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Designing the Learning Toolkit for the Online Learning Environment 

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Designing the Learning Toolkit for the Online Learning Environment 

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The online learning environment comes with its own unique set of benefits and challenges. The lack of face-to-face interaction can make it difficult to be engaged. Having a roadmap of the important pieces of an online classroom is a good place to start. The following are recommended steps for beginners to take when designing their online toolkit:

1. Learning Design - Build your foundational knowledge of learning design.

2. Learning Objectives - Learn about how to write your learning objectives and why they are so important.

3. Assessments - Explore assessment options and establish your assessment strategy.

4. Enhance Course Materials - Employ strategies to enhance your course materials for online delivery.

5. Communication - Select communication strategies that you will implement in your course.

6. Lab Experiences - Explore ways to handle lab experiences, if applicable, when teaching online.

7. Develop - Apply key learnings from the previous topics to build your online course. (Harding, 2020)

Keeping this list in mind as the online environment is being designed will help build a virtual classroom conducive to learning and growth.

Teachers might start their process by trying to make their online classroom reflect their physical classroom. Starting from there will only create more challenges for the educator. The first question should be, “what do the students need to learn?” When teachers start with this question, then they will be able to begin gathering the correct tools to educate their students (The Center for Teaching and Learning, 2018). After identifying what the students need to learn, the educator should seek to understand the students they will be teaching. The tools helpful for children will likely be very different than those that will benefit adults. However, there are key principles that can guide the educator in the selection process. These principles are valid for both physical and virtual classrooms:

encourage faculty-to-student interaction

encourage student-to-student interaction

promote active learning

communicate high expectations

facilitate time on task

provide rich, rapid feedback

respect diverse learning (Chickering, 1987)

While these principles are valid in both learning environments, it is still important for the teacher to not use them to translate their physical classroom into a virtual classroom. These principles are by definition what the class is built on.

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Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1989). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. Biochemical Education, 17(3), 140–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/0307-4412(89)90094-0

Designing An Online Course. (2018, June 6). The Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.mesacc.edu/teaching/designing-an-online-course/

Harding, J. (2020, March 29). Design for online process infographic. Teach Online. https://teachonline.asu.edu/2020/03/design-for-online-process-infographic/

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By teaching through the universal language of movement, we can offer a chance for real success to children who may be caught in a spiral of academic failure. At the very least, kinesthetic teaching throws a lifeline to kinesthetic learners, who often can't sit still and are seen as disruptive or learning disabled.

Kinesthetic Approach: This form of teaching focuses on students’ active, physical participation to learn instead of focusing on their capabilities to listen to lectures and repeat given information from teachers. Kinesthetic learning is student based with teachers being facilitators to students being able to teach themselves.

Tell me < Show me

Students can use their bodies for example to give an answer instead of write and tell the answer in words.

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Guided Discovery/Inquiry Based P.E.: Both the guided discovery and Inquiry based approaches for student learning have the teacher in the position of being a facilitator, presenting a problem for the students to find solutions to themselves. In the form of a P.E. class this can be done by giving students agency in the form of freedom of choice in for example a ball-game. Students can determine the rules and the physical movements to choose to solve a problem or goal in given by the teacher such as choosing what movements and skills can be used to getting points or putting the ball in the goal or desired position.

Teaching Games for Understanding in P.E.: An approach to promote ‘higher order thinking’ in the realm of physical education through implementing a holistic approach that encourages students to find enjoyment, search for improvement through player-centered learning that can cater to varying skills and abilities. Students are encouraged to think on a deeper level about physical movement and games to develop and learn new skills instead of masteries of classic sports themselves.

This approaches hopes to encourage students for lifelong desires of forms of physical movement through choice, self-inquiry and personal skill development over mastering classic sports techniques. The TGFU approach is popular in Australia.

