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Teaching English Learners

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Beginning Stage - Quick Reference Handbook for Adapting Lessons for English Learners

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Students performing at this level of English language proficiency may demonstrate little or no receptive or productive English skills. They may be able to respond to some communication tasks. The teacher uses what is called "care taker speech". This is often called the Pre- Production stage.

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Teaching every student

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Instructional Grouping : LD students

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Instructional Grouping for Reading for Students with LD: Implications for Practice | LD Topics | LD OnLine

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LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders.

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Instructional strategy: catch and release

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How can this strategy be applied to all subject areas?

2. Why are both "catching" and "releasing" important?

3. How does Ms. Noonan strike a balance between direct teaching and student exploration?

School Details

Think College Now School
2825 International Boulevard
Oakland CA 94601

Data Provided By:

Teachers

English Language Arts Math Social Studies / 5 / Teacher

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Catch and Release: Encourage Independence

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Fifth grade teacher Madeline Noonan explains how she uses the "Catch and Release" program to balance direct teaching and student work time. Madeline gives her class an assignment to work on in table groups. After students work independently, Madeline brings the class back together to share what she has noticed and clarify concepts.

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Engage Stakeholders

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Engaging Stakeholders Transcript - QSF Videos (CA Dept of Education)

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Transcript of the video presented by the California Department of Education.

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Note-Taking strategy

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We must explicitly teach students how to take notes during lecture and while reading. Whether our students learn how to outline information in a textbook, explore ideas through Cornell notes, or capture critical concepts in graphic organizers, we should take class time to model and support the different note taking systems we want them to learn.

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Bilingual Education

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US Schools Try New Bilingual Education Method

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Classroom Organization

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We found 33 items

Get yourself, your classroom, and your paperwork organized, and see how good you'll feel! Use our checklists and tips to make sure you're ready for back to school. You'll find resources to help you organize weekly lesson plans, grades, and assignments. Reduce stress, increase productivity, and maximize efficiency with our time management tips. Printable charts and forms make planning and organizing easy! You'll also find ideas for creating classroom centers and advice for new teachers.

Organizing Tips for Back to School

Back to school is an exciting time for students and teachers, but sometimes getting settled can be a bit overwhelming. Use the resources in this section to get yourself organized and frustration-free!

Back to School resources

Feel like there is so much to do and not enough time to get it done? Use the tools in this section to help make this year your absolute best. From sample organization tips, professional development enrichment activities, or just general advise from other professionals in your field, the possibilities are endless!

Classroom Arrangement

The physical set up is one of the most important components of your teaching. For one, it is to keep you organized and your classroom environment conducive; for another, students need the best possible environment to thrive in. Use the tips outlined in this section to personalize your classroom.

Organizing Classroom Centers

Classroom centers are great engaging spaces for students to pursue higher level inquiry skills and their interests. Use the resources in this section to build comprehensive centers that will be loved by your students throughout the school year.

Organizing Lesson Plans

Lesson plans don't have to be as frustrating and time consuming as they are made out to be sometimes. Use these tips and strategies from different professional teachers to improve your lesson planning skills and organization.

Organizing Paperwork

Paperwork is probably the least exciting aspect of teaching, but it is vitally important, so learning to organize it is an essential skill to have as a teacher. Use these tips and strategies to help find ways to make this aspect of your teaching a smooth one!

Time Management Tips

Time in the classroom is an important but sometimes fleeting entity. We are always looking for a little bit more time while we are teaching and to complete all the tasks we need to for the day. Use these grade leveled tips to help make your day more time efficient with your students.

Charts & Forms

Use these printable resoruces for various components of your classroom and teacher responsibilites such as a home checklist, gradebooks, and much more!

Additional Resources

As teachers, we can never have enough resources on hand. Be sure to look through this section to see if there is anything here that you may need for a rainy day!

Browse Latest Resources

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ADVERTISEMENT | REMOVE ADS We found 33 items Get yourself, your classroom, and your paperwork organized, and see how good you'll feel! Use our checklists and tips to make sure you're ready for back to school. You'll find resources to help you organize weekly lesson plans, grades, and assignments.

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Learning difficulty vs disability

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Learning difficulty or Learning disability? | The Salvesen Mindroom Centre - supporting people affected by learning difficulties

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Definitions of learning disabilities and learning difficulties, such as adhd and autism, and their impact on education from The Salvesen Mindroom Centre.

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Reach, Teach, Learn

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Pay less for domain names. Bulk pricing and private domain name registration options. Transfer domain names risk-free.

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Meaningful Feedback

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Jigsaw

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Differentiated Instruction

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Differentiated Instruction: Why, How, and Examples

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Wise seating choices

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How students should be seated in a classroom is a question for every teach. See why one teacher allows students to choose where to sit versus having a structured seating arrangement.

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Seating with numbers

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Seating Arrangements- Work Stations

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Seating arrangement of desks in a classroom can have a big impact on the environment and student behavior. Here is one seating arrangement idea that works great for group learning and instructional time.

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Facilitating Reflection

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There is no happiness if the things we believe in are different than the things we do.
-- Albert Camus, Philosopher, Writer

Although the Reflection Circle is a basic structure for reflection, not all groups or group members are comfortable or interested in speaking up in this environment right away. Being creative and using a variety of activities helps to gain the participants' interest and can foster comfort and familiarity in the group. A mixture of approaches can also address a range of learning and communication styles. Some activities break the group into smaller units, allowing participants to become comfortable speaking in a less intimidating environment. Others spark discussion through the use of quotes, visualization and role plays. Group activities thus offer a framework for reflection, and encourage participants to begin thinking critically about their experiences. Through exposure to a variety of viewpoints, participants develop their understanding of the issues and improve their ability to reflect without relying on structured exercises. A selection of group activities follows.

A single question is often the simplest way to start a group talking. The questions listed in the previous "Reflection Circle" section are basic to reflection and address a range of aspects of the service experience. Facilitators should review that list and consider incorporating some of these or similar questions into the group's reflection sessions. A well-known structure for reflection questions is described below, as well additional basic reflection starters. Alternative discussion activities can be derived from the role plays, quotes, and group exercises in this manual.

What?/So What?/Now What?

