Edutopia…A Great Resource for All Teachers!

Inquiry Resource


Edutopia, published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, is a great resource that offers valuable information on many education-related topics. The website caters to various groups including students, parents, teachers, and administrators. The website focuses on six core learning strategies. These include comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, teacher development, and technology integration. In terms of student engagement, there are articles and videos on inquiry-based learning and the importance of incorporating technology to keep students motivated. As well, there are many articles and posts about effective strategies to implement in the classroom. In particular, the website emphasizes student autonomy and the use of activities that are relevant and related to student interests. Including these strategies in classroom activities will reinforce intrinsic motivation and allow students to make the most of their learning. Overall, this website is a great resource for all teachers, whether they have been in the field for years or are just beginning their careers.

George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2016, March 1). Student Engagement. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/student-engagement

 

Inquiry Group Facilitation

Inquiry

The inquiry resource that I shared with my peers was a book titled “From Tired to Inspired: Fresh Strategies to Engage Students in Literacy”. During our group facilitation, we discussed the importance of engaging students in cognitive conversations and transforming students into independent thinkers. This book includes many strategies to engage students, some of which I have tried in my practicum classroom. Even though the book is about engaging students in literacy, most of the strategies can be implemented in any subject area.

One of the strategies that we discussed in particular was small group discussions. Before posing a question to students, it is important to allow them to engage in discussion amongst their peers before sharing as a whole group. Through experience, we have noticed that allowing for this sharing time increases the number of students who participate in classroom discussions. Giving students time to share ideas with a small group of their peers also increases the quality of student responses. This does not only give students an opportunity to share their own ideas, but to also listen to the ideas, opinions, and suggestions of others.

I have shared this resource with many student teachers in primary and intermediate classrooms who are interested in learning about ways to increase student engagement . Most of the activities in this book can be adapted for any grade level.

The 8 Minutes That Matter Most

Inquiry Resource

Brian Sztabnik. “The 8 Minutes That Matter Most”. Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Web. 15 Feb 2016.

This blog posting emphasizes the importance of having a strong beginning and a strong ending to a lesson. The eight minutes that matter the most during lessons are the start of a lesson, which activates prior knowledge and creates anticipation, and the end of a lesson, which checks for understanding and comprehension. Developing a creative introduction to the topic stimulates student interest and encourages thinking. The blog offers many ways of engaging students at the beginning of a lesson. Some strategies include using student interests such as YouTube videos and making cross curricular connections. In ending a lesson, teachers can use technology, exit slips, or post-in notes to gain an understanding of what the students have learned. Teachers should also give a quick preview of the next lesson to spur interest and help students connect the different ideas within a larger context.

Student Engagement & Academic Achievement

Inquiry Resource

Gettinger, M., & Ball, C. (2007). Best practices in increasing academic engaged time. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 1043-1075). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

I have come across many great articles by researcher Maribeth Gettinger which relate to my inquiry question and this one is especially useful. Learning requires engagement and the greater the level of student engagement, the higher their achievement. The link between time and learning is a consistent finding in educational research. To heighten engagement among all learners, the authors discuss the importance for teachers to distribute questions evenly to a range of students and not allow the same group of students to answer questions every time. The article also discusses other strategies to promote active responding such as choral responding, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning groups (pairs, small groups, etc.). This article provides great ideas to engage learners and effectively uses research findings to stress the correlation between student engagement and academic achievement. In my teaching, I have used cooperative learning groups and found it to be a highly successful strategy. I think choral responding would be beneficial as most of my students are highly energetic and keen to answer questions. This way, not only will those students get a chance to answer questions but the quieter students will also have an equal opportunity to respond. Hopefully, it will give quieter students a chance to meaningfully contribute without feeling nervous or anxious.

Small Group Discussions

Inquiry, Reflections

Each week I am introduced to great ideas that can be effectively implemented in any classroom to encourage student participation and active learning. Through my observations, I have noticed that one of the best techniques to engage all students is small group discussion. When students are working in groups of 4-5, they are very engaged in the material and every group member is contributing. It is especially important to be conscious of the mix of students in each group. Not only is it best to have a balanced gender ratio but it is also important to think about the types of personalities and academic ability in each group. Over time, a teacher becomes familiar with his/her students and is able to monitor this well. However, for teacher candidates, this can be a difficult feat. Nonetheless, if teachers can determine the preferred learning style of each student, this is a great way to maximize the effect of cooperative learning and ensure all students are engaged in the material and meaningfully contributing in class.

 

Engaging English Language Learners

Inquiry Resource

Mohr, K.J., & Mohr, E.S. (2007). Extending English-Language Learners’ Classroom Interactions Using the Response Protocol. The Reading Teacher, 60(5), 440-450.

