Greetings!
Good morning! I hope you are having a fabulous day.
This month, we'll take a look at variety in the classroom. What are the different ways you can "spice up" your learning?
You can find multiple articles on my website; the first set are for teachers, scroll down for the leadership ones. I had a busy October, as I was traveling to multiple states for professional development. I absolutely love working with teachers and leaders on the topics of rigor, motivation, engagement, and leadership. If you'd like to schedule me for your school/district, please feel free to call me at (609) 474-4677. Barbara |
A Successful Classroom
What is the recipe for a successful classroom? A wide variety of activities during learning. Take a look at a sample from Missy Miles.
1 tablespoon of lecture (for auditory learners)
2 cups of small-group discussion of any sort of variety
One half cup of guided reading
1 and one half cups of hands-on activities
One half cup of various activities that involve movement. Sprinkle in little by little, not all at once.
3 tablespoons of music and art, which integrate content material
2 cups of opportunity for students to decide how they will be assessed
4 ounces of graphic organizers
The more you stir and allow these ingredients to blend, the more productive your recipe will be. Allow adequate time to let ideas, questions, and exploration occur before putting in the oven to brown.
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Principal's Perspective
How can you encourage variety in the classroom? By modeling it! If you have a monthly meeting, be sure to use alternatives to lecture during the time. During staff development, ask the presenter in advance to provide activities throughout the session. Finally, when observing in classrooms, praise teachers who are using different strategies. Too often, teachers are afraid if students aren't "in their seats and quiet" that they will be evaluated negatively. Counter this by looking for positive examples of activity-based instruction.
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Tips for Teachers
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Utilize Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences to ramp up your instruction.
Vary the what (content), how (instruction), or result (assessment) in your learning.
Provide choices for students. For example, rather than write a paper, give them the option to write a series of blog entries, create a video, draw an event timeline, or act out the character.
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