This structure for reflection questions is perhaps the most widely known and used. It is a basic way to promote discussion that begins with reviewing the details of the experience and moves toward critical thinking, problem solving, and creating and action plan.

What?:

descriptive

facts, what happened, with whom

substance of group interaction

So what?:

shift from descriptive to interpretive

meaning of experience for each participant

feelings involved, lessons learned

why?

Now what?:

contextual-- seeing this situation's place in the big picture

applying lessons learned/insights gained to new situations

setting future goals, creating an action plan

Concentric Circles (from David Sawyer)

The group is divided in two, with half of them forming a tight circle in the center of the room. The remaining people then pair up with someone in the circle. The facilitator then poses a question for each pair to answer in a few minutes. Then, either the inner or outer circle is asked to rotate "x" spaces to the right or left. Another question is asked for the new pair to discuss. This activity can go on for as long as desired, giving people the chance to have one on one discussions with many different people in the group. The following are examples of questions that the facilitator may ask:

What social or environmental problem touches you most right now and why?

What's wrong with formal classroom education?

What do today's undergraduates want from their teachers?

What do you like most about service-learning?

What did you learn about _______?

Talk about a time when someone really supported you.

WHo did you meet during your service work that touched you deeply?

Describe a high point/low point in your service work and explain why.

Discuss an underlying social issue(s) your service work addressed.

Although not a formal training technique, it is important that facilitators be proactively by using open-ended questions that allow for creativity to surface. Open-ended questions may sound like "How might this look different?" and "What would our program look like if a bomb were dropped and we had to start from scratch?"

Sentence Stems can be useful in helping participants begin to think about their expectations for the experience [or their perceptions after concluding the experience].

Example:

"Today I hope..."

"I am most anxious about..."

"I expected community members to be..."

How Do You Define Service? (from Koln & Hamilton)

People define service in many different ways. Discussion about these different definitions can be very interesting and eye-opening. This exercise is also important to reveal the diversity of ideas within the group, and to underscore the importance of recognizing differing perspectives. The sample definitions that follow can be presented one at a time through the course of the discussion or can be offered all at once and then ranked by each participant, according to their personal philosophy of service (for example, assigning a "1" to "voting" because the participant believes it best represents service).

Joining the armed services

Providing dinner once a week at a homeless shelter

Talking with a friend

Chaining yourself to an old growth tree as loggers enter the forest

Leaving your car at home and biking to work every day

Giving $50 to the United Way

Walking a frail person across a busy street

Writing a letter to a congressperson about the dangers of nuclear proliferation

Giving blood

Tutoring a migrant worker

Adopting an eight year old boy

Quitting your job to move to a monastery and meditate for a year

Working as a state legislator

Voting

Free Associations (from STACS )

The best facilitators are those who do not consider themselves to possess the "expertise" but work cooperatively with the expertise and experiences of the participants. A Free Association is a simple technique that quickly draws on, and captures, the true expertise of the group. This method of facilitating simply asks the participants to freely associate answers to certain questions. For example: "Generate twenty solutions to apathy on campus;" "List/brainstorm what is empowerment;" and "what do we know about Marxism?" All of these questions used in a Free Association will enable the facilitator to quickly chart responses from the group and gain a sense of the levels of sophistication and the "teachers" hidden with the group. (see also Hoshim Brainstorming.)

This techniques is a variation of the Free Association technique. However, the Hoshim Technique asks participants to list answers, solutions, ideas, or opinions on "Post-it notes" or other stickies. For example, a facilitator that is leading a conflict resolution workshop may ask for participants to generate ten responses to low conflict, medium conflict, and high conflict issues on Post-It notes. Similar to a free association, the Post-It notes are then placed on the wall. The entire group then has a large gallery exhibit walk-through of all the notes in which they can review the responses to conflict. The Hoshim ,Technique tends to be an effective tool for assisting groups that are not open to discussion or are stuck on a particular issue.
Note: additional topics for discussion can be obtained by contacting the Georgetown University Volunteer and Public Service Center.
(202)687-3703;vps@guvax.georgetown.edu
Using role plays with groups can be an active and interesting way to get students involved in reflection. Role plays involve students identifying a problem situation and assuming the identities of those persons affected by the problem in order to act out potential solutions. A major benefit to this kind of activity is that it asks participants to try to understand the experiences of others. For example, a role play about a parent who does not want her child disciplined by a volunteer tutor requires that a participant assume the role of the parent and try to understand the reasons for her feelings.

Role plays are also beneficial in that they actively engage participants in a problem-solving. Participants are challenged to develop potential solutions to the identified problem and then try out their comfort level in implementing the solution. In the process participants can realize the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed solutions, and may discover new facets of the problem. Equally important , participants learn more about their own strengths and weaknesses in handling such situations and can receive feedback from other group members in order to improve their knowledge and skills.

Role plays can involve as many or as few people as the situation warrants but should allow several participants to observe so that they may offer additional ideas and insights from the seemingly neutral point-of-view of an "outside."

The facilitator should consider starting the exercise with a simplified version of the problem and can then add complexity as the role play progresses. Complexity can be achieved by offering more background information (for example, the tutored child has a history of aggression), or adding facts (for example, the parent will stop bringing his/her child for tutoring unless the tutor agrees not to discipline the child). Participants should be encouraged to contribute to this problem generation as well as to the development of the solutions. Whenever possible, scenarios should come from real events encountered in particpants' service experiences.

The set up:
Sometimes role playing exercises are implemented at the spur of the moment, suggested by the facilitator or someone else in the group as a creative means of exploring a particular problem or issue. In other instances, the facilitator will think about a role play ahead of time. A scenario might be written down and distributed to all group members. Certain roles may be defined ahead of time and shared with only a few members who will be acting the role play out. In any case, encourage creativity and spontaneity. There is no right or wrong way to perform a role play, as long as mutual respect is maintained.

Who starts:
Generally, each group will have a few extroverts who can be called upon to begin a role play. Another possibility is inviting people who are most familiar with a given situation to begin the exercise.

How long should the role play last?
Enough time should be given for the actors to explore the various intricacies of the situation. If it feels as if the role play has degraded into something or silly or irrelevant to the discussion, the facilitator can the step in and call the role play off. If it appears as though the actors are stuck in a given situation, a more interactive approach is suggested,--see the next paragraph.

