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2. What are the ways to motivate children to develop ATL skills with playful learning?

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2. What are the ways to motivate children to develop ATL skills with playful learning?

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1. How does play develop the idea/concepts of inclusion in students' lives?

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1. How does play develop the idea/concepts of inclusion in students' lives?

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3. How can we make children more respectful and collaborative by playing games in lessons?

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3. How can we make children more respectful and collaborative by playing games in lessons?

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1. In case if you  want clarification about   the  lesson/ topic, whom do you approach and how do you approach?

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1. In case if you  want clarification about   the  lesson/ topic, whom do you approach and how do you approach?

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2. How do you feel when you work with your friends/ group?

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The group had created a beautiful rainbow logo representing students holding hands. The group’s name also represents rainbow and inclusion in Hindi and Sanskrit! How wonderful!

We then discussed how we could hone our research questions even more by being more specific.
We could pick
*1/2/3 students and focus on them
* one group of learners
* one area of the curriculum
* one kind of play

Group is thinking of identifying the same one or a group of students and document them in different lessons- music, library, language. Looking particularly at the introvert ones.

Tip: Group could share their 5-10 minutes video and discuss using Connect-Extend –Challenge at their next meeting

Group will move the resources to the “Resources” column and place their individual questions under their respective names by next week.

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Play is essential for children. More and more research confirms the importance of play and why it should be an integral part of a child's life. Why is play so important and what does it do for children?

Humans are biologically wired to play. Play serves as a way for people to practice skills they will need in the future. According to The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds (2007), free play allows children to practice decision-making skills, learn to work in groups, share, resolve conflicts and advocate for themselves. It also allows them to discover what they enjoy at their own pace.

Free play "is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving" (The Serious Need for Play, 2009).

Play is so important that it's even part of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 31 states that children have the right "to engage in play and recreational activities"

Play is how children learn, including learning social skills. Learning how to interact with others, compromise, and work together all happen when playing.

As children develop and grow, so does their way of playing. Let's take a brief look at how play develops and changes over time for children. Margaret Parten outlined the six stages of social play and it starts at birth (An analysis of social participation, leadership, and other factors in preschool play groups, 1933).

1. Unoccupied play

Did you know play starts at birth? Infants engage in random movements with seemingly no apparent purpose, but this is the beginning of play.

2. Solitary play

This is when children start to play on their own. Solitary play begins in infancy and is common in toddlers. However, all age groups can (and should!) have some time for independent play. When engaged in solitary play, children do not seem to notice other kids sitting or playing nearby during this type of play.

3. Onlooker play

The next stage of play is when children watch others play. Onlooker play happens most frequently during the toddler years but can occur at any age. The onlooker may ask questions of other children, but there is no effort to join the play. This may happen when a child is shy, or unsure of the rules, or is hesitant to join the game.

4. Parallel play

Parallel play starts when children begin to play side-by-side with other children without any interaction. Parallel play is usually found with toddlers, although it happens in any age group.

Even though it seems like they are not interacting, they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of wanting to be with other children their age. This stage lays the groundwork for the later stages of play.

5. Associative play

At some point, a child will start interacting more with the other child they are playing with; this is the next stage of play called associative play. At around three to four years of age, they become more interested in other children than the toys. They start asking questions and talking about the toys and what they are making. This is the beginning of really understanding how to get along with others. During associative play, children within the group have similar goals (for example: building a creation out of blocks). However, they do not set rules and there is no formal organization.

6. Social play

Children will begin to socialize starting around three or four. They begin to share ideas and toys and follow established rules and guidelines. They play shop and figure out who will play what role. They can work together to build something or maybe play a simple game together. This is really where a child learns and practices social skills, like cooperating, being flexible, taking turns, and solving problems.

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Play is essential for children. More and more research confirms the importance of play and why it should be an integral part of a child's life. Why is play so important and what does it do for children? Humans are biologically wired to play.

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The days of students silently working independently from textbooks at desks neatly arranged into perfect rows are long gone! In today's classroom, you're more likely to see students standing or sitting together around tables or huddling on the rug, gesturing and talking excitedly, drawing diagrams on tablets, sketching ideas on whiteboards, or gathered around computers.

