.

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This is how a MS Math class can look like when student-centered approaches require collaboration.

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Student-Centered Learning – In the Middle School

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Choice-boards serves like a menu of options for students to choose how they want to learn a concept or present their learnings at the end of the lesson.

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This strategy involves student first thinking on their own and then pairing up and discussing with a partner before taking their understanding to a bigger group. I use this a lot in English and Science classes.

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Think Pair Share - Instructional Strategy Overview and Examples

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This discussion technique gives students the opportunity to respond to questions in written form before engaging in meaningful conversation with other students. Asking students to write and discuss ideas with a partner before sharing with the larger group builds confidence, encourages greater participation, and results in more thoughtful discussions.

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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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Priya

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Priya - Use of Ed-tech tools like Flipgrid, Loom etc. where students can record and share their learning gives them the flexibility to present their work from the comfort of their space, editing as many times as they want, including their creativity into it. This is different from writing a test/exam that only brings out their memorization of concepts and not other skill sets like creativity, collaboration etc. Also, peer comments on their work enhances collaboration among the students and probably bring forth the concepts that they might have missed on their own.

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Use of Apple TVs and Projectors - By Priya 

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Use of Apple TVs and Projectors - By Priya 

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My school has the facility of Apple TVs and Projectors in most classes. It helps in projecting and sharing students' or teachers' work easily with the entire class. Teachers can also display Rubrics for assessments easily and explain it to whole class.

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Biology class at my school received Microscopes with tablets installed with Motic App this year. It gives student the ease of viewing their specimen on bigger screen and also sharing via Bluetooth with their teachers or peers. This gives them the choice to learn about Microscopes and also to share the learning in collaborative way.

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Use of Schoology and Google classroom as LMS-By Priya  

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Use of Schoology and Google classroom as LMS-By Priya  

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My school uses Schoology and Google classrooms as its LMS. Students and Teachers can access all assignments, resources, assessments at one place. They can interact freely and work in collaboration by posting on Discussion Forums and Peer reviews and comments. Sora is also used as on online library platform. Students and teachers can check-out books that are not available physically in Library.

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Providing Options of work stations including technology - By Priya 

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Providing Options of work stations including technology - By Priya 

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Here is a picture from one of the Physics class of 7th grade learning about Sound. We created different work stations like the one showed here. Students can rotate and get hands-on experience by pushing the ruler down to create sound waves that are recorded by motion sensor sitting underneath it. It collects the data and show it on a computer connected to the motion sensor via bluetooth. This looks very different from my classroom when I was in 7th grade learning about sound. I had just notebook and textbook and a teacher giving lecture and expecting me to memorize every word.

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Rubric scales give students the clarity about what is expected and what scores they get for different categories. Students have the choice to work in the way they want but they also understand why they are getting the scores they are getting when Rubric is attached to the assignments. eg. we have been doing lot of Rubric linked assignments in our program so far and it clearly lays out in front of me what are the expectations for the different scores. I can then chose to work and devote my time accordingly.

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I would like to include a variety of parameters to assess the student's learning like the way we have been doing in our program too. eg. the Activity 1 in this module require us to think critically to frame the questions, collaboration and working together to retrieve the information from students and teachers, analyzing that information to sieve out new strategies for my class and using ed-tech tool like Vlog to present my work. Through this entire activity, I'll be assessed on so many skills like critical thinking, retrieving information, strategy planning and multimedia usage.

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My learning plan does not need to look alike for the entire class. I can differentiate it based on needs of individual students. The inventory from "Getting to know you" survey at the beginning of the year will give me my starting line. I can then come up with personalized learning plans for each student or groups of students. It needs to be competency based where students can move at their own pace to next level only when they have mastered the previous level.

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Lot of teachers at my school use pre and post assessment before beginning a new unit and at the end of the unit. This kind of assessment continuum helps students and teachers to see students' progress rather than comparing it with standard class scores.

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Learning portals like IXL and Khan Academy- By Priya 

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Learning portals like IXL and Khan Academy- By Priya 

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IXL and Khan Academy addresses the differentiation needs of different learners. Teachers can assign different levels of activities to different students and each can work at their own pace and take their own time to master the skill before moving to a higher level. This provides student centered learning opportunity to address the differentiation needs of a class.

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Work stations and Treasure Hunts- By Priya 

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Work stations and Treasure Hunts- By Priya 

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One of the Physics teacher at my school uses lots of work stations and Treasure Hunt activities in almost every class. These give the students the opportunity to work at their own pace, moving around the school or classroom the way they want while learning the lesson.

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This strategy gives the opportunity to include movement in the classrooms or outside. Students think about a topic and then pair up with someone before bringing the discussion to the entire class. They can think inside the class, then pair up with someone in some other part of a classroom before presenting it to whole class either in an open area outside the classroom or in the conference room/theater.

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Students can choose to read a book in their book club. All students read the same book and think about something from the book. They then pair with someone and discuss the topic with them before presenting it to whole class. It can enhance their reading comprehension, listening and communicating skills.

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Students can learn different skills through Collaborative Reading.

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Collaborative Reading: Building Successful Readers Together

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I have seen this mostly in Elementary classes at my school.

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Learner Centered Literacy:  Owning Their Own Reading

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Tips that teachers can use to help their students become a better reader including:
1) Goal oriented - students know the purpose of why they are reading and will adapt based on their needs
2) Understanding the text - strong readers will be able to comprehend what the author is trying to convey
3) Monitor their understanding - students will use the reading material to gauge their comprehension
4) Reading differently - based on the reading level, students can change the way they read
5) Adjust strategies - if the reading material is above their level, students will adjust to understand the information better
6) Actively engaged - students will want to interact with the texts beyond the material

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Ultimate Guide  to Reading Comprehension For Teachers

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When looking at reading comprehension, it is important for teachers to be aware of the following qualities of a good reader.

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"Earlier this spring, I toured the renovated high school, about 6 years after it was completed. I saw students working individually and in groups, in breakout rooms, in hallways, and throughout the classrooms. The math department chair told me about students working out math problems on every available writing surface, including desks, the marker surfaces, and even on windows.

My site tour showed a school where spatial design, technology and furniture combined to enhance individualized student learning."- (Williams, 2018)

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At a CTO summit this summer, I joined a group of educators discussing the effect of spatial design and furniture selection on learning. It was clear that attempts to influence learning by changes to spaces and furniture had not always met with success. One tech director described how the new flexible furniture was still being arranged in the same uniform rows as the old table-arm desks. He was frustrated that the time and effort to remodel the space appeared to have been wasted.

The facilitator in the CTO discussion, Maureen Miller, has not yet had the opportunity to fully renovate all classrooms at Winnetka School District 39, in Illinois (the District is just completing an educational facilities master plan). However, her district was successful in encouraging students and teachers to innovate and modify their current spaces. The district has given away design grants for teachers to modify their spaces and furniture. Maureen shared that teachers have implemented improvements like flexible furniture and marker boards on horizontal rails, to enable the existing spaces to be more adaptable.

When I visited this Maureen's district a few years back, there was a sense of excitement from students. I saw examples of students energetically attacking unstructured problems and taking ownership in their learning assignments. Two of her students recently served as panelists at Tech and Learning Live Chicago.

A school renovation project I was involved in underscores the role of spatial design in supporting instructional practice. In addition to my District CIO role at a past school district, I was also the building committee co-chair for a complete high school renovation.

As the building design team grappled with the possibilities for technology, furniture and spatial layout of classrooms, we decided to create prototypical classrooms. Teachers could sign up and use the prototypical classrooms, have their classes experiment with audio-visual technology, and try out student desks, student chairs and teacher furniture. They could also check out a breakout room for small-group discussion.

Student and teacher feedback influenced the selection of student desks, chairs and the teacher's station. The labs also helped the design team to refine the materials for the room, ultimately settling on full-height marker surface on two walls, and tackable surface on a third wall.

Earlier this spring, I toured the renovated high school, about 6 years after it was completed. I saw students working individually and in groups, in breakout rooms, in hallways, and throughout the classrooms. The math department chair told me about students working out math problems on every available writing surface, including desks, the marker surfaces, and even on windows.

