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

1. Lead with Digital Instruction to Individualize Learning

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

2. Use Print and Digital Resources to Reach Every Learner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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- Collaboration in learning is the process of working together to solve a problem, complete a task or a project.                                                        This is also a process of peer to peer teaching or working in a group to achieve mastery of learning standard.                                                                             - Collaboration is an integral part of student centered learning. Lessons that are simply lectures delivered by a teacher are missing very important aspect of learning principle; that people are social, and the brain grows in a social environment. Collaborative learning is founded on the idea that learning is done best in groups.   - Student-Centered is based on collaboration.       

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- Collaboration in learning is the process of working together to solve a problem, complete a task or a project.                                                        This is also a process of peer to peer teaching or working in a group to achieve mastery of learning standard.                                                                             - Collaboration is an integral part of student centered learning. Lessons that are simply lectures delivered by a teacher are missing very important aspect of learning principle; that people are social, and the brain grows in a social environment. Collaborative learning is founded on the idea that learning is done best in groups.   - Student-Centered is based on collaboration.       

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Collaboration Benefits.

develops problem-solving skill.

helps to achieve higher level of understanding.

gives different prospective of same problem.

helps students to explore real life problems.

promotes student centered learning.

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Using Assessment and Evaluation Strategies to Support Students

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The Six Thinking Hats is a systematic method of to help students think in a new and different way, exposing learners to six different styles of thinking, allows them to look at a problem from six different perspectives. These colourful, visual cues can be used to address almost any problem-solving activity and by assigning the different hats students can easily recognise which thinking skill they are using.

Activities can be created based on the hats for groups or individuals. The students can choose different options depending on their ability. In this way a creative, yet dyslexia child, for example, can also be appreciated for their strengths. Grouping children and allowing them to choose from a range of activities and collaborate working towards their strengths and then teaching and supporting each other to learn and develop their weaker areas.

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Differentiation is achieved as the students are given a chance to present their findings in a strength of their choice, addressing multiple learning styles.
Tic Tac Toe or Think Tac Toe
Tic Tac Toe or Think Tac Toe is a fun strategy that allows students to have choice about they way the want to learn or how they want to present their learnings.
Think-Pair-Share

Think-pair-share is a technique that allows students to think independently, work together, and share their ideas. It’s broken into three steps:

1. Think - Students think independently about a question or topic.

2. Pair - Students pair up and discuss their ideas with a partner.

3. Share - Pairs present their ideas to a small group of the whole class.

Personalized learning

Personalized learning is designed to meet each individual student’s needs. It is a fairly new technique that often takes place in flexible learning environments and incorporates technology in planning and implementation (Cavanagh, 2014). Tasks are often presented in “playlists,” and students are involved in their own assessment and lesson planning (Vargo, 2017). Technology can be used in researching, presenting, and keeping track of progress on the playlists of tasks, all while giving students agency to tailor their learning to their needs. Teachers use technology to monitor students' progress and alter learning plans as needed. The personalized learning approach also gives teachers more time and opportunity to address individual needs in person. While students are working on their lessons in class, teachers can circulate and give one-on-one attention to those who need it most.

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Student Centered Approaches/Techniques for Reading:

1. Questioning – Good readers ask purposeful questions before, during, and after reading to determine meaning or further understanding.

2. Imaging (Visualizing) - Readers use a variety of sensory and conceptual processes (mental mapping) to understand texts. They imagine the sights, sounds, smells, see motion, hear dialogue and develop meaningful ways to develop their understanding.

3. Predicting – Predicting involves the use of text clues and the students’ prior knowledge as they make logical forecasts about what will occur next in the text.

4. Inferring - Inferring is a difficult strategy that separates good readers from poor readers. High-level thinking is needed when students use text clues and prior knowledge to draw conclusions about past and present events.

5. Making Connections – Good readers use their schema or prior knowledge to help them understand the text. When reading, they make connections to text, experiences or general world knowledge.

6. Monitoring – Keeping track of comprehension is what monitoring is all about. When students monitor their comprehension, they check to make sure they are visualizing, pay attention to unknown words, and notice when they do not understand text or are even not paying attention to what they are reading.

7. Summarizing – Summarizing is a difficult and complex strategy for many students. They need to separate the important parts of the text from the unimportant details as they tell the text in sequence. Summarizing is also the big picture, author’s message, theme and main idea all rolled into one.

8. Evaluating – Good readers are like little judges, weighing and evaluating before, during, and after reading. They evaluate whether they liked the text or not and how they did as readers. (Cranage, 8)

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Learner Centered Literacy:  Owning Their Own Reading

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My Sources:

1. Cranage, S. (2008). Student-Centered Reading Strategies . Retrieved from https://ed.psu.edu/pds/teacher-inquiry/2008/cranages.pdf

2. Think-Pair-Share. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from Reading Rockets website: https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share.

3. Think, Pair, Share Cooperative Learning Strategy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from TeacherVision website: https://www.teachervision.com/group-work/think-pair-share-cooperative-learning-strategy

4. Webster, J. (2019). ThoughtCo. Think-Tac-Toe: A Strategy for Differentiation. Retrieved on October 20, 2019 from https://www.thoughtco.com/think-tac-toe-strategy-for-differentiation-3110424

5. Warfield, A. Storyboard That, Six Thinking Hats in the Classroom. Retrieved October 19, 2019 from https://www.storyboardthat.com/blog/e/six-thinking-hats-in-the-classroom Dyck, B. (2004). Education world, Put on Your (Six) Thinking Hats. Retrieved October 19, 2019 from https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/voice102.shtml

6. Assessment https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller

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Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning

There’s more to assessment than test scores. By assessing students’ passions, learning styles, success skills, and levels of rigor, teachers can create a student-centered classroom.
Assessment is key to creating a more student-centered classroom. Before proceeding, though, I want to clarify what I mean by assessment. I don't mean testing, nor do I mean grading. Unfortunately this term (as well as other terms like data-driven instruction) has been hijacked to mean more testing and knowing students only in terms of their test scores. We know this is unacceptable and does not meet the needs of all students.

Yes, data such as test scores can give us a window into better serving our students, but it's not the whole window. If we truly want to know our students, we must view them as a stained-glass window with test data as only one of many pieces. Assessment can allow us to know the whole child as we create a more student-centered classroom.

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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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Collaborative learning is an effective approach that provides students with the opportunity to learn from each other in a supportive environment. It allows students to take responsibility for their own learning and encourages them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Collaborative learning encourages students to construct meaning as they share ideas and work together, thus facilitating deeper understanding of topics than could be gained through individual study. Additionally, it can help build relationships between students, foster a sense of community, and motivate students by making learning meaningful and engaging.

Reference: https://www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-collaborative-learning

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Project-based learning offers students the opportunity to explore and engage in real-world problems and issues while honing their critical and creative thinking skills. Throughout the process, they can apply the knowledge they have obtained over an extended period of time (ranging from a week to a semester) to create meaningful projects with a public product or presentation that can be shared with a real-world audience. Thanks to PBL, students gain crucial skills such as problem solving, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking abilities which can synergistically enhance their content knowledge and learning outcomes. It also encourages creativity not just in the students, but in their instructors as well.

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What is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method that encourages learning by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects.

Students will typically work on a project over an extended period of time - anywhere from a week up to a semester - that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They then show what they learned by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.

By working in this way, project-based learning enables students to develop deep content knowledge as well as skills like critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. PBL has also been known to unleash a contagious creative energy among students and teachers, leading to increased student engagement and improved learning outcomes for all.

Project-based learning is becoming increasingly used in schools and other educational settings, in different ways and varying degrees. However, you may wondering what the difference is between students simply "doing a project" and engaging in rigorous project-based learning.

Characteristics of project-based learning

Project-based learning is often differentiated by the following characteristics:

Inter-disciplinary

Real-world challenges are rarely solved using information or skills from a single subject area. In PBL, projects require students to use content knowledge and skills from multiple academic domains to engage in inquiry, solution building, and product construction.

Rigorous

Challenges set out in PBL often require the application of knowledge and skills, not just recall or recognition. Typically, students' first steps will be to engage in a process of inquiry. This leads to deeper learning, not just of the academic content, but also the use of the content in real world applications. This then leads to the development of solutions that address the problem/challenge of the project, and the creation of products to communicate solutions to an audience.

Student-centred

In PBL, the role of the teacher shifts from content-deliverer to facilitator, coach or project manager. Students work more independently, with the teacher providing support only when needed.

Project-based learning objectives

The desired outcomes of project-based learning stretch far and wide and can vary by school, teacher and institution. However, project-based learning objectives aren't all that different to the characteristics outlined above, and its purported benefits.

Still, here are some of the common objectives of project-based learning:

Integration of knowledge and kills from various areas through more complex investigations and multi-disciplinary projects

Autonomous learning encouraged through independent research of unstructured problems

Teamwork, which helps prepare students for a social environment

Self-evaluation and self-criticism, which encourages students to see beyond their own ideas and knowledge.

Benefits of Project-Based Learning

Below are some of the widely cited benefits of implementing project-based learning in the classroom.

Challenges of Project-Based Learning

PBL can difficult for some teachers to get used to, as it requires them to coach more and instruct less; to embrace interdisciplinary learning instead of teaching subjects in silos, and to be more comfortable with uncertainty and discovery during the learning process.

This is a stark contrast to the traditional education most teachers have experienced and been trained in. Change takes time and is rarely without apprehension or challenges. The good news, however, is that these challenges can most certainly be overcome.

Teachers can take inspiration for problems or ideas from students, parents, or other members of the school community. Instead of lectures and books, they can simply think through the steps required to solve a problem and use those steps as project-learning activities. Instead of planning a large project, they can chunk the project into smaller parts with frequent checkpoints along the way, to make the learning process more manageable.

Meanwhile, authentic assessments can be developed by communicating with professionals in the field regarding what a presentation would look like related to a particular project, instead of the usual unnatural exam setting so many students are used to.

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A Guide to Using Project-Based Learning in the Classroom | True Education Partnerships

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What is project-based learning and why is it essential for learning? Our guide explains how to leverage project-based learning in the classroom. Read more.

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What student-centered approaches or techniques include physical movement as a central element? (by Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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What student-centered approaches or techniques include physical movement as a central element? (by Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Performing Arts and Physical Education are the best examples of student-centered kinesthetic learning, this style of knowledge can be implemented into any classroom, STEM included. Examples of kinesthetic collaboration can be found, in a drama class, playing physical games to prepare for roles, or in math class, putting together little songs to help kids remember their timetable.
Physical Warm-Ups/Movement: In a 2008 Education Week article quoting Harvard Medical School's Professor John Ratey, he states that physical exercise "puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn." (Viadero, 2008).
Acting/Role Play: Acting is not just for performing arts classes but also for STEM courses. Instead of having students read and discuss a significant historical moment, have them act it out. Give students the historical context, and see how they display this information to you and the rest of the class. Students must use their imaginations, bodies, collaborative skills, and the area around them to demonstrate the larger concept. (Griss, 2013).
Field Trips: Going to an interactive space museum for physics or aquarium for biology can have a profound impact on the learners' short and long-term memory through touch, sound, sight, and the cumulative experiences of the peers around the learner.
Gamification: Instead of speak/repeat or rote memorization-oriented activities, a class is sectioned into sub-groups/teams, and activities may be gamified. Examples include numbering students and then having them race to the board to write their responses, having students stand up/sit/down/spin/act, raise their hand, etc. Gamification is effectively a one-stop-shop for all kinds of "play," including "constructive play (building with blocks, model building), exploratory play (hide and seek, scavenger hunts, make-believe), adventure or confidence play." dynamic/physical ways. (Jensen, 2005)

References:

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

Viadero, Deborah. (Feb, 2008). Exercise Seen as Priming Pump for Students’ Academic Strides. Retrieved from: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/02/13/23exercise_ep.h27.html

Jensen, E. (2005). Chapter 4. Movement and Learning. In Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 2nd Edition (2nd ed.). ASCD. http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104013/chapters/Movement-and-Learning.aspx

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The Jigsaw Method is a collaborative learning strategy that encourages students to work together and learn from each other. It involves breaking up a task or assignment into pieces, assigning each piece to a small group, and having those groups come together to share their knowledge. Each student is responsible for understanding the assigned piece of the task and then teaching it to their peers. This technique provides an opportunity for students to practice communication skills, develop teamwork, and gain a deeper understanding of the material by hearing different perspectives. It also allows for more individualized instruction since each student is expected to teach the subject matter as it pertains to their area of expertise.

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by Becton Loveless

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

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

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

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

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

Turn your classroom into a community

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

Develop trust and communication

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

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

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

Find ways to integrate technology

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

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

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

Replace homework with engaging project-based learning activities

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

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

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

Learn more about Project-based learning.

Develop ongoing projects

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

Allow students to share in decision making

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

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

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

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

Give students the opportunity to lead

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

Get students involved in their performance evaluation

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

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

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In this modern era of , the infusion of technology into teaching and learning has a remarkable influence on the instructional strategies of the educational institutions. The traditional teacher-centric method which has been going on for decades

has now been modified and enhanced, owing to technology. In contrast to the traditional methods, the modern learning environments, students play an active role in their learning process and determine how to reach their desired learning outcomes on their own.