Collaborative learning is a 21st-century skill that is at the top of most districts' curricula. When students work collaboratively, they become involved in a process that promotes cooperation and builds community. New ideas are generated as students give one another feedback. Collaboration creates a culture that values every student's strengths and an environment that believes that everyone can learn from one another.

Here are eight activities and tools to foster an environment of collaboration in your classroom.

1. Play games!

Collaboration doesn't necessarily come naturally to students. It is something that requires direct instruction and frequent practice. One of the best ways to train your students to work collaboratively is through game playing. Cooperative classroom games help students become critical thinkers, learn to work with one another and establish a positive classroom environment. The best part? Kids have fun while developing these skills! Check out these ideas from TeachHub and TeachThought.

Source
2. Give everyone their moment in the spotlight!

Put your students' affinity for selfies to good use with Flipgrid, a simple yet powerful tech tool that allows students to express themselves creatively and amplify their voices.

Teachers create grids with topics of discussion and students respond with recorded videos to talk about, reflect, and share via webcam, tablet, or mobile device. Talk about active, engaged learning!

Read this article to learn more about how the six C's of 21st-century learning are an intrinsic element of the Flipgrid experience.

3. Save the last word!

Tap into your students' visual skills with a fun strategy called Save the Last Word for Me.

How to do it: Prepare a collection of posters, paintings and photographs from the time period you are studying and then ask students to select three images that stand out to them. On the back of an index card, students explain why they selected this image and what they think it represents or why it is important.

Divide the students into groups of three, labeling one student "1," one "2" and the other "3." Invite the 1s to show one of their chosen images and listen as students 2 and 3 discuss the picture. What do they think it means? Why do they think this image might be important? To whom? After several minutes, the 1 students read the back of their card (explaining why they picked the image), thus having "the last word." The process continues with student 2 sharing and then student 3.

4. Create a safe space for discussion.

Edmodo is a multi-platform, kid-safe platform that is perfect for active learning. Kids can share content, have a dialogue (in or out of the classroom), and even get parents involved! Tools like Learning Communities and Discussions have made Edmodo one of the most popular free education tools on the Web.

5. Zoom in on the details!

Zoom is a storytelling game that is a classic classroom cooperative activity. It gets kids' creative juices flowing and allows them to not only tap into their own imaginations but create an original story together.

How to do it: Form students into a circle and give each a unique picture of a person, place or thing (or whatever you choose that goes along with your curriculum). The first student begins a story that incorporates whatever happens to be on their assigned photo. The next student continues the story, incorporating their photo, and so on. (Younger kids may need some coaching around appropriate language, topics and so on.)

6. Try Brainwriting!

Brainstorming is a common element of collaborative learning. But sometimes a brainstorming session only results in the easiest, loudest, most popular ideas being heard, and higher-level ideas never really get generated.

The general principle of Brainwriting is that idea generation should exist separate from discussion-students write first, talk second. When a question is introduced, students first brainstorm on their own and write down their ideas on sticky notes. Everyone's ideas get posted on a wall, with no names attached.

The group then has a chance to read, think about and discuss all of the ideas generated. This technique provides a level playing field for the best ideas to surface as students combine, tweak and come up with original, higher-level solutions.

7. Dive into a Fishbowl!

Fishbowl is a teaching strategy that lets students practice being both speaker and listener in a discussion. The steps are simple. Form two circles with student desks, one inside the other. The conversation begins as kids on the inside circle of the Fishbowl respond to a teacher-provided prompt. The first group of students asks questions, expresses opinions and shares information, while the second group of students, on the outside of the circle, listens carefully to the ideas presented and observes the process. Then the roles reverse.

This strategy is especially helpful for modeling and reflecting on what a "good discussion" looks like, for making sure that no one is left out of the conversation, and for providing a structure for discussing controversial or difficult topics.

Check out this link from Facing History and Ourselves for a step-by-step explanation and watch these middle schoolers demonstrate a Fishbowl on YouTube.

8. Give every student a voice.

We've all witnessed the group activity where the students with the strongest verbal skills or personalities end up taking over the conversation, crowding the rest of the students out. Teaching your students how to have meaningful conversations by introducing the rules of collaborative conversation and giving them specific language to articulate their ideas is a valuable investment.

These sentence stems from TeachThought are just the ticket for providing the scaffolding necessary so that all students can receive the level of support they need in order to be communicate successfully.