My site tour showed a school where spatial design, technology and furniture combined to enhance individualized student learning. What made this deployment successful when others in my summer discussion were still looking for results? From my experiences in this district, I know that individualized student learning was already taking place before the renovation. In discussing this question with the math department chair, he remarked that the push for individualized learning was really driven by the classroom teachers, with leadership by department heads, and strong support from curriculum and administration. Classroom teachers were ready for the renovation because they had already been planting the seed of innovative instruction in the existing high school.

Winston Churchill said, "we shape our buildings and afterward they shape us." However, Churchill was referring to how to rebuild the House of Commons, which had been badly bombed at the end of the Battle of Britain, during World War II. He worried that if the shape of the House of Commons were changed by expansion, it would change the look and feel of the proceedings there. He was not trying to create a new type of behavior. In his mind, the crowded, intimate setting of the House of Commons meeting room encouraged the kind of healthy debate that was already taking place there. He felt that debate was essential to Great Britain's democratic process and should be sustained.

In the same way, I think the redesigned high school I visited was encouraging the type of healthy instruction that was already taking place there. A new school design would not necessarily have led to new instructional methods, but the new design did make it easier for teachers to allow students to flourish.

Wherever you are at in the design and renovation process, I encourage you to develop a wholistic approach to your thinking about the elements of technology, furniture and spatial design. Start with your instructional direction, then use of all three elements to foster the type of instruction your district desires. While these elements by themselves will not generate changes in instructional practice, they will certainly provide the soil to nurture best-practice instruction, to the ultimate benefit of your students.
Craig Williams has 30 years of experience working with schools, focused primarily on providing visionary consulting and support. A former school CIO, Craig emphasizes pragmatic improvement in all areas of IT, from internal infrastructure, to effective instructional software and public-facing technologies. He is the Director of Infrastructure Consulting Services for Client First Consulting Group (www.clientfirstcg.com).

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How Classroom Design, Technology and Furniture Can Enhance Student Learning

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At a CTO summit this summer, I joined a group of educators discussing the effect of spatial design and furniture selection on learning. It was clear that attempts to influence learning by changes to spaces and furniture had not always met with success.

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What are some student-centered approaches or techniques that are based on or require collaboration? Wakelet. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://wakelet.com/wake/7Qb4X_6onIKViqksmn_wJ

staff, E. (n.d.). An introduction to using choice boards. Edpuzzle Blog. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://blog.edpuzzle.com/teaching-today/an-introduction-to-using-choice-boards/

cultofpedagogy, C. of P. (2015, April 15). The jigsaw method. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhtXUgBEts&feature=youtu.be

Bright , M. (2020, May 20). Choice boards. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://youtu.be/m_ZJVxoV3yg

Think-pair-share. the. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/think-pair-share

Miller, A. (2015, September 2). Using assessment to create student-centered learning. Edutopia. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller

simpleshowfoundation, simpleshowfoundation. (2018, May 18). Using technology in the classroom. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug_LK98NcVk

EngageCRschools, E. C. R. (2015, August 11). Learner Centered Assessment. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuIbvaZXG88

Sfarnsworth, S. (2018, August 15). 4 edtech ways to differentiate in a student-centered classroom. Shaelynn Farnsworth. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2018/02/05/4-edtech-ways-to-differentiate-in-a-student-centered-classroom/

edutopia, edutopia. (2019, March 28). Collaborative reading: Building successful readers together. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNV8baJGdWU

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Why is Collaboration Important? - T. Hom

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Why is Collaboration Important? - T. Hom

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Benefits of collaboration:

Helps promote student centered learning and allows students to explore real problems.

Allows different perspectives of the same problem and fosters potential new ideas.

Possibly allows students to achieve a higher understand of the material or subject.

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I teach small classes of around 16 students. I like to do pair work and group work. I usually have the desk arranged in pods of 4. The students work together in groups this way. At the beginning of class, I let the students form their groups of four and assign a group leader, then they name their team. Depending on the activity, the students in groups assign each other roles, like one person is the writer, another is the presenter, another is the scorekeeper, another is the researcher as in they are the only group member with access to the book or computer. That way the groups naturally work together to complete their tasks.

The students also have access to the smart board. Usually one member of a group will be assigned as their smart board operator. The smart board may have something like class dojo up for points that I let the students keep track of (so they can encourage each other or self-police).

I also find simple things like mini white boards etc can encourage student centered activities, such as having a researcher find the answer, the writer write the answer, and the runner to show me the answer to see if they got to the right place or need to investigate farther.

For online classes, I think zoom and breakout rooms work well enough. I also like to use the digital white board and chat to allow to students to share with each other.

Ideally, I think I classroom has enough space for the students to form groups. Access to hands-on technology they can use. And assignments have tasks that can be assigned to individual group members that nudge the entire unit to work together.

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Seating Arrangements. I usually lean towards of four. Pair seating is also good. But seating arrangement in general can really affect how students interact with the classroom. - Jason

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Seating Arrangements. I usually lean towards of four. Pair seating is also good. But seating arrangement in general can really affect how students interact with the classroom. - Jason

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One activity I like doing in my classroom is called long time no see. Students stand up and find a partner. Each student has a question, a hint, and an answer. They raise their hand if they don't have a partner. When they find a partner they greet each other with, "Long time no see," then they ask their question to the partner. If the partner can't answer the question they give them the hint and see if they can answer. Once both students have answered the questions, they trade their slips of paper and raise their hands to find new partners that way every student can ask questions and answer questions to each other. The slips of paper are simple. They're basically this.

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One way I incorporate student centered learning into my classrooms is by having various jobs for group members. Maybe the groups have to answer open ended questions. So only one student in a group can use the book, another student has to write the answers, another student checks for mistakes--grammar, spelling, etc. And another student presents their findings to me the teacher and/or the other groups.

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“Learner-Centred Assessment | Centre for Teaching Excellence.” Centre for Teaching Excellence, 27 June 2017, uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/assessing-student-work/grading-and-feedback/learner-centred-assessment.

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Assessment is an integral part of your course design. Carefully planned assessments ensure that the time your students spend on assessments is meaningful in terms of enhancing their learning and/or providing them with an opportunity to receive feedback; and that the time you spend reviewing and responding to their assessments provides you with a meaningful measure of their learning.

Here are five suggestions to help you when planning assessment:

Consider what you want your students to learn and tell them

Effective assessment practices begin when you can complete the following sentence: "By the end of the course, I want my students to be able to ..." Concrete verbs such as "define," "argue," "solve," and "create" are more helpful for course planning than vague verbs such as "know" or "understand" or passive verbs such as "be exposed to." If you write, "I want students to think like kinesiologists," elaborate on what that means. How does a kinesiologist think? Which aspects of that thinking do you want to cultivate in your students? Be as specific as possible and the students will be much more likely to reach the intended learning outcomes of the course. And remember to put these learning outcomes on your course outline and assignments. For ideas on wording your learning outcomes, see the CTE Teaching Tips " Matching Assignments to the Level of Study" and " Writing Learning Outcomes."

Select assignments and tests that measure what you value most

Because grading is perhaps one of the most labour-intensive things that instructors do, why spend time grading work that does not address your most important goals? Try to ensure that your tests, exams, and assignments will teach and test the knowledge and skills that you most want students to learn. And throughout your course, teach students how to answer the kinds of questions that you will ask on tests and assignments. Help them prepare by asking them exam-type questions in class and encouraging them to answer by saying, "If I asked you this question on an exam, could you answer it?" Other main ideas to consider are as follows:

Choose assessment methods that elicit from your students the kind of learning that you want to measure. A combination of careful forethought, knowledge of your own students, and analysis of their work are the keys here. For example, if you teach math problems, you may want students to demonstrate their ability to solve problems and explain the process. Putting too much emphasis on getting the right answers can take away from the goals. So consider adding the following requirement to some of your assignments and exams: have students draw a vertical line down the centre of their page, dividing it into two columns. In one column they solve the problem, and in the other, they write sentences for each step to explain what they did and why.

