EDUCATION STRATEGY

Retelling is a comprehension strategy by which a student describes the events of a story. Primary students often struggle with the concept of retelling, choosing instead to repeat what they most recently read, rather than expressing a linear sequence of events. If your emergent reader struggles with this concept, try a tested strategy. Model, Model, Model First, and most importantly, model what you want to hear from your student. After reading together, retell the main events in the story to your child. Hearing how a retelling should sound is the first step in creating a reader who can apply what she has heard. The 5 W's Focus on the who, what, when, where and why of the story. For early readers, assign each of their fingers one of the 5 W’s and have them tick down a finger as they talk about that aspect of the story. When all five fingers are down, their retelling should be complete. First, Next, Then, Last Encourage the student to use the key words first, next, then a

The corners of teaching strategy can be easily adapted to any grade level and subject. It takes little teacher preparation yet results in motivated, engaged students. The strategy involves students moving to one of the four classroom corners to convey their feelings about a topic. It can be designed to take only several minutes of class or up to an entire session. Memorable and valuable class discussions are often the result of the four corners strategy. Visible Opinion Sharing The corners is a teaching strategy that works well to engage all students in conversations about controversial topics. For example, in a reading class you can ask questions about a character’s actions in a novel. Math students can debate if students should be able to use calculators. Science students can discuss the use of alternative forms of energy. While in social studies, students can debate the various forms of government. To prepare, write statements in a definitive manner. For example, nuclear energ

According to Paulson, Paulson and Meyer, (1991, p. 63): "Portfolios offer a way of assessing student learning that is different than traditional methods. Portfolio assessment provides the teacher and students an opportunity to observe students in a broader context: taking risks, developing creative solutions, and learning to make judgments about their own performances." In order for thoughtful evaluation to take place, teachers must have multiple scoring strategies to evaluate students' progress. Criteria for a finished portfolio might include several of the following: Thoughtfulness (including evidence of students' monitoring of their own comprehension, meta-cognitive reflection, and productive habits of mind). Growth and development in relationship to key curriculum expectancies and indicators. Understanding and application of key processes. Completeness, correctness, and appropriateness of products and processes presented in the portfolio. Diversity of entr

Portfolio assessment is a multi-faceted process characterized by the following recurrent qualities: It is continuous and ongoing, providing both formative (i.e., ongoing) and summative (i.e., culminating) opportunities for monitoring students' progress toward achieving essential outcomes. It is multidimensional, i.e., reflecting a wide variety of artifacts and processes reflecting various aspects of students' learning process(es). It provides for collaborative reflection, including ways for students to reflect about their own thinking processes and meta-cognitive introspection as they monitor their own comprehension, reflect upon their approaches to problem-solving and decision-making, and observe their emerging understanding of subjects and skills. Although approaches to portfolio development may vary, all of the major research and literature on portfolios reinforce the following characteristics: They clearly reflect stated learner outcomes identified in the core or es

There are many different types of portfolios, each of which can serve one or more specific purposes as part of an overall school or classroom assessment program. The following is a list of the types most often cited in the literature: Documentation Portfolio : This type is also known as the "working" portfolio. Specifically, this approach involves a collection of work over time showing growth and improvement reflecting students' learning of identified outcomes. The documentation portfolio can include everything from brainstorming activities to drafts to finished products. The collection becomes meaningful when specific items are selected out to focus on particular educational experiences or goals. It can include the bet and weakest of student work.   Process Portfolio : This approach documents all facets or phases of the learning process. They are particularly useful in documenting students' overall learning process. It can show how students integrate specific know

The process of facilitating successful student portfolios can be broken into four steps: Collection Selection Reflection Connection Collection Although the first step, collection, is straight-forward, it is not always an easy step to facilitate successfully. It simply requires students to collect and store all of their work. Three challenges at this step are common. One, most students and many teachers are not accustomed to documenting and saving all class work. Two, there is seldom an obvious place to put the work as it is collected, particularly when artwork or lab work is involved. And three, it is not always obvious how to generate artifacts from things like field trips, community service projects, jobs, and sports. The key skill in this step is to get students accustomed to collecting and documenting whenever possible.. Selection How one facilitates the second step, selection, depends on the kind of portfolio (process or product oriented) and to what degree a teacher stipul

The four corners teaching strategy can be easily adapted to any grade level and subject. It takes little teacher preparation yet results in motivated, engaged students. The strategy can be designed to take only several minutes of class up to almost an entire session. Memorable and valuable class discussions are often the result of the four corners strategy. Controversial Topics Four corners is a teaching strategy that works well to engage all students in conversations about controversial topics. For example, in a reading class you can ask questions about a character’s actions in a novel. Math students can debate if students should be able to use calculators. For science, students can discuss the use of alternative forms of energy. While in social studies, students can debate the various forms of government. To prepare, write statements in a definitive manner. For example, nuclear energy is a good source of energy. Before class, record the statements on an interactive white board

Using a variety of methods to evaluate your teaching strategies will give you better feedback about how to improve your teaching and the course. In addition, students will appreciate the effort you take to include their ideas in the teaching process and to individualize your classroom approach to a particular group of students. Instructions Preparing and Teaching Evaluate the goals you want to impart and the skills you want students to take away from a particular class session as you are developing your lesson plan. Write the goals for the class period on the board at the start of class. This will help you and the students know what to expect and may help you keep the timing of events under control. Check in with yourself every now and then during the class to see if a particular mode of imparting information is working. If it isn't, make a mental note. If you feel comfortable switching gears, try that. If not, make sure to write down your evaluation of the session after c

Inclusive education refers to integrating children with disabilities into a standard classroom setting with their peers. This model allows children with disabilities to be in the same setting with other children in their age group. Since children with disabilities often have different educational goals, teachers may find it difficult to organize their classrooms to give each child the opportunity to reach her full potential. Professional development that provides teaching strategies can alleviate many of the concerns of teachers new to inclusion. Explaining the benefits of inclusion also can motivate teachers to put in the extra effort. Understanding Inclusion Provide teachers with a thorough understanding of the inclusion model. In an integrated classroom, children with special needs might not be working on the same materials or at the same pace as the other students, but they are given access to the standard curriculum and are full members of the class. Students with disabilities

Samuel Odom, a prominent special education researcher says, "The special education community has yet to identify systematic guidelines for specifying the types and levels of evidence needed to identify a practice as evidenced-based and effective." Educational researchers Sean Bulger, Derek Mohr and Richard Walls reviewed studies on effective educational practices and identified four key strategies that met effective practice standards for all students. These are teaching based on outcomes, clear directions, engaging students during lessons and exuding enthusiasm during teaching. Outcomes Special education has always required that instruction be based on outcomes, or goals, so this effective practice has been embedded in special education practice for over 35 years. Setting goals for instruction is like making an itinerary for a trip--they show you where you want to be at the end of the journey. Goals lead teachers toward the result of their instructional journey--positive

By the time teenagers enter higher education, they are expected to be experts on basic school-taught subjects, and show commitment as to what they want to study. Nevertheless, there is still the challenge for the educator, to make students interpret the more complex issues discussed in higher institutes' classes. Whatever the subject, there are basic strategies to help you make the lesson more compelling and its contents easier to understand. Ask Questions of Students Make students part of the lesson by asking them questions about the subject. Don't just ask if they didn't understand a part of the lesson; instead, ask them to give you examples and how theory can be put into practice. It will open a dialog among all the students who might have an opinion on the matter, which will get their attention. On social studies for example, apart from presenting the structural model of bureaucracy by German political economist Max Weber, ask students to give you an example on how