What are your best strategies for encouraging collaboration? Tell us in the comments.

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8 Fun Ways to Help Your Students Collaborate in the Classroom

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Here are eight great games, activities and tech tools to help your students learn to collaborate in the classroom. Build your student community!

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Good social skills allow kids to enjoy better peer relationships. But the benefits of robust social skills reach far beyond social acceptance. Children with better social skills are likely to reap immediate benefits. For example, one study found that good social skills may reduce stress in children who are in daycare settings.﻿﻿

Social skills are a set of skills that need ongoing refinement as your kids get older. They aren't something your child either has or doesn't have. Look for teachable moments where you can help your kids do better. In fact, some social skills are quite complicated-like understanding it's important to be assertive when a friend is being bullied, or understanding staying silent when you don't agree with a call from the umpire.

Meanwhile, kids who have strong social skills and can get along well with peers are likely to make friends more easily. In fact, a study published in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, indicates that childhood friendships are good for kids' mental health.﻿﻿

Good social skills also can help kids have a brighter future. According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, a child's social and emotional skills in kindergarten might be the biggest predictor of success in adulthood.﻿﻿

Researchers from Penn State and Duke University found that children who were better at sharing, listening, cooperating, and following the rules at age five were more likely to go to college. They also were more likely to be employed full-time by age 25.

Children who lacked social and emotional skills were more likely to have substance abuse issues, relationship issues, and legal trouble. They were also more likely to depend on public assistance.

Likewise, not having the social skills to interact with others likely compounds that stress. For instance, being away from family places stress on children. And, when they are unable to communicate effectively with others, it only gets worse. But, researchers have found that children experienced a decrease in cortisol, a hormone released during stressful situations, once they learned new social skills.﻿﻿

The good news is that social skills can be taught. It's never too soon to start showing kids how to get along with others. And it's never too late to sharpen their skills either. Start with the most basic social skills first and keep sharpening your child's skills over time. Here are the most important social skills for kids to learn and how you can help teach them.

A willingness to share a snack or share a toy can go a long way to helping kids make and keep friends. According to a study published in Psychological Science, children as young as age two may show a desire to share with others-but usually only when their resources are abundant.﻿﻿

However, children between the ages of three and six are often selfish when it comes to sharing resources that come at a cost. For example, children with only one cookie might be reluctant to share half with a friend because it means they'll have less to enjoy. On the other hand, those same children might readily share a toy that they're no longer interested in playing with.

Overall, studies show children who feel good about themselves are more likely to share. Sharing also makes them feel good about themselves. So teaching them to share may be key to boosting their self-esteem.

How to Practice

While you may not want to force your child to share certain toys or with certain children, you can regularly point out sharing when you see it. Praise your child for sharing and indicate how it makes others feel. Say something like, "You chose to share your snack with your sister. I bet she feels happy about that. That's a nice thing to do."

Cooperating

Cooperating means working together to achieve a common goal. Kids who cooperate are respectful when others make requests. They also contribute, participate, and help out.

Good cooperation skills are essential for successfully getting along within a community. Your child will need to cooperate with classmates on the playground as well as in the classroom. Cooperation is important as an adult, too. Most work environments thrive on employees' ability to work together as a team. Cooperation is key in romantic relationships as well.

By about age three and a half, young children can begin to work with their peers on a common goal. For children, cooperation may involve anything from building a toy tower together to playing a game that requires everyone to participate. Some may take a leadership position while others will feel more comfortable following instructions. Either way, cooperation is a great opportunity for kids to learn more about themselves.

How to Practice

Talk about the importance of teamwork and how jobs are better when everyone pitches in. Create opportunities for the whole family to work together. Whether you assign everyone a specific job when you're making a meal or you assign specific chores that are integral to the family, emphasize the importance of cooperation.

Listening isn't just about staying quiet-it means really absorbing what someone else is saying. Listening also is a critical component of healthy communication. After all, much of the learning in school depends on a child's ability to listen to what the teacher is saying. Absorbing the material, taking notes, and thinking about what is being said becomes even more important as your child advances academically.

It's essential that your child grows up knowing how to listen to the boss, a romantic partner, and friends. This skill may be an even more difficult skill to master in the age of digital devices because so many people tend to stare at their smartphones when they're engaged in conversation.