Also consider carefully how you label assignments and tests and how your students may interpret those labels. If you ask for a "term paper" but really want a literature review, your students will not complete the assignment you had hoped for. Make your assumptions clear in classes and on your course outline and/or assignment description. And be sure to teach students how to complete the task at hand; if a literature review is new to them, spend some time teaching them how to write one.

Finally, think about your use of "traditional" assessment methods and ask yourself how much students really need to do in order to achieve your goals. For exampl, an instructor of political science has his students construct a set of research questions, compile an annotated bibliography, and write the introduction, but they never write the whole paper. For him, this abbreviated version of a traditional assignment helps students learn what he most wants them to learn.

The most important point is that a test or an assignment is a valid measurement only if it will elicit from your students the kind of learning you want to measure.

Choose assessment methods that are interesting and challenging to your students. The type of assignments and tests that you administer will influence your students' motivation (Baird, 1987; Lowman 1995, 1996). Consider creative kinds of assignments without being carried away by something "flashy" or "trendy" that doesn't really meet your needs. For example, an American historian might ask her students to write diary entries for a hypothetical Nebraska farm woman in the 1890s. He likes this assignment because it requires that students know about economics, social class, transportation, gender roles, technology, family relations, religion, diet, and so on, yet it also gives students a chance to exercise their imaginations. He finds that if he is explicit that they use the diary to display the breadth of their historical knowledge, the assignment achieves his learning goals in an enjoyable way. See the CTE teaching tip on "Types of Assignments and Tests."

Use peer collaboration. One obvious advantage of group assignments is that you have fewer assignments to grade, but collaborative assignments can also have strong pedagogical and motivational advantages. One benefit is the power of peer instruction. Astin (1996) summarizes his comprehensive study of factors that influence college students' learning: "The strongest single source of influence on cognitive and affective development (in college) is the student's peer group ... the study strongly suggests that the peer group is powerful because it has the capacity to involve the student more intensely in the educational experience" (pg. 126). Assignments that encourage student involvement with one another and with you as the instructor may draw on this powerful force. Further, when well managed, collaborative work can increase students' sense of their own control and power in the classroom (Perry, Menec, and Struthers, 1996). When poorly managed, however, collaborative assignments can decrease students' sense of control and increase their anxiety and anger. Careful planning and guidance of students is crucial to success. The most important principle to remember is that successful group assignments are those that can be better done by a group than by an individual student. It is crucial that students understand why they are participating in a group project rather than completing the assignment on their own. If you do that, the group's motivation to work together, solve group tensions, and deal effectively with non-participating members will be strong.

Don't be hyper-corrective. Instead, focus on key content when you are evaluating work, and circle mistakes rather than fix them. If you really want students to learn from their mistakes, help them identify one problem at a time.

Construct an assessment skeleton

Once you have chosen assessment methods and their general features, the next step is to combine all your tests and assignments into a bare-bones assessment "skeleton." This skeleton helps you see whether your assignments and tests fit both yours and your students' course goals and whether they are manageable in terms of workload. Ask yourself: "Is the workload reasonable, strategically placed, and sustainable?" The rest of the course outline can then be structured to help students learn what they need to know if they are to do well on the tests and assignments. For more information about course design, refer to the CTE teaching tip, " Course Design Heuristic".

Collaborate with your students to set and achieve goals

Your goals as an instructor are not the only ones in your classroom. Your students' goals are also very powerful. An understanding of those goals is crucial to designing effective assessment methods because if the instructor and students are on different wavelengths, the students might not complete the assignments in the way the instructor planned.

Student input can come in varying degrees. Try asking the students on the first day you meet with them what they think the purpose of the course is and what they want to learn from it. You may ask them to record their personal learning goals for the course and some strategies by which they can accomplish those goals. Alternatively, ask them to recall the most successful course they've had in the past. What assessment methods worked for them there? Can they use or adapt these strategies for your class? Some instructors even wait to finalize their goals and course outline until after meeting with their students once or twice so that the students can help set the course goals. However, the input that you allow the students can also be somewhat minimal, for example, allowing them to decide whether they would like an assignment to be worth 10% or 20%. If you take the liberty of establishing the goals without direct student input, you should still be somewhat flexible because each cohort of students will be different: do not assume that the same goals and methods will work equally well with any group. The degree of collaboration that is acceptable will vary across disciplines and institutions, but the bottom line is that it is very important to know the types of goals your students have in order to create assessment methods that will motivate them to learn.

Make assignment and test instructions clear to students.

How can we assess learning when students define the task in different ways? Once you have assignments and tests that assess what you most want your students to learn, you need to ensure that your instructions for the assignment are clear to your students. Tell the students what you are looking for by means of a rubric or by providing examples. Sometimes it is also useful to ask for stages of the assignment along the way (for example, an essay proposal/outline or a scientific hypothesis) to ensure that students are on the right track. Remember that with sketchy or ambiguous instructions, you risk having students draw on previous learning that may not be relevant or desirable in your situation. Help them to succeed by being as clear as possible and limit both student and instructor frustrations.

These suggestions will help you to create learner-centred assessment methods and are applicable to all disciplines. Remember that the most important thing is to choose assessment methods that will assess the type of learning you are trying to achieve in your course. That means that the methods that other instructors before you have used are not necessarily the only way or the best way to assess. It is all right to step outside your own comfort zone and outside what has traditionally been done if you feel that an alternative assessment method will serve your students' and your interests and goals better. Even if you are a new instructor, remember that you have spent many years as a student and therefore have information and experiences that will guide you in this process. Reflect on those experiences and decide if you want to do what you experienced and use those experiences in your own assessment design or whether you want to change the way you assess. If you do think change is necessary, ask yourself why and how you will change things.
(Adapted in part from Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment.)
Support

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

References

McMillan, James H (ed.), New Directions For Teaching and Learning: Assessing Student's Learning, 34 (Summer, 1988).

Miller, Allen H., Bradford W. Imrie and Kevin Cox, Student Assessment in Higher Education: A Handbook for Assessing Performance, London: Kogan Page, 1998, LB 3060.32.C74M54x 1998.

Neff, Rose Ann and Maryellen Weimer (eds.), Teaching College: Collected Readings for the New Instructor, Madison, Wisconsin: Magna Publications Inc., 1990, LB 2331.T33 1990.

Newble, David and Robert Cannon, A Handbook for Teachers in Universities and Colleges: A Guide to Improving Teaching Methods (Third Edition), London: Kogan Page, 1995, LB 2331.N43 1995.

Walvoord, Barbara E., and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998, LB 2368.W35 1998.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Learner centred-assessment. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

Assessment is an integral part of your course design. Carefully planned assessments ensure that the time your students spend on assessments is meaningful in terms of enhancing their learning and/or providing them with an opportunity to receive feedback; and that the time you spend reviewing and responding to their assessments provides you with a meaningful measure of their learning.

Here are five suggestions to help you when planning assessment:

Consider what you want your students to learn and tell them

Effective assessment practices begin when you can complete the following sentence: "By the end of the course, I want my students to be able to ..." Concrete verbs such as "define," "argue," "solve," and "create" are more helpful for course planning than vague verbs such as "know" or "understand" or passive verbs such as "be exposed to." If you write, "I want students to think like kinesiologists," elaborate on what that means. How does a kinesiologist think? Which aspects of that thinking do you want to cultivate in your students? Be as specific as possible and the students will be much more likely to reach the intended learning outcomes of the course. And remember to put these learning outcomes on your course outline and assignments. For ideas on wording your learning outcomes, see the CTE Teaching Tips " Matching Assignments to the Level of Study" and " Writing Learning Outcomes."

Select assignments and tests that measure what you value most

Because grading is perhaps one of the most labour-intensive things that instructors do, why spend time grading work that does not address your most important goals? Try to ensure that your tests, exams, and assignments will teach and test the knowledge and skills that you most want students to learn. And throughout your course, teach students how to answer the kinds of questions that you will ask on tests and assignments. Help them prepare by asking them exam-type questions in class and encouraging them to answer by saying, "If I asked you this question on an exam, could you answer it?" Other main ideas to consider are as follows:

Choose assessment methods that elicit from your students the kind of learning that you want to measure. A combination of careful forethought, knowledge of your own students, and analysis of their work are the keys here. For example, if you teach math problems, you may want students to demonstrate their ability to solve problems and explain the process. Putting too much emphasis on getting the right answers can take away from the goals. So consider adding the following requirement to some of your assignments and exams: have students draw a vertical line down the centre of their page, dividing it into two columns. In one column they solve the problem, and in the other, they write sentences for each step to explain what they did and why.