The main focus of this article is how to create a safe learning environment for English language learners, especially those who are reluctant to participate in class discussions and speak English in front of their peers. According to the article, it is important to create classrooms that foster critical thinking and ensure students are engaged in meaningful conversations. The article discusses a variety of activities and practices that engage ELL’s in academic conversations, with a focus on strategies that provide scaffolding. It is relevant for future teachers because regardless of whether or not they are working directly with ELL students, all of the strategies discussed in the article can be used in any classroom. They are strategies that support the development of students’ conceptual understanding and encourage active learning.

An Inclusive Classroom Community

Inquiry Resource

Morcom, V.A. & MacCallum J.A. (2011). Getting Personal About Values: Scaffolding Student Participation Towards an Inclusive Classroom Community. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16 (12), 1323-1334.

This article discusses how student participation and engagement is dependent on an inclusive school and classroom community. Through a large research project, the authors studied different ways for students to interact, and promoted student participation in classroom activities. The study was conscious about including individuals with intellectual disabilities. Scaffolding took place in various activities such as social circles and class meetings, in which students developed leadership skills based on inclusive values. As a result, students with and without disabilities were able to participate in the classroom while feeling respected and appreciated. Students were taught the importance of active listening, which is an important form of student engagement. Creating a classroom environment in which each student is involved and appreciated builds a sense of belonging and pride. As a result, students feel comfortable enough to share opinions and ideas with their peers.

Using Wait Time as a Classroom Strategy

Inquiry, Reflections

In one of my inquiry resources, A Practical Guide to Teaching and Learning, I read about wait time (or think time) in which teachers give students some time to process a question before answering. During my lessons, I was forgetting to do this because most students raise their hand instantly. Also, as a teacher, waiting even 5 seconds seems like a long time when you’re standing up in front of the class. After reading this article and understanding all of the benefits of wait time, I realized that giving students some time to think after posing a question would allow more students to understand what is being asked. In turn, this would increase student engagement and participation because all students would be given adequate time to think and reflect. Those who may otherwise be reluctant to answer would hopefully feel comfortable responding.

I decided to focus on this important concept during one my lessons. There were a few times when some of the quieter students raised their hand but what really stood out for me was that the quality of student responses was much higher than when I did not give them much think time. Also, calling on hands that quickly shot up would sometimes result in an “I forgot” reply because students were not critically thinking about their responses. Other times, some students would respond with a quick comment that did not require much thinking. However, during this particular lesson, it was evident that students were critically thinking and providing insightful responses.

I am glad that I came across this resource as I likely would not have viewed this strategy as a useful technique for my class. The class enjoys discussions very much and enjoy answering questions so it could have been very easy for me to overlook the importance of think time.

Choral Responding

Inquiry, Reflections

choral

One of my inquiry resources, an article by Gettinger and Ball, describes choral responding as a strategy to engage students. I decided to try it during one of my lessons because my class is very energetic and eager to share their ideas. I thought this would be a great way to get quieter students to respond as well. They would feel less anxious or shy because they are responding at the same time as their peers. Some students would also feel more comfortable because if their answer is incorrect, it would be difficult to tell.

I was able to successfully incorporate this technique into my lesson when asking students specific questions about the learned material, such as what a particular acronym stands for. Students enjoyed choral responding immensely because it allowed them to release their energy and shout out what they had just learned. It also made it easier for me because often, when I ask a question, so many hands shoot up in the air! This way, I didn’t have to pick one student to answer the question and was able to let all of the students respond.

I would not overuse this technique because it is somewhat difficult to tell which students are unsure or not responding. In my opinion (and experience), this is a fun and effective strategy to use during the closing of a lesson when a teacher wants to summarize what was taught or learned.

The Importance of Wait Time

Inquiry Resource

Tkatchov, O. & Pollnow Kraynak, S. (2012). Time on Task and the Importance of Student Engagement. In A Practical Guide to Teaching and Learning (p.53-70). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.

A Practical Guide to Teaching and Learning is a book that contains fifteen main ideas that provide an understanding of what a teacher should know and be able to do in their classroom. The book emphasizes that it is the teachers behavior that has an impact on student behavior. In particular, chapter 6, Time on Task and the Importance of Student Engagement, focuses on ways to increase student participation and engagement in a classroom setting. In order for a classroom to have high student engagement, it is important for teachers to implement various techniques, including allowing for “wait time” when expecting an answer. The chapter states that thinking is a covert form of engagement and research indicates that more students will participate if given appropriate time to think before answering a question. Wait time ensures more students are involved and has been shown to create an increase in the length and quality of student answers. Further, student-to-student interactions actually increase as students are better able to formulate their answers.