How to Practice

When reading a book to your children, periodically stop and ask them to tell you about what you're reading. Pause and say, "Tell me what you remember about the story so far." Help them fill in any gaps they're missing and encourage them to keep listening as you continue. Additionally, don't allow them to interrupt others when they're talking.

Following Directions

Kids who struggle to follow directions are likely to experience a variety of consequences. From having to redo their homework assignments to getting in trouble for misbehavior, not following directions can be a big problem.

Whether you instruct your children to clean their rooms or you're telling them how to improve their soccer skills, it's important for kids to be able to take direction-and follow instructions.

For example, don't give a young child more than one direction at a time. Instead of saying, "Pick up your shoes, put your books away, and wash your hands," wait until the shoes are picked up before giving the next command.

Another mistake to avoid is phrasing your directions as a question. Asking, "Would you please pick up your toys now?" implies that your kids have the option to say no. Once you've given your children directions, ask them to repeat back what you said. Ask, "What are you supposed to do now?" and wait for them to explain what they heard you say.

It's normal for young kids to get distracted, behave impulsively, or forget what they're supposed to do. View each mistake as an opportunity to help them sharpen their skills.

How to Practice

Praise your child for following directions by saying things like, "Thank you for turning off the TV the first time I told you to." If your children struggle to follow directions, give them opportunities to practice following simple commands. Say things like, "Please pass that book to me," and then provide immediate praise for following directions.

Respecting Personal Space

Some kids are close talkers. Others crawl into the laps of acquaintances without any idea that the other individual feels uncomfortable. It's important to teach kids how to respect other people's personal space.

Create household rules that encourage kids to respect other people's personal space. "Knock on closed doors," and "Keep your hands to yourself," are just a few examples.

If your child grabs things out of people's hands or pushes when impatient, establish consequences. If your child climbs into the laps of acquaintances or stands too close to people while talking, use it as a teachable moment. Take your child aside and provide some coaching about personal space issues.

How to Practice

Teach your children to stand about an arm's length away from people when they're talking. When they're standing in line, talk about how close to be to the person in front of them and talk about keeping their hands to themself. You might role-play various scenarios to help them practice describing appropriate personal space.

Making Eye Contact

Good eye contact is an important part of communication. Some kids struggle to look at the person they're speaking to. Whether your child is shy and prefers to stare at the floor or simply won't look up when engrossed in another activity, emphasize the importance of good eye contact.

If your child struggles with eye contact, offer quick reminders after the fact. In a gentle voice, ask, "Where should your eyes go when someone is talking to you?" You don't want to cause a shy child additional anxiety. And, provide praise when your child remembers to look at people when they're talking.

How to Practice

You might even show your children how it feels to hold a conversation with someone who isn't making eye contact. Ask them to share a story while you stare at the ground, close your eyes, or look everywhere except for at them. Then, invite them to tell another story and make appropriate eye contact while they're talking. Afterward, discuss how it felt in each scenario.

Using Manners

Saying please and thank you and using good table manners can go a long way toward helping your child gain attention for the right reasons. Teachers, other parents, and other kids will respect a well-mannered child.

Of course, teaching manners can feel like an uphill battle sometimes. From burping loudly at the table to acting ungratefully, all kids will let their manners go out the window sometimes.

How to Practice

Be a good role model with your manners. That means saying, "No, thank you," and "Yes, please," to your child on a regular basis. And make sure to use your manners when you're interacting with other people. Offer reminders when your children forget to use manners and praise them when you catch them being polite.

A Word From Verywell

If your child seems to be struggling with social skills more than other kids, talk to your pediatrician. While it may just take a little extra reinforcement and maturity to catch up, a lack of social skills also can be a sign of other problems. Children with mental health issues, like ADHD or autism, may be behind socially. A physician can assess your child and determine whether treatment is needed to improve social skills.

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7 Social Skills You Should Start Teaching Your Child Now

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Good social skills allow kids to enjoy better peer relationships. But the benefits of robust social skills reach far beyond social acceptance. Children with better social skills are likely to reap immediate benefits.

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Social skills - for children

Contents

Social skills are the ways in which we interact with others. If we have good social skills then this can help us become confident, happy people who are easy to get along with.

When you have finished reading this topic click on the button at the bottom to do a survey to let us know which social skills you think are the most important.

What are social skills?