Also consider carefully how you label assignments and tests and how your students may interpret those labels. If you ask for a "term paper" but really want a literature review, your students will not complete the assignment you had hoped for. Make your assumptions clear in classes and on your course outline and/or assignment description. And be sure to teach students how to complete the task at hand; if a literature review is new to them, spend some time teaching them how to write one.

Finally, think about your use of "traditional" assessment methods and ask yourself how much students really need to do in order to achieve your goals. For exampl, an instructor of political science has his students construct a set of research questions, compile an annotated bibliography, and write the introduction, but they never write the whole paper. For him, this abbreviated version of a traditional assignment helps students learn what he most wants them to learn.

The most important point is that a test or an assignment is a valid measurement only if it will elicit from your students the kind of learning you want to measure.

Choose assessment methods that are interesting and challenging to your students. The type of assignments and tests that you administer will influence your students' motivation (Baird, 1987; Lowman 1995, 1996). Consider creative kinds of assignments without being carried away by something "flashy" or "trendy" that doesn't really meet your needs. For example, an American historian might ask her students to write diary entries for a hypothetical Nebraska farm woman in the 1890s. He likes this assignment because it requires that students know about economics, social class, transportation, gender roles, technology, family relations, religion, diet, and so on, yet it also gives students a chance to exercise their imaginations. He finds that if he is explicit that they use the diary to display the breadth of their historical knowledge, the assignment achieves his learning goals in an enjoyable way. See the CTE teaching tip on "Types of Assignments and Tests."

Use peer collaboration. One obvious advantage of group assignments is that you have fewer assignments to grade, but collaborative assignments can also have strong pedagogical and motivational advantages. One benefit is the power of peer instruction. Astin (1996) summarizes his comprehensive study of factors that influence college students' learning: "The strongest single source of influence on cognitive and affective development (in college) is the student's peer group ... the study strongly suggests that the peer group is powerful because it has the capacity to involve the student more intensely in the educational experience" (pg. 126). Assignments that encourage student involvement with one another and with you as the instructor may draw on this powerful force. Further, when well managed, collaborative work can increase students' sense of their own control and power in the classroom (Perry, Menec, and Struthers, 1996). When poorly managed, however, collaborative assignments can decrease students' sense of control and increase their anxiety and anger. Careful planning and guidance of students is crucial to success. The most important principle to remember is that successful group assignments are those that can be better done by a group than by an individual student. It is crucial that students understand why they are participating in a group project rather than completing the assignment on their own. If you do that, the group's motivation to work together, solve group tensions, and deal effectively with non-participating members will be strong.

Don't be hyper-corrective. Instead, focus on key content when you are evaluating work, and circle mistakes rather than fix them. If you really want students to learn from their mistakes, help them identify one problem at a time.

Construct an assessment skeleton

Once you have chosen assessment methods and their general features, the next step is to combine all your tests and assignments into a bare-bones assessment "skeleton." This skeleton helps you see whether your assignments and tests fit both yours and your students' course goals and whether they are manageable in terms of workload. Ask yourself: "Is the workload reasonable, strategically placed, and sustainable?" The rest of the course outline can then be structured to help students learn what they need to know if they are to do well on the tests and assignments. For more information about course design, refer to the CTE teaching tip, " Course Design Heuristic".

Collaborate with your students to set and achieve goals

Your goals as an instructor are not the only ones in your classroom. Your students' goals are also very powerful. An understanding of those goals is crucial to designing effective assessment methods because if the instructor and students are on different wavelengths, the students might not complete the assignments in the way the instructor planned.

Student input can come in varying degrees. Try asking the students on the first day you meet with them what they think the purpose of the course is and what they want to learn from it. You may ask them to record their personal learning goals for the course and some strategies by which they can accomplish those goals. Alternatively, ask them to recall the most successful course they've had in the past. What assessment methods worked for them there? Can they use or adapt these strategies for your class? Some instructors even wait to finalize their goals and course outline until after meeting with their students once or twice so that the students can help set the course goals. However, the input that you allow the students can also be somewhat minimal, for example, allowing them to decide whether they would like an assignment to be worth 10% or 20%. If you take the liberty of establishing the goals without direct student input, you should still be somewhat flexible because each cohort of students will be different: do not assume that the same goals and methods will work equally well with any group. The degree of collaboration that is acceptable will vary across disciplines and institutions, but the bottom line is that it is very important to know the types of goals your students have in order to create assessment methods that will motivate them to learn.

Make assignment and test instructions clear to students.

How can we assess learning when students define the task in different ways? Once you have assignments and tests that assess what you most want your students to learn, you need to ensure that your instructions for the assignment are clear to your students. Tell the students what you are looking for by means of a rubric or by providing examples. Sometimes it is also useful to ask for stages of the assignment along the way (for example, an essay proposal/outline or a scientific hypothesis) to ensure that students are on the right track. Remember that with sketchy or ambiguous instructions, you risk having students draw on previous learning that may not be relevant or desirable in your situation. Help them to succeed by being as clear as possible and limit both student and instructor frustrations.

These suggestions will help you to create learner-centred assessment methods and are applicable to all disciplines. Remember that the most important thing is to choose assessment methods that will assess the type of learning you are trying to achieve in your course. That means that the methods that other instructors before you have used are not necessarily the only way or the best way to assess. It is all right to step outside your own comfort zone and outside what has traditionally been done if you feel that an alternative assessment method will serve your students' and your interests and goals better. Even if you are a new instructor, remember that you have spent many years as a student and therefore have information and experiences that will guide you in this process. Reflect on those experiences and decide if you want to do what you experienced and use those experiences in your own assessment design or whether you want to change the way you assess. If you do think change is necessary, ask yourself why and how you will change things.
(Adapted in part from Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment.)
Support

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

References

McMillan, James H (ed.), New Directions For Teaching and Learning: Assessing Student's Learning, 34 (Summer, 1988).

Miller, Allen H., Bradford W. Imrie and Kevin Cox, Student Assessment in Higher Education: A Handbook for Assessing Performance, London: Kogan Page, 1998, LB 3060.32.C74M54x 1998.

Neff, Rose Ann and Maryellen Weimer (eds.), Teaching College: Collected Readings for the New Instructor, Madison, Wisconsin: Magna Publications Inc., 1990, LB 2331.T33 1990.

Newble, David and Robert Cannon, A Handbook for Teachers in Universities and Colleges: A Guide to Improving Teaching Methods (Third Edition), London: Kogan Page, 1995, LB 2331.N43 1995.

Walvoord, Barbara E., and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998, LB 2368.W35 1998.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Learner centred-assessment. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learner-Centred Assessment | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Assessment is an integral part of your course design.

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You can use assessment to find out what students excel at and what they stumble on. Then you can pair students together so they can help each overcome their stumbling blocks.

The more you know about your students the better able you'll be to teach them, because you'll know what they're lacking and it's especially helpful if you can let the students teach each other the things they're good at.

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Set Expectations: If students know what they're expected to do, they can create a path together to get there.

Let the students monitor each others progress, so they can help each other if they see someone falling behind or if they're behind they get help from their peers.

Let the students correct each other and give feedback to each other.

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Student-centered assessments (SCAs) can be a valuable tool for educational institutions and classrooms, enabling students to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, while moving toward goals mutually agreed upon by teacher and learner. Setting objective standards for learning performance - beyond grades - is an effective way to empower students to take ownership in their own academic growth.

Features Define Student-Centered Assessments

Student-centered assessments help ensure that students are actively engaged in their learning trajectories by encouraging them to critique their own work and identify areas of progress and areas needing improvement. Putting this ownership on students promotes sustainable, self-regulated learning. Students who are highly involved in their development and accountable to agreed-upon objectives tend to learn more and perform better in school than students who do not (Zimmerman & Schunk 2011).