Tapping the should technique:
One technique to involve observers is to instruct them to intervene in the role play to off their ideas by tapping the should of the person whose role they wish to play. For example, if a participant has a different idea for how a tutor might respond, s/he should tap the should of the person playing the tutor, replace them in that role, and then act out their idea.

Follow-up debriefing:
The facilitator must make sure that the entire group is aware that the role play has ended. The rules of reflection that we have already touched on should be maintained. Sometimes, in the spirit of the moment, the participants can cross boundaries of acceptability. In some situations, one person may be playing the heavy or devil's advocate, much to the disdain of the group. It should be stressed that the actors have left their roles and are now themselves. Sometimes as the debriefing unfolds, and other dilemma is encountered. The facilitator can suggest another scenario to role play to explore the issues.

Quotes can be a useful way to initiate reflection because there is an ample supply of them, they are often brief yet inspiring, and they can sometimes be interpreted in multiple ways. Facilitators need not limit quotes to those that represent the popular view or the view supported by the group, but can offer a mixture of quotes that represent several viewpoints, or one that has multiple interpretations. Participants should be challenged to consider the other meanings the quotes may have to different individuals. Participants can also be invited to share personal quotes, taken from their own journal entries or their other written work.

Facilitators may want to make the reading of quotes a group activity by filling a hat with strips of paper containing different quotes. Each participant draws a strip of paper and reads the quote to him/herself. Participants take turns reading their quote out loud, explaining what they think it means, and discussing how it might pertain to the service project at hand.
The following quotes can be used in this manner. The following exercises range in style and substance, with some being more serious and complex than others, and some geared toward issues, while other focus on group dynamics. Facilitators are encouraged to transform simple icebreakers to more reflective activities by adding substance to the questions being asked. For example, instead of having participants state their hometown and favorite color, ask them to explain why they serve and to identify a pressing concern in the community. Additional activities that are appropriate as "ice breakers" have been identified as such in italicized text.
"Gotcha" (from Chesborough & Hill)

The facilitator or participant starts to tell the story of the day. When the speaker omits a detail, someone else in the group says "gotcha" and continues. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers, rather it is a way to promote sharing of details and feelings, and to point out differences in experiences and interpretations.

The Landing (from Jennifer Sawyer)

This exercise takes 45 minutes - 1 hour for a group of 25. The Landing [can be used as] the first group activity of a session and helps folks feel solidly grounded for the upcoming experience. It includes a visualization of people bringing their full energy and attention from wherever they have come from. People are then asked to think of what it is they are carrying with them. It can be a gift or a burden, something they would like to share with the group to help them feel more present. The setting should be quiet (maybe some relaxing music) and softly lit. Sitting on the floor in a circle around a couple of lighted candles gives the ambiance of being around a campfire.

Facilitator introduces the Landing, asking people to close their eyes and visualize all of their energy catching up with them and "landing" in their bodies here for this event. The tone set here by the facilitator is important. Some people tend to be uncomfortable in this setting so you may need to set people at ease with some reassurance that the value of this exercise will become apparent to them shortly.

Facilitator asks people to consider what it is they are carrying with them what they are bringing. Do they carry a gift or a burden or maybe both. Have a moment of silence then ask people to speak their names and share their gifts and burdens with the group. This can be done as people are moved to speak rather than going around the circle. Remind folks to be aware of the time, keeping their comments to one or two minutes so that every one can speak.

It is good to leave some space between comments, but you may need to encourage people to "keep the pace going."

Facilitator thanks group for their courage and openness and makes appropriate closing comments: "Hope you feel that you have landed" etc.

Stand and Declare (from David Sawyer)

The facilitator makes a statement to the group, to which members can strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Groups form around each of the four responses to the statement, showing the group's "differences." Members from each opinion group are asked to explain their stance, fleshing out the many facets of the issue. People must listen carefully, and can change positions if they change perspectives. This activity helps everyone learn to disagree without being disagreeable, but must be carefully facilitated. Questions are intentionally stated to allow for personal interpretation and to limit responses to one of the four categories. Several group members will want to take some sort of an intermediate stance, but should be encouraged to choose the stance about which they feel the strongest, or which is their instinctive response. Part of processing this activity can then be discussion how it felt to be so limited, to be categorized.

Questions should proceed from lower risk statements to higher risk, more controversial statements. Sample statements include:

Service learning is transforming higher education

Service isn't really service if people get paid.

Direct service is mostly charity work and does little to promote social justice.

Public education does a good job of preparing young people for the future.

The goal of service-learning programs is the development of the student (or the transformation of the community).

Service makes a lasting impact, on the participants/community.

Alternative to Stand and Declare (from Students Trained in Advocacy and Community Service)

Different groups are asked to stand in front of the rest of the participants. For example, all Latino/a individuals stand in front of the room. The group then answers four questions:

What is wonderful about being Latino/a?

What term do you never want to be called again?

How can the participants that are listening be helpful to Latino/a people?

Do you feel heard?

After the group in front of the other participants answers the questions, another, group is selected to gather together and answer the questions. This exercise is affirming and provides an opportunity for individuals to draw on their own experiences, their own stories, etc. This tends to be a good exercise for building common ground and bonding groups.

Pair and Share (from David Sawyer)

Good as an introductory exercise or as a reflection tool to help students "think out loud" about some aspect of their service or classroom experience. Participants pair with one or two others to share ideas on a specified topic. Helpful way to encourage participation from individuals who are not comfortable addressing the larger group.

Affinity Groups (from David Sawyer)
This is a good example of a traditional icebreaker activity that can incorporate substantive service issues and lead in to full reflection.
The facilitator announces a topic and instructs participants to form a group with those individuals with a similar response to the topic. This activity helps to get a visual picture of who makes up a group, and to accentuate similarities and differences within one group. Topics can begin with "low risk" issues and proceed to higher risk. For example:

Grouped according to favorite color (how does it relate to service?)

Grouped by favorite art form: poem, song, dance, sculpture, painting (and why?)

Diversity groups (race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, etc.)

Grouped according to reason for serving.

Grouped according to perceived purpose of their service program.