Social skills are:

Cooperation - playing your part in a positive way, eg. taking turns, doing your part of a shared task. Have a look at 'Let's cooperate' .

Being a friend - there are many levels of friendship, our topic on Making friends will tell you more.

Sharing - like treats, belongings and ideas with others, (that means yours and theirs).

Participation - joining in and 'giving it a go' even if you are not very good at something.

Being patient - everyone has the right to be heard and considered so everyone needs to learn patience and wait for his or her turn.

Helping others - even the little kids can help others so that the job gets done or someone can feel cared about.

Following directions - learning to follow directions or rules helps keep us all safe and well.

Staying on task - getting our own job done and not stopping others from doing theirs.

Accepting differences - every person is unique and special and we all have feelings. Have a look at 'What is diversity' .

Listening - learning to be an 'active listener'.

Praising others and not using 'put downs'. Letting people know when they have done well and not being mean when they haven't.

Positive communication and interaction - if you are nice to others then they are usually nice to you. Shouting and bullying may get attention but won't win friends.

Being polite and courteous - always saying hello to people you know, visitors and family friends.

Using good manners when talking, eating or in public. See our topic on Good manners .

Respecting ourselves, others and property, and accepting responsibility for what you say or do. This includes being honest and truthful. Check out our topics on Gossip , Telling lies , Cheating - at school and Cheating - at sport and games .

Being respectful of your rights and the rights of others. Our topic Respect - a way of life can tell you more.

Resolving conflicts when you have a problem with someone or they have a problem with you. Conflict resolution will help you here.

We worked with kids to divide social skills into the following areas, and then we all decided which particular skills were needed for each area.

Communication skills

To be able to communicate well with others we thought these skills were important:

good manners

active listening (Have a look at the topic Conflict resolution to find out what 'active listening' means.)

gestures and eye contact

listening with understanding and empathy (putting yourself in the place of the other person)

thinking before you speak

speaking clearly and not shouting

having a sense of humour.

Respecting yourself and others
Respecting yourself and others needs these skills according to the group:

using good manners

cooperating

sharing and taking turns

being assertive

being patient

following directions and staying on task

accepting differences and acknowledging rights

no bullying, teasing or putdowns

respecting all property

no gossip or spreading rumours

being kind in what you say and do

treating people equally

trying to make everyone feel special and happy

being open to your and others' feelings.

Participation
Participating (joining in) can be very difficult for some people but if you work on these skills it could get easier and a whole lot more fun:

being active

taking part and having a go even if you are feeling shy

having fun - you don't have to be the best at anything to do this

resilience - keep trying and don't give up too easily. Our topic on 'Resilience - don't let things get you down' will help here.

focusing and concentrating on what you need to do

practising skills (like ball skills)

working together and making sure you do your part as well as you can

including everyone

building your confidence

staying on track

switching off your phone, etc at mealtimes and family events epecially if older people are around. They can get very grumpy if you don't at least ask if it's ok for you to move away and check your phone.

Friendship skills

Everyone needs friends but some people have problems making and keeping friends. We decided that the following skills were needed:

interaction skills like smiling, eye contact, listening

cooperation and sharing

respecting confidences (things that others have asked you not to tell to anyone else, unless it is not a safe secret), rights and property

keeping your word

praising others, no put downs

acknowledging when you make a mistake

being open to new friendships

being loyal

being kind

having a sense of humour, especially being able to laugh at yourself.

Resolving conflict

Everyone has problems with others sometimes. The trick is to sort them out as quickly as possible. These skills will help:

talking it out

practising active listening

staying calm

being open to other ideas

controlling anger

compromising

persisting - never leave a problem unresolved

standing up for yourself without bullying or shouting

dealing with the present, what actually happened

getting to the point and being clear about what you want

staying focused - don't drag others into it or bring up past conflicts

learning to forgive - forgive yourself as well as others.

What kids say

We asked the question "Which social skills do you think are the most important and why?"

If you want to see what some kids thought then click here (PDF 34kb)

Dr Kate says

Social skills help our society to work well. We start learning these skills as babies and continue learning and improving them during our lives.

Did you have a look at what some kids thought were the most important social skills?

We've provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. However, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown-up.

