Behaviour

#Success / Behaviour / Challenge / Teaching — No Comments
31
Jan 12

ipadio: Hexagonal Learning

I am not going to write a SOLO taxonomy thinking post, I do not know it well enough, I haven’t I explored it far enough nor taught with it in mind. But I will. However the hexagonal tessalating idea, now I am up for that. I may even combine it to shoeless teaching. There’s lots of other excellent uses for hexagonal learning. Tait Coles, Chris Harte and David Didau are already ahead of the game. These guys have put together a useful Prezi, share Teachmeet videos and shared class footage. The practitioners have already provide some very compelling evidence so perhaps I can help in a different way?

Here is a hexagonal learning template and four reflections from today’s lesson and a few more images.

  1. Group’s of 2 were productive, 3 seemed to be engage and discussing the hexagons, 4 seemed a little strained.
  2. The students wanted to ‘finish’ the task and they wanted to know if they had got it right. In the second lesson, I really emphasised that first they needed to decided on the hexagon associations. That there was no ‘right’ answer and that they would need to be able defend their solutions.
  3. The students did not see discussion and justifying the hexagon placement as learning.
  4. The best thinking came about when I challenged their hexagon placements.

Listen to my latest phonecast

You heard the student feedback, here is their work. I did keep the cut-out hexagons for next time. I think I will soon have a draw full of hex learning