References:

Usher, W. (2015). Utilizing educational theoretical models to support effective physical education pedagogy. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2015.1094847

Moore, K. (2008). Effective Instructional Strategies: From Theory to Practice. Retrieved 2020, from https://books.google.se/books?id=pFs0PC9v8NsC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=student-centered+theories+that+include+physical+movement&source=bl&ots=XL2LEH5Npz&sig=ACfU3U3L_HTe_4gdH2y7za3k6Vedgfe3IQ&hl=da&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQu5bB7LvqAhUTHHcKHbKTA6E4ChDoATAEegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=student-centered%20theories%20that%20include%20physical%20movement&f=false

M., M. (2020). Educational Methods. Retrieved 220, from https://educationalmethodseps.weebly.com/kinesthetic.html

Griss, S. (2013). The Power of Movement in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/03/19/fp_griss.html

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Framework for Differentiated Instruction (Granås, 2019)

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Framework for Differentiated Instruction (Granås, 2019)

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I thought I would touch a bit more on the importance of a good learning environment. A pleasant learning environment is essential for students, and striving for one should also be a priority. It can be pursued in various ways (Granås, 2019) :

Good choice of curriculum

Engaging instruction

classroom leadership/facilitation

trusting and respecting students

Managing seating arrangement

Creation of an environment whereby teachers and students work together to more significant learning.

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The Great Eight

-Monitoring

-Previewing
-Self-Questioning
-Making Connections
-Visualization
-Knowing How Words Work
-Summarizing
-Evaluating

Monitoring
-Asking "Does it make sense"
-Adapt strategy if it doesn't
Previewing
-Introducing Text
-Background Information
-Understanding Purpose
Self-Questioning
-Generate Questions
-Guide Thinking
Making Connections
-Relates text to Self/World
Visualization
-Picturing what is happening in text
Knowing How Words Work
-Strategic Vocabulary Development
-Cuing System of visual/meaning/structure
Summarizing
-Extracting Essential Information
-Main Ideas
-Supporting Detail
Evaluating
-Making Judgements about text

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In general, student-entered approaches correspond to differentiated instruction (DI).

Past studies have shown that DI is closely aligned with student-centred approaches to teaching and supports student agency in their own learning, encourages student choice and consequently promotes student engagement (Santangelo & Tomlinson, 2009; Subban & Round, 2015).

Some techniques include:

1) Learning menus

Similar to drop-down menus in word processing software

Give students choices of tasks to complete in a unit or a list of options for an assessment

Arrange the choices as appetisers entrees, sides and desserts

Entrees tasks are required but students choose only one from any of the tasks from the appetiser section, and two from the side dish options. For enrichment, they may choose any one of the options in the dessert section.

As long as we make sure any of the combinations students might choose achieves what we are after, the choices is up to the students (Wormeli, 2006).

Address differentiation via content, process and/or product.

2) Tic-Tac-Toe

Choice boards that give students the opportunity to participate skills they have learned in class or to demonstrate and extend their understanding of concepts.

Just like a tic-tac-toe board, students get to choose three adjacent or diagonal tasks to complete.

Steps include:

1. Identify the outcomes and instructional focus of a unit of study.

2. Use assessment data and student profiles to determine student readiness, learning styles, or interests

3. Design nine different tasks

4. Arrange tasks on a choice board.

5. Select one required task for all students and place it in the center of the board.

6. Students must complete three tasks, one of which must be the task in the middle square; forming a row.

7. Adaptations: Allow students to complete any three tasks even if the completed tasks don't make a row./Create different choice boards based on readiness (struggling students work with the options on one choice board while more advanced students have different options)./ Create choice board options based on learning styles or preferences. For example a choice board could include 3 kinaesthetic task, three auditory tasks and three visual tasks (Hecox, 2005).

Address differentiation via content, process and product.

3) Project-based learning

An approach in which students identifying a real-world problem and engaging in hands-on learning to identify a solution.

1. Start with identifying a problem

2. Design a plan for the project

3. Create a schedule

4. Monitor the students and progress of the project

5. Assess the outcome and evaluate the experience

It incorporates the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.These principles include multiple means of representation to allow for connections to be made by all students through varied means of presenting information, multiple means of action and expression so that students can choose topics, ideas, and information, as well as how to organize them, display them, and how they will present them for their chosen audience, and multiple means of engagement Students work with their own interests and on authentic problems (UQx LEARNx, 2017).

4) Problem-based learning

A student-centered approach in which students learn about a subject by working in groups to solve an open-ended problem.

Addresses problems in the real world; makes it relevant and meaningful; students feel more motivated and driven to learn on their own

Learning is driven by the context of the problem and is not bound by an established curriculum. Students determine what and how they need to learn in order to accomplish a specific task (Glazer, 2010).

