Helena's learning diary by Helena Almeida

Helena's learning diary by Helena Almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh MOOC - "Yes I Can!" empowering student learning en-us 2019-01-22 18:47:11 UTC 2024-07-01 00:29:04 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png What's a Learning Diary?! - 22.01 helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/323168234 I've just learned something new: how to creat a Learning Diary!
It seems easy to work with... ]]> 2019-01-22 18:57:54 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/323168234 Module 1 - 24.01 - my comment on de videos “consumption, production, participation” helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/323837880 I immediately agreed with what I was listening on the two videos, it just makes sense. But when I'm asked to suggest an activity based on this ideas, It's not that easy... So maybe we really need a mindset shift :) In my classes I always try to make the students the center of the process and to recreate real life situations: doing role plays or making them ask questions for their collegues.

]]> 2019-01-24 10:45:51 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/323837880 Module 1 - 24.01 - my comment on activity 2 "Can you share the story of one student who struggled to get good grades, but succeeded in another field? How did you / could you help the student?" helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/323840282 Last year I had a student who was great in Football. She is a girl, the goalkeeper, and she played with the boys because she was a really good player. At school things weren´t so easy... I always tried to empower her by remembering that she is good at something, we all are. But some other areas require more work, because we are not so naturally good at. She managed to achieve their goals in the English subject.]]> 2019-01-24 10:53:21 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/323840282 25.01 - Module 1 >>>> done! helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/324269314 I've just finished module 1.
I'm really learning with this sharing. The videos and the people we've hearing from are really interesting and education needs everyone to find its new path, because the world we live in has really been changing fast...]]> 2019-01-25 11:17:45 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/324269314 03.02 - Module 2 begins... helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/327109643 I was asked to think about three more learning goals that I expect to achieve at the end of this module.
I hope that I'll have some new tools and activities to use in the classroom in order to make my students active learners;
Another goal is to comprehend more deeply the concept os personalized learning;
As a 3rd goal I would like to be cappable of making my students more autonomous learners.
At the end of the module, I'll come back here to find out if all the goals have been achieved. :)]]> 2019-02-03 21:05:25 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/327109643 Module 2 - My comment on: "Criteria for effective personalized learning" helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/327118662 The first thing is to know your students: their interests; their strengths and their weaknesses. It's also important to offer them choices, different ways of achieving their learning goals. Give them constant feedback tools!]]> 2019-02-03 22:24:03 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/327118662 Module 2 - Comment on "Is your classroom set up to be flexible and interactive?" helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/327579662 The classrooms where I usually work aren't similar to the ones we've seen in the video. They do not have computers and look like they are much smaller, because there are more students in one room, aproximately 27 per class. The tables aren't set up to be flexible too, as they do not have wheels and make a lot of noise if we move them. I sometimes put some tables together to let some students work in smaller groups, if they want to, while others can work individually. Although I can change the classroom layout, it is not easy to do it...]]> 2019-02-04 23:24:38 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/327579662 08-02 Module 3 begins!! helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329428548 Let's see what surprises this module will bring :)
It's all about collaborative learning which sounds promising!]]> 2019-02-08 22:36:30 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329428548 Module 3 - 3.1 Comment on "Collaborative Learning" helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329430341 For me "Collaborative learning" is the product of real Team Work. It's when several people work together in order to achieve one same goal. So collaborative learning is listening, negociating, searching, planning, testing, ... It implies sometimes a bigger effort than to work individually, but it's certainly more productive!
Its is also "Interdependence" as the work one does impacts the other.
It's teachers and students working as a team!]]> 2019-02-08 22:51:17 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329430341 3.2 Group work helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329431955 Why do you enjoy group work?
I like group work because I usually learn more with me colleagues, listening to their experiences, their point of view. I also like the to change opinions before making a decision and having someone to work with makes it much easier!
As a teacher I also like to implement group work because I think students feel mpre motivated for the task. However there are some obstacles to group work, like furniture or when nobody wants to work with one specific student, and sometimes it's hard to overcome this obstacles.

What group work do you already implement?
I usually let students practise new grammar topics by doing exercises in small groups, this way they all get help and feel more motivated. However there are always students that prefer to work individually and that's fine.
I also let them prepare and present their oral presentations in groups and they can also choose the format to do it.

What would you like to achieve next?
Well I'd like to go one step further and implement group work at least one class per week. I'll also give different assignments to the group as a way to make them feel more responsible, I loved that idea of "the noise radar", because noise management and focus on the task are big challenges for the teachers as students tend to forget their task when they are allowed to talk with their peers...]]> 2019-02-08 23:07:44 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329431955 My first bagde :) helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329433021 2019-02-08 23:20:37 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329433021 My second badge helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329433091 2019-02-08 23:21:35 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329433091 Module 2 - 2.2 Personalising a learning tas for two kinds of learners helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329631864 This happens everyday because classes are large, so we always have mixed ability students in our classrooms. To be able to facilitate the learning process of each one of them, we have to think about two or three different activities for one same topic.

As an example I assign the same goal to all the students but allow them to use their students book only if they need help; or I let them work in pairs or groups so they can get help from each other.

I also usually have some extra work for the fast finishers, in order to give the others more time to complete the task.

Thinking about a specific topic, when we do listening exercises with gap filling, I print on the back of the sheet the words that are going to be used, and students only use them if necessary. This way all the students are able to complete the exercise with or without the extra help.

