ENGAGE OR ENRAGESTUDENTS SEND THEIR TEACHERS TO THE WALL

Grey-haired teachers, worn and weary, throw down their chalk in despair. Students throughout the land unite with an alarming catch-cry:

“We don't need no education; We don’t need no thought control; No dark sarcasm in the classroom; Teachers leave us kids alone; Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone!”

The fact is that even if you are the most engaging old-style teacher in the world

you are not going to capture most of your students’ attention the old way. According to educator Marc Prensky, creating engagement in the classroom is ...

“NOT ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGIES, GAMES

OR EXPENSIVE GRAPHICS - IT’S ABOUT FRESH IDEAS.”

Teacher … stop putting your head on the block!

The Teacher’s Toolboxwww.teacherstoolbox.com A TEACHER’S FAVOURITE SITE - Since 2009

Putting you in the picture …Today you are …

A Grade 9 English Class

What you know

The basic structure of persuasive

writing

What you need to know

How to write from an informed position

Think – Pair - Share…let them know you care…

Rules of Engagement

1. Think

2. Pair

3. Share

YOPLAIT!

An Informed Opinion

Cooperative Learning…building the learning…

Types of Cooperative Learning:1. Formal Cooperative Learning Groups:

-these last from one lesson to a few weeks

-often include summative assessment

2. Informal Cooperative Learning groups:

-can last for a few minutes to a whole lesson

-often involve discussion on a topic/learning

3. Cooperative Base Groups:

-can last for a term and consist of groups to support

and encourage (Joliffe, 2007)

Cooperative Learning…the “I Got It!” state…

Metacogniti

on

Motivation

Purpose of Cooperative Learning:•Curiosity/stress (emotions)

•Activate prior learning

•Introduce specific learning aspect (the

big picture)

•Provide whole-class input

•Guided practice

•Feedback from peers

•Listening to others

Reflect and Review:•The cards/group work

•My Opinion (what makes you think so?)

•Informed opinions – thinking from

another position (graphic organiser)

•Solving problems

•Clear guidelines from teacher

•Immediate feedback from peers

•Communicating together

Lesson Deconstruction

(Jensen, 2003,2005; Adapted from Jolliffe, 2007)

Build the Learning…the structural approach to learning (Kagan, 1989)…

Build in higher-order thinking

Unite teams

Invite individual learning

Look over and discuss (PMI)

Develop social skills of cooperation for life

(Kagan, 1989; Bellanca & Fogarty 2005)

Limitations…where things could go wrong…

Cooperative learning is a useful strategy. However, unless it is used frequently, problems can arise (Killen, 2003). Some of these include:

only one or two students are on task – cooperation must be taught.

some highly task-oriented students may prefer to work alone – need to teach the

value of shared opinions/resources.

insufficient direction – teacher must set clear guidelines.

physical impairment can prevent involvement – teacher can guide the pairing of

students (e.g. speech impediment).

when linked to summative assessment – individual accountability needs to be

factored into the grade. Peer assessment should also inform the teacher.

…in the English Class…

Adaptations across the curriculum

Mr Tork’s Year 9 Speech-making Class

1. Think:Individually, students use the Play Doh to shape an object that relates to a story in their lives.

2. Pair:In pairs, students use the prompt questions to tell each other about their object.

3. Share:Students have the opportunity to share with the class and then complete the EPR activity.

EPR

…in Year 3 Reading and Writing Class…

Adaptations across the curriculum

Miss Wrights Year 3 Literacy ClassPurpose: Using their prior knowledge students start a word bank

Teacher prepares coded-coloured cards with letters of the alphabet. There should be at least 4 cards with the same letter to enable collaborative work.

1. Think:Students are given cue cards with a letter of the Alphabet typed on it. They must write down as many words as they know starting with the letter (e.g. “a” = ant).

2. Pair:Students then find a partner with the same coloured card (same letter) and share words with each other. This process is repeated with other students with the same letter.

3. Share:Whole class shares the words they have found. Class word bank grows.

…in the SOSE Class…

Adaptations across the curriculum

Mr Lief’s Year 9 Botany UnitThis cooperative activity draws on prior knowledge. Students

receive a coloured card on which the botanical name for a part of a plant is identified (e.g. pink for stamen; blue for pistil etc).

1. Think:Students mould their part of the plant as per their card (e.g. stamen).

2. Triad pairs (6 students):Each pair contributes their moulded part to design the plant on a paper plate. Each part should be labelled on the plate. Students should explain the function of the separate parts.

3. Share:Students have the opportunity to share their plant with the class. They should identify how it contributes to the ecosystem.

Adaptations across the curriculum…in Primary Science/Our World Class…

Mrs Starr’s Year 4 Solar System Class

Teacher prepares cardboard representing the planets (sizes are to scale). These are not only learning templates but students will string them together to create a mobile for the room.

1. Think:Individually students must recall what they know about the planet they have been given. They should write one fact on the back of their card.

2. Pair:Students then find a partner with the same planet and share their knowledge. This process is repeated with other students with the same planet.

3. Share:Groups are formed by collecting one of each planet (perhaps 3 groups of 7).

…in the English Class…

Adaptations across the curriculum

Miss Tory’s Year 8 Narrative Writing ClassPoster

Creating a FAT Character

1. Think & Ink:Individually, students write down the characteristics of the main character in their narrative.

2. Pair & Ink:Students swap wanted posters and draw the picture of the character according to the profile.

3. Share:Students share their ideas and ways to improve the character.

…in the Science Lab…

Adaptations across the curriculum

Miss Cardio’s Year 11 Biology Class

1. Think:What happens to the heart rate when exercise occurs? What happens

to theheart after rest? How can we show this?

Individually students make a picture that shows this relationship

Students generate their own data through physical activity

2. Pair:

Working in pairs students collate their data in a graph.

3. Share:

Students reflect on how to reach logical scientific conclusions.(adapted from Davidson & Worsham 1992)

Reference List

Bellanca, J & Fogarty, R. (2005). Blueprints for Achievement in the Cooperative Classroom. Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Davidson, N. & Worsham, T. (Eds.) (1992). Enhancing Thinking Through Cooperative Learning. USA: Teacher’s College Press.

Jensen, E. (2003). Tools for Engagement: Managing Emotional States for Learner Success. California: Corwin Press.

Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2nd ed.). USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Jolliffe, W. (2007). Cooperative Learning in the Classroom: Putting it into Practice. London: Paul Chapman Publishing

Kagan, S. (1989). The Structural Approach to Cooperative Learning. Educational Leadership,47,12-15.

Killen, R. (2005). Effective Teaching Strategies: Lessons from Research and Practice (3rd ed.). Australia:Thomson.

Prensky, M. (2005, September/October). Engage Me or Enrage Me: What Today’s Learners Demand. Educause Review. Retrieved August 11, 2009, from <http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf>

Squire, L. (1987. Memory and the Brain. New York: Oxford University Press.