This student-centered approach empowers students to build up their knowledge and enables them to think critically, work in teams and solve problems collectively. Students are always enthusiastic and demonstrate positive attitudes towards the student-centered learning environment.

The student-centered learning approach is constructivist in nature, it enables students to visualize a problem with multiple perspectives and allows them to participate in their own learning process. Students are now challenged to develop skills in problem-solving and to exercise analytical, critical and creative thinking in their work and are encouraged to learn more about their subjects. The role of the teacher now alters to being a facilitator and a consultant to the students, supporting them throughout their learning process, rather than just being a dictator in the entire process.

For teachers who wish to create a more student-centered environment, things are not always easy, since creating such an environment is an intensive process which requires a lot of consideration and knowledge. First of all, they need to come out of the practice of being the 'sage on the stage', and also the students who are not used to being active participants in their learning need a good deal of adjustment. Technology can help pave the way for both teachers and students, but it certainly requires a teacher who is adept at creating a course that raises the pedagogical benefits of that technology has towards helping students meet the desired learning outcomes. A roadmap needs to be followed for matching technological tools to learning outcomes, so that technology can be used to get students to interact with course content in an engaging and productive fashion.

Here are some of the ways in which technology can help facilitate a student-centered classroom:

Empower the learner: Interactive online assignments can help students assess their learning themselves, counter their drawbacks, improve and be responsible for their own learning. Online assignments also give students opportunities to practice mastering the study material at their own pace. Teachers are not physically present while the students tackle their assignments, but their help could be sought online or afterwards, whenever students feel the need for it. The technologies that support these activities could include wikis, online quizzes, blogs and discussion boards.

Organize activities: A structured and logical flow for the courses is always appreciated by students as well as teachers. If you can organize your activities well, then any kind of confusion can be avoided. Organization simplifies the workflow and approach towards learning; it eases out tasks in a systematic way. The technologies that support how you organize and communicate course materials could include an online syllabus, the learning management system and email or mobile notifications of important due dates.

Adopt technological tools in the classroom to teach: When a teacher adopts technology in the classroom to aid him in teaching, he is able to create learning experiences that complement each other whether the students are learning online or are present in the classroom physically. This helps teachers to optimize their time, efforts and resources and focus more on guiding students, rather than doing all the intensive preparations and arrangements for teaching. The technologies that support this goal include online homework, clickers and surveys.

Making the student responsible for his own learning: Teachers should create such courses that allow students to practice building connections with the material and proceed at their own pace. Rather than trying to match up with the learning style of the fellow students of his class, now the student can comfortably practice and develop his skills in his own learning style, which is any day more beneficial for the student in the long run. The technologies that can be used to help students take responsibility of their learning include blogs, wikis, online quizzes, and VoiceThread.

Subjecting students to regular evaluation: Evaluation certainly fosters learning and is a necessity in the process of learning. Teachers can use a variety of low-stakes grading opportunities, such as online quizzes and games. The incorporation of motivator elements like online badges and medals keep the students encouraged to learn and succeed. There are numerous technologies that can help students track their progress, including online quiz banks and online platforms that enable collaboration and peer review.

Students in technology-supported classrooms are armed with powerful tools to help them gather information, consult with fellow students or teachers and present their findings. Their confidence increases as they rely less on their teacher and more on their own initiative for knowledge-creation. Technology enables students to manipulate information in a manner that accelerates both understanding and the progression of higher-order thinking skills. As a result, students gather more real-world data, share their findings with learners beyond their school, and publish their findings to the world; their role broadens from being mere learners and knowledge seekers to being creators of their own work. For teachers, technology amplifies the resources they can offer to their students. Rather than relying on the textbook for content, computers can provide online access to content experts and up-to-date information from original sources.

Although it is undeniable that integrating technology takes a fair amount of upfront time in terms of getting past the learning curve and choosing the correct technology to support each learning objective, the result is the creation of a more engaged classroom and improved student learning. I would encourage teachers and students to come out of the traditional classrooms, incorporate technology with education and accept the fact that learning, rather than being just a practice is an active responsibility of the learners and teachers with the help of technology should assist students to have a successful education. Share your views and knowledge with us. The Comment Box awaits you.

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Using Technology to Create Student-Centered Learning Environment

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In this modern era of , the infusion of technology into teaching and learning has a remarkable influence on the instructional strategies of the educational institutions. The traditional teacher-centric method which has been going on for decades has now been modified and enhanced, owing to technology.

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Station Rotation: Differentiating Instruction to Reach All Students

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5 Elements of a Positive Classroom Environment for Students Living with Adversity

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5 Elements of a Positive Classroom Environment for Students Living with Adversity

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How many of us have been formally trained to teach students living with adverse childhood experiences? When we ask this question throughout the U.S., few educators raise their hand. However, according to the National Survey of Children's Health , almost half of all U.S. children have experienced one or more types of serious adversity such as abuse, neglect, parental loss, or mental illness. What is not included in this survey are the countless additional children who have experienced living in war or conflict zones; being displaced, persecuted, or homeless; and other traumatic events that have significantly impacted their lives. These realities are important for every educator to consider - particularly as we honor Mental Health Awareness Month.

A first step for supporting such students' academic and socio-emotional development is to embrace a strong belief in them and their personal assets and strengths. That is, we must move from an empathetic-only approach to an empathetic and asset-based one that appreciates our students' many individual strengths. When we do this, we intentionally look for, honor, and acknowledge the values, attributes, and strengths that make every student unique.

According to large bodies of trauma-related research, this relational approach is more effective when it occurs in an environment that fosters a sense of belonging and of feeling valued, competent, and safe. How can we create a classroom environment that reflects these characteristics and capitalizes on our students' individual strengths?

Here are five elements of a strengths-based classroom environment.

The importance of our relationship with students cannot be overstated. It begins with getting to know them and building trusting relationships. An important goal from the very beginning of our work with students should be identifying their strengths and qualities, in the form of values and assets, and reflecting them back to students. Gathering information about students is a good way to build and strengthen our relationships and personalize our interactions with them. One example of this relationship-building practice is greeting individual students as they enter the classroom. Think about how a student would feel when her teacher greets her by saying: Good morning, Lucy. Great to see you after that tough game last night. I heard you were very determined on that court!

Students living in adverse conditions are more likely to experience a loss of control and feelings of powerlessness. Classroom environments that promote empowerment do so by providing many opportunities for students to build their confidence and capacity to speak up, address issues, take risks, and make decisions about what works for them. Welcoming students' voice and choice helps them to be involved in decisions that impact their learning. Asking a small group of students to suggest solutions to a challenging situation that affects them directly, is just one example of how educators can bring in student voice to our classrooms.

It is essential to develop lessons that meaningfully connect to students' experiences and encourage them to become emotionally invested in learning. For example, linking literary characters and literature to students' personal, cultural, social, and world experiences can validate students' strengths and interests. Further, characters and their actions can be discussed at great length to help students learn what others have done to overcome challenges.

A classroom is a haven for many students living with adversity. It is also a place that is conducive to learning because it takes into consideration students' needs and preferences. For instance, students should have input in the arrangement and design of their classroom including desks and wall space to facilitate collaboration, discussion, and individual work. This type of environment fosters a sense of belonging and of feeling valued, competent, and safe.

Classroom activities that use routines and rituals are critical for alleviating the unpredictable nature of living with adversity. They help students to reclaim normalcy and control by supporting a downshift from a fearful state to a calmer and more positive one. An example is a routine opening meeting to describe the day's schedule and discuss how students will transition from one activity to another.

Here are practices that Janetta Wallace, a high school chemistry teacher, uses to implement the five elements of a strengths-based classroom environment.

Janetta takes time to build relationships with her students. She meets with guidance counselors to find out about students living with adversity. She has students complete a series of questions on their first day of class. These include questions such as: Tell me about a teacher you really liked and what he or she did that you appreciated. How do you like to get feedback from a teacher? Do you have some specific concerns about our chemistry class?

Janetta looks for ways to make the chemistry content 'come alive'. For example, knowing that her students see or hear a train traveling by their school every day, she takes her class on a short walk to the railroad tracks. She explains that the tracks are welded together using a chemical reaction to form miles of runway for trains. When students arrive back in the classroom, she tells them to work in small groups to discuss how they think the tracks are welded together without engineers having to haul tons of metal to the location where the tracks are laid.

She involves students in designing the classroom environment for paired and group discussions. Because each group is creating a poster of their choice about the process of a chemical reaction, they are involved in more than designing the location of their seats, they also define what is needed on the walls of their classroom to help guide them in this task.

She assigns each student to specific pairs and groups that she believes will work well together. She also routinely uses positive, affirming language such as: That's an excellent use of logic. I appreciate your willingness to collaborate. You are using your great mind to figure out a response. And, she supports them to affirm each other in the same manner.

Janetta designs lab assignments around routines and practices that students must follow. She routinely begins class by posing a problem. She models how she wants pairs and then groups of students to work together to discuss possible solutions. At the end of class, she always gathers students together to review what they have learned.

When we create a learning environment where we intentionally incorporate these five elements, we are making sure our students who live with adversity feel empowered and are cognizant of their endless potential and amazing personal strengths.

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5 Elements of a Positive Classroom Environment for Students Living with Adversity

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How many of us have been formally trained to teach students living with adverse childhood experiences? When we ask this question throughout the U.S., few educators raise their hand. However, according

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Gallery walk - For example, each student or a group of students, need to post their answer on a sheet of paper somewhere in the classroom. Then other students walk around and leave comments on their peer’s answer. This strategy can also be applied to art. References: Coe, Cindy A. "Utilizing Gallery Walks and Stations to Foster Inquiry, Compelling Questions and Academic Discourse in Social Studies Classrooms." Oregon Journal of the Social Studies (2019): 5.

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Gallery walk - For example, each student or a group of students, need to post their answer on a sheet of paper somewhere in the classroom. Then other students walk around and leave comments on their peer’s answer. This strategy can also be applied to art. References: Coe, Cindy A. "Utilizing Gallery Walks and Stations to Foster Inquiry, Compelling Questions and Academic Discourse in Social Studies Classrooms." Oregon Journal of the Social Studies (2019): 5.

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One idea to arrange the environment in an art class is to set up learning stations, where each station can be dedicated to one medium. Students can choose themselves on which medium and project they want to work.

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Grading rubric - in secondary art classes, I often create a rubric and ask a student to grade themselves. We then discuss the grade together. 

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Grading rubric - in secondary art classes, I often create a rubric and ask a student to grade themselves. We then discuss the grade together. 

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References: Andrade, Heidi. (2007). Self-Assessment Through Rubrics. Educational Leadership. 65.

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What can teachers do to make the classroom environment more conducive to children’s learning and development?

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What can teachers do to make the classroom environment more conducive to children’s learning and development?

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https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/env/cresource/q1/p02/

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Page 2: Physical Environment

The term physical environment refers to the overall design and layout of a given classroom and its learning centers. Teachers should design the environment by organizing its spaces, furnishings, and materials to maximize the learning opportunities and the engagement of every child. 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. Creating this accessibility might involve providing books at different reading levels, placing materials within easy reach on a shelf, or creating ample space so that a child who uses a wheelchair can maneuver around the classroom.

When they set out to design an effective physical environment, teachers should consider all of that environment's various aspects. Once they have selected child-sized, age-appropriate furnishings, teachers should then think about each of the following. Click the items below to learn more.

A well-designed physical environment has different activity areas with clear, physical, and visual boundaries, defined by the furnishings and floor coverings. These furnishings and floor coverings should create spaces that are comfortable and that lend themselves to their intended purpose. For example, a block area might have bookshelves to set it off as a block center, and carpeting or foam flooring to muffle the sound when blocks fall on the floor. Also, the library area should have a soft, comfortable floor covering for young children and adults to sit on while they look at the books. When they arrange furnishings, teachers should:

Make sure that all children are visible to adults and that adults are visible to children, to ensure proper supervision.

Design areas with spaces for children to work and play independently or in small groups, and to gather as a community.

Establish clear boundaries to indicate where the center space begins and ends.

Consider the location of centers. Centers with high activity levels (e.g., block centers, dramatic play areas, music centers) should not be located close to centers with quieter activities (e.g., listening centers, computer areas).

Consider the number and size of centers. Make sure there is enough room that children can be engaged without being crowded.

Create cozy, private spaces. Create safe spaces where children can retreat to rest, observe, and recharge emotionally throughout the day.

Another aspect of the physical environment includes the selection and placement 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. For example, the block area should include a variety of blocks to allow children with varying motor skills to manipulate them, and these materials should be placed so that they are easily accessed. Teachers should also take care when it comes to:

Organizing materials and keeping them in appropriate places (e.g., art materials in art center, sensory table near sink), taking into consideration children's development of independence skills.