SCAs allow teachers to customize goals to different groups of students, factoring in what types of objectives will work best to foster motivation, meaningful learning, and retention. The process of coming to a mutual agreement and putting specific learning outcomes in course syllabi and assignments also helps to ensure that goals are consistent across the class.

3 Steps for Creating Effective Student-Centered Assessments:

1. Set clear goals: Teachers and students mutually agree to performance goals and how they will be defined and measured for each task. Action verbs like "define," "create," "argue," or "solve" are often incorporated. Goals go beyond objective right and wrong answers. Students should be able to explain a process or apply what they have learned. In algebra, for example, students may be required to not only provide the right answers but to show and explain their process. Rubrics can be an effective assessment mechanism in support of setting concrete, comprehensive goals while helping students understand the standards and expectations.

2. Monitor and measure progress: Students monitor their progress and performance on assignments by objectively comparing their work to expectations and asking themselves tough questions: Am I able to argue for x, or solve for y? Even if I have the right answer, did I reach it using a reliable process? In this stage, students make notes about what is necessary for their own continued improvement.

3. Revise: At this point, the student and instructor meet to discuss paths toward completing the agreed-upon objectives, taking into account student progress and what learning methods have been most and least effective. This step integrates assessing performance, evaluating learning methods, and gauging motivation.

The Differences Between Student-Centered and Traditional Assessments

Student-centered assessments allow the learner to practice skills and review concepts as they move through the course or program. For educators, institutions, and states, SCAs provide feedback summative assessments sometimes miss. Used over time, SCAs provide a clearer picture of knowledge gaps, which teaching methods are most effective, and how to optimize teaching approaches for different types of learners. This is why student-centered assessments often help to improve attainment gaps in lower-performing schools. When used in combination with a digital assessment platform, these assessments can help educators monitor performance through categorical analysis, while also providing the learner with helpful understanding of their own progress.

Formal tests, final exams, final projects, and term papers are examples of summative assessments. SCAs differ from these traditional assessments, which summarize the development of learners at a specific time, by considering progress at various intervals. Summative assessments are usually compared to an established standard and graded against that standard; whereas student-centered assessments measure capabilities against a comprehensive set of established goals. SCAs also tend to capture the student's thought process, such as how a problem is approached, rather than just the answer. That differentiator makes student-centered assessments effective for developing reliable methods of learning and promote higher-order thinking.

3 Types of Student-Centered Assessments

Peer assessments - Peer assessment methods allow students to give feedback to one another, supported by set expectations and a standard of constructive criticism. This type of assessment harnesses the student's desire to meet the expectations of their peers and allows them to hold one another accountable for shared success. In this way, peer assessments improve engagement and retention.

According to Dr. Alexander W. Astin's 1996 study, "Involvement in Learning Revisited: Lessons We Have Learned", factors that influence college students' learning: "The strongest single source of influence on cognitive and affective development is the student's peer group ... it has the capacity to involve the student more intensely..."

Process portfolios - Portfolios collected throughout a semester or program demonstrate progress in learning, from novice to master. A single assignment or test only shows a snapshot of learning. The process of continuous work, progress, and learning also increases student engagement and self-discipline. This works through reflection on how successfully completed assignments contribute to attaining performance goals.

Exhibitions - This method raises the anticipation for a culminating academic moment. The exhibition itself, such as a presentation, is usually a summative assessment, but the work leading up to it includes ongoing assessment, feedback, and revision. Having a climactic goal enhances the motivational effects of SCAs.

Are Certain Subjects More Suitable to Student-Centered Assessment?

The nature of student-centered assessments helps to make assignment and test instructions clearer, since students are not only told what they are expected to deliver, but how and why it matters. For this reason, SCAs are equally adaptable to all subjects and all types of learning environments, no matter if a course's content is more focused on subjective or objective learning.

From writing poetry to solving equations, as long as assessments test the knowledge and skills educators want students to master and all stakeholders are focused on learning and growth, there is value in implementing student-centered assessment.
Learn more about ExamSoft: Request a demo.
Sources:
Students at the Center Hub: Student-Centered Assessment Resources University of Waterloo: Learner-Centred Assessment University of Waterloo: Rubrics: Useful Assessment Tools Moe.edu.kw: Student-Centered Classroom Assessment
Astin. "'Involvement in Learning' Revisited: Lessons We Have Learned." Journal of College Student Development., vol. 40, no. 5, American College Personnel Association, pp. 587-34, doi:info:doi/.

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A Look at Student-Centered Assessments - ExamSoft

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Student-centered assessments (SCAs) can be a valuable tool for educational institutions and classrooms, enabling students to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, while moving toward goals mutually agreed upon by teacher and learner. Setting objective standards for learning performance - beyond grades - is an effective way to empower students to take ownership in their own academic growth.

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Let the Students Decide How to Complete Assignments

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Let the Students Decide How to Complete Assignments

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If most work is done in collaboration, the students can work on the things they are best at, and they can learn from each other during tasks, because they're encouraged to ask each other questions to finish an assignment, then with their final project their strengths can shine and hopefully they've learned a bit from their peers strengths too!

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reflection on 4 edtech ways to differentiate - jason

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reflection on 4 edtech ways to differentiate - jason

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This blog says assessment, content, process, and products are the way to address student differentiation with student centered learning.

With proper assessment you can find out what your students know and need to learn.

The content is what the students are learning, having multiple ways to include the content, verbally, physically, with images, and sound can make it accessible to all students.

The process is how students digest the content. Allowing them to work together to understand the content by allowing them to assign each other roles and giving them goals to work towards is one way students can  help each other and overcome their differences.

The products are the finished assignments. Making sure the assignments allowed the students to work towards meeting their goals and learning the required material in ways that suit them is important.

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Different parts of the classroom are set up as different zones. Such as a research zone, a writing zone, a talking zone. The students go to those zones to complete different parts of a task. Each zone has different purposes that they use to complete their tasks.

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I like to give the reading to groups and text is removed from each reading but the group has the whole thing. They have to read together to piece together their missing parts.

Another way I like to do it with a longer reading is to give a single page of the reading to each student then they work together to put the reading in order like a puzzle.

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“Classroom Zones.” BetterLesson, teaching.betterlesson.com/strategy/79/classroom-zones. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.

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Use classroom zones to create a personalized classroom in which students can learn in an environment that best meets their learning needs

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These are a way for students to explore and enhance their learning. In order to facilitate this the classroom environment needs to provide differentiation in its set up, through the use of furniture and tools available to students. Teachers should consider the learning needs of the students as they will vary throughout the school year.

Ideas for different types of learning centers:

Group Meeting (carpeted space, use of board, teacher chair)

Reading Area (secure book shelves, soft seating)

Art and Publishing Area (hooks, string, materials containers, drying rack, easels)

Exploration/ Experimentation Area (tools, large desks, safety equipment)

When can they be used?

Learning centers are usually used for group teaching to provide students with a meaningful and engaging way to do independent work. They can also be used as anchor activities or to help end-of-day activities.

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Students’ Participation in the Classroom Design

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Students’ Participation in the Classroom Design

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Having students actively participate in the classroom's design encourages a collaborative environment, and allows students to visibly track their progress over time. One of the best ways to have students contribute to the classroom design is to allow them to display their work within the classroom. The following are some ideas and guidelines for displaying work in the classroom:

-         The Criteria for Displays

The teacher and students should work together to develop a criteria for what they would like to display in the classroom. Some example criteria is as follows:

Work that shows effort, not just perfection.

Work that shows growth and improvement.

Work that the student and teacher are proud of.

Work that is important to the student, or relevant to the current class theme.

-         Choosing What to Display

At the beginning of the year it may be suitable for teachers to choose the work that is being displayed in the classroom, however, as the year progresses, students should be taught how to analyze their own work and to select work they are proud of.

-         Visuals Aids and Classroom Management

In addition to displaying the work of students, the classroom should be decorated with visual aids and classroom management rules, such as the following:

Classroom Rules

Behavior management tools (e.g. sticker/star charts)

Academic visual aids (e.g. alphabet/number charts, etc.)