Address differentiation via content, process and product.

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A successful way to enhance communication skills are techniques that require collaboration. By organizing students in groups and assigning them specific tasks or jobs, students will be able to facilitate the intellectual and social dimensions of education and mirror industrial approaches to problem solving (Guerrero-Curieses, 2010). A Think-Pair-Share technique can be used effectively to promote communication and develop social skills. Collaborating students to share ideas with one partner and then to turn around and paraphrase what their first partner said to the next partner can help cooperative learning. Teachers should ensure that the students know exactly what they have to do. Some strategies are: teach them the name of the strategy, model the steps, give visual reminders, tell them who will start, and remind them of social skills they have to use, each according to the student and what they need most.

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(1). Creating a Student-centered Classroom Through Cooperative Learning. (2018, August 09). Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://www.rite.education/2017/07/25/creating-a-student-centered-classroom-through-cooperative-learning/

(2).  Requena-Carrion, J., Alonso-Atienza, F., Guerrero-Curieses, A., & Rodriguez-Gonzalez, A. B. (2010). A student-centered collaborative learning environment for developing communication skills in engineering education. IEEE EDUCON 2010 Conference. doi:10.1109/educon.2010.5492499

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Assessments to Enhance Student Centered Learning
Formative assessment is used to build upon student knowledge and skills. Low-stakes assessments can inform teachers on student learning progress in content areas in a risk-free, low stakes setting (Miller, 2015). The following are some examples of formative assessment that can enhance student-centered learning.

1. Peer Assessment via Rubrics
When students are assigned writing projects or presentations, teachers can simplify the language of the teacher's rubric in order to make a student rubric that is comprehensible to students. Some pre-teaching will need to be done in order to clarify what each performance criterion requires, but allowing students to review each others' writing and presentations exposes them to a wider range of language, and also helps students to see how language functions. As students take ownership of their peers' work, they feel empowered to do the work of a teacher, and can bring what they have learned in the process of peer review, to incorporate into their own work (3-5 Presentation Rubric (CCSS Aligned): MyPBLWorks).

2. Student Learning Portfolios
As students work through mastery of a certain skill or unit, teachers can facilitate the compilation of student works into a learning portfolio to document their progress in mastering a skill or concept. According to Dr. Abmed, "The two main types of portfolios are:
1. The process portfolio which documents the stages of learning and provides a progressive record of student knowledge growth.

2. The product portfolio which demonstrates mastery of a learning task or a

set of learning objectives and contains only the best work." (Abmed, 2015).

Allowing students the opportunity to reflect on their learning journey through their own assignments will help to build a stronger sense of ownership of their learning. Teachers can help facilitate reflection using prompts that are appropriate to the topic of study.

References:

Miller, A. (2015, September 02). Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning. Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller

3-5 Presentation Rubric (CCSS Aligned): MyPBLWorks. (n.d.). Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://my.pblworks.org/resource/document/3_5_presentation_rubric_ccss_aligned

Abmed, M. N., Dr. (2015). The Student's Portfolio in English Language Classroom. Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext

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Classroom Environment

1. The design of the learning space

2. Furniture used

3. Allow and include student in decision making

4. Promote students voice

5. Inquiry based learning

6. Cooperative Learning

7. Discovery Learning/ Experiments

8.  Use of  digital technology

9. Assigning roles for group work

10. Think Pair and  Share

11. Text to Text , Text to Self, Text to World

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As the “third teacher”, physical environment is crucial for students’ learning, especially in the student-centered environment (Robinson, 2018). Apartment from the technology equipment teachers can use in classroom, like projector, smartboard, ipads and laptops. It is important for teachers to be able to impart to students the need for an adequate balance in the use of internet resources outside the classroom—helping students to identify the hierarchy between different resources and to use them adequately in their learning process, so working with school librarian will be a good way.