Providing enough materials within the centers so that children can be engaged and not arguing over limited resources.

Having centers organized and ready to go when children arrive.

Making sure the materials represent the diversity and the ability levels of the children.

Placing heavier items on lower shelves so that children do not get hurt when they take them down.

Providing safe play items that offer developmentally appropriate challenges to promote the growth of problem-solving skills.

Encouraging children to help make decisions about materials.

Rotating materials both to promote children's interest and to keep the materials novel.

Another important aspect of the physical environment is the design and display of visual materials. Visual material- such as posters for displaying classroom rules, daily schedules, and steps to complete a routine (e.g., hand washing)-help young children to know what to do and to better understand their environments. For example, in the block area, the teacher can label the center and use visuals of the different blocks to indicate where they belong on the shelves. This can aid the children when the time comes to clean up the center. Other considerations include:

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.

Posting visuals at the eye-level of children so that they can see them.

Using visuals to indicate when a center is closed (e.g., visual prompts such as sheets or blankets, circles with a slash through them).

Displaying materials that are representative of the environment's diversity (e.g., culture, disability, language, family structures).

Labeling centers and frequently used materials in languages that represent the home languages of the children in the classroom.

Having children bring in pictures of their families for display in the classroom so that they feel comfortable and at home in their environment.

When they design the physical environment, teachers should also consider its lighting and sound. Teachers can use lighting and sound to create a comfortable environment that is conducive to the different activities that occur throughout the day. For example, so that children can engage in both quiet and more active play activities during center time, the block area can be carpeted to reduce noise. Teachers can also keep in mind:

Natural lighting, or light from windows, is best when available.

Lighting can be used to create moods (e.g., small lamps in home living areas to resemble a home environment).

Using flooring materials that muffles sound can reduce noise from active centers. Chairs with rubber leg bottoms or chairs with tennis balls over metal bottoms can also help to reduce sound, as can wall hangings, drapes, and soft furnishings.

Because some children are sensitive to loud sounds and bright lights, teachers might need to find ways to minimize noise and to create a dimly lit space for them.

For Your Information

To help prevent problem behavior:

Minimize large open spaces in which children can run

Provide enough materials within the centers so that children do not have to compete for them

Use visual and environmental cues to help children know what to do

Including Families

Teachers can collaborate with families to create a physical environment that reflects the importance of those families and that promotes a sense of belonging. They can do this by:

Creating a parent communication board and welcome area in the room to share information

Requesting family pictures to be displayed throughout the classroom and the early childhood center

Asking families to provide resources that are representative of materials and objects their children use at home

Ensuring the diversity of families within the program, as well as other families throughout the world, through such things as artifacts, artwork, posters, toys, puzzles, and toy people sets

Including Children with Disabilities

Teachers need to ensure that young children with disabilities are able to fully access and participate in learning experiences. They can do this by making minor changes to the physical environment, such as:

Changing or modifying the chairs to meet children's needs (e.g., making sure the children's feet touch the floor, using a sensory cushion- a cushion that stimulates kids who crave sensory or tactile input when sitting, having bean bag chairs available)

Putting squares or pictures on the floor to indicate where children should line up or sit

Modifying materials, such as markers, to make them easier for children with motor difficulties to hold (e.g., using pencil grips)

Providing specialized equipment (e.g., built-up handled spoons, adaptive scissors) as recommended by an occupational therapist or physical therapist to help children be more independent

Making room for specialized equipment (e.g., walker) or assistive technology (e.g., communication board)

Creating individualized visual materials to help children to take part in daily routines (e.g., flip book)

assistive technology
Any item, service, equipment, or product system-whether acquired commercially, specially designed, or created via changes to an existing product-that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities in the daily life of an individual with a disability; comes in two forms, devices and services.
communication board
A form of assistive technology, these displays consist of photographs, symbols, words/phrases, or any combination of these designed to make language visible and accessible for individuals with speech impairments.

A simple book that uses pictures or symbols to help children to participate and follow daily routines (e.g., bathroom procedures, wash hands, lunch).

Did You Know?

When they make items like pencils grips or specialized scissors available for all children, teachers avoid making certain children stand out.

Listen as Abby Green talks about how she arranges the physical environmental to help the children understand classroom expectations. Then listen as Ilene Schwartz talks about the concept of Universal Design for Learning in an early childhood environment.

Abby Green-Taylor, MEd
Teacher III / KidTalk Coach
Susan Gray School
Vanderbilt University

(time: 1:24)

Ilene Schwartz, PhD
Professor, Special Education
Director, Haring Center for Research and Training in Inclusive Education
University of Washington

(time: 1:42)

Transcript: Abby Green-Taylor, MEd

I use environmental arrangement to show which toys are available or not available and make sure that anything visible is accessible and available upon appropriate requests. Everything else will be out of sight, so there's nothing tempting or to promote problem behaviors. We let the children know through the environment what their expectations are. This is an activity where we'll sit at a table, or we'll put circles on the carpet where they'll sit during story time. We'll use the green squares on the floor to signify where they'll stand to line up. That lets them know where to be, and therefore they're successful in their environment.

The environment's always set up where there is free play going on, as well as one to two other activities, so that children have the opportunity to choose within their environment where they can be the most successful at a given time. I don't put any materials out that I'm not going to let them use, and so I don't limit in that way. In the past, I've used a choice board where there's four pieces of Velcro, and the children have their own owls, and that will tell them that four people can be at a given center. And that works well. In our new setup, I don't have to limit because I always have enough choices open, and I make sure that there are enough activities going on.

Transcript: Ilene Schwartz, PhD

When we think about Universal Design for Learning, one of the most simple ways to think about that is that there are multiple ways to solve a problem, multiple ways to address a problem, multiple ways to get to the core of what we're trying to accomplish. And that's so important when we think about environments. The best example for this is when we think about how our society now uses curb cuts. Curb cuts and rounds were developed and are mandated for people who use wheelchairs or have other kinds of mobility challenges. But anyone with a stroller or a rolling suitcase can appreciate how much they benefit from those rounds or curb cuts. The same happens in an early childhood environment. We may put carpet squares out at circle time to help some children understand where their body needs to be, but those carpet squares can benefit all children. We may label every cubby in the classroom where everything needs to go. Those labels help children who are learning to read, those who are learning English. They can have benefits for all kinds of children. So one of the things when we think about Universal Design for Learning is that supports that we put in place for some children may benefit all children and may even benefit them in ways that we don't understand..

Additional Considerations for Infants and Young Toddlers

Teachers have a great deal of control over what infants and young toddlers (i.e., birth-24 months) experience in the physical environment. This is at least in part to the fact that infants and young toddlers depend on adults for their mobility. Because of this, arranging a classroom for infants and toddlers requires some specific considerations in addition to those described above. These include:

Keeping all appropriate materials in the environment accessible to infants and toddlers so that they can explore on their own and therefore develop independence and initiative.

Creating spaces where children can crawl and walk. Self-initiated movement is essential to a young child's emotional development. Crawling to a desired toy and picking it up helps a young child to develop feelings of self-confidence and achievement.

Providing safe lofts and climbing structures to support the development of motor skills.

Listen as Rob Corso explains why it is so important for teachers to create a nurturing and responsive environment for infants and toddlers (time: 1:40).

Transcript: Rob Corso, PhD

For infants and young toddlers, teachers really control pretty much everything they experience. So what they see, what they smell, what they touch. The key for effective environments for infants and young toddlers is really to embrace the concept of nurturing and responsive caregiving, which is a combination of relationships in the environment. The adult behaviors lay the foundation for healthy development of infants and young children. The environment and the curriculum are really blended together for how well caregivers can be responsive for the daily routines of mealtime, naptime, diaper changing. So how conducive the environment is for caregivers to be able to respond quickly and appropriately to the needs of infants and young children is really the core of what makes something a high-quality environment. In addition, for infants and young children high-quality environments have to have spaces for them to explore freely and safely in ways that are interesting and engaging, calm, and can promote interactions between adults and children, as well as children and other children. The environment for infants and young children is all about how to make sure caregivers can form close and secure relationships with the children. When adults are caring and responsive and consistent, infants and young children learn that they're valued and that the world is satisfying and predictable, so this is really all part of the environment for infants and young children.

Research Shows

Environments that have been carefully and effectively arranged and maintained can significantly increase positive peer-to-peer interactions.

Using toys or activities that support social interaction (e.g., wagons, painting a mural) and grouping children with social delays with their more social peers can dramatically affect the frequency and duration of positive peer interactions.
(Bovey, T., & Strain, P. 2005)

High-Quality

Less-Supportive

In this high-quality environment:

The bookshelves, easels, and other furniture are used to break the room into small centers.

A variety of materials are available and accessible to children.

Visuals are placed at eye-level to support children in understanding the day's schedules and routines.

Window shades are fully open to take advantage of natural light. A lamp and string of lights help to further offset the fluorescent light in the room.

In this less-supportive environment:

The wide-open space* and uniform carpet color are not supportive in helping children to know what to do.

The areas are not separated.

The cubbies are poorly organized.

The visuals are placed well above the children's eye-level.

* Note: This teacher may need more open space if one of her children uses a wheelchair. If this is the case, decisions regarding space must be carefully considered taking into account the children in the classroom.

Activity

Review the picture of the preschool classroom below and discuss the strengths of the physical arrangement, as well as some possible changes you could make to improve it.

Click here for feedback.

Strengths:

Sufficient number of centers

Utilizes the bookshelves, easels, and other furniture to break the room into small centers

A large variety and quantity of materials are available and accessible to children allowing them to play independently or work in small groups

Visuals placed at eye-level

Needs improvement:

Centers could be better defined to limit open spaces

Create a quiet area with soft materials (e.g., rug, pillows, bean bag chairs)

Post family pictures on the walls at eye-level

Make sure space allows for full participation and access for all children

Add labels to identify centers

Increase natural lighting (if possible)

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The term physical environment refers to the overall design and layout of a given classroom and its learning centers. Teachers should design the environment by organizing its spaces, furnishings, and materials to maximize the learning opportunities and the engagement of every child.

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The physical environment that promotes student-centered learning in six aspects

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The physical environment that promotes student-centered learning in six aspects

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-       Seating plan

Arranging seating that allows students to interact face-to-face, such as circular rows of seats, can promote cooperation and communication among students.

-       Decoration of the classroom

We should create a warm, friendly classroom community where any student is comfortable and willing to speak their mind. We can decorate our classrooms with student artwork, and student artifacts to give students a sense of belonging.

-       Class Protocol

Teachers and students work together to set the class rules about what is expected in the classroom.

-       Create a peace corner

Collaboration and communication are essential in the classroom, but sometimes students also need solitude to recharge and reflect.

-       Set up events where students are free to talk about their thoughts

The classroom environment should make students feel comfortable and students are encouraged to express themselves without worries. Teachers can select a topic, set up a class meeting, and encourage every student to speak their feelings.

-       Technology

Technology can play a big role in both learning and assessment. First of all using technology in the classroom, such as videos, and pictures, which can help students understand better visually. Students can also use technology for self-study, and they can learn at their own pace and can repeat the learning at any time. Technology also increases the variety of student assignments, such as doing presentations and making videos. In terms of assessment, technology is available in the form of online tests (Quizizz: https://quizizz.com) and online questionnaires (QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com), which provide teachers with easy access to feedback.

References:

Person. (2022, July 21). How to set up a learner-centered classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/video/how-set-learner-centered-classroom/

rnryan12. (2014, May 5). Setting the stage for Success. EDU 673: Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://rachelleryan12.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/setting-the-stage-for-success/

Saxena, S. (2013, November 6). Using technology to create student-centered learning environment. EdTechReview. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/using-technology-for-student-centered-learning-environment/

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Peer teaching as a collaborative learning technique

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Peer teaching as a collaborative learning technique

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Peer teaching is a very effective means for both the student-as-teacher and student-as-learner to learn new concepts. One example of peer teaching is tutoring, which means guiding the learning of a newer student. This can be as informal as a brief discussion in which a student explains a concept or clarifies a misunderstanding. Supplemental instruction is the extended guidance students receive over an entire course from a secondary source (e.g., a tutor). Presentations ask students to communicate course material to their peers effectively. This requires more than restating

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This is a collaborative learning technique that allows students to assess prior knowledge, recall information and practice communication skills. The steps are:

1. Write: Each student writes one (or two or 3) sentences about a given topic (or this could be an answer to a question) on a piece of paper.

2. Share: The paper is passed around to one group member at a time. Each group member responds in writing.

3. Summarize: When the original is returned, the student reads the comments from the group and shares what the collective sense of what was said in the group.

Brainpopeducation, Retrieved Feb 8, 2023 from  https://educators.brainpop.com/teaching-tip/roundtable-learning-strategy/

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When developing collaborative approaches, bear in mind the following:

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When developing collaborative approaches, bear in mind the following:

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Do not simply put students in groups with vague directions to discuss a topic. Instead, focus the discussions with a question or topical conflict.

Organize groups with a purpose. Have a learning objective in mind: Would it make more sense to assign groups randomly, to allow peers to organize themselves into groups, to place students together with those whose performance has been similar?