Fish Bowls (from STACS)

Fish Bowls provide an opportunity for a select group of participants to openly discuss an issue, video, problem, or strategy in an open manner. Simply select volunteers to sit in a tight circle in the middle of the room. The facilitator may choose to have only men, only people of color, etc. in the Fish Bowl. Provide two or three questions for Fish Bowl participants to discuss. The goal is for those observing to keep quiet and notice, comment, or observe different perspectives. The value of a Fish Bowl is that certain groups relate in different ways when uninterrupted. Men sometimes approach conversations in a different manner than women. Much awareness can be raised by simply hearing what other groups have to say on particular topics. As a general rule, the facilitator should allow equal time for each Fish Bowl group. For example, if African-Americans are given ten minutes in the Fish Bowl, then Asian-Americans should also be given ten minutes. If the facilitator allows one group more time than others, conflict may arise. In order to process the Fish Bowls, simply allow for all to discuss openly, at the end of all Fish Bowls, any group's observation (also see Frierian Fish Bowl).

Often, for many reasons, certain individuals will feel uncomfortable voicing their opinion in a group environment. One mechanism for gaining full-group participation is to have all participants write their respective responses to issues on a piece of paper (do not include names). The issues, or pieces of paper, are then placed in a hat in the middle of a circle. For example, the facilitator asks that everyone explain (on paper) "why are there so many homeless people in this city?" Answers may range from, "people do not want work because they are lazy" to "there exists a government conspiracy and homeless funding is often misused." These are typical statements that are controversial but tend to not be voiced openly. Thus, the Frierian method gets all opinions down on paper.

Once opinions have been recorded on paper and placed in a hat, pass the hat among the group. Everyone must respond with their interpretation of the written response and then voice their personal reaction to the paper.

Dark/Light (from Chesbrough & Hill)

After the event, have all the participants sit in a circle with lit candles. The facilitator shares a dark part (or feeling) of (about) the experience and blows out his/her candle. The next person shares until the room is dark. The facilitator lights his/her candle and shares a happy moment of the experience (or something that they would like to improve over a period of time). S/he lights the candle of the person sitting next to him/her with his/her candle. Slowly the room becomes light. (An intense sharing--lots of analogies can be made with dark and light.) Questions to promote discussion: Are you the candle, which emits light, or the mirror, which reflects the light of others?)

Three Minute Speeches (from David Sawyer)

Wonderful opening exercise that helps people find their inner motivations for the work they do and learn to express them to others. This exercise is an even more in depth way to build a sense of community and shared vision in service programs, retreats, or trainings. Allowing four minutes per person will give you a fairly realistic time frame. It is best not to tell people about this exercise too far in advance. This adds somewhat to the drama and risk involved. Sometime between an hour and thirty minutes before Three Minute Speeches folks are told about the exercise and asked to ponder upon a specific question. One very good question is "What is the deep core reason you do the work you do?" Tell folks they can tell a story from some part of their lives, about a particular person whose influence figures greatly, or any other reasons that they are involved in the service field. You may want to craft to other appropriate questions. People should be encouraged to extend themselves and to let others know some of the deeper reasons for their dedication to helping others. The setting that works best is somewhat solemn and formal with a table for people to stand behind while they speak. Good lighting is essential, a table lamp off to one side works well. (Specific instructions follow.)

Facilitator gives announcement of activity sometime prior to the time to begin.

Just before the speeches let people know that there will be a timekeeper who will give them a "one-minute warning" by holding one finger in the air. Speaker can select a timekeeper or there can be one or two volunteer time keepers.

The seating should be in rows and there should be one less chair than speakers. Explain that this means that the current speaker cannot sit down until someone else comes forward to speak.

Responses can be quite profound. Facilitator should provide appropriate closing.

Guided Imagery (from University of Maryland Community Service Programs)

This exercise can help participants get in touch with their expectations, assumptions, and even fears about the service experience. It can also be used to help participants imagine the lives of those with whom they serve. Participants get comfortable, close their eyes if they wish, and listen to a narration. Get creative and write a narrative leading participants through the day.

Example: "Today you are going to serve meals to people who are homeless. Picture yourself arriving at the shelter. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear?"

Building Solutions (from Chesbrough & Hill)

In a small group, form a circle. Ask one member of the group to identify a problem that s/he feels needs action and resolution. The next member in the group is then to pose a solution through action. Each subsequent member is then asked to build on this solution until the group feels it has reached a consensus on how the problem can be solved. This can be altered in a number of ways using the same process of group reflection and sharing. Consensus may or may not be a part of the process.

The facilitator can also pose questions such as "If these solutions exists, why have thy not been implemented? Would the people affected by this problem agree with these solutions? Who might not agree?," etc.

The Strong Circle (from City Year, cited by David Sawyer)

This exercise is a relatively quick way to check in with a group at the beginning or end of a meeting and gives a sense of connectedness. It resembles the huddle in team sports and creates a feeling of solidarity and team effort.

A Strong Circle is announced.

The group stands in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder, everyone in the circle and no one outside the circle.

A pertinent question may be to put the group asking for a one word answer: "Tell us in one word how your service project went...what you thought of the retreat...how your semester is going..."etc.

People speak their answers in turn, around the strong circle.

Any appropriate closing comments are added.

Lifestories (from Dorothy Stoneman, cited by David Sawyer)

This exercise is designed to help a small group of individuals get to know something significant about each other in a very short time. People rarely get a change to talk about themselves without interruption, (and without advice or judgement) since in normal conversation we tend to go back and forth. It is a true gift when someone gives you a piece of their life story, and a gift to the speaker for others to hear that story with interest and attention. This is an effective ongoing exercise for an organization when the small groups are changed each time.

Facilitator makes sure chairs are in a tight circle or other close arrangement. Remind folks of the instruction.

Each person speaks without interruption for 5 minutes on "a piece of your personal history that will really help others get to know you."

You can talk about your cultural or familial or religious roots, or speak about people or things that have shaped you in significant ways.

Speaker chooses a timekeeper (should be rotating) that will give him/her a one minute warning and gently remind them of the time if needed.

Two people in the group volunteer to give that person an affirmation, something they really like about that person, when the speaker is finished (one minute apiece). Facilitator may need to remind group members to let everyone share in giving these affirmations.