At the same time, when we design the learning tool kit of students’ online learning environment, we can follow the three guidelines:

1. Focus on the big picture, keeping in mind what the most important skills students need to develop.

2. Ask students what they are interested in learning, considering students’ needs as well.

3. Make sure put kids in online group work

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Time For A New Paradigm in Education: Student-centered Learning SCL Toolkit retrieved on 8th July 2020 from  https://www.esu-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/100814-SCL.pdf

Ken Robinson  , December 2018  Sir Ken Robinson (still) wants an education revolution, TED.com, retrieved on 8th July 2020 from  https://www.ted.com/talks/the_ted_interview_sir_ken_robinson_still_wants_an_education_revolution#t-2486754

Carol Ann Tomlinson, April Distance Learning with Carol Ann Tomlinson retrieved on 8 th July 2020 from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdWLErtB2x8

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1. Am I Napoleon?: Each student use an index card to write/draw a person or an object, depending on the academic content learned. Student pin his/her index card on the back of another student. Then, all students ask questions to find out what is on his back.  This activity helps build inclusion and learn more about historical person or objects that is taught.

2. Gallery walks/ chalk talks: Post questions, texts you want students to analyze, or student products to different areas of the room. Have students rotate through them in small groups. This activity lets students interact with multiple topics in a small group setting and rotating style.

3. North pole/South pole continuum: set one side of the classroom to represent one idea, another side represents an opposite idea. Let students stand at how they feel about the idea. If students have a more moderate response, they can stand in between two sides. This activity allows students to vote with physical movements and lets everyone see the answer explicitly.

4. Musical mingle: when music starts, students will meander around the classroom. When music stops, students ask and answer the given question to the person near them. This activity makes answering questions fun.

5. Stations: design activity stations for students to rotate, just at areas students need practice. This activity helps with differentiation in the classroom.

6. Total physical response: teacher teaches language with body movements, facial expressions, gestures or props. Students mimic the actions while learning. This method helps students create a brain link between speech and action to boost vocabulary and language learning.

7. Experiential learning activities: teacher creates an experiential learning activity for students to explore. For example, a teacher used masking tape on the floor to map out the outline of Washington DC. Then, the teacher asked students to walk through important sites. This type of activities allows students to experience and learn from real life situations.

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1. Peer Assessment / Review

1. Students evaluate each other’s work and can offer immediate feedback with different ideas and strategies on possible improvements.

2. Doing this can help add to each student’s own learning process through the exchange of different ideas among their peers.

3. This collaborative technique empowers students and can give them confidence in the classroom. (1)

2. Think - Pair - Share

1. THINK - Students are given a question or topic to reflect on.

1. This encourages students to apply independent thinking.

2.  PAIR - Students find a partner and share their thoughts on the question/topic.

1. This encourages and helps build communication skills with their peers.

3. SHARE - The pair of students present their ideas to a larger group or entire class. Students are often more comfortable presenting information to a group with a teammate or partner.

1. Through the PAIR component, the ideas and answers to the original question being presented to the larger group have been clarified and polished.  (2)

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Project Based Learning (PBL)
Students are challenged by assigning a problem or task as a group. Consequently to solve the problem or complete the talk, they are required to search information and in this process they learn by exploring themselves which shift the stream of getting knowledge by instruction to gaining knowledge by doing.The instructor should makes challenges are students focused that gives students an opportunity to collaborate, and make them think critically. (1)
The flowchart demonstrates the four phases of PBL. (2)

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(1).http://teachnowaug15c2.pbworks.com/w/page/100864588/Student-centered%20approaches%20or%20techniques%20that%20are%20based%20on%20or%20require%20collaboration
(2). Alfred Solis, Gina Olabuenaga, and John Larmer. (2011). PBL 101 Workbook: The Companion to BIE's Introductory Project Based Learning Workshop.

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Classroom Components

Assessment : Understanding what students  know and still need to learn

Content: what the student need to learn and how the student will access the information

Process: Activities in which the student engages in order to make sense and master the content

Products:  Culminating projects to ask the student to review, apply, extend what he or she has learned in a unit

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Assessment involves the active engagement of students in setting goals for their learning and growth, monitoring their progress toward those goals, and determining how to address any gaps. (1)

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Assessment allows the teacher to look at the student holistically. With assessment, the teacher and student are able to get feedback and guidance to understand what has the student learned (what is their knowledge) and what skills have they obtained and to check for understanding of the material.

Student centered assessment and learning 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. (1)

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Assess passion and learning style

1. Open a dialogue and hold regularly scheduled conversations with each student individually.

2. Utilize journalling and graphic organizers.

Use rubrics: help students to know what success looks, sounds and feels like.