Always require a product of groups’ work, even if it is as informal as a brief summary of their discussion. Accountability will motivate students put in their full effort and the product will serve as a means of assessing their understanding.

Consider ways for assigning roles, but resist appointing a “leader,” upon whom more responsibility will fall than his or her peers. Instead, think about roles that share work (e.g., facilitator, recording secretary, spokesperson).

Be attentive to student schedules. If requiring regular collaboration that demands face-to-face meetings, allow those meetings to take place during class.

Always prepare and distribute a grading rubric for collaborative projects that will be graded.

Collaborative learning. Retrieved Feb 8, 2023 from: https://tltc.umd.edu/instructors/resources/collaborative-learning

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While there is of course some resistance to collaborative learning (think, for example, of your own experiences carrying the weight of the group whose participants may have not all contributed equitably), when planned carefully it helps to satisfy a number of goals. It requires active learning, in which students must engage with course material in ways lecturing alone cannot support. It takes advantage of the notion that teaching is learning and provides a structure for peer teaching. It supports multiple learning styles by adopting a heterogeneous approach (some students write, some discuss, some edit, some listen and synthesize, some move around to gather findings from different peers, etc). Finally, by simply unsettling what students are often used to (e.g., extended lectures with little or no contribution from inactive students), collaborative learning reminds students that learning requires more than listening, and that reminder may be an early step toward metacognition, the practice of thinking about (and recognizing) how we learn.

As you develop collaborative approaches, bear in mind the following:

Do not simply put students in groups with vague directions to discuss a topic. Instead, focus the discussions with a question or topical conflict.

Organize groups with a purpose. Have a learning objective in mind: Would it make more sense to assign groups randomly, to allow peers to organize themselves into groups, to place students together with those whose performance has been similar? There are rationales for each of the preceding; just be sure your strategy is not arbitrary.

Always require a product of groups' work, even if it is as informal as a brief summary of their discussion. Accountability will motivate students put in their full effort and the product will serve as a means of assessing their understanding.

Consider ways for assigning roles, but resist appointing a "leader," upon whom more responsibility will fall than his or her peers. Instead, think about roles that share work (e.g., facilitator, recording secretary, spokesperson).

For long-term collaborative projects, require regular interim reports.

Be attentive to student schedules. If requiring regular collaboration that demands face-to-face meetings, allow those meetings to take place during class.

As with any method, be wary of overuse. If each class meeting relies on group work learning may be no more lasting than if each class relied exclusively on uninterrupted lectures.

Always prepare and distribute a grading rubric for collaborative projects that will be graded.

Resources: The TLTC maintains a library which includes several works on collaborative learning. Consider reviewing one or more of the following:

Cuseo, J.B. (1996). Cooperative Learning: A Pedagogy for Addressing Contemporary Challenges & Critical Issues in Higher Education Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

Davidson, N. & Worsham, T. (Eds.). (1992). Enhancing Thinking through Cooperative Learning. New York: Teachers College Press.

Stein, R. F. & Hurd, S. (2000). Using Student Teams in the Classroom: A Faculty Guide. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company Inc.

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Students working independently are capable of learning deeply, and it is likely that those of us who teach undergraduate students are well suited to this sort of intellectual method. Nevertheless, structuring learning so that students are required to respond to one another's ideas, create a product together, and, more to the point, teach each other, can be an effective teaching strategy.

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Differentiation based on Student Characteristics

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Differentiation based on Student Characteristics

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In most of the classes the students differ in following characteristics:
Readiness - Teacher can provide task or assignment of different difficulty level based on the proficiency level of the students. A series of worksheets and option to choose them can be offered to students.
Interest - Learning process will fostered if students find it interesting. Therefore giving an option to master the skills leaned in the class is a good way make learning interesting. For example: running related lab work in science class, running projects in history and social studies class, learning about culture by music, art, visiting heritage places.
Learning Profile - Creating and offering flexible learning environment help in student learning process. Teaching using different audio- visual tools, offering alternating learning approaches like online resources. simulation work are some of the examples that can be adopted by teachers Differentiating instruction and teaching, each student will be more involved in learning and this helps in create a student centered classroom.
http://teachnowaug15c2.pbworks.com/w/page/100864651/Student-centered%20approaches%20or%20techniques%20to%20address%20differentiation

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Letting kids move in class isn’t a break from learning. It is learning.(Amal Othman) 

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Letting kids move in class isn’t a break from learning. It is learning.(Amal Othman) 

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Allow the students to move to different groups or work space while they perform group activities:

Movement is a powerful teaching tool, and when we as teachers thoughtfully incorporate physical elements into instruction, we elevate the learning experience Inviting students to participate physically can feel like inviting classroom chaos, and it’s critical to recognize and respect that when teachers ask students to participate physically, we’re asking them to complete far more complex, demanding work than just sitting and listening. So how do you teach teachers to take this next step in building their practice? The answer lies in ensuring professional development engages teachers the way we expect them to engage their students — physically as well as intellectually
How Does Physical Movement Support Student-Centered Learning?
1- Kinesthetic Learning:
In student-centered learning, students take an active role in their education. One aspect of this is learning how they like to learn, and how they learn best. Kinesthetic learners "demonstrate an aptitude for movement-based activities...tend to enjoy outdoor activities, [and] demonstrate a desire to figure out problems without instructions" (Chen, 2019). So, in student-centered learning, students can have the choice on how they learn, which can include physical movement.
2- Flexible Seating:
In student centered learning, the traditional desk and chair set-up becomes an option, and not a mandatory environment. Flexible seating is commonly used in this learning approach. Flexible seating allows "students to sit wherever they want around the room in various types of seats from exercise balls to milk crates, to bean bag chairs " (Falcon, 2018). Flexible seating is a student-centered approach because it allows students a choice. With this seating arrangement, students are able to move and fidget, giving them added movement throughout the day.
Techniques & Activities:

Below, you will find some activities and approaches that incorporate physical movement in student-centered learning.

-Movement During a Student Response: Instead of raising hands students use a different movement

-Stand up

-Stretch their hands up as high as they can

-Sit on the floor.

Example Activity: Four corners- Each corner of the room will be labeled differently (strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree). This activity requires students to respond to statements by moving to the designated corner that represents their opinion. Once in their corner, they can reflect on their opinions with their peers in the same corner, and as well as an open-class discussion. (Facing History, nd)

-Movement During Independent Work: Instead of expecting students to stay seated at their desk, allow them to move.

-Flexible Seating

-Yoga

-Allow them to walk around the room to get their resources

Example Activity: Incorporating Math and PE: Have students to a X amount of jumping jacks. Next, students measure their heart rate and then create graphs to display their results (Strauss, 2015).

-Movement During Group/Class Discussions: Instead of having students sit at their desks, allow students to get into groups and mingle. (Bielefeld, 2017)

References:
https://201806-dcs-uploaded-doc.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/RssfpRBoT5SbhuKHdSFxnmgFIHuraH?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA3EBCGTRUG6A35POY%2F2

https://wakelet.com/wake/OOiQ4kf1Xu1Y4SQ_YdG41

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https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/movement/

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Teacher Toolkit: Total Physical Response

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A case study from Bede's Senior School in the UK elaborating how BTEC qualification programme providing students with choices for progression and employment instead of taking standardised tests. The BTEC assessment approach combined formative and summative assessment. When students received an assignment, they've got three chances to revise their works. After handing in the first draft, assesor/teacher will give verbal and written feedback individually to each student. It normally will allow students to revise their next draft in a week. After receiving the second draft, assessor/teacher will give verbal and written feedback again to support student's improvement. When students hand in the third, which would be counted as the final works together with the first two drafts, assessor/teacher will grade. When an external verifier review students' assignments and assesor's grading decision, student's progress from the beginning to the end is clearly shown. More importanly, during the three revisions, each student knows where and how to improve and finally achieve the personal goal for learning with assessor/teacher's individualised facilitation. This approach makes assessment a part of learning process instead of a result and treats each student as an active and life-long learner.

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Building a Culture of Classroom Collaboration

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Building a Culture of Classroom Collaboration

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https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/building-culture-classroom-collaboration

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Ginger Berry noticed that her sixth graders were making a different type of connection last winter as they met in virtual breakout rooms.

Berry, an award-winning math teacher at Shady Grove Middle School, in Maryland, said their excitement about connecting with peers during the pandemic led to productive work on math problems.

"They enjoyed working together, and I was able to leverage the social relationships to allow them to connect on their work, which was a difficult thing during the pandemic," says Berry, who is known for her ability to engage students in group learning.

That sequence, experts say, from making social connections to engaging in useful, collaborative work to developing longer relationships and broader networks are key benefits of students working together-and might be therapeutic after the challenges of the last school year.

The Case for Collaboration

Growing research has shown that collaboration helps students learn material more deeply and develop personal skills that will last a lifetime.

"Classroom collaboration, done well, not only enhances academic learning and social and emotional skills, but also develops students' social capital," says Chelsea Waite, a researcher with The Christenson Institute.

Waite is the author of a report on new approaches to building peer networks that can help with academics, difficult transitions or emotional issues, and bolster often inadequate school resources. Collaboration in the classroom, she says, is an important area where these networks can develop.

Other research shows peer learning can help mitigate the emotional issues and feelings of isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making it Work

Meghan Hollibaugh Baker, a professor for the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, in Washington, D.C., says effective group work requires careful preparation and a culture of classroom collaboration as well as ongoing guidance from teachers.

She recommends teachers begin with a list of 10 strategies for collaborative work devised by her department.

Other experts recommend following the "seven norms of collaboration"- popularized in the 2008 book The Adaptive School.

These norms include establishing standards, such as asking students to pause before responding; paraphrasing often; asking questions; introducing new ideas; using data in discussions; being conscious of others and yourself; and assuming everyone's intentions are good.

Building Group Skills

Rob Niedermeyer, an engineering and design teacher at Hannah Ashton Middle School, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, says developing effective collaborative work begins early in the year.

"I start with the expectation of collaboration from day one. I have students work together in small scavenger hunts or jamboards and then work up from there," he says. "After the first week, students understand that work will rarely be done in an isolated environment."

Baker notes that students should be coached on how to communicate. She says such "accountable talk" involves sentence stems such as "I agree with __, because..."; "I would like to add on to what [student's name] said..."; or peer questions, such as, "Where did you find that example in the text?"

Then, she notes, students should learn to practice active listening by making eye contact, avoiding interruption, and repeating important points-skills that have both short- and long-term benefits.

Berry also establishes structure for her groups. "Students need support to learn how to work collaboratively," she says. "I might provide students with exemplars, sentence starters, and a specific time frame. There also are frequent check-ins."

Forming Groups

Instructors should be thoughtful about the make up of the groups. Try separating talkative and confident members, Baker suggests, and giving them guidance (perhaps privately) that they can be responsible for making sure others participate.

A group size of four to five students is best, experts say, and rotating roles should be assigned with a focus on interdependence. That can mean reaching a goal together, jointly earning a reward, or celebrating the success of the group or a member.

Niedermeyer is careful to engage with all types of students-those who confidently work with anyone, those who are selective about only working with some students, and those who prefer to work alone.

"The first group is easy, but I need to make sure they are not hijacking the work. The other two need a little more encouragement, so I usually have specific jobs," he says. "Each role is responsible for their own deliverable, bnone can complete the job without input from the others."

"Classroom collaboration, done well, not only enhances academic learning and social and emotional skills, but also develops students' social capital," says Chelsea Waite, a researcher with The Christenson Institute.

One student leads and keeps a timeline and progress report; another handles group communication, such as presentations or proposals; others track and manage new ideas and manage materials, such as posters and handouts; and another student might direct the discussion and be responsible for keeping the work on track.

"The collaboration in my class really changed once I started implementing these roles," he says. "Even the most hesitant student will dive in because they can pull back into their specific part of the project once they engaged enough with the rest of the team."

Berry alternates between assigning groups and allowing students to self-select.

Groups should be evaluated, Baker says, on their own merit-not compared to others-and on criteria that evaluates their work together.

At the end of group projects, Berry asks students to reflect on how the group worked collaboratively, apart from its success at solving a problem.

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Building a Culture of Classroom Collaboration | NEA

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Ginger Berry noticed that her sixth graders were making a different type of connection last winter as they met in virtual breakout rooms. Berry, an award-winning math teacher at Shady Grove Middle School, in Maryland, said their excitement about connecting with peers during the pandemic led to productive work on math problems. "They enjoyed working together, and I was able to leverage the social relationships to allow them to connect on their work, which was a difficult thing during the pandemic," says Berry, who is known for her ability to engage students in group learning.

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How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning

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How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning

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https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-classroom-assessments-improve-learning

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Large-scale assessments, like all assessments, are designed for a specific purpose. Those used in most states today are designed to rank-order schools and students for the purposes of accountability-and some do so fairly well. But assessments designed for ranking are generally not good instruments for helping teachers improve their instruction or modify their approach to individual students. First, students take them at the end of the school year, when most instructional activities are near completion. Second, teachers don't receive the results until two or three months later, by which time their students have usually moved on to other teachers. And third, the results that teachers receive usually lack the level of detail needed to target specific improvements (Barton, 2002; Kifer, 2001).