Block Arrangement Exercise (from Wilmes, Scott, & Rice)

Two participants sit back to back. One participant creates a design with a set of blocks. They are then asked to describe their design to the other participants so that s/he can draw a picture of it. The drawer cannot ask any questions. Process what assumptions the designer/describer made about what the drawer would understand. What assumptions did the drawer make about what the describer meant? How did it feel to have communication limited? How does this relate to the assumptions we make each day about people or situations?

Who Am I? (from Wilmes, Scott & Rice, created by Juan Moreno)

Tell participants you would like them to respond in writing to 10 questions. Then ask them 10 consecutive times to respond to the question "Who am I?" At the end of the "quiz", ask them to cross off 3 of the items, then 3 more. Process what types of responses they wrote for their identity (acknowledging that some may have hidden identities that they may not wish to share). How did it feel to cross items off? What types of responses were crossed off first/last (e.g. most negative, less important, etc.)? What did you learn about how you see yourself?

The Ball Game (from Wilmes, Scott & Rice, created by Juan Moreno)

Participants are asked to form a circle. The facilitator has a ball and a stop watch. Participants are told the rules to this game: the game begins and ends with the facilitator; each person must touch the ball only once; you must remember the order of who has the ball before you and who you give the ball to; these are the only rules of the game. The facilitator throws the ball to someone in the group who then throws it to someone else, etc., until the last person throws it back to you, the facilitator. The facilitator or timer tells the group how long the process took. (Participants were not previously informed it would be timed.) Instruct the group to cut their time in half. Repeat the process until the group cuts their time down to 3 seconds. Typically it will take the group several tries to refine their strategies (e.g., standing next to people who pass them the ball, asking the facilitator to play an active role in moving the ball). The facilitator should not answer questions except to say there are only the four rules that s/he gave at the beginning of the game. Process how the group could complete the task in 3 seconds when it took ____ minutes the first time. What helped you reach the goal? What hindered you? How did you look at the problem in new ways? What does this tell us about human nature? Did anyone suggest you do it in less time than the facilitator suggested? Who or why not? This activity takes approximately 20 minutes for group of about 25 people.

Describe, Interpret, Evaluate (from Wilmes, Scott & Rice created by Lillian Roybal Rose)

Select pictures from magazines (helpful to select on that may draw stereotypes with captions that would counteract stereotypes) to hand around the room. Captions should be removed or concealed. Ask participants to individually examine the pictures and "describe what they see." As a group, ask participants to describe what they saw. The facilitator should tabulate responses in three columns at the front (as a description, interpretation, or evaluation) without explanation to the participants. Process the exercise by describing what the facilitator was recording, distinguishing between description, interpretation and evaluation. Discuss the role of assumptions and stereotyping in the exercise. How did the group description exaggerate or modify individual perceptions? End by sharing the caption from the picture. Variation: ask several participants to be blindfolded and paired with partners who describe the pictures to them. Ask for descriptions from the blindfolded participants first in the processing. Did getting the information second hand contribute to distortion? Why or why not?

In every organization, work environment, family, or community, there exists a natural tendency (a force field) which acts to keep the situation from changing. A force field represent posers that are proposing change and those that are working towards change. In essence, those forces want to keep the issue at an equilibrium.

A simple Force Field Analysis lists pros and cons on a chart. For example, forces that are keeping children in poverty may be: lack of education, inadequate health care, poor nutrition, violence in homes. On the other side of the Force Field are forces that are helping to get people out of poverty: social workers, loving fathers, school nutrition programs, etc. Chart both on the wall and discuss what issues the group is capable of changing. How can the group break the forces that are working towards equilibrium?

A Force Field Analysis (pro and con chart) can be used for any problem. Examples included: What forces are keeping you interested in this training? What forces are keeping our service program from expanding? What forces are preventing women from being leaders in our program? Once the pros and cons are charted, the dynamics and tension in groups often begin to dissipate. This is an excellent tool for getting groups to think about strategies for making small and large commitments to change (also see Web Charts).

This brainstorming tool can be used by facilitators when groups are "stuck" and see no options. Simply place the "issue" or "problem" in the center of the chart and all of the obstacles in "bubbles" outside of the central issue. This is a different strategy for looking at pros and cons and force fields (see Force Field Analysis).

Readings

Providing participants with readings about the issues they will be addressing can stimulate thinking and discussion, much like Quotes. Readings can include a mixture of viewpoints, including some that may be controversial or challenge participants to consider alternative ideas. Participants should be encouraged to connect the content of the readings to their service experiences, and to bring in other reading that they believe to be relevant. Such material includes relevant literature (philosophy, fiction, policies), newspaper articles, service provider pamphlets, poems, and student reflection essays. Samples of some of these can be obtained from the Georgetown University Volunteer and Public Service Center.

Next Section: Additional Forms of Reflection

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There is no happiness if the things we believe in are different than the things we do. -- Albert Camus, Philosopher, Writer Although the Reflection Circle is a basic structure for reflection, not all groups or group members are comfortable or interested in speaking up in this environment right away.

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Morning Meeting Activities

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Morning Meeting Activities: Sparkle Activity

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In this excerpt from the DVD Morning Meeting Activities in a Responsive Classroom, a third grade class plays Sparkle, a Morning Meeting group activity that uses their spelling words.

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School and Home Communication

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Adoption and usage

Simple, effective, and surprisingly easy to use

With nearly 30 million users in 80% of US schools, the numbers speak for themselves: students, families, and educators love using Remind.

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Remind | Communication Platform for Education

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Remind is a communication platform that reaches students and families where they are and supports learning wherever it happens. Millions of educators, students, and parents use Remind to connect with the people and resources that help them teach and learn.

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Student Teaching Tips

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Student teaching: an exciting, daunting, overwhelming and thrilling experience. It's the first time you step back into the classroom on the other side of the desk and realize that the view is rather different from here. Student teaching wasn't all that long ago for me, and in the last few years, as I have sat at the back of the classroom and observed other student teachers, I have thought about the experience a lot. These are the eight things I believe all student teachers should know.

ironic, isn 1. We were all student teachers once.
Sadly, you will encounter many teachers who seem to have forgotten this fact. They will be impatient with you. They won't take the time to teach you ( 't it?). They may be dismissive and patronizing. I am sorry about this, and I'm afraid you will just have to push through it, understand that it is not personal and search out the teachers who will take the time to mentor you. But more than that: learn from it. When you have been teaching for twenty years and a student teacher walks into your class, remember what it feels like, be patient and have a little grace for them.