]]> 2019-02-10 18:31:32 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329631864 Module 2 - 2.3 "How to collect students interests?" helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329632758 Usually at the beginning of the school year I give the students a short quiz where they select the activities they like most. It's called "How do you like to learn?" and they select the activities they prefer, for example: listening to songs; writing; reading stories; singing; etc... Then I try to use more the type of activities that suits the class. I also give students a diagnostic test at the beginnng of the year to formally assess their knowledge...

At the end of each unit or topic, students do their own self assessment and I use that activity to check on my students learning progress.

]]> 2019-02-10 18:38:11 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329632758 Module 3 - 3.3 The project... helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329638401 To be honest I've never prepared, from scratch, a project like this. Last year I've participated in a similar project for eTwinning, but some of the group work was done at home or at school but not in my class. The common aspects were the use of technology and the interaction with other schools in other countries. We've done a video to introduce our class to others; we've also prepared some information to show them our country ans some traditional games. In fact students were really motivated and they used the English language with a real purpose, to connect with other students, in other countries. I'd like to create a project, from scratch, and to allow students to work in groups in the English class in order to practice very important skills like we saw on the video.]]> 2019-02-10 19:22:24 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329638401 Module 3 - 3.4 Collaborative Learning, how to make students safe and comfortable helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329641770 I've organised a set of debates with my classes, and it was really hard to make them feel safe and comfortable to use their arguments, and most of of all to make them see that a debate, or a conversation, is also listening. Students thought of a debate like a discussion where who spoke the highest wins. To make them feel safe and comfortable I created a set of rules that made them listen to each others inputs, and argue them in their speaking time. This made them feel safe to talk and also made them listen more carefully to others inputs. Some interesting arguments came up!]]> 2019-02-10 19:43:52 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/329641770 Module 3 - 3.5 Learning spaces helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/330585880

I felt really inspired by the videos I’ve seen. I’ve watched part 1, part 2 and part 3, and the outcome is fantastic!

The class shown is really big! 35 students in one classroom, with one teacher, it’s hardwork! And the changes made in the classroom layout were simple but really important. At the end it looks like a much larger room.

I thought immediately: “what can I change in my classroom tomorrow?”.

But, the problem is that I do not have one but several classrooms. And I am not the only teacher using those classrooms… so rearrenging the classroom would be something that I had to do before and after each one of my classes…

To solve that problem I think that students may only move their chairs and work on smaller desks when doing collaborative work.

I didn’t come up with more ideas to solve that problem yet, do you have any?

]]> 2019-02-12 21:50:12 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/330585880 Module 3 Badge!! helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332173750 Done :)]]> 2019-02-17 22:05:53 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332173750 Module 4 begins! - 4.1 helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332178622 I couldn´t agree more with Phil! Those three questions, and a few others, are really important when planning a class or a project. Not every task is suitable for collaborative work, and for some students working in groups is waiting for others to think for him/herself. I would add another questions "Is the group prepared for collaborative work?" because in my opinion there is a lot of preparation to change the mindset of some students and make them see that working in groups, in collaboration, is not an oportunity to talk freely about what they are going to do at the weekend, but an excellent moment to lear from their peers! ]]> 2019-02-17 22:45:34 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332178622 Module 4 - 2.1 helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332181722 I usually use some simple checklists to assess collaborative learning. They are not detailed like the examples given but they focus on the same criteria: responsability; reliability; helping others; ...
I have to admit that this kind of rubrics really help us to assess collaborative work with more objectivity and discussing them previously with students is very important, this way they know what is being assessed and why.]]> 2019-02-17 23:11:36 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332181722 Module 4 - 4.2 Erasmus + helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332183231 I think that I'd ask for a presentation that would show what this experience was like for the student. The student would be able to freely choose the format of that presentation. Could be a portfolio, a video, a poem, an oral presentation sided with pictures, etc...
About assessment I'd assess the involvement of the student in the project; the ability to identify the skills that he/she developed in that project. But I have to say that it's hard to evaluate informal learning...]]> 2019-02-17 23:24:25 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332183231 Module 4 - 4.3 Non-formal learning helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332476792 I think that the project shown is very motivating for students and a great way of showing them the practical aspect of a topic and its importance in real life situations. However, I don't think that this types of project where students can go out of school all by themselves would be well received in Portugal... On the other hand we don't have this kind of access to tablets, yet!
Another way of helping students learn in a non formal environment is taking them on a school trip.]]> 2019-02-18 22:31:41 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332476792 Usefull apps form the classroom helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332479951 A colleague posted this big list!! :)
ClassDojo - a behavioral management platform with many tools .
Plickers - allows you to make multiple choice tests using a mobile phone and internet connection, we have the results in real time.
Kahoot / Quizizz - online quizzes simultaneously.
Google Docs / Google forms - allow the collection of information in collaborative documents.
Team up - create work groups.
Audacity - record stories told by students with sounds and music.
Padlet - collection of information and collaborative workspace.]]> 2019-02-18 22:48:25 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332479951 Module 4 - Students survey helena0almeida https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332486127

I have to say that I was a little bit surprised, because the majority referred that prefer learning individually to learning in a group with other colleagues. I'm not sure about what this means, but I'd say that maybe we aren´t preparing collaborative work correctly... was also surprised with the majority referring Languages as the thing students more want to learn about. but I'm happy with the results of this survey. The results to the question "Where do you like to study" were also a little bit surprising, because only a few number prefers to learn on a "non conventional" place, like in a public place.
I was happy with the results of the survey, but I think that we must help students understand the advantage of collaborative learning. Most of them don't know them yet.

]]> 2019-02-18 23:27:41 UTC https://padlet.com/helena0almeida/6vvb6bd24ghh/wish/332486127