The assessments best suited to guide improvements in student learning are the quizzes, tests, writing assignments, and other assessments that teachers administer on a regular basis in their classrooms. Teachers trust the results from these assessments because of their direct relation to classroom instructional goals. Plus, results are immediate and easy to analyze at the individual student level. To use classroom assessments to make improvements, however, teachers must change both their view of assessments and their interpretation of results. Specifically, they need to see their assessments as an integral part of the instruction process and as crucial for helping students learn.

Despite the importance of assessments in education today, few teachers receive much formal training in assessment design or analysis. A recent survey showed, for example, that fewer than half the states require competence in assessment for licensure as a teacher (Stiggins, 1999). Lacking specific training, teachers rely heavily on the assessments offered by the publisher of their textbooks or instructional materials. When no suitable assessments are available, teachers construct their own in a haphazard fashion, with questions and essay prompts similar to the ones that their teachers used. They treat assessments as evaluation devices to administer when instructional activities are completed and to use primarily for assigning students' grades.

To use assessments to improve instruction and student learning, teachers need to change their approach to assessments in three important ways.

Nearly every student has suffered the experience of spending hours preparing for a major assessment, only to discover that the material that he or she had studied was different from what the teacher chose to emphasize on the assessment. This experience teaches students two un-fortunate lessons. First, students realize that hard work and effort don't pay off in school because the time and effort that they spent studying had little or no influence on the results. And second, they learn that they cannot trust their teachers (Guskey, 2000a). These are hardly the lessons that responsible teachers want their students to learn.

Nonetheless, this experience is common because many teachers still mistakenly believe that they must keep their assessments secret. As a result, students come to regard assessments as guessing games, especially from the middle grades on. They view success as depending on how well they can guess what their teachers will ask on quizzes, tests, and other assessments. Some teachers even take pride in their ability to out-guess students. They ask questions about isolated concepts or obscure understandings just to see whether students are reading carefully. Generally, these teachers don't include such "gotcha" questions maliciously, but rather-often unconsciously-because such questions were asked of them when they were students.

Classroom assessments that serve as meaningful sources of information don't surprise students. Instead, these assessments reflect the concepts and skills that the teacher emphasized in class, along with the teacher's clear criteria for judging students' performance. These concepts, skills, and criteria align with the teacher's instructional activities and, ideally, with state or district standards. Students see these assessments as fair measures of important learning goals. Teachers facilitate learning by providing students with important feedback on their learning progress and by helping them identify learning problems (Bloom, Madaus, & Hastings, 1981; Stiggins, 2002).

Critics sometimes contend that this approach means "teaching to the test." But the crucial issue is, What determines the content and methods of teaching? If the test is the primary determinant of what teachers teach and how they teach it, then we are indeed "teaching to the test." But if desired learning goals are the foundation of students' instructional experiences, then assessments of student learning are simply extensions of those same goals. Instead of "teaching to the test," teachers are more accurately "testing what they teach." If a concept or skill is important enough to assess, then it should be important enough to teach. And if it is not important enough to teach, then there's little justification for assessing it.

The best classroom assessments also serve as meaningful sources of information for teachers, helping them identify what they taught well and what they need to work on. Gathering this vital information does not require a sophisticated statistical analysis of assessment results. Teachers need only make a simple tally of how many students missed each assessment item or failed to meet a specific criterion. State assessments sometimes provide similar item-by-item information, but concerns about item security and the cost of developing new items each year usually make assessment developers reluctant to offer such detailed information. Once teachers have made specific tallies, they can pay special attention to the trouble spots-those items or criteria missed by large numbers of students in the class.

In reviewing these results, the teacher must first consider the quality of the item or criterion. Perhaps the question is ambiguously worded or the criterion is unclear. Perhaps students mis-interpreted the question. Whatever the case, teachers must determine whether these items adequately address the knowledge, understanding, or skill that they were intended to measure.

If teachers find no obvious problems with the item or criterion, then they must turn their attention to their teaching. When as many as half the students in a class answer a clear question incorrectly or fail to meet a particular criterion, it's not a student learning problem-it's a teaching problem. Whatever teaching strategy was used, whatever examples were employed, or whatever explanation was offered, it simply didn't work.

Analyzing assessment results in this way means setting aside some powerful ego issues. Many teachers may initially say, "I taught them. They just didn't learn it!" But on reflection, most recognize that their effectiveness is not defined on the basis of what they do as teachers but rather on what their students are able to do. Can effective teaching take place in the absence of learning? Certainly not.

Some argue that such a perspective puts too much responsibility on teachers and not enough on students. Occasionally, teachers respond, "Don't students have responsibilities in this process? Shouldn't students display initiative and personal accountability?"

Indeed, teachers and students share responsibility for learning. Even with valiant teaching efforts, we cannot guarantee that all students will learn everything excellently. Only rarely do teachers find items or assessment criteria that every student answers correctly. A few students are never willing to put forth the necessary effort, but these students tend to be the exception, not the rule. If a teacher is reaching fewer than half of the students in the class, the teacher's method of instruction needs to improve. And teachers need this kind of evidence to help target their instructional improvement efforts.

If assessments provide information for both students and teachers, then they cannot mark the end of learning. Instead, assessments must be followed by high-quality, corrective instruction designed to remedy whatever learning errors the assessment identified (see Guskey, 1997). To charge ahead knowing that students have not learned certain concepts or skills well would be foolish. Teachers must therefore follow their assessments with instructional alternatives that present those concepts in new ways and engage students in different and more appropriate learning experiences.

High-quality, corrective instruction is not the same as reteaching, which often consists simply of restating the original explanations louder and more slowly. Instead, the teacher must use approaches that accommodate differences in students' learning styles and intelligences (Sternberg, 1994). Although teachers generally try to incorporate different teaching approaches when they initially plan their lessons, corrective instruction involves extending and strengthening that work. In addition, those students who have few or no learning errors to correct should receive enrichment activities to help broaden and expand their learning. Materials designed for gifted and talented students provide an excellent resource for such activities.

Developing ideas for corrective instruction and enrichment activities can be difficult, especially if teachers believe that they must do it alone, but structured professional development opportunities can help teachers share strategies and collaborate on teaching techniques (Guskey, 1998, 2000b). Faculty meetings devoted to examining classroom assessment results and developing alternative strategies can be highly effective. District-level personnel and collaborative partnerships with local colleges and universities offer wonderful resources for ideas and practical advice.

Occasionally, teachers express concern that if they take time to offer corrective instruction, they will sacrifice curriculum coverage. Because corrective work is initially best done during class and under the teacher's direction, early instructional units will typically involve an extra class period or two. Teachers who ask students to complete corrective work independently, outside of class, generally find that those students who most need to spend time on corrective work are the least likely to do so.

As students become accustomed to this corrective process and realize the personal benefits it offers, however, the teacher can drastically reduce the amount of class time allocated to such work and accomplish much of it through homework assignments or in special study sessions before or after school. And by not allowing minor errors to become major learning problems, teachers better prepare students for subsequent learning tasks, eventually need less time for corrective work (Whiting, Van Burgh, & Render, 1995), and can proceed at a more rapid pace in later learning units. By pacing their instructional units more flexibly, most teachers find that they need not sacrifice curriculum coverage to offer students the benefits of corrective instruction.

To become an integral part of the instructional process, assessments cannot be a one-shot, do-or-die experience for students. Instead, assessments must be part of an ongoing effort to help students learn. And if teachers follow assessments with helpful corrective instruction, then students should have a second chance to demonstrate their new level of competence and understanding. This second chance helps determine the effectiveness of the corrective instruction and offers students another opportunity to experience success in learning.

Writing teachers have long recognized the many benefits of a second chance. They know that students rarely write well on an initial attempt. Teachers build into the writing process several opportunities for students to gain feedback on early drafts and then to use that feedback to revise and improve their writing. Teachers of other subjects frequently balk at the idea, however-mostly because it differs from their personal learning experiences.

Some teachers express concern that giving students a second chance might be unfair and that "life isn't like that." They point out that that a surgeon doesn't get a second chance to perform an operation successfully and a pilot doesn't get a second chance to land a jumbo jet safely. Because of the very high stakes involved, each must get it right the first time.

But how did these highly skilled professionals learn their craft? The first operation performed by that surgeon was on a cadaver-a situation that allows a lot of latitude for mistakes. Similarly, the pilot spent many hours in a flight simulator before ever attempting a landing from the cockpit. Such experiences allowed them to learn from their mistakes and to improve their performance. Similar instructional techniques are used in nearly every professional endeavor. Only in schools do student face the prospect of one-shot, do-or-die assessments, with no chance to demonstrate what they learned from previous mistakes.

All educators strive to have their students become lifelong learners and develop learning-to-learn skills. What better learning-to-learn skill is there than learning from one's mistakes? A mistake can be the beginning of learning. Some assessment experts argue, in fact, that students learn nothing from a successful performance. Rather, students learn best when their initial performance is less than successful, for then they can gain direction on how to improve (Wiggins, 1998).

Other teachers suggest that it's unfair to offer the same privileges and high grades to students who require a second chance that we offer to those students who demonstrate a high level of learning on the initial assessment. After all, these students may simply have failed to prepare appropriately. Certainly, we should recognize students who do well on the initial assessment and provide opportunities for them to extend their learning through enrichment activities. But those students who do well on a second assessment have also learned well. More important, their poor performance on the first assessment may not have been their fault. Maybe the teaching strategies used during the initial instruction were inappropriate for these students, but the corrective instruction proved more effective. If we determine grades on the basis of performance and these students have performed at a high level, then they certainly deserve the same grades as those who scored well on their first try.

A comparable example is the driver's license examination. Many individuals do not pass their driver's test on the first attempt. On the second or third try, however, they may reach the same high level of performance as others did on their first. Should these drivers be restricted, for instance, to driving in fair weather only? In inclement weather, should they be required to pull their cars over and park until the weather clears? Of course not. Because they eventually met the same high performance standards as those who passed on their initial attempt, they receive the same privileges. The same should hold true for students who show that they, too, have learned well.

Using assessments as sources of information, following assessments with corrective instruction, and giving students a second chance are steps in a process that all teachers use naturally when they tutor individual students. If the student makes a mistake, the teacher stops and points out the mistake. The teacher then explains that concept in a different way. Finally, the teacher asks another question or poses a similar problem to ensure the student's understanding before going on. The challenge for teachers is to use their classroom assessments in similar ways to provide all students with this sort of individualized assistance.

Successful coaches use the same process. Immediately following a gymnast's performance on the balance beam, for example, the coach explains to her what she did correctly and what could be improved. The coach then offers specific strategies for improvement and encourages her to try again. As the athlete repeats her performance, the coach watches carefully to ensure that she has corrected the problem.

Successful students typically know how to take corrective action on their own. They save their assessments and review the items or criteria that they missed. They rework problems, look up answers in their textbooks or other resource materials, and ask the teacher about ideas or concepts that they don't understand. Less successful students rarely take such initiative. After looking at their grades, they typically crumple up their assessments and deposit them in the trash can as they leave the classroom. Teachers who use classroom assessments as part of the instructional process help all of their students do what the most successful students have learned to do for themselves.

Using classroom assessment to improve student learning is not a new idea. More than 30 years ago, Benjamin Bloom showed how to conduct this process in practical and highly effective ways when he described the practice of mastery learning (Bloom, 1968, 1971). But since that time, the emphasis on assessments as tools for accountability has diverted attention from this more important and fundamental purpose.

Assessments can be a vital component in our efforts to improve education. But as long as we use them only as a means to rank schools and students, we will miss their most powerful benefits. We must focus instead on helping teachers change the way they use assessment results, improve the quality of their classroom assessments, and align their assessments with valued learning goals and state or district standards. When teachers' classroom assessments become an integral part of the instructional process and a central ingredient in their efforts to help students learn, the benefits of assessment for both students and teachers will be boundless.

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How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning

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Large-scale assessments, like all assessments, are designed for a specific purpose. Those used in most states today are designed to rank-order schools and students for the purposes of accountability-and some do so fairly well. But assessments designed for ranking are generally not good instruments for helping teachers improve their instruction or modify their approach to individual students.

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4 EdTech Ways to Differentiate in a Student-Centered Classroom

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4 EdTech Ways to Differentiate in a Student-Centered Classroom

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https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2018/02/05/4-edtech-ways-to-differentiate-in-a-student-centered-classroom/

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https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/movement/

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If you were to start singing "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" right now, I bet you'd have a hard time keeping your hands still. That's because most of us who know the song learned it with gestures, and things we learn with physical movement tend to stick.

We can apply that same principle to classroom learning, using movement to enhance learning from preschool all the way through college. Let's take a look at what the research says about movement-based learning, then explore six different ways you can add more movement to your instruction.