2. All the good teachers cry at least once in their careers.
Ok, maybe not all. But I sure know a good number of incredible teachers who have cried after a class or two - myself included. It is nothing to be ashamed of: it's not weakness; doesn't make you less of a teacher; doesn't mean that you aren't cut out for the classroom. Often it means just the opposite: it shows that you care; it means that you have passion; it indicates that you are learning (which can be a painful experience). Allow yourself to have a good cry sometimes. Eat a pint of ice-cream. Go to the gym. Shrug it off. Learn from the experience and then walk back into the classroom and try again.

3. Try not to be too critical of the teachers you are observing.
When I was a student teacher I thought I knew it all. I believed that every one of the lessons I taught was perfect, original and quite brilliant (yes, that 's every one of the 3 or 4 per week). So when I sat and observed the class teacher hand out old notes, teach an 'average' lesson, or make a mistake or two, I would smile smugly and silently judge him/her. Now I cringe at who I was then. Please don't be me. I now teach thirty lessons a week and know that not every one of them can be dazzling. I also know that it can be intimidating being observed by a bright young student teacher (especially one you know is silently judging you).

4. Think about your appearance.
You want to look good and make an impression. I get that. But don't look too good. If you are teaching primary school, remember to wear practical clothing; something which you won't mind having stains on. If you are teaching high school, wear 'appropriate' clothing. Look professional but be comfortable. Ladies, remember that you will be bending down occasionally so choose your tops (and your skirts) wisely. Gents, never underestimate the power of good shoes and the power they have to indicate authority as you walk commandingly down the corridor.

5. Teachers are territorial and habitual creatures; try not to ruffle feathers.
I guarantee that no-matter which school you are in, there will be certain un-spoken rules of the staffroom. Don't use just any mug. Observe where people sit and find somewhere 'neutral'. Don't monopolize the computers and/or photocopiers. Imagine you are an anthropologist in unfamiliar territory: observe and try to fit in without upsetting the gentle eco-system of your surroundings.

6. Don 't try to be cool, but don't be mean for the sake of it.
Surely you've heard these pieces of 'wisdom': 'You are not their friend.' 'Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen.' 'Be strict from day one.' 'Show 'em who's boss.' - I don't agree. Yes, set boundaries and be firm, and no, you are never going to be 'cool' so don't even try. But unkindness for the sake of asserting power is really not necessary. Especially not with teenagers. They will see right through it. Rather, show them respect and earn theirs. Confidence, authenticity and self-assurance will earn you more respect than a threatening stick, a tight bun and a frown.

7. Be prepared to pay your dues.
You may have to do copious amounts of photocopying. You might have to organize files. More than likely, you will be asked to do certain teachers' recess duties for them. Perhaps you will even be asked to mark piles of assignments. The fact is, these are all part of being a teacher - rather than moan about it - see it as a learning experience. Know that you are actually taking a huge load off an overworked teacher, and trust that really, it only gets better from here. One day you will be grateful for the student teacher who does those jobs for you.

8. Hold on to you ideals.
Hopefully in your training and career, you will come across brilliant, passionate and exciting teachers. But chances are, you will also come across the obdurate, negative and pessimistic. Unfortunately, as teaching can be all-consuming and exhausting, it is easier than you realize to become the latter. Trust me. Right now, at the start of your career you are naïvely idealistic - that is not a bad thing. It is wonderful. Hold on to that passion and optimism, find others who are equally ardent, embrace change and be open to learning. If you manage this, you will safeguard against pessimism and disillusionment, and you will be a more engaging teacher for it.

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Student Teaching Tips: 8 things I Wish I Knew

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Student teaching: an exciting, daunting, overwhelming and thrilling experience. It's the first time you step back into the classroom on the other side of the desk and realize that the view is rather different from here.

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Habits of Amazing Student Teachers

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In some former life, I must have done something heroic, like help catalyze women's suffrage or invent pizza. I know this because I've had two student teachers so far, and they've both been the most wonderful, most helpful, most EVERYTHING amazing student teachers ever. I would love to take credit for any part of their success, but I know I had nothing to do with it. If anything, all I contributed to was signing forms late and giving them stories to go home and tell their families. ("Today my supervising teacher walked around for an entire class period with a piece of melted chocolate on her neck. She kept asking why it smelled like cookies. I didn't have the heart to tell her.").

Anyway, I decided to put together a list of characteristics and qualities that I've noticed in my student teachers: things that have made their time in my classroom beneficial to them and to me. Whether you're about to be a student teacher yourself, or are about to be a mentor teacher and want to share this list with your newbie, here is a list of characteristics of things I have noticed my most amazing student teachers have in abundance.

1. They take opportunities to be helpful instead of waiting to be told what to do.

Don't get me wrong: There's nothing impolite or unhelpful about asking, "What would you like me to do now?" but there is something incredible about realizing my student teacher has anticipated and met a need without me even addressing it. Sometimes when I zone out or get bogged down with one of my 2,045,778 emails, I'll look up and my student teacher will be doing something I didn't ask her to do but is totally wonderful, like straightening the bookshelves or supply closet, cleaning off desks, or organizing the mountain of papers threatening to take over my back table.

2. They say goodbye to their comfort zones.

Student teaching is scary, y'all. It's like meeting your future spouse and their 120 children for the first time ... on the day of your wedding. We all have limits on what we are and aren't comfortable with (and it's important that both the student teacher and mentor teacher share and understand these), but amazing student teachers know that there is no better time to fail or make a fool of yourself than now, in a controlled environment with support from the mentor teacher.

3. They share ideas.

Student teaching is not (or at least should not) be a one-way street where the supervising teacher simply tells the student teacher what to do the whole semester. Personally, I'm so grateful for my student teachers' fresh lesson-plan ideas and new ways of doing things, and I know my students are too.

4. They are direct but kind.

One of my favorite things about my amazing student teachers has been that they respect me enough to let me know about their needs and suggestions directly and in a kind way. Just before break, my student teacher said some version of, "I would really like to know more about your planning process-can you show me more of that next semester?" I loved that she let me know this directly instead of going the rest of the year wishing things were different, or worse, going into next year not knowing how to plan a unit because her mentor teacher would go into a silent, scary Planning Trance at her computer.