1. Rubrics can be used for self, peer and teacher assessment.

Formative Assessments

1. Provide feedback to the student on achievement and mastery.

2. Provides guidance to teachers and parents to understand benchmarks of knowledge, skills obtained and check for understanding.

When Assessing Keep In Mind

Choose assessment methods that elicit from your students the kind of learning that you want to measure.

Choose assessment methods that are interesting and challenging to your students.

Don’t be hyper-corrective.

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“Technology-aided Formative Assessment of Learning: New Developments
and Applications.” In H.L. Andrade & G.J. Cizek, eds. Handbook of Formative
Assessment. New York, NY: Routledge.
Schneider, M.C. & Randel, B. 2010

Diagnostic Measurement: Theory, Methods, and Applications. New York, NY:
Guilford Press.
Russell, M.K. 2010.

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The environment is the most important factor of a student’s education.  The term physical environment refers to the overall design and layout of a given classroom and its learning centers. ( Iris Center) Classrooms should feel warm and homelike to students and to you. As teachers and students we spend a large part of our time in our classrooms and it needs to feel welcoming and it should motivate students to want to work. The way we design our spaces can help us or hinder us, inspire new ideas or stifle them, make it easier to work together or set us apart. (Moggridge) To effectively do so, teachers can apply a concept known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which stresses that the environment and its materials in it should be accessible to everyone. (Iris Center)

When considering your classroom set up for student centered learning, think about the benefits of SCL:-

·         Granting students more control and responsibility for the learning process.

·         Active learning – students directly engage with materials and activities.

·         Authentic Learning – Students develop skills based on real-world content.

Therefore, we need to consider the position of materials. The selection of materials includes choosing toys and other physical objects that are age- and developmentally appropriate, as well as linguistically and culturally relevant, for the young children in the classroom. (Iris Center) Displaying children’s work so that they can take pride in it and can feel a sense of ownership of the room. Doing this also offers opportunities for language development: When children talk about their work or comment on other children’s work, teachers can use these opportunities to build their language skills.

When is comes to technology, it provides educators essential tools to create a student-centered learning environment. The careful integration of technology into the classroom provides teachers and students with a limitless amount of educational resources that transform learning – inspiring creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Fostering a student-centered learning environment using technology, print, and projects from scratch won’t be easy. But if you’re armed with the right resources and approach the task with a growth mindset of your own, the results will be worth it.When creating a student-centered learning environment, you should seek to incorporate technology that individualizes instruction based on student needs. You should also look for digital programs that focus on gradual skill development through scaffold-ed instruction, ongoing assessments, and even games or activities.  (McGraw Hill)

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Grange, S. G. (2008). Student-Centered Reading Strategies: A look at the motivation of third grade students. Student Centered Reading Strategies. https://ed.psu.edu/pds/teacher-inquiry/2008/cranages.pdf

Adler, C.R. (Ed). 2001. Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension. Retrieved July 9, 2020, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/seven-strategies-teach-students-text-comprehension
Adapted from Adler, C.R. (Ed). 2001. Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, pp. 49-54. National Institute for Literacy. Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007, from http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1text.html.

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13 Active Learning Strategies and Energizers. (n.d.). Weebly. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from http://tribeslilydalehs.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/0/9/26094658/tribes_195-270.pdf

Griss, S. (2013, March 2). The Power of Movement in Teaching and Learning - Education Week. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/03/19/fp_griss.html

Penulla, A. (2016). How to include physical movement as a central element of a student-centered classroom. Wiki. http://teachnowaug15c2.pbworks.com/w/page/100864666/How%20to%20include%20physical%20movement%20as%20a%20central%20element%20of%20a%20student-centered%20classroom

Strauss, V. (2015, January 19). Letting kids move in class isn’t a break from learning. It IS learning. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?next_url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtonpost.com%2fnews%2fanswer-sheet%2fwp%2f2015%2f01%2f19%2fletting-kids-move-in-class-isnt-a-break-from-learning-it-is-learning%2f%3farc404%3dtrue&arc404=true

Teacher Toolkit. (n.d.). Total Physical Response (TPR). The Teacher Toolkit. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/total-physical-response-tpr#:~:text=Total%20Physical%20Response%20(TPR)%20is,student%20inhibitions%20and%20lowers%20stress.