The Research on Movement

The concept of "learning styles" has overwhelmingly been labeled a myth by researchers, so attempting to determine which of your students are kinesthetic learners will not be a good use of your time. What is worth your time is using movement when working with all learners, because plenty of research backs that up.

In general, people learn better when information is presented in more than one way (Sankey, Birch, & Gardiner, 2010). In other words, if we take in information through more than one sense, we're more likely to encode it in long-term memory. This would include visual, verbal, and kinesthetic modes of learning.

Specifically, the use of gestures results in more enduring learning than learning without gestures (Cook, Yip, & Goldin-Meadow, S, 2010). So even the addition of a few small hand gestures can have an impact on how well students remember material.

Study after study shows that physical activity activates the brain, improves cognitive function, and is correlated with improved academic performance (Donnelly & Lambourne, 2011). This means any kind of physical activity, not just movement associated with the material we're learning, can benefit students academically.

Six Ways to Add Movement to Instruction

1. Total Physical Response

Developed for use with second-language learners in the 1960's ( Asher, 1966), Total Physical Response simply has students act out physical gestures to represent vocabulary words. Shown to be highly effective with both children (Singh, 2011) and adults ( Carruthers, 2010), TPR can also be used to help learners remember new vocabulary terms in their native language. In other words, it can be used in any content area, with any student.

This video from the Teacher Toolkit shows Texas teacher Michael Rowland using TPR with his third grade students, who are English learners.

And here is Craig Gaslow, another Texas teacher who teaches AP Human Geography, demonstrating how he uses TPR to teach three different models of diffusion:

https://youtu.be/9HtrVh2Dzzs

Finally, here are Scott Causer's high school students demonstrating a few earth science processes using TPR:

What strategies support learning? Here's high school science using TPR to recall processes in Earth Science -thanks Mr. Causer and team for modeling! @ESMSchoolDist @cultofpedagogy pic.twitter.com/njoAaVdBB9
- Naomi Trivison (@NaomiTrivison) March 30, 2019

2. Tableau/Snapshot

In this strategy, students create a physical "snapshot" with their bodies, a still picture that represents an idea.

This example, demonstrated by 4th grade teacher Stefannie Cundiff, comes from Teacher Toolkit:

Another example is explained in this Slides presentation by Tyler Jacobs, an Idaho-based high school ELA and social studies teacher. Click the image below to view the slideshow in a new window:

3. Simulations

In these, students demonstrate a concept with some kind of motion or interactivity. They could represent non-human components, like in the examples below, or they might actually take on the role of humans in a re-enactment of an event.

The first example comes from the University of British Columbia, where electrical engineering professor Matthew Yedlin has students simulate the difference between linear growth and exponential growth:

The second example, a simulation of the circulatory system, comes from Michelle Cliche, who teaches grades 4 and 5 in London, Ontario, Canada.

Ss learned about the complexity of the circulatory system by acting out delivery of blood through red & blue bean bags. S in middle is ❤️ directing blood flow to different organs. Later, we did this on playground climbers because heart has to pump 'up'. pic.twitter.com/dhzTqRTEOp
- Michelle Cliche (@Clicheteach) March 29, 2019

Finally, here's a different kind of simulation demonstrated by Amy Tepperman, where participants show fractions by placing different body parts on the floor, Twister-style:

An important note about simulations: If you are doing simulations about historical periods or events, proceed with caution. Many, many teachers have ended up traumatizing students with these types of simulations. This article from Learning for Justice explores the topic in depth.

4. Songs with Movement

Songs are another powerful way to teach concepts to students, and if the songs also incorporate movement, even better.

Dan Adler, a 6th grade science teacher in Lawrence, MA, regularly uses songs with physical movements to help his students remember challenging concepts. In this video, students demonstrate "Bodak Particles," a song about phase change sung to an instrumental version of Cardi B's song "Bodak Yellow." (Get a copy of the lyrics here.)

Check out our science scholars rapping about phase changes! pic.twitter.com/uO3sJQubgw
- UP Academy Leonard (@up_leonard) November 8, 2018

5. Virtual and Augmented Reality

The experiences offered by virtual and augmented reality allow students to move around in and interact with virtual objects and spaces in ways that would be difficult if not impossible to pull off in the real world.

Augmented Reality layers digital enhancements on top of objects in the real, physical world. Using a device, like a smartphone, loaded with AR software, users point it at a picture or physical object, and the software brings up some kind of digital element like a 3D animation, text, or a video. ( Pokémon Go is an example of an AR game.)

One set of AR tools that have tremendous learning potential comes from a company called Merge. Their Merge Cube is a handheld cube that can "become" a variety of objects when paired with the Merge Goggles, as shown below:

Virtual Reality immerses the user in a 360-degree environment, a computer-generated simulation, viewable through a VR headset, and allows them to move through and interact with that environment.

One outstanding source for VR experiences is Google Expeditions, which offers tours to over 500 different locations: historical landmarks, national and state parks, underwater sites, and up-close studies of scientific phenomena.

And if you don't find the exact tour you want, you and your students can even create your own expeditions with Google Tour Creator.

6. Brain Breaks

I left this one for the end because it's the easiest to implement. This brain breaks guide from the University of Texas summarizes the research on the connection between movement and academic achievement and offers dozens of ideas for brain breaks that can be put into action immediately.

Brain break videos are super easy to find on YouTube, especially for younger kids. My daughter came home from first grade years ago excited to demonstrate this one for me:

But what about older kids? High school math teacher David Sladkey has written a a book, Energizing Brain Breaks ( Amazon | Bookshop.org), that has ideas for all ages, even middle and high school kids who may not be as comfortable with the Tooty Ta. in this video, students demonstrate a simple toe-tapping brain break:

Tips for Getting Started

Don't overdo it. Attempting to add a movement component to every concept students learn would not only be too time-consuming, it could also get old, shifting from a fun novelty to something that causes students to slump over in their seats and say, Not THAT again!!

Get input from students. When coming up with gestures or movements, you don't have to rely solely on your own brain. Ask students to help you come up with ideas. Involving students in the process will help them remember concepts better and will increase the likelihood that you'll end up with really effective movements.

Know what works for your students. Some of your students may not be comfortable with or physically able to do certain movements, so keep that in mind and make modifications based on ability and need.

Use movement for retrieval practice. Rather than using movement in a single lesson, apply the principles of retrieval practice by repeating the movements in short practice sessions, spacing them out over time, and interleaving concepts with one another.

For younger students, meaningful gestures matter more. While adults learn from both iconic gestures (those that have some meaning in relation to the concept they are connected to) and beat gestures (those that have no inherent meaning but are just tied to particular "beats" in a sentence or phrase), younger children learned more from iconic gestures (So, Sim Chen-Hui, & Low Wei-Shan, 2012). So when working with younger students, try to make the gestures match the concepts in some way.

References

Asher, J. J. (1969). The total physical response approach to second language learning. The modern language journal, 53(1), 3-17.

Carruthers, S. W. (2010). The total physical response method and its compatibility to adult ESL-learners. Retrieved from http://tesolteachers.net/t.pdf

Cook, S. W., Yip, T. K., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2010). Gesturing makes memories that last. Journal of memory and language, 63(4), 465-475.

Donnelly, J. E., & Lambourne, K. (2011). Classroom-based physical activity, cognition, and academic achievement. Preventive medicine, 52, S36-S42.

Sankey, M., Birch, D., & Gardiner, M. (2010). Engaging students through multimodal learning environments: The journey continues. In Proceedings ASCILITE 2010: 27th annual conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education: Curriculum, technology and transformation for an unknown future (pp. 852-863). University of Queensland.

Singh, J. P. (2011). Effectiveness of total physical response. Academic Voices: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 1, 20-22.

So, W. C., Sim Chen-Hui, C., & Low Wei-Shan, J. (2012). Mnemonic effect of iconic gesture and beat gesture in adults and children: Is meaning in gesture important for memory recall?. Language and Cognitive Processes, 27(5), 665-681.

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Physical movement makes learning stick better, and today we're exploring six ways you can add more movement to your classroom.

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Four Phases to Build Student-Centered Literacy Skills

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Four Phases to Build Student-Centered Literacy Skills

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https://betterlesson.com/professional-development/curriculum-and-academic-content/student-centered-literacy

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Student-centered literacy instruction emphasizes student choice and ownership of their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

This focus area provides educators with the strategies and tools to create a student-centered literacy classroom that focuses on choice, collaboration, and ownership in order to increase student engagement and improve literacy outcomes.

Focus Area

Student-Centered Literacy

Components of Student-Centered Literacy

Student-centered literacy empowers students to practice literacy skills at their own pace as they encounter increasingly complex texts. We support skill development through personalized pathways built from BL Connect , Workshops , 1:1 Coaching , and Learning Walks to achieve clear outcomes.

Student-Centered Literacy in a Flexible Learning Environment

Outcome: I can implement student-centered literacy practices in a flexible learning environment by adjusting instruction and deliberately selecting strategies that work in synchronous and asynchronous learning environments.

Tech Tools for Literacy

Outcome: I can identify and implement specific tech tools that focus on organization, collaboration and feedback in order to create student-centered literacy lessons.

Student-Driven Writing Systems

Outcome: I can implement student-driven writing systems in my classroom by providing students with opportunities to own the writing process, provide meaningful feedback, and engage in collaboration.

Oral Language Skills in Early Literacy

Outcome: I can leverage early learners' oral language development in order to support reading and writing skills.

"It is worthwhile to take a step back from the day-to-day routine to visit classes with colleagues and share what we are seeing, ensure that we have a common language and vision of teaching, identify trends, and develop schoolwide action plans."

"This was one of the best PD experiences I have been to. The facilitators were very knowledgeable and made me think differently about my practices. I know I have grown as an educator."

Learning Strategies From Our Library

Literature Circles and Book Clubs

Increase student reading and engagement with literature circles.
Learn More

Practicing and Self-Evaluating Reading Fluency

Support students in practicing reading fluently, assessing their own fluency, and reflecting on their reading with their teacher.
Learn More

Socratic Seminar Discussion

Teach students to discuss complex texts or topics and build their speaking and listening skills with Socratic Seminars.
Learn More

A Focus on Student-Centered Teaching and Learning

We've identified four elements that are key for academic success and for building student-centered classrooms. BetterLesson guides teachers, instructional coaches, and leaders through focus areas within each element to lead their professional development journey.

Instructional Leadership Focus Areas

Improve instruction and learning for teachers and students by building your skills as an instructional leader.

Leading Through Change: Lead the improvement of teaching, learning, and overall school climate to enhance student achievement and success. Learn More

Flexible Instructional Models Focus Areas

Find unique ways for all students to learn, communicate, and solve meaningful problems.

Instructional Leadership Focus Areas

Improve instruction and learning for teachers and students by building your skills as an instructional leader.

Leading Through Change: Lead the improvement of teaching, learning, and overall school climate to enhance student achievement and success. Learn More

Flexible Instructional Models Focus Areas

Find unique ways for all students to learn, communicate, and solve meaningful problems.

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Turn strategies into outcomes. Our team is here to help.
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Student-centered literacy instruction emphasizes student choice and ownership of their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. This focus area provides educators with the strategies and tools to create a student-centered literacy classroom that focuses on choice, collaboration, and ownership in order to increase student engagement and improve literacy outcomes.

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1. https://katielmartin.com/learner-centered-innovation/
2.https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/env/cresource/q1/p02/
3. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/building-culture-classroom-collaboration
4. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/how-classroom-assessments-improve-learning
5.https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2018/02/05/4-edtech-ways-to-differentiate-in-a-student-centered-classroom/
6.https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/movement/
7. https://betterlesson.com/professional-development/curriculum-and-academic-content/student-centered-literacy
8.

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Katie Martin | Informed by Research, Inspired by Practice

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Learner-Centered Innovation: Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion and Unleash Genius

What if education could be better-for students and for educators?

Our changing world demands creative thinkers and collaborative problem solvers, but too often, schools stifle growth and discovery in favor of getting through the curriculum or preparing for "the test." Learning opportunities and teaching methods must evolve to match the ever-changing needs of today's learners.

When we tell kids to complete an assignment, we get compliance. When we empower learners to explore and learn how to make an impact on the world, we inspire problem solvers and innovators. This required change in education involves more than providing training for administrators and teachers to implement new curriculum or programs and resources; it demands that we, as teachers and leaders, create an environment where learners at every level are empowered to take risks in pursuit of learning and growth rather than perfection.

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Learner-Centered Innovation: Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion and Unleash Genius

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Our changing world demands creative thinkers and collaborative problem solvers, but too often, schools stifle growth and discovery in favor of getting through the curriculum or preparing for "the test." Learning opportunities and teaching methods must evolve to match the ever-changing needs of today's learners.

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Student Centered Learning Strategy for Reading

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Student Centered Learning Strategy for Reading

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1. Competency:

· Establish a reading proficiency standard.

· Engage students in class reading for fundamentals, and always encourage students to ask questions and participate.

· Implement usage of a reading based learning app like Yiqizuoye into schoolwork for individualized tracking of reading development.