Calendar/bulletin board for class news/events

Enjoy decorating your classroom, but remember to keep it practical, neat, and organized. The classroom should be lively, but never chaotic!

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Project-based learning (PBL) naturally lends itself to differentiated instruction. By design, it is student-centered and student-driven, and it gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways. PBL can allow for effective differentiation in assessment as well as daily management and instruction.

PBL experts will tell you this, but I often hear teachers ask for real examples, specifics to help them contextualize what it looks like in the classroom. We all need to try out specific ideas and strategies to get our brains working in a different context. Here are some specific differentiation strategies to use during a PBL project.

1. Sometimes homogenous grouping can be an effective way to differentiate in a project. For example, in a novel- or literature-based PBL project, it might be appropriate to differentiate by grouping students by reading level. That way, you can take groups that need intensive work and ensure they are getting the instruction they need.
2. Throughout the project, students should be reflecting on their work and setting goals for further learning. This is a great opportunity for them to set personalized learning goals and for you to target instruction specific to the goals they set.
3. You could offer mini-lessons or center work to support your students’ learning, or maybe you show students a variety of resources from which to learn, including videos, games, and readings.
4. Another essential component of PBL is student voice and choice, both in terms of what students produce and how they use their time. With the products, you can allow students to show what they know in a variety of ways. From written components to artistic or theatrical, you can differentiate the ways that students are summatively assessed.
5. For example, when targeting collaboration in a project, you can differentiate a formative assessment of this in a variety of ways: oral conference, series of written responses, graphic organizer or collage, etc. More importantly, these formative assessments allow you to differentiate the type of instruction needed as you feed forward in the project.
6. Sometimes, you need to differentiate the learning environment because some students learn better on their own, and others learn better in a team.

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Applying this principle to choose your own book among a list

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https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-pbl-andrew-miller
https://www.academia.edu/24073929/Student_Centered_Learning_Environments_Foundations_Assumptions_and_Implications
https://www.moe.edu.kw/teacher/Documents/اللغة%20الانجليزية/learner%20centered%20teaching/5-Assessment%20in%20LCT%20.pdf
(2013, November 14). How to do a Fishbowl - TeachLikeThis [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkWl9b0FZSE

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272909706_The_Classroom_Physical_Environment_and_Its_Relation_to_Teaching_and_Learning_Comfort_Level
Loveless, B. (2019). Developing a Student-centered Classroom. Educationcorner.com. https://www.educationcorner.com/developing-a-student-centered-classroom.html

‌Your Physical Classroom Environment – Video Podcast. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1hfZwty-d4

Starter), H. (Teach. (2020, January 14). 8 Tried and Tested Classroom Desk Arrangement Ideas. Teach Starter. https://www.teachstarter.com/au/blog/inspiration-for-classroom-seating-arrangements/

‌Puteh, Marzita & Che Ahmad, Che Nidzam & Noh, Noraini & Adnan, Mazlini & Ibrahim, Mohd Hairy. (2015). The Classroom Physical Environment and Its Relation to Teaching and Learning Comfort Level. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity. 5. 237-240. 10.7763/IJSSH.2015.V5.460.

Displaying Student Work |. (n.d.). Www.responsiveclassroom.org. https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/displaying-student-work-2/

The Primary Program: Growing and Learning in the Heartland Active Learning in the Classroom: Classroom Organization Active Learning in the Classroom: Classroom Organization Planning the Classroom Space. (n.d.). https://www.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ALCO.pdf

Creating Your Own Classroom Learning Center. (2017, March 31). Schoolyard Blog | Teacher Resources | School Specialty. https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/creating-classroom-learning-center/

5 Tips for Decorating Your Classroom. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AivIGX6snfU&t=7s&ab_channel=Edutopia
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/a-choose-your-own-adventure-model-of-learning/

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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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"A flipped classroom is structured around the idea that lecture or direct instruction is not the best use of class time. Instead students encounter information before class, freeing class time for activities that involve higher order thinking."

Some of the benefits of a flipped classroom are:

it's flexible

students can learn at their own pace

students take responsibility for their learning

students learn rather than encounter material in class

there are more opportunities for higher level learning

it does not waste time transferring information to students when that information is available to them in books or online (Mazur 2009)

instructors and TFs work more closely with students, getting to know students better and providing better assistance

increased collaboration between students

(Bok, 2022)

https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/flipped-classrooms#:~:text=A%20flipped%20classroom%20is%20structured,that%20involve%20higher%20order%20thinking.

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This activity is great for classroom discussions, for presenting different ideas in an interesting way and for observing collaboration. Students should sit in two concentric circles with a small group in the middle. The inner circle of students hold a discussion on a topic while the outer circle observes.

The “fishbowl” is a teaching strategy that helps students practice being contributors and listeners in a discussion. Students ask questions, present opinions, and share information when they sit in the “fishbowl” circle, while students on the outside of the circle listen carefully to the ideas presented and pay attention to process.  Then the roles reverse. This strategy is especially useful when you want to make sure all students participate in the discussion, when you want to help students reflect on what a “good discussion” looks like, and when you need a structure for discussing controversial or difficult topics. Fishbowls make excellent pre-writing activities, often unearthing questions or ideas that students can explore more deeply in an independent assignment.

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Student-centered assessment articulates appropriately challenging and developmentally appropriate learning targets. It also provides feedback to students, teachers, districts, and states about how to deepen learning. Additionally, it is:

> Individualized;
> Focused on learning and growth;
> Motivating;
> Amenable to actively engaging students in the regulation of their own learning;

and
> Informative and useful to a variety of audiences.
Part of this method is to perform formative assessment, which is a measure of what students know and can do during the lesson or unit to guide instruction and reinforce learning.

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Students can record themselves reading and then evaluate their own fluency and reading ability using a suitable, student-friendly rubric (Betterlesson 2020).

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Betterlesson, (2020), "Practicing and Self-evaluating Reading Fluency", teaching.betterlesson, (https://teaching.betterlesson.com/strategy/197/practicing-and-self-evaluating-reading-fluency?_gl=1*hzrcqr*_ga*MTI2MDI2NDk3MC4xNjY2MjA3NzAw*_ga_59EGWMTTME*MTY2NjIwNzcwMC4xLjAuMTY2NjIwNzcwMC4wLjAuMA..)

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A take on musical chairs - have students move around the classroom while music plays, when the music stops, the teacher (or student) reads out a question and students close to each other can discuss possible answers (McKee 2022).

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McKee, K., (2022), "5 Movement Strategies That Get Students Thinking", teachthought.com, (https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/much-sitting-five-movement-strategies-get-students-thinking/)

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To encourage student centered collaboration and stimulate visual learners using an online collaborative board such as the one we are using here or Nearpod's Collaborative Board to summarize lessons or discussions can give students the opportunity to show what they have found interesting or challenging in the lesson (The Nearpod Team 2022).

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The Nearpod Team, (2022), "5 Ways to Create Collaborative Learning in the Classroom", nearpod.com, (https://nearpod.com/blog/collaborative-learning-collaborate-board/)

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There are more and more virtual classroom tools available online. Nearpod is great example where teachers can create lessons that incorporate game-based learning, interactive media and assessment which can be tailored to student-centered learning.

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Nearpod brings multiple edtech solutions into one streamlined platform

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Have students teach what they learn-Owen

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Have students teach what they learn-Owen

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While helping out in our school, I was in a class where students were given a topic to research in small groups with the end goal being to teach the topic to small groups from a lower grade. It was great to see the students take ownership of their projects, you could definitely tell that the added element of teaching the younger students gave them a sense of responsibility for what they were learning and the results were great to watch.

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Traditional Classes/Teaching

Traditional classes have students waving their hands one by one to answer a question asked by the teacher

Kagan structures do not believe that a competitive class is not a brain-friendly learning environment.

Students spend very little time actively engaged since the teacher does most of the talking.

Many students don’t want a turn or participate in the class.

Many students slip thru the class.

Kagan Structures

Engage all students the entire time

Student sit facing each other

All students can be called at one time

Timed Pair share

Everyone has a turn

Sharing with a partner is safe so all students can be engaged.

Develop social, leadership, and teamwork skills.

What is better to engage only one student or every student at one tie?