Too Much Sitting? 5 Movement Strategies That Get Students Thinking. (2018, July 16). Teach Thought. https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/much-sitting-five-movement-strategies-get-students-thinking/

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Sfarnsworth. (2018, August 15). 4 EdTech Ways to Differentiate in a Student-Centered Classroom. Retrieved July 07, 2020, from https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2018/02/05/4-edtech-ways-to-differentiate-in-a-student-centered-classroom/

What Are Student Centered Approaches? (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://www.capss.org/educational-transformation/what-are-student-centered-approaches

Teaching Strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies

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TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: A STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH Mc Graw Hill (Sep 01, 2017) 3 Ways to Create a Student-Centered Learning Environment Using Technology Retrieved on July 07, 2020 from

https://medium.com/inspired-ideas-prek-12/3-ways-to-create-a-student-centered-learning-environment-using-technology-2ba9dce92682

In-structure (March 2019) Student Centered Learning Retrieved on July 08, 2020 from https://www.instructure.com/canvas/sites/blog.canvaslms/files/2019-03/Student-Centered-Learning.pdf

Knowing Technologies (May 2018)

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: A STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH Retrieved from on July 10th 2020

https://knowingtechnologies.com/technology-in-the-classroom/

IRIS (n.d)

What are the school’s responsibilities regarding assistive technology? Retrieved on July 10th 2020 from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/cresource/q2/p05/

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(1) P. (n.d.). Peer Assessment: Center for Teaching Innovation. Retrieved July 07, 2020, from https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/assessment-evaluation/peer-assessment

(2) T. (2020, January 16). Think-Pair-Share: Classroom Strategy. Retrieved July 07, 2020, from https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share

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Comprehension strategy instruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading comprehension. These seven strategies have research-based evidence for improving text comprehension.

1. Monitoring Comprehension Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they read and when they do not. Research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students become better at monitoring their comprehension.

Be aware of what they do understand

Identify what they do not understand

2. Metacognition

Metacognition can be defined as "thinking about thinking." Good readers use metacognitive strategies to think about and have control over their reading. Students can preview the text and check for understanding as they read.

Identify where the difficulty occurs

Identify what the difficulty is

Restate the difficult sentence or passage in their own words

Look back through the text

Look forward in the text for information that might help them to resolve the difficulty

3. Graphic and Semantic organizers

Graphic organizers illustrate concepts and relationships between concepts in a text or using diagrams. Graphic organizers can help readers focus on concepts and how they are related to other concepts.

Help students focus on text structure differences between fiction and nonfiction as they read

Provide students with tools they can use to examine and show relationships in a text

Help students write well-organized summaries of a text Some examples of graphic organizers could be

Venn-Diagrams

Storyboard/Chain of Events

Story Map

Cause/Effect

4. Answering questions

This helps students: textually explicit information, textually implicit information, student's own background knowledge.

Give students a purpose for reading

Focus students' attention on what they are to learn

Help students to think actively as they read

Encourage students to monitor their comprehension

Help students to review content and relate what they have learned to what they already know

5. Generating questions
Students can be taught to ask main idea questions that relate to important information in a text.

6. Recognizing Story structure

Identify the categories of content such as characters, setting, events, problem, resolution, etc...

7. Summarizing

What is important in what they are reading and to put it into their own words. Help students:

Identify or generate main ideas

Connect the main or central ideas

Eliminate unnecessary information

Remember what they read

Effective Comprehension

Research shows that explicit teaching techniques are particularly effective for comprehension strategy instruction. In explicit instruction, teachers tell readers why and when they should use strategies, what strategies to use, and how to apply them. The steps of explicit instruction typically include:

Direct explanation

The teacher explains to students why the strategy helps comprehension and when to apply the strategy.

Modeling

The teacher models, or demonstrates, how to apply the strategy, usually by "thinking aloud" while reading the text that the students are using.

Guided practice

The teacher guides and assists students as they learn how and when to apply the strategy.

Application

The teacher helps students practice the strategy until they can apply it independently.

Effective comprehension strategy instruction can be accomplished through cooperative learning, which involves students working together as partners or in small groups on clearly defined tasks. Cooperative learning instruction has been used successfully to teach comprehension strategies. Students work together to understand texts, helping each other learn and apply comprehension strategies. Teachers help students learn to work in groups. Teachers also provide modeling of the comprehension strategies.
(Adler, 2001)