2. Personalization:

· Apply the flipped classroom model by having students complete reading assignments outside of class prior to classroom discussion of the content.

· Implement breakout stations in class where students choose to read subject material of their particular interests.

· Set aside approximately 20% of class time for “Genius Hour,” where students present stories of their own choosing to the class.

3. Anytime and Anywhere:

· Build an in-class library consisting of books donated by students and students can read these books on their own time. Place the student’s name onto each book so that they may have it returned at the end of the academic term.

· Facilitate student access to literary resources outside of class. Coordinate this with the parents of the students.

· Focus intersession break reading on the “Genius Hour” concept where students read books of their own choosing and present to the teacher and class through a social media channel or other tailored means when necessary.

4. Ownership:

· Conduct student surveys regularly, as gauged by the instructor, to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions on topics that relate to classroom learning.

· Introduce the concept of digital citizenship to students, and introduce reading material that supports good digital citizenship. This will guide students to become effective communicators on matters and opinions.

· Build trust with students and parents and very carefully protect that trust. With trust, people are most willing to share candid opinions.

See below posts for relevant resources.

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Resource: the flipped classroom as an approach to student centered learning

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Resource: the flipped classroom as an approach to student centered learning

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Source: Corwin, Sheila. "Flipped Classroom: Everything You Always Wanted to Know." Europass Teacher Academy. October 30, 2020.
https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/flipped-classroom/

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What is a Flipped Classroom?

A student-centered approach to organize lessons and time

Flipped Learning is a student-centered approach that gets teachers asking themselves about the best way to organize their lessons and time with their learners. Since classroom time is always limited, the Flipped Learning method gets students more involved and puts precious classroom time to good use where everyone, not just the teacher, participates.

Flipped Classroom is all about flipping the order of how learning time is structured.

Schoolwork at home

The best way to describe the Flipped Classroom is to think of it as "schoolwork at home and homework at school." In other words, "schoolwork at home" gives students the content they need outside of class time (at home). This content can come through a pre-recorded lecture from the teacher, or from an already created video on the topic by someone else on YouTube. It can also come through a reading or some kind of other research assignments that students carry out, on their own, and perhaps online, using their own computers. Students may be required to bring questions to class about the content they discovered at home or to take notes, which can serve as a classroom entrance ticket and proof that students are prepared to apply previously viewed content into classroom practice.

Homework at school

The "homework at school" part allows students to work on activities with other students in pairs or groups during class time. It also gives students a chance to get help from the teacher, ask questions, or engage with their classmates in, for example, problem-solving activities or other tasks where discussion, critical thinking, and getting involved in collaboration with others is required and necessary. The point is that class time becomes a time to interact and engage with the material along with the teacher's guided assistance. In class, time can be supplemented by labs, hands-on projects, or field trips. It can also be devoted to clarifying or rehearsing information, exploratory exercises (including book exercises that would normally be done at home by students alone), in-depth investigations, and/or case studies.

Teachers who are skeptical of Flipped Learning should think about the possibility of at least trying the Flipped Classroom and using it on occasion. It takes effort on the teacher's part, at least initially, to try something new, but many teachers will find that students who aren't doing well won't be able to hide in a classroom where they are required to participate and engage in active learning. It's also possible that students will enjoy the thought of being more involved in the classroom.

Top 5 advantages of using Flipped Learning

1. Students become more engaged in collaborative learning with peers

2. Students receive more personal attention from the instructor in class

3. Students are less passive and get more help during class time

4. Students work on content at their own pace and prepare to be in class

5. Students become more responsible for learning content on their own

Finally, the Flipped Classroom, obviously, has many advantages and the biggest one is providing students with the opportunity to participate actively. The issue is to use classroom time wisely and to avoid never-ending teacher-centered lectures in class, which lead to unengaged, very bored, and lifeless students!

How to get started with Flipped Learning

Start small

The best way to get started with Flipped Learning is to start small. It's also important for teachers to keep in mind that they don't have to flip every single lesson. One of the best suggestions is to start with what your students struggle with most. In other words, start with any lesson or topic where students have the most difficulty and where you'd like your students to receive more one-on-one time with you and with their peers. If you start with where your students have the most difficulty, you can pre-record your lecture and leave class time for in-class exercises, clarification, and activities.

It's important to think about how long your video lecture is going to be timewise. Generally, a pre-recorded video with content your students will view, before coming to class, should be around 1 to 1.5 minutes per grade level. For example, if you have a 5th-grade class, videos can be anywhere between 5 to 7.5 minutes long, whereas a 12th-grade class can usually handle a 12 to 18 minutes long video. The great thing about a pre-recorded lecture is that students can stop and rewind if they need to hear something again or stop and reflect on a point while writing down questions to bring to class.

When making pre-recorded lectures, teachers shouldn't worry about being perfect. Nothing is perfect, so don't let the thought of perfection ruin your plans for providing students with recorded content before class. The most important aspect is to get started!

Sample lesson plan

When preparing a lesson, think about something you normally do inside of class (lecture) and move it outside of class, then think of something you normally do outside of class (homework) and move it inside of class.

Here is a Flipped Classroom example of an English lesson for non-native speakers of English:

Outside class

Students watch 30-minute lecture on a specific English grammar point.

Students write down questions and/or take an online quiz to check on their understanding.

In class 60 minutes

30 minutes - Students work on hand outs in pairs or groups that reflect the grammar point watched at home and get help from their peers and the teacher.

10 minutes - Students ask questions and discuss difficulties with teacher and peers.

20 minutes - Students present what they understood and provide their own examples or teachers talk about the online quiz and do a mini-lesson on the most misunderstood points.

Things to think about

When thinking about flipping, teachers can also consider using videos that have already been done by others. Many teachers make the mistake of thinking that they should record all of their own content but there may be content that has already been done by someone else that is just as good (if not better). Consider using websites such as khanacademy.com or ed.ted.com/lessons to find already prepared and professional content materials.

Those who use Flipped Classroom should consider using a learning platform where videos can be uploaded and where students can communicate with their peers and teachers through online forum discussions or ask questions before and/or after class.

Flipped Learning gives teachers the opportunity to differentiate learning and it is one of the best ways to accommodate the needs of all learners. It works with different paced learners by allowing students to hear pre-recorded content quickly or slowly (or again and again if necessary). It also provides teachers with opportunities to group learners according to their level or understanding when working on in-class activities or projects.

Further, a classroom that is flipped becomes more of a student-centered classroom where students are involved with hands-on learning, application, and getting the help they need!

Possible drawbacks of Flipped Learning

There are drawbacks to everything, and most teachers worry a lot about students not doing their homework or getting the content they need outside of class. The important thing to keep in mind is that there will always be students who never do homework and incorporating a strategy like the Flipped Classroom probably won't change this fact. If teachers face students who don't watch and/or prepare content outside of class, they might give students the opportunity to watch content during class time. This can be done in someone else's classroom or in the school library while their classmates have the chance to work together and get help with content they have already watched and/or prepared.

Some teachers are worried that students won't be able to ask questions for clarification during a recorded lesson or that students may have trouble getting used to doing something in a new way. This is especially true when students are often more used to teacher centered lectures than getting involved in a more active (versus passive) way during class. Change will take time for students to get used to and it might be best for teachers, who are interested in this approach, to start using Flipped Learning at the beginning of a new school year and letting students know on the first day that this is the plan.

Another major difficulty can include making sure every student has computer or internet access at home for content watching. If this is a "mission impossible," teachers can think about other places where students can get content outside of class i.e. through an article they read, through computer access at school or the student's very own cell phone, for example.

Conclusion

It's not always easy for teachers to take risks or try new things but working in a more student-centered and dynamic way can leave both teachers and students more satisfied with instruction and learning that takes place inside the classroom. Learning should be central, above all else, and teachers should encourage their learners to be involved as much as possible during valuable classroom time.

So, ask yourself what is the best way to spend your class time? You might just find a place for Flipped Learning and find out that it is another extremely useful tool to add to your teacher toolbox.

Teacher Trainer at Europass for English and other language teachers.

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What Is a Flipped Classroom & the Flipped Learning Approach

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Flipped Learning is a student-centered approach that gets teachers asking themselves about the best way to organize their lessons and time with their learners. Since classroom time is always limited, the Flipped Learning method gets students more involved and puts precious classroom time to good use where everyone, not just the teacher, participates.

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Resource: Genius Hour as an approach to student centered learning

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Resource: Genius Hour as an approach to student centered learning

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Source: Deak, Emily. "Building Student Agency With Genius Hour." Edutopia. December 16, 2020.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-student-agency-genius-hour

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Building Student Agency With Genius Hour

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The popular model of self-guided learning can be used to engage upper elementary students in conducting and presenting research—and learning to use new technology.

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Resource: a guide to creating a classroom library

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Resource: a guide to creating a classroom library

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Source: Gregory, Mandy. "Creating a Classroom Library." Reading Rockets.
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-classroom-library

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How do you create a classroom library that is both organized and enticing to young readers? Here a teacher illustrates how she set up her classroom library. She provides tips on acquiring books and materials, organizing the shelves, creating labels, and making it cozy.

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Resource: Children’s reading suggestions that illustrate responsible digital citizenship

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Resource: Children’s reading suggestions that illustrate responsible digital citizenship

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Source: Caldwell, Maya. “20 Fun & Educational Picture Books About Digital Citizenship.” Teaching Expertise. August 18, 2022.
https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/picture-books-about-digital-citizenship/

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In our technology-driven world, it is more important than ever to teach kids how to be responsible digital citizens. It is crucial for kids to learn the fundamentals of internet safety as soon as they are using computers. Not only that, it is paramount for K-12 students to have an awareness of the effects of technology, and learn to create balance in their lives from an early age.

Teaching digital citizenship with these fantastic picture books will make your lessons top-notch! Use these picture books to inspire exciting digital citizenship lessons that you can use throughout the elementary grades.

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20 Fun & Educational Picture Books About Digital Citizenship - Teaching Expertise

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In our technology-driven world, it is more important than ever to teach kids how to be responsible digital citizens. It is crucial for kids to learn the

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Differentiated instruction is a highly student-centred pedagogical approach that sees the tailoring of teaching and learning experiences to extend the skills and knowledge of every student. In this reference, it is showed what and why of differentiation and evaluate and illustrate the efficacy of this approach with the aid of literature and research.With explore how to differentiate instruction through the lens of a local classroom。

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Differentiated Instruction - a truly student centered approach

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20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Examples

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20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Examples

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As students with diverse learning styles fill the classroom, many teachers don’t always have the time, or spend additional hours to plan lessons that use differentiated instruction (DI) to suit students’ unique aptitudes.

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20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Examples [+ Downloadable List]

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As students with diverse learning styles fill the classroom, many teachers don't always have the time, or spend additional hours to plan lessons that use differentiated instruction (DI) to suit students' unique aptitudes.

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4 EdTech Ways to Differentiate in a Student-Centered Classroom

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Differentiation student centered approaches and techniques (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Differentiation student centered approaches and techniques (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Differentiation of instruction means meeting every student where they are in their learning so they can master education points. (Student Centered World, 2018)

Project based learning has a big emphasis on being student centered and provides multiple uses of differentiation. A common example can be in literacy projects to group students by their level of reading. From there, teachers can give more time with groups that need intensive and ensure they are getting the instruction they need (A.Miller, 2016).

Some examples for reasons for grouping can be:

·         Academic ability

·         Collaboration skills

·         Social-emotional purposes

·         Passions

Learning centers around classroom provide students with differentiated instruction. Students have various learning styles catered for with a variety of resources from which to learn (i.e. videos, games, reading). Student-centered learning puts ownership of learning to the student themselves and they decide how they want to learn. Through alternatives of different approaches, students take what is to their passions and how they want to learn to succeed.

Assessments can be differentiated when it is student centered. A.Miller (2016) notes how students can show what they’ve learned in different ways. As teachers, as we check for understanding, we can assess in different ways students have understood learning points. Teachers can assess students through speaking, writing and portfolio work for the same topic.

Differentiated content appeals to students directly. For example, in a reading activity, by raising or lowering the reading level and/or providing more visualizations, it is tailored to individual needs of students (S.Farnsworth, 2018). It can still be about the same topic but as long as the content is differentiated, it drives student centered learning more.

Thanks to differentiation, students with special needs academic and non-academic abilities develop rapidly if the school organizes differentiated learning, according to M.Marlina, E.Efrina & G.Kusumastuti (2019). Curriculum modification by teachers to appropriate the conditions of the disability can empower students to have student centered learning, i.e. adjusting text sizes can enable students with sight issues to also participate with cohorts.

