Greetings!
August was a busy month! I had a great time working with teachers and leaders in Utah, Houston, and Atlanta, Texas. In September, I'll be heading to Pennsylvania and upstate New York. It's always invigorating to meet and work with such passionate educators! Did you have a chance to download the Beginner's Guide to Rigor, which is a quick, four-page guide to instructional rigor. Remember, you'll find activity templates, articles, podcasts, and more information about my presentations and books on my blog or on my website. No registration required, and they are all free! Finally, who do you know who might benefit from this newsletter? It's a quick read and with all the practical tips, I'm sure you know at least one person who would enjoy reading it. Please forward it to them and remind them they make a difference, just like you do. Barbara |
Increasing Student Participation  How well do your students participate in lessons? If you are leading a discussion or a lecture, you may find that participation is a challenge. Anytime you are calling on one student at a time, It's difficult to know if the rest of your class is engaged. I recommend using quick pair-shares or turn and talks whenever you are leading these types of lessons. Rather than calling on one student, allow all students to respond, then take individual answers afterward. In this way, each student is given an opportunity to truly participate in the lesson. And if you would like to make that a bit more rigorous, ask them to share out their partner's answer rather than their own. It requires that they listen attentively and then reteach what they heard to the class.
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What should you look for in a classroom related to student participation? First, how many students are responding to a teacher's questions in a lecture or discussion? Is it one student, or or all students required to respond? Second, what kind of participation is occurring? Is it a passive lecture, a Socratic seminar, a project- or problem-based learning activity? How active are the students in the lesson. Both are good gauges for your insight.
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Tips for Engaging Learners
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Electronic clickers
Small dry erase boards
Show Me (app for IPAD)
Small circles where all students share an answer within the circle, and then write key points.
Exit and Entrance Slips
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Recommended Resources
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Blog of the Month
The Engaging Educators' Blogis filled with ideas related to student engagement, the CCSS, technology-based learning, and a variety of other subjects. The authors also host the #urbaned chat on Twitter. Check it out! |
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