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Research shows that reciprocal teaching increase comprehension

Metacognitive learning strategy

Good way for teachers to get a dialogue going on in the classroom

Form of active learning

Students are engaged in a student centered lesson

How to Implement?

-Teach the Fab Four

- Questioning, clarifying, summarizing, predicting

Gather students in a a group

Teacher reads and asks questions

Students take the role of the teacher

To extract meaning from the text

Teacher monitors and offers guidance

**Just one variation of reciprocal teaching.

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Reciprocal Teaching: Why, How, & Examples

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Project Based Learning

School can be boring

Focus students on work that matters

Most adults live in a world full of projects.

A form of collaborative learning

Students work in groups.

Learner should get feedback from the teacher

What do students do?

Split up into groups or teams

Work independently

Ask questions

Research

Collaborate

Figure out how to complete the task on their own

Practices critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.

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BIEPBL. (2010, December 9). Project-based learning: Explained. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8&feature=emb_imp_woyt&ab_channel=PBLWorks

kaganvideo. (2014, June 12). What is Kagan? YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-yzgJtgVrg&ab_channel=kaganvideo

YouTube. (2014, February 6). Education- collaboration. YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po40I4c94R0&feature=youtu.be

YouTube. (2020, March 29). Reciprocal teaching: Why, how, & examples. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKA3dWc7J4&ab_channel=TeachingsinEducation

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Implementing Academic Intervention in the Classroom to Create a Learner Centered Environment - Chris

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Implementing Academic Intervention in the Classroom to Create a Learner Centered Environment - Chris

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Formal academic intervention and a learner-centered intervention environment are excellent ways to empower students to learn independently. However, intervention can be teacher-directed and require small-group pull out sessions. How can we make intervention, through the use of technology, a learner-centered tool?

Create computer centers or have laptops in the classroom for students to use

Have students create their own goals, with support as needed

Students can partner up with technology and help each other on computer-based programs

Assign computer-based teacher programs, and help the students as needed with understanding

Using effective, engaging, and learner-centered computer programs to provide academic intervention can be a great way for students to gain independence in the classroom.

Allow time for independent work and for students to have the option to choose.

Students can use their computer or Chromebook during independent learning time to use a program such as iReady.

iReady is a common-core curriculum that also has a computer program that diagnoses student's academic levels.

The computer program than gives them lessons that are the students developmental level. The student can choose between several lessons to do.

This type of program empowers the student to work independently in the general education classroom at their own pace. The teacher can help individual students while others work independently.

There are other academic programs that students can use, such as Freckle, IXL, Amplify, etc.

https://i-readycentral.com/ideas/maximize-differentiated-instruction-at-home-with-i-ready-teacher-assigned-lessons/

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Montessori is an early childhood education model that encourages students to use the classroom around then, and the teacher as their guide, to master work at their own pace.

"Within the community of a multi-age classroom—designed to create natural opportunities for independence, citizenship, and accountability—children embrace multi-sensory learning and passionate inquiry. Individual students follow their own curiosity at their own pace, taking the time they need to fully understand each concept and meet individualized learning goals."

Important notes:

Classrooms are mixed ages, so older students can teach younger ones. E.g. Primary classrooms are 3 - 6 years old, Lower Elementary are 6 - 9, and Upper Elementary are 9 - 11.

Works are located on shelves, and students choose them at their own pace.

Classroom environments, often called "communities," are set up with "points of interest" to help guide students to works that would interest them.

Children can work independently or with others

Montessori teachers are called "guides."

Students move onto the next skill when they have mastery of the previous one.

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Dr. Patricia Colby

Head of School, Mountaintop Montessori, Charlottesville, VA

Experience a Montessori Classroom

Montessori classrooms are ideal workplaces, where children are engaged, energetic, exploring, social, and most of all, learning to take ownership of their own education. They're also unified communities in which each child understands the responsibility of being an individual student in the class while supporting the learning of others.

LOOK INSIDE THE MONTESSORI CLASSROOM

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Head of School, Mountaintop Montessori, Charlottesville, VA Montessori classrooms are ideal workplaces, where children are engaged, energetic, exploring, social, and most of all, learning to take ownership of their own education. They're also unified communities in which each child understands the responsibility of being an individual student in the class while supporting the learning of others.

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Using Assessment to Drive Student Centered Learning - Chris

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Using Assessment to Drive Student Centered Learning - Chris

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The article makes a good point: redefine and set aside the idea and anxiety of the word assessment. Assessment should be used to drive our instruction, rather than simply assign a grade to students.

Assessing students allows us as teachers to know where they are and how to help them. According to Andrew Miller in the article, "When we use formative assessments carefully, we can discover whether students need a think-aloud or model, or if they are ready for independent practice and application."

Assessing students gives the teacher tools to create developmentally appropriate work that students can do dependently. For example, after assessments, the teacher can create materials for different groups of students to do during independent or small group time. The teacher can empower to students to choose what works they do to work towards their individual goals.

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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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The National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC, says that "play is an important part of children's learning and development."

Young children often learn best through different forms of play. They make sense of their world, process what they see, and explore their place in it. This website by NAEYC provides all sort of articles on play based learning, including teaching math through play.

It also includes neuroscience articles on how play specifically benefits children. Many models of early childhood education incorporate play as a key part of educating young children.

Child-directed play can be particularly impactful for young children.  This student-centered method involves the child leading play, and the adult taking a step back but participating fully. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and want to explore it.

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Play is an important part of children's learning and development. Find articles on how to intentionally connect play and learning, ideas to share with families, and the latest research about learning and play.

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Authored by Authored by: Rebecca Parlakian, Authored by Authored by: Sandra M. Linder Angela Eckhoff, Authored by Authored by: Jenna Valasek, Authored by Authored by: Susan Friedman Amy D. Blessing Ron Grady, Authored by Authored by: Susan Friedman ​Julia Luckenbill Nicol Russell, Authored by Authored by: Mary Benson McMullen Dylan Brody, Authored by Authored by: Melanie Loewenstein Toni Sturdivant Josh Thompson, Authored by Authored by: Kathleen I. Harris, Authored by Authored by: Hsiu-Wen Yang Michaelene M. Ostrosky Paddy Cronin Favazza Yusuf Akemoğlu W. Catherine Cheung Katherine Aronson-Ensign, Authored by Authored by: Mary Ellin Logue Hattie Harvey Amanda Beckett, Authored by Authored by: Jennifer M. Zosh Caroline Gaudreau Roberta Michnick Golinkoff Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Authored by Authored by: Annie Moses, Authored by Authored by: Ijumaa Jordan, Authored by Authored by: Lisa Mufson Bresson Megan King, & Authored by Authored by: Jessica Mercer Young Ashley Lewis Presser. (2022, September 1). Play. NAEYC. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/play

Miller, A. (2015, September 2). Using assessment to create student-centered learning. Edutopia. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller

Ready Central Resources: Maximize differentiated instruction at home with I-ready teacher-assigned lessons. i. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://i-readycentral.com/ideas/maximize-differentiated-instruction-at-home-with-i-ready-teacher-assigned-lessons/

What is montessori education? What Is Montessori Education. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/What-Is-Montessori

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Qualities of a Good Reader. Ultimate Guide to Reading Comprehension For Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://ultimateguidetoreadingcomprehension.weebly.com/qualities-of-a-good-reader.html

10 Best Reading Strategies for Students. SplashLearn. (2022, September 8). Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.splashlearn.com/blog/reading-strategies-for-students-teachers-need-to-use-these/#:~:text=10%20Effective%20Reading%20Strategies%20to%20Enhance%20your%20Students’,Text%20...%205%205.%20Make%20Reading%20Fun%20

Mahoney, B. (n.d.). Practicing and Self-Evaluating Reading Fluency. BetterLesson. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://teaching.betterlesson.com/strategy/197/practicing-and-self-evaluating-reading-fluency?_gl=1*ut3mfa*_ga*MTI3MzExNzM0LjE2NjYyMjcyNzY.*_ga_59EGWMTTME*MTY2NjIyNzI3Ni4xLjAuMTY2NjIyNzI3Ni4wLjAuMA..