References:

A.Miller, 2016, ‘6 strategies for differentiated instruction in project-based learning’, Edutopia, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-pbl-andrew-miller

M.Marlina, E.Efrina & G.Kusumastuti, 2019, ‘Differentiated learning for students with special needs in inclusive schools’, research paper accessed on Research Gate, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338246068_Differentiated_Learning_for_Students_with_Special_Needs_in_Inclusive_Schools

‘Differentiation of instruction: easy ideas for the 21st century classroom’, Student Centered World, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.studentcenteredworld.com/differentiation-of-instruction/

S.Farnsworth, 2018, ‘4 EdTech ways to differentiate in a student-centered classroom’, Shaelynn Farnsworth.com, accessed 22/02/20, https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2018/02/05/4-edtech-ways-to-differentiate-in-a-student-centered-classroom/

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UDL is an overarching approach focused on the inclusive design of the whole learning environment at the outset. UDL aims to ensure all students have full access to everything in the classroom, regardless of their needs and abilities. Student's supported to self-direct learning and monitor progress
Differentiated Instruction is a strategy aimed at addressing each student’s individual levels of readiness, interest, and learning profiles. The teacher modifies content and processes to address the needs of each student. The teacher directs students to specific activities to further their learning.

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https://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/universal-design-for-learning/udl-and-differentiation-and-how-they-are-connected/

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UDL and differentiation and how they are connected

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Suggestion for implementing the strategy Find out about UDL within the Guide to Universal Design for Learning

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Using Portfolios to Develop Learner Independence

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Using Portfolios to Develop Learner Independence

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In preparing high school students for success in their undergraduate studies, there is now an emphasis on using student-centered approaches to encourage learner autonomy. In higher education, there is a shift from traditional forms of assessment (e.g. quizzes and exams) to more holistic forms of assessment, specifically in the form of a learning portfolio. The use of portfolios is now very common in Europe and Australia. In the Sino-Australian program where I teach, students build their portfolios during their senior year as part of the requirements for graduation. Here’s a case study that discusses the use of language portfolios in engineering courses.

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Learner Autonomy Portugal case Study (Reading)

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Tips for Student-Centered Formative Assessment

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Tips for Student-Centered Formative Assessment

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Get students to reflect on their learning after taking a quiz.

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Bárbara, N. (n.d.). Language Portfolios in Engineering Courses: A Strategy towards Autonomy. Proceedings of the Independent Learning Association 2007 Japan Conference: Exploring Theory, Enhancing Practice: Autonomy across the Disciplines, 1–10.

Make Formative Assessment More Student-Centered. Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.commonsense.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2018-02/document-twt-cheat-sheet-checks-for-understanding-081916.pdf

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7 ways to create a student centered classroom

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Designing a classroom for conducive student-centered learning (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Designing a classroom for conducive student-centered learning (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Conducive is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as ‘providing the right conditions for something good to happen’ (UK) or ‘providing the right conditions for something to happen or exist’ (USA).

The physical position of students is important to consider. Whilst we should allow students some freedom for their own seating arrangements, it’s important to consider:

·       Do students have access to others in their desk space?

·       How are desks arranged?

·       Do they multiple opportunities each week to share with fellow classmates and to share with a variety of classmates?

R.Alber (2015) asks these questions. Cooperative learning and sharing ideas are key factors of SCL and must be implemented.

A collaborative classroom also helps students grow their social skills. S.Rajgarhia (2019) notes how  collaborating students gain “an appreciation for the diversity that exists in our schools and communities. They are also learning to have respect for what may sometimes be very differing points of view.” Understanding diversity in our world is another key factor of SCL and a peer system can grow student ideas compared to a peerless classroom.

The availability of the teacher to students to help or engage with discussion is important. Also is the teacher being aware of how much actual “air time” they have in each class with direct instruction (R.Abler, 2015). Too much instruction could lead to teacher-centered learning, which is not conducive to SCL.

Creating multiple learning stations to satisfy multiple learning styles. Giving students multiple options in how they can differentiate a task towards their own preferences enables SCL, i.e. writing an essay, computer research, designing a poster.

References:

R.Alber, 2015, ‘How student centered is your classroom?’, Edutopia, accessed 22/02/18, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-student-centered-your-classroom-rebecca-alber

S.Rajgarhia, 2019, ‘7 ways to create a student centered classroom, Hindustan Times, accessed 22/02/18, https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/7-ways-to-create-a-student-centered-classroom/story-tdXg0obXV5ixsaSx7ZeubN.html

Cambridge Dictionary – Conducive, accessed 22/02/18, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/conducive

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Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom Is Key

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Collaboration student-centered approaches and techniques (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Collaboration student-centered approaches and techniques (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Collaboration is not limited to just students – it can also be arranged by teachers with students and the physical classroom with students. V.Pota notes “Collaborative layouts benefit teachers in the way of managing groups, managing different abilities of groups, encouraging peer-to-peer learning.”

Creating an open discussion forum – either for a group or solo student – to confirm or reaffirm what students are learning and why is important to educators. Meetings to discuss learning goals help all parties understand their ideas and views on reaching targets. Openness about favorite parts of subjects or learning points and real world application contributes to a good, collective class environment. M.Sundaram (2021) muses “A positive, open environment is crucial in helping your students to be comfortable enough to share their thoughts and concerns.” An example would be to find out how students are feeling towards a subject across the school year – what changes? Why do they have a different opinion? Why do they have a positive or negative reaction to starting a subject?

Bulletin boards can fill spaces on empty classroom walls and display students’ classwork that they are proud of. It can unlock students’ want to express themselves without the shame of doing it in front of others (M.Sundaram (2021)). Students can post their work in a place which encourages expression and also enable opportunities to work together.

Community agreements is a good way to establish collaboration early on between the students, the teacher and the classroom. “Deciding on group norms, or agreements, right from the get-go will give each student a voice and provide accountability for all” states R.Alber (2017). E.g. a poster of the shared agreements can be displayed and called attention to when a student or a group need a reminder. Alber notes that accountability is an important factor in group working agreements. E.g. for a child to be successful in a collaboration task, they must be successful in fulfilling the roleplay arranged by the teacher.

References:

V.Pota, ‘Future of the classroom – emerging trends in K-12 education: Global edition’, Google for Education, accessed 22/02/20, https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/future_of_the_classroom_emerging_trends_in_k12_education.pdf?utm_source=web&utm_campaign=FY19-Q2-global-demandgen-website-other-futureoftheclassroom

M.Sundaram (2021), ‘7 ways to create a collaborative classroom’, Pulse accessed on Linkedin, accessed on 22/02/20, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-ways-create-collaborative-classroom-manoj-sundaram/

R.Alber (2017), ‘Deeper learning: a collaborative classroom is key’, Edutopia, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber

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Implementation of assessments to enhance student-centered learning (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Implementation of assessments to enhance student-centered learning (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Assessment in education is not only about testing and grading. Whilst part of it, assessment can allow us to know more about students as we aim to create student-centered classrooms.

A.Miller (2005) summarizes four factors which can be used as assessment for SCL:

·       Assessing student passions and learning styles

·       Assessing 21st century/success skills

·       Assessing for instruction

·       Formative assessment of content and skills

Miller states how “students have come with powerful experiences that have driven their lives” into the classroom. We can find out through conversations and student’s portfolios about their favourite things, hobbies and memories. Through this variety, we can differentiate in class, focus our students’ strengths and identify new ways to learn for them to enhance their student-centered learning.

Assessing students for modern skills, such as collaboration and global empathy, can provide experiences and instructions that foster and grow 21st century and success skills in students. Teacher assessment tools such as rubrics can guide students to know success skills look, sound and feel like and supporting themselves in finding their needs individually.

Instead of analyzing test data in the sense of grading, we can repurpose them to low-stakes formative assessments to assess students’ content knowledge and skills. We can learn which skills and concepts individual students have mastered and what needs to be retaught or refreshed. S.Page (2017) notes “students also seeing this assessment data can see their own strengths and weaknesses” and focus where they can function in a collaborative learning experience with other students. Similarly, B.Green (2021) tells us how Snapshot assessments empowers learners when students “demonstrates learning and growth areas in multiple ways throughout a process teachers and students gather information about what learners can do next.”

This leads into instruction and how we move into creating learning activities that individual students need. It can be whole-group, small-group or individual aimed. It can aimed towards skills or concepts. The key purpose is provide a life for the purposes of the right instruction at the right time to students.

Implementing assessment to discover students’ likes/dislikes and learning styles, their current skills, mastery/reevaluation of skills and the ability to deliver the right instruction at the right time can enhance any student-centered learning environment.

References:

A.Miller (2015), ‘Using assessment to create student-centered learning’, Edutopia, Accessed: 22/02/17, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller

S.Page (2017), ‘How assessments enable student centered learning’, McGraw Hill PreK-12 Youtube, Accessed: 22/02/17, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtd5VOYvzv8

B.Green (2021), ‘Three quick wins: Student-centered assessment strategies’, Global Online Academy, Accessed: 22/02/17, https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/three-quick-wins-student-centered-assessment-strategies

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Nine Strategies for Reaching All Learners in English Language Arts

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Reading approaches and techniques for student-centered learning (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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Reading approaches and techniques for student-centered learning (Muhammad Sohail Khan)

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A variety of reading approaches and techniques enhance student-centered learning.

Teachers can use saturation by encouraging students to read for pleasure as well as for information. Also, teachers can provide a variety of texts for students to read – e.g. books, textbooks, magazines, comic books, plays, poems. (F.Acquavita, 1978)

Promoting students to ask purposeful questions before, during and after reading so they can determine and/or further understand texts. Students can use prior knowledge and text clues to predict what will happen next in the text.

Similarly, students with prior knowledge and schema (‘a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information’, K. Cherry (2019)) will be able to understand texts easier. A strategy to build is ‘What I know, what I want to know and what I learned (KWL)’ (H. Mansaray, 2013). This method is useful for enabling students whilst reading to make connections from texts to their own experiences, world knowledge and other texts.

A more advanced technique would be encouraging students to infer. Inferring would be when students use text clues and prior knowledge to draw conclusions about past and present events. H.Mansaray (2013) notes that ‘examining author styles and use of language through literal and figurative analysis’ can infer meanings from texts.

Summarizing is another advanced technique. For students, they need to separate the important parts of the text and summarize the message, important details, themes and ideas of texts. This technique needs monitoring as students can be overly competitive to finish stories for awards for example and their mastery skill for summarizing can suffer. (L.Davis, 2010)

Similar to questioning, developed readers can use their instincts to weigh and evaluate before, during and after their reading experience. They evaluate whether they enjoyed the text and their own reading development. As part of a reflection, this technique allows students to review lesson objectives, if they met them, what worked and what did not work. As part of group/roundtable discussion, B.Lom (2012) notes how a reflection only reflects how only one student is feeling about a text, however it does open the opportunity for other approaches and techniques from other students, i.e. summarizing, connections to texts.

References:

H.Mansaray (2013), ‘Nine strategies for reaching all learners in English language arts’, Edutopia, Accessed: 22/2/17, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/stw-expanded-learning-time-individualized-learning-hassan-mansaray

F. Acquavita (1978), ‘A language arts program with a student-centered approach’, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, Accessed 22/02/17, https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1978/1/78.01.01.x.html

L.Davis (2010), ‘Toward a lifetime of literacy: The effect of student-centered and skills-based reading instruction on the experiences of children’, Accessed on Semantics Scholar on 22/02/17, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Toward-a-Lifetime-of-Literacy%3A-The-Effect-of-and-on-Davis/f92ea7dca3cbcbcffbebb50989edcdb80f5f760f

B.Hom (2012), ‘Classroom activities: Simple strategies to incorporate student-centered activities’, Journal Of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, retrieved from US National Library of Medicine, Accessed 22/02/17, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3592730/

K.Cherry (2019), ‘The role of a schema in Psychology’, Very Well Mind, Accessed 22/2/17, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873

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To help support the diversity of student minds so that all students can get the most out of their education, teachers may use materials made with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mind, and they may apply differentiated instruction methods.

Differentiated instruction is a way to address student needs with different types of materials, while UDL is a framework for designing those materials such that they are usable by all learners to the greatest extent possible.

Both UDL and differentiated instruction are effective methods that teachers use to bring out the potential in their diverse student populations. UDL uses brain science to help make sure that materials are more likely to be understood by all students. Differentiated instruction is an instructional strategy to help teachers figure out what materials and strategies best support different students so that students have what they need to succeed.

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Introduction

There are many different types of students in any given classroom. Different students will need different forms of support to allow them to fully learn and participate in the classroom. To help support the diversity of student minds so that all students can get the most out of their education, teachers may use materials made with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mind, and they may apply differentiated instruction methods.

Differentiated instruction is a way to address student needs with different types of materials, while UDL is a framework for designing those materials such that they are usable by all learners to the greatest extent possible.

Both UDL and differentiated instruction are effective methods that teachers use to bring out the potential in their diverse student populations. UDL uses brain science to help make sure that materials are more likely to be understood by all students. Differentiated instruction is an instructional strategy to help teachers figure out what materials and strategies best support different students so that students have what they need to succeed.

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Understanding UDL vs Differentiated Instruction

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Learn why teachers should use materials made with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mind, and apply differentiated instruction methods.

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Assessment: The Engine That Drives Student-Centered Coaching

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Using Assessment and Evaluation Strategies to Support Students