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social; skills; friends; conflict;  resolution; manners; listen; listening; lies; cheating; respecting;  participation; friendship; resolving; communication; negotiation;

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Kids' Health - Topics - Social skills - for children

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Contents Social skills are the ways in which we interact with others. If we have good social skills then this can help us become confident, happy people who are easy to get along with. When you have finished reading this topic click on the button at the bottom to do a survey to let us know which social skills you think are the most important.

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2. What happens when we integrate UOI with other streams(Specialist subjects)through play?

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2. What happens when we integrate UOI with other streams(Specialist subjects)through play?

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Playful and music based activities cater to better learning of students...

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What image comes to mind when you think of classrooms today? Where is the teacher and where are the students? Who is leading the discussion and doing most of the talking and moving in the classroom? For many, the image that comes to mind is that of a room of students, lined up in rows, with their attention directed to the teacher at the front of the room or involved in some activity at their desks. In this scenario, students are passively learning. Their involvement in class, in some cases, has them seated for the entire class period, while the teacher does most of the talking and moving around the room.

In the past, this may represent the typical format of classroom instruction, however today, with a greater focus on flexible learning environments, and educators looking to promote student choice and voice, this image or perception of "what classrooms look like", has changed and continues to evolve into a more active learning space, a place where students are empowered. A space in which students take a more active role, transform students from consumers to creators and the former teacher-centered classroom into a student-centered and student-driven space.

Because students have typically spent so much of their school day seated, taking information in and do not always have time to ask questions, interact with peers, or do more than consume, they may become more passive learners. I started to notice this in my own classes. There was a decrease in student engagement, and reflecting on my methods I realized that I was spending so much time talking, that it was me making the decisions and leading all of our activities. There were not many opportunities for the students to work with peers, to move around, to really take control of their learning.

In an effort to encourage students to become more active learners as well as to be more involved in the types of activities and instruction in the classroom, I started to implement some teaching strategies involving music and games. There are many benefits to getting students more actively involved in learning and this can be done quite simply through a variety of teaching strategies. It can be a challenge to change over from the traditional classroom lecture model, however, there are some easy ways to change to a more active, engaging space.

How to design more active learning experiences:

1. Game-Based Learning (GBL): GBL is a great way to add fun into the classroom and help build student excitement for learning. The use of gaming offers different ways for students to practice and develop their skills in more active learning environments. Games encourage students to learn and master content by problem-solving, collaborating, creating and engaging in more authentic and meaningful learning. It is a way to promote independent learning as well as by offering students choices in games to play and the means to work toward individual goals.

2. Tech: Students can create a game as a way to help themselves and their peers practice concepts and gain mastery. It can be a game created using one of the many digital tools available like Kahoot, Quizlet or Quizizz. Students enjoy the opportunity to create a game, which leads to a more authentic learning experience when students select the specific vocabulary they need to practice, thus leading to more personalized learning opportunities. Students add to their skills by choosing how to leverage technology for the purpose of more self-directed learning.

3. No-tech: Students are very creative and offering them a chance to design a game to practice new content can lead to better retention and increase motivation. To get started, a few examples that can be used are to create a chart which includes 4 or 5 different categories or topics related to the content and grade level being taught. After deciding on categories, perhaps select 5 or 6 letters of the alphabet, or use numbers, which students must use to come up with a word, topic or date, that relates to each category. For example, in teaching Spanish, selecting categories such as classroom objects, verbs, colors, family and then deciding on the starting letter, students can brainstorm words and review in unique ways. Students can then randomly be assigned to small groups and then share the words their group came up with. An activity like this will promote communication between peers and provide an opportunity for collaboration and some fun as well. It can also be a good way to have students review, be creative and brainstorm new ideas. This creates time for teachers to assess student needs and decide the next steps in the lesson.

4. Music: Music livens up the classroom and is useful for helping students retain their learning. There are many ways to include music in learning, one just as simple as playing music when students enter the room, or while they work in small groups, to add to the culture of the classroom. As instructional materials, one idea is to have students create rhymes or a song using a vocabulary list, names of famous people, state or world capitals, monuments or anything related to the content area. Students can work in pairs or a small group and create a song which can be used as a mnemonic device, to help them retain the information in a more meaningful way. Students can then present live in class or use a tool like Flipgrid or Recap to record and share with classmates. These student creations add to the authentic classroom resources and engage students more in learning.