5. They embrace the grunt work.

I think I've made it clear that I'm not a supporter of the king-servant ideology regarding the student teaching experience. But that being said, I think it would be a disservice to the student teacher to let them think that teaching is purely lesson plans and classroom management. My student teachers have been absolutely amazing about helping me make copies, grade, move furniture and do other odd jobs when asked-and with smiles on their faces! (I have no idea who they learned that from. I walk down the hall on Monday mornings singing loudly in a minor key.)

6. They welcome feedback-positive and critical.

Everyone loves positive feedback-that's easy. But what's trickier is accepting and welcoming critical feedback. Good student teachers interpret critical feedback as opportunities for growth, not reasons to slash the tires of their mentor teacher.

7. They are flexible.

I remember being frustrated as a student teacher when my mentor teacher would tell me I had a certain amount of time to teach a lesson or unit and then suddenly change the amount of time at the last minute. Now, with a few years under my belt, I know that's just the nature of the beast. It's rare for any teacher to always have more than a few days' notice about field trips, schedule changes, assemblies and other things that affect lesson/unit planning. Both of my student teachers have been so flexible with last-minute changes, which is not only a relief to me, but is good practice for the unpredictable world of teaching in which they are making their first steps.

As you can see, I've had some pretty outstanding student teachers to be able to create this list. Sometimes I think they could even be superhuman.

I'll check their stomachs for belly buttons next time I see them.
What do you think makes amazing student teachers?
Join our Facebook group WeAreTeachers-First Years! to connect with other new teachers, and learn more about how you can navigate your classroom and life.

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7 Habits of Amazing Student Teachers - WeAreTeachers

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In some former life, I must have done something heroic, like help catalyze women's suffrage or invent pizza. I know this because I've had two student teachers so far, and they've both been the most wonderful, most helpful, most EVERYTHING amazing student teachers ever.

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Exit Slips

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Strategies for EL

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Editor's Note: Oakland Unified School District's ongoing partnership with Teaching Channel has involved producing videos, building capacity on Teaching Channel Teams, and creating interactive video for #TchVideoLounge.
Recently, the Oakland Unified School District partnered with Teaching Channel to launch a three-part video series on Engaging ELLs in Academic Conversations. We were at the beginning stages of using classroom discussion as a district-wide strategy to more explicitly integrate language development into content area instruction.

A little over a year later, our learning continues! Oakland teachers are still hard at work, exploring the ways they can best support both language development and content understanding through whole-group and peer discussions. We know from research that language learners need regular opportunities to rehearse new language and apply it in authentic contexts. We also know that teachers need to be intentional about engaging all students, especially our ELLs, so that no one can hide and everyone can experience success. And anyone who has spent time in the classroom knows fostering authentic conversation among ELLs is no easy task.

In this new series, we visit or revisit Oakland elementary and high school teachers taking on the challenge of integrating language instruction for their ELLs in content instruction. You'll see them trying new strategies, fine tuning old ones, and reflecting on student learning to hone their craft.

Using Number Talks to Develop Mathematical Thinking

At the elementary level, we have two teachers using Number Talks - a strategy used in math classrooms across the district - to help students orally share and justify the strategies and reasoning they use to mentally solve a math problem.

In Dot Talks: Building Fluency with Numbers, Julia Gelormino uses carefully planned, open-ended questioning to support her first grade language learners to articulate and expand on their thinking. Open-ended questions can be scary because they often lead to unpredictable results, especially in a first grade classroom. While it's true that the lesson may get messy when students go off script, these moments can be wonderful opportunities for learning. We see Julia use her students' responses to adjust her instruction in the moment towards articulated learning needs. Her video reminds us that open-ended questions are important for language production, but also represent a way to pull out student thinking to inform instruction.

In Engaging in Productive Struggle: Number Talks, Monique LaCour shows how she uses sentence frames in her second grade class to empower her ELLs as active learners and mathematical thinkers. By unpacking and rehearsing sentence frames before a Number Talk, Monique gives ELLs at all proficiency levels an opportunity to show off their mathematical thinking. Notice how she leverages students as resources for each other as they collaboratively and productively struggle in problem solving. This is a great skill for learning and for life!

Enhancing Reading Workshop

We often hear that instruction for ELLs is just "good instruction." While it's true that solid core instruction will support our language learners, there are teacher moves that can make all the difference for ELL success. In Reading Workshop in Kindergarten, we see kindergarten teacher Emma Coufal enhance Reader's Workshop with strategies to meet the language needs of her students. One of the many ways she does this is through paired conversations and partner work. Students have frequent, structured opportunities to discuss ideas in pairs, ensuring that at least half of all students are engaged in talk at a time. Emma also provides both independent and partner reading time for students. Partner reading with intentional, heterogeneous grouping provides both the social interaction and modeling of language that is great for all kids, but essential for ELLs. Additionally, during independent reading time, Emma confers with students as a way to gather data and differentiate instruction. See more of how to support ELLs in this guiding document.

Encouraging Equitable Participation of ELLs in Class Discussions

Our ELLs, particularly those at emerging levels of English proficiency, are often reluctant to share. Next, we'll see how two teachers in two very different classrooms set high expectations while creating a safe space for students to share.

Watch Evidence-Based Academic Discussion: Getting Started to discover fourth grade teacher Sarah Horowitz using a myriad of strategies to ensure equitable participation in a content-based conversation. She leads her students in a whole-class discussion in which they're sharing and exploring claims on an environmental issue they're researching. Through probing questions, students push each other to provide supporting evidence and clarify their ideas. In Listening & Speaking: Formative Assessment, Sarah explains how she uses the discussion as an opportunity to collect assessment data on their speaking and listening skills to inform her next instructional moves.

Patricia Segura teaches ninth grade immigrant students in their first months - sometimes even their first weeks - of schooling in the U.S. Many are students with interrupted formal education, have suffered significant trauma, and have gaps in their numeracy and literacy skills. In Supporting Language & Content Learning in Math, Patricia creates space for them to use their home language to make sense of the mathematics, while also supporting and encouraging them to communicate their ideas in English. She uses a protocol called a Participation Quiz to provide just-in-time feedback to students on their engagement in group work and mathematics discussion.

