Peter Pappas »
25 August 2009 »
In How To, Literacy, Strategies »
I’ve been working with teachers to develop learning strategies to support the literacy and comprehension skills that students commonly use across the content areas. This pdf includes 18 lessons organized in two ways: by comprehension strategy – defining, summarizing and comparing and by target reader – non-reader, word caller and turned-off reader. The lessons are designed as templates which teachers can modify to use in their specific subject areas.
Strategies for Struggling Readers 3MB pdf
There are two key elements that teachers should keep in mind when working in each skill area.
Defining
- Before the formal definition has been introduced, students should be asked to make connections between their prior knowledge and the term.
- After the term has been defined, students need activities to more deeply process the term.
Summarizing
- Students should be asked to make their own judgments about what’s important to them (instead of just repeating the details the teacher highlights).
- Students will be able to more readily summarize, if they are asked to share what they’ve learned with an audience other than the teacher.
Comparing
- Students should develop the comparison, not simply repeat the model that we present to them.
- Student should be asked to share what they learned from the comparison.
Tags: Comparing, Defining, Engagement, Higher-order thinking, Summarizing, Writing
Peter Pappas »
21 August 2009 »
In Commentary, How To, Strategies, Students, Teachers »
I first published this post at the start of the 08-09 school year. It proved to be very popular and I've had thousands of downloads of the Kelley Murder mystery students were asked to solve. I've added a second mystery – a bank robbery – and republished my original post below. Enjoy! ~ Originally published August [...]
Tags: Defining, Engagement, Evaluation, Higher-order thinking, Relevance, Rigor
Peter Pappas »
19 August 2009 »
In Commentary, Strategies »
I recently saw this video clip from an old Abbott and Costello film. It reminds us that math isn’t simply about learning a computational process, or getting the right answer. It’s pretty clear that Lou Costello has learned the wrong algorithm, and he defends his approach it with great determination. We learn math skills so that we can apply mathematical thinking to the problem solving we will need in our lives. Thus, much can be learned from the procedures we use to generate both the “correct” and the “incorrect” answer. Sharing our thinking with others allows us to negotiate a deeper understanding of algorithms and their application in the real world.
Tags: Curriculum, Math, STEM, Twitter
Peter Pappas »
17 August 2009 »
In Ed Tech, How To, Presentations, Strategies »
I've been using Prezi in my workshops and have written a few posts illustrating it's features – brainstorming with Prezi and embedding Prezi in your blog. Enjoy "Create a Prezi" – a fine video that demonstrates the process in under 5 minutes. (No, I didn't create it!) It will inspire your students and give them [...]
Tags: Apps, Prezi, Twitter
Peter Pappas »
12 August 2009 »
In Commentary, Ed Tech, PD, Presentations, Visualizations, Web 2.0 »
I’m always looking for ways to make my presentations more engaging and interactive. (A must if you’re advocating more student-centered instruction.) I’ve been using a TurningPoint ARS for years with great results and have tried live blogs at my larger workshops. As a convert to Twitter, I thought it was the logical next step. I’ve experimented with [...]
Tags: Backchannel, Information landscape, Innovation, Relevance, Science, TurningPoint, Twitter, Wiffiti
Peter Pappas »
04 August 2009 »
In Commentary, Ed Policy, Strategies, Students »
The testing regime is turning our kids into a high-yield, uniform commodity. Rows and rows of competent, standardized students, that can be delivered according to employers’ specifications for a “skilled workforce.” Children “force fed” in test prep programs in efforts to quickly “fatten” the scores to meet AYP.
Tags: ARS, Engagement, Innovation, Motivation, PBL, Project Foundry, Test prep
Peter Pappas »
01 August 2009 »
In Ed Tech, Visualizations, Web 2.0 »
My son is on the production team at All Points West, a three-day, 60-band festival this weekend in Liberty State Park in Jersey City. APW 09 opens on Friday August 31st with Jay-Z, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend as first-night headliners, continuing with Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello and Neko Case on [...]
Tags: Amusements, Backchannel, Data, Innovation, Music, Twitter, Wiffiti
Recent Comments