Bayer, S. (2019, October 22). Infusing Student-Centered Literacy Practices into an Established Curriculum. BetterLesson. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://betterlesson.com/blog/student-centered-literacy-practices

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Reading is an essential skill, and goes hand-in-hand with writing. Not all students are strong readers, so it is important for teachers to figure out which learning style best fits each learner. There are different types of learners including, tactile, auditory and visual.

1) Use expressions - this means having students use their voice for exclamation point/question mark so they can fully comprehend the sentence
2) Create a purpose - encouraging students to set a purpose before the start of a novel
3) Schema - this is an important strategy as it builds on concepts that the student already knows
4) Reading correctly - helping students use their fingers when learning how to read and reading texts from left to right
5) Making it fun - this allows students to think about reading in a different light and will keep them engaged

Here are some pre-reading strategies to think about:
1) Questions - ask students to write down a few questions that they might have about a character/setting/theme
2) Connect/Predict - have students share what they already know about the book and make any predictions
3) Reading aloud - this is crucial for English language learners as it promotes reading fluency
4) Classroom discussion - have your class discuss what they read and how they interpreted the text to further expand on the book

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SplashLearn Blog – Educational Resources for Parents, Teachers & Kids

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Children often use strategies to help reading comprehension. As a teacher, introduce these reading strategies to elevate your students’ reading abilities.

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Choral reading is the practice of reading as a classroom, small groups, or in pairs. This helps promote reading fluency. The teacher will model for the students first, and then have them try. It is vital to pick a suitable text for all reading levels in the class, have the students pre-read the text, and implement fun techniques, including movement to emphasize important words/phrases.

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Choral Reading to Practice Reading Fluency

Choral reading is a strategy that teachers can use to allow students to practice their reading fluency. During choral reading, students read aloud in unison, typically as a group, but students may also read individual lines alone or in pairs. The teacher leads and models pace, pronunciation, and prosody. Reading aloud can sometimes cause anxiety, and this activity relieves the pressure of individually reading aloud. For older students, it is also a useful strategy for reading directions, poetry, and even Shakespeare.
Implementation steps:

1. Choose an appropriate story, poem, article, etc. for choral reading. Make sure the selected text is accessible. Select a text that will lend itself to a read aloud by considering rhyme, rhythm, intonation, and vocabulary. Keep your selection short, and one that can be read multiple times so as to increase fluency skills.

2. Before starting, allow all students to preview the text. This can be done by the teacher modeling the reading aloud or the students reading aloud or silently to themselves. If you'd like individual students or pairs to read specific lines, let them know ahead of time.

3. Read aloud together! The teacher should see him/herself as the conductor and the class is the chorus.

4. Choral reading can be even more interactive by using the following strategies:

play with pace (fast/slow), sound (loud/soft), and voices (low/high).

use clapping, stomping, and movement to get students to emphasize words and phrases.

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Practicing and Self-Evaluating Reading Fluency

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Choral Reading to Practice Reading Fluency Choral reading is a strategy that teachers can use to allow students to practice their reading fluency. During choral reading, students read aloud in unison, typically as a group, but students may also read individual lines alone or in pairs.

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Adding Student-Centered Practices to a Curriculum 

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Adding Student-Centered Practices to a Curriculum 

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For older students, there are fun and interactive ways to infuse student-centered practices with the reading curriculum.

1) Getting more background information - teachers can utilize clips, news articles, and games to expand on key themes/texts
2) Anticipation guides - this is a strategy to help students get excited for the reading material. Provide them with a set of sentences and ask if they agree or disagree. Encourage students to share their answers and after reading the material, ask students to reflect on their original answers.
3) Current events - when studying a topic like history, have students select historical events that have led up to today's current events. Are there any patterns? Were there domino effects? By tying in the past with the present, students will have a better grasp of understanding history!
4) Connect - lastly, it is vital to encourage students to connect the reading material with what they already know. Have them ask questions and make connections. That way, teachers are also helping them to be independent learners.

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This is the fifth blog in our Newsela student-centered literacy blog series. You can find the previous installment here and the subsequent, and final, installment here.
Let's face it. Teachers all wish that there was more time. With seemingly endless standards, huge textbooks, standardized testing, and administrative mandates, it can be challenging to find the time to teach the full curriculum. Many teachers want to implement more student-centered instructional practices, but worry that they do not have the time or space to add new things to their practice. The truth is, infusing student-centered literacy practices into an established curriculum is much easier and more impactful than one might think.

Where Do I Begin?

Infusing student-centered literacy practices into the classroom does not require a complete overhaul of established instructional practices. You can start as small as using one new discussion strategy each unit or by offering students choice on one reading assignment. Here are a few ways I've infused student-centered literacy practices into an established curriculum.

Acquiring Background Knowledge Before Reading a Novel

Teachers often plan a few activities used to share fundamental background knowledge with students before starting a new novel or unit. In the past, I had students watch videos and read interviews or articles as pre-work. While students acquired background knowledge about some of the topics in the novel, it was not a particularly engaging or student-centered activity.

Now, I create a Newsela Text Set containing articles that address key themes or topics addressed by the text. Students choose articles from the Text Set that interest them and share what they learn with their classmates. When my class reads Freak the Mighty, we use this Text Set containing articles about robotics, disabilities, empathy, King Arthur, and more. For more details about how to plan such an activity, take a look at the Building Background Knowledge about Novels Strategy, part of BetterLesson's Newsela Learning Domain.

After building their background knowledge, students may share what they have learned with one another through an activity such as a Gallery Walk or a Jigsaw. Replacing other context building activities with this approach empowers students to make decisions about their learning.

Using Anticipation Guides as Unit Hooks

Anticipation Guides are a valuable pre-reading strategy that supports student comprehension by activating schema and sparking student interest in the topic. Before reading, students read a series of statements related to the content and check "Agree" or "Disagree." Then they share their opinions with classmates to further elaborate on their thinking. After reading the article, students return to the guide to reflect on their initial thinking and make adjustments.

When beginning a science unit on-for example-pollution or the environment, consider assigning an article such as this one about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Students can use the Anticipation Guide to generate questions to answer or problems to solve throughout the unit. Anticipation guides work best when students are provided with a series of provocative and unique statements. Anticipation Guides offer the opportunity for students to revise their thinking after reading, and qualifying whether or not they've maintained their original line of thinking.

Using Current Event Articles to Learn History

A particularly useful way to use student-centered literacy practices during a history unit is through the analysis of current events. Start by reading several news articles related to an upcoming unit. As the unit progresses, have students identify historical moments that may have contributed to the selected new stories. By the end of the unit, students will have a working hypothesis about the historical context that contributed to a modern-day event.

When studying the Korean War, I introduce the unit with an article, like this one, and ask students to highlight or take notes on the key ideas. Then as we learn more about the history of the United States and Korea, students could determine what aspects of history manifest in the current article. This process can help students begin to see the value of studying history and learning from past mistakes. Developing and refining a hypothesis allows students to play an active role in their learning.

Making Connections

The Notice, Wonder, Connect Strategy encourages students to ask questions about a text and to connect it to their experiences and knowledge. This is a low-prep, high-yield strategy that can make reading an article a more personal, meaningful task for students.

I use Notice, Wonder, Connect with my students at the beginning of a mythology unit. The strategy values the questions and experiences of the students, and they took more ownership of their learning from the start of the unit. The questions and connections that they generated showed deep engagement with the topic.

As educators, we must keep our students at the center of our instructional planning. While we want to ensure that our students build a robust understanding of foundational principles and concepts, we must also equip them to be motivated, self-directed learners. The more that we can allow our students to make decisions about their learning, the more we empower them to be twenty-first-century learners.

For more strategies and ideas for student-centered literacy practices, visit the BetterLesson's Newsela Learning Domain here.

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Infusing Student-Centered Literacy Practices into an Established Curriculum - BetterLesson

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This is the fifth blog in our Newsela student-centered literacy blog series. You can find the previous installment here and the subsequent, and final, installment here. Let's face it. Teachers all wish that there was more time. With seemingly endless standards, huge textbooks, standardized testing, and administrative mandates, it can be challenging to find the time to teach the full curriculum.