Module 5 Discussion Board by Brayden Langendoerfer

Rotating Leader

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 20:26:40 UTC

Engages all the students in the room and elicits dialogue about challenging topics. Preselect small groups of four or five students before class starts to strategically take advantage of students' strengths and select four or five leaders. The leaders should be the quietest students, and they are to ask the questions and take notes.

Gallery Walk

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 20:28:22 UTC

This is an activity you can host when the end-of-unit student work or projects are completed. Students walk around and discuss their peers' work with a partner.

FLEXIBILITY IS KEY!

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 20:35:06 UTC

After reading through chapter five of Textured Teaching, it is incredibly important to note that flexibility should be prominent in the classroom. Flexibility allows students to take ownership of their own learning, and they are able to then elicit their own understanding. Rigidness is typically seen as "good teaching," but we do not allow students to take ownership when we, as the teachers, as taking control of the classroom and their learning.

Processing Sheets

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 20:37:37 UTC

Processing sheets allow students to understand the text at their own pace. In particular, processing sheets can have students visualize characters; understand conflict, characterization, motif, and theme; and examine language use.

Out-of-School Literacies

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 20:47:24 UTC

Out-of-school literacies allow students to bring their own writing or literacy into the classroom. This is a way for them to use CONNECTIONS, a key piece of reading education. Connections allow students to strengthen their reading, writing, and literacy abilities. As we know, allowing students to show themselves in their work is a key piece of allowing them to develop an appreciation, love, and understanding of reading, writing, and literacy.

Assessments... can be flexible?

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 20:50:22 UTC

Absolutely! Students are learning so much throughout the year, and they can demonstrate their learning through tests, yes, but we should allow for more than just tests. Tests are not always a valid way to identify student understanding. Instead, we can allow for portfolios or creative expression.

During the narrative unit, I allowed students to either create a song, write a collection of poems, paint a visual, create a graphic novel, or write a short story. This allowed students to create something they are interested in, and they were able to show mastery of the skill.

Flexible Grading

bwl3nw1 — 2024-03-16 21:02:33 UTC

Discussion-based assessments, processing sheets, out-of-school literacies, extended responses, choice boards, and text-based assessments are all things that require grading. However, there is still an opportunity to be flexible with each. Each of these are strategies in of themselves, but when it comes to grading, we can still be flexible.

One thing I do is base all of my grading on participation. As long as students did the thing, they get the points. They know that I am interested in seeing what they can do. I make comments on what they do well and how they can improve. When it comes to the end-of-unit assessment, I have walked them through each skill, so I then assess them on their mastery. It has been a very beneficial strategy that my students love because they do not have to worry about a grade, so they can focus on what they can do well.