Preparing Students for Socratic Seminar

We saw Johanna Paraiso in last year's series as she facilitated a Socratic Seminar in her 12th grade English class. Many viewers have asked us how she gets students ready for such high levels of independence and quality discussions. In Scaffolding for Socratic Seminar, we see what Jo does in the beginning of the school year to build students' skills, language, and confidence. Her use of controversial topics provides students a compelling reason to communicate and justify their thinking. In the accompanying video, Using Technology to Boost Confidence, Jo demonstrates how she uses technology to provide differentiated supports to students and bring communication to a whole new level.

By creating a safe and productive space where our ELLs are invited into the intellectual process of constructing meaning through language, these teachers are empowering students as thinkers, communicators, and independent learners. Where are you in the journey of supporting ELLs in content instruction? I welcome your comments on what you're seeing and also the ideas and strategies that are working for you.
Nicole Knight is the Executive Director of the English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement Office at Oakland Unified School District. She has served Oakland students as a teacher, teacher leader, and instructional leader at the site and district level. A National Board Certified Teacher in English as a New Language, Nicole has expertise in language and literacy development of English Language Learners, curriculum development, and professional development for teachers and principals. She is also the mother of two bicultural and bilingual children, both students at a dual-language Oakland public school.

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Content Conversations: Strategies for ELLs

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Editor's Note: Oakland Unified School District's ongoing partnership with Teaching Channel has involved producing videos, building capacity on Teaching Channel Teams, and creating interactive video for #TchVideoLounge. Recently, the Oakland Unified School District partnered with Teaching Channel to launch a three-part video series on Engaging ELLs in Academic Conversations.

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Multiple Perspectives

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About this Strategy Guide

This strategy guide explains Socratic seminars and offers practical methods for applying the approach in your classroom to help students investigate multiple perspectives in a text.

Research Basis

Socratic seminars are named for their embodiment of Socrates' belief in the power of asking questions, prize inquiry over information and discussion over debate. Socratic seminars acknowledge the highly social nature of learning and align with the work of John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, and Paulo Friere.

Elfie Israel succinctly defines Socratic seminars and implies their rich benefits for students:

The Socratic seminar is a formal discussion, based on a text, in which the leader asks open-ended questions. Within the context of the discussion, students listen closely to the comments of others, thinking critically for themselves, and articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others. They learn to work cooperatively and to question intelligently and civilly. (89)

Israel, Elfie. "Examining Multiple Perspectives in Literature." In Inquiry and the Literary Text: Constructing Discussions n the English Classroom. James Holden and John S. Schmit, eds. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2002.

Strategy in Practice

Choosing a text: Socratic seminars work best with authentic texts that invite authentic inquiry-an ambiguous and appealing short story, a pair of contrasting primary documents in social studies, or an article on a controversial approach to an ongoing scientific problem.

Preparing the students: While students should read carefully and prepare well for every class session, it is usually best to tell students ahead of time when they will be expected to participate in a Socratic seminar. Because seminars ask students to keep focusing back on the text, you may distribute sticky notes for students to use to annotate the text as they read.

Preparing the questions: Though students may eventually be given responsibility for running the entire session, the teacher usually fills the role of discussion leader as students learn about seminars and questioning. Generate as many open-ended questions as possible, aiming for questions whose value lies in their exploration, not their answer. Elfie Israel recommends starting and ending with questions that relate more directly to students' lives so the entire conversation is rooted in the context of their real experiences.

Establishing student expectations: Because student inquiry and thinking are central to the philosophy of Socratic seminars, it is an authentic move to include students integrally in the establishment of norms for the seminar. Begin by asking students to differentiate between behaviors that characterize debate (persuasion, prepared rebuttals, clear sides) and those that characterize discussion (inquiry, responses that grow from the thoughts of others, communal spirit). Ask students to hold themselves accountable for the norms they agree upon.

Establishing your role: Though you may assume leadership through determining which open-ended questions students will explore (at first), the teacher should not see him or herself as a significant participant in the pursuit of those questions. You may find it useful to limit your intrusions to helpful reminders about procedures (e.g. "Maybe this is a good time to turn our attention back the text?" "Do we feel ready to explore a different aspect of the text?"). Resist the urge to correct or redirect, relying instead on other students to respectfully challenge their peers' interpretations or offer alternative views.

Assessing effectiveness: Socratic seminars require assessment that respects the central nature of student-centered inquiry to their success. The most global measure of success is reflection, both on the part of the teacher and students, on the degree to which text-centered student talk dominated the time and work of the session. Reflective writing asking students to describe their participation and set their own goals for future seminars can be effective as well. Understand that, like the seminars themselves, the process of gaining capacity for inquiring into text is more important than "getting it right" at any particular point.

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About this Strategy Guide This strategy guide explains Socratic seminars and offers practical methods for applying the approach in your classroom to help students investigate multiple perspectives in a text. Research Basis Socratic seminars are named for their embodiment of Socrates' belief in the power of asking questions, prize inquiry over information and discussion over debate.

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Super Brain Yoga

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Ted Talks

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content. By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

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Morning Routine Excercises

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Do your students struggle with that time in the morning when you are taking attendance, listening to students' stories, and getting them ready for the day? If so, this 10 slide Power Point is just the thing for you!

We have created this resource so each day of the week there is a relevant task the students have to do. Here are the daily choices: Monday Memories (journal writing), Trivia Tuesday, Wednesday's Words (famous quotes), Thinking Thursday (logic puzzles), and Fact Friday (math fact practice). The great thing about this resource is that there is room to add on once you collect trivia, quotes, and logic puzzles. You could add a slide right to the Power Point that you could use for the following year!

We have found that our students look forward to these each morning and love the routine that so many students need to start their morning! Click here to find this amazing resource for FREE now!

Classroom photo credit here.

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Morning Routine Activities: Getting Your Students Energized for Learning - Wise Guys

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Do your students struggle with that time in the morning when you are taking attendance, listening to students' stories, and getting them ready for the day? If so, this 10 slide Power Point is just the thing for you! We have created this resource so each day of the week there is a relevant task the students have to do.

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Edutopia: Teaching Portfolio

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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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Results (PASS)

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Final Submission Field Experience PDF

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Results (PASS)

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Results (PASS)

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Final Submission Field Experience PDF