In trying one or all of these activities, students have an opportunity to be more active in the classroom, work together, build relationships, collaborate and engage in more authentic learning experiences. Placing students in the lead provides the teacher with an opportunity to step aside and become a facilitator and use time in class as an opportunity to not only assess student learning but to interact more and provide feedback for students.

There are many ways to build students skills in the classroom, and these are just a few of the ideas that we have been trying and they are a work in progress. Knowing that something works takes reflection and student input. With students creating more and working in small groups, I have more time to move around and work with every student and group and provide more individualized instruction.

Students are asking more questions like, "Can we...?, What if...?, Is it okay to...?" and adding their creativity into our activities. Students suggest improvements, "Maybe we could... It might be better if we and This has helped me to remember...can we keep doing these activities?" And my answer to all of these has been "Yes, I think we should try it. If it works, then great. And if not, we will try again!"

Students need to be moving in the classroom and have opportunities to learn in different formats using a variety of instructional strategies and tools, and it's okay if they are not in the traditional format.

For more, see:
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Rachelle Dene Poth is a Foreign Language and STEAM Teacher at Riverview Junior/Senior High in Oakmont, PA. Follow her on Twitter at @rdene915

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Engaging Students: Movement Through Games and Music | Getting Smart

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What image comes to mind when you think of classrooms today? Where is the teacher and where are the students? Who is leading the discussion and doing most of the talking and moving in the classroom?

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Task : The learners were given an opportunity to create their own learning resources on Hindi grammar with their selective groups.

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Task : The learners were given an opportunity to create their own learning resources on Hindi grammar with their selective groups.

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As Grammar plays a important role ,under the student agency, where the learners have taken the ownership of making their own resources in Hindi language and developing their social skills. They also practice empathy and care for others ,when they help others to succeed in their work and they were respectful to others perspective by voicing their opinion on others learning resources and giving feedback by which they can encourage their friends and be respectful towards them.

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Students were given an opportunity to roll a dice and create their own story.

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Students were given an opportunity to roll a dice and create their own story.

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Brainstormed the students about the Library and how it has been changed over a period of time  

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Brainstormed the students about the Library and how it has been changed over a period of time  

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How the Academy Library has changed and ways to preserve the resources

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Students were assigned a task to share thoughts and create music pieces using various instruments in respective groups. 

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Students were assigned a task to share thoughts and create music pieces using various instruments in respective groups. 

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Making music is fun!

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Students were taken outside and were asked to create their own rhythm games either in pairs or in small groups.

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Students were taken outside and were asked to create their own rhythm games either in pairs or in small groups.

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Music lessons outside the Music room makes a difference!

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Students were asked to come up with few essential agreements in groups.

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Students were asked to come up with few essential agreements in groups.

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Essential agreements are important for structured and seamless learning and teaching.

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Hindi gender words with the model of clock.

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Half letter words in Hindi.

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Hindi opposite words puzzle.

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This is snake and ladder of synonyms words in Hindi . These are few Hindi grammar learning resources made by learners.

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Students were asked to write their thoughts (using 'See Think Wonder') on the aspects of the artifacts, representing various cultures.  

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Students were asked to write their thoughts (using 'See Think Wonder') on the aspects of the artifacts, representing various cultures.  

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Working collaboratively respecting others' ideas or opinions.

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Developing thinking skill (an important aspect of the ATL skills)...

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Developing thinking skill (an important aspect of the ATL skills)...

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The sense of 'Inclusion' makes the learners happy and valued...

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The sense of 'Inclusion' makes the learners happy and valued...

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Students' agency demonstrated in learning music...

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What are play and social skills

Play is voluntary engagement in self motivated activities that are normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment. Play may consist of amusing, pretend or imaginary, constructive, interpersonal (play with others) or intrapersonal (solitary play) interactions. Play is the way that children learn about the environment, their bodies
and their place in the world around them.

Social skills are the skills we use everyday to interact and communicate with others. They include verbal and non-verbal communication, such as speech, gesture, facial expression and body language. A person has strong social skills if they have the knowledge of how to behave in social situations and understand both written and implied rules when communicating with others.
Book an assessment for your child

Play and social skills include:

Play skills (with peers as well as alone)

Social Skills (with peers)

Social Communication

Why are play and social skills important?

Play is one way by which children learn. "Free" or unstructured play in early childhood is an important way that children learn about their world. Play is also an avenue through which social skills can develop. As they grow older, children learn about societal rules by making up games with rules, as well as about winning and losing and "playing fair". They also learn about controlling their impulses in order to do well at something and about space, negotiating and problem solving. Above all, play is needed for fun and relaxation.

Social skills are vital in enabling an individual to have and maintain positive interactions with others. Many
of these skills are crucial in making and sustaining friendships. Social interactions do not always run smoothly and an individual needs to be able to implement appropriate strategies, such as conflict resolution when difficulties in interactions arise. It is also important for individuals to have 'empathy' (i.e. being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes and recognise their feelings) as it allows someone to respond in an understanding and caring way to how others are feeling.

When a child has difficulties with play and social skills you may notice:

Poor attention and concentration

Flits from one activity to the next without actually playing with the item

Upends toys on the floor

Difficulties taking turns/sharing

Gets upset when 'loses' a game

Is not aware of others and fails to read other people's feelings based on their verbal and non-verbal cues

Has trouble expressing/regulating emotions

Finds it difficult to make and maintain friendships

Always require an adult to play with them

Has repetitive or narrow interests in toys/play

Prefers to play alone

Interrupts frequently

Is not able to maintain a topic of conversation and provides irrelevant comments during a conversation

Speaks 'at you' in a conversation versus engaging in a two way conversation

Does not understand consequences of their actions

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Play and Social Skills | Social Skills In Children | Kid Sense Child Development

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What are play and social skills Play is voluntary engagement in self motivated activities that are normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment. Play may consist of amusing, pretend or imaginary, constructive, interpersonal (play with others) or intrapersonal (solitary play) interactions. Play is the way that children learn about the environment, their bodies and their place in the world around them.

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Students of my section 4A have taken an initiative to make their resource related to Hindi grammar. After making it, they have taught other section students about Hindi grammar through play way method.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Im7MkUJqw&feature=youtu.be

Children used their thinking skill to express their thoughts through book in a box.

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In distance education student got an opportunity to interview their parents or grandparents to acknowledge their poetry knowledge in Hindi or in their mother tongue. This activity made the students to interact with their parents or grandparents and improved their social skill.

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Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software - Canva

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Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software - Canva

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While working in a group for making a model of literature study they encouraged their teammates to contribute.

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Students are expressing the stories in a group that they created using soft toys and puppets after the treasure hunt.  The sense of inclusion created meaningful and comfortable learning environment.

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Students are expressing the stories in a group that they created using soft toys and puppets after the treasure hunt.  The sense of inclusion created meaningful and comfortable learning environment.

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Students learnt the journey of book in a musical way.

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Students learnt the journey of book in a musical way.

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Tom Gates Fan Club of a school

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Students are developing positive interpersonal relationships and collaboration.

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During the role play students are practicing and showing social and emotional intelligence .

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I see great research questions.

I see engaged students and creative resources.

I see (hear) lots of great story telling, music, puppet shows and stories in their library time.

I see engaged and happy students exploring and using different music instruments.

I see in all the pictures great playful engagements and work in groups or pairs.

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I think that it is a super playful approach the fact that you gave your students the space and time to create their own tools and resources.

I think it is a great idea combining library time with story telling, puppet show, role playing...

I think ATL skills combined with music classes is perfect. I think taking the time to create essential agreements as a group in Music even though they might have done that in the other classes with their homeroom teacher is a great opportunity to see the dynamics and also give the students ownership and credibility. Also then you as a teacher can always go back to them and refresh what they agreed on and what they valued.

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I wonder if the students did any independent work.

I wonder what essential agreements did the students come up with.

I wonder if you created a reflection with the children about what they did.
I also wonder if there is any quotes or documented reactions of how the students found and perceived combining library time with all the playful engagements instead of just going there for quiet reading.

I wonder if children were more careful and creative with resources and materials after being exposed to the described activities. I wonder if there was student initiative taking these activities further.

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During lock down, Grade one students made their Hindi word tool and played it along with their siblings, they encouraged each other to contribute for learning new words in Hindi. They even improved their vocabulary and spellings.

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Using Hula Hoop to teach similarities and differences

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Using Hula Hoop to teach similarities and differences

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https://bhatveenar.wixsite.com/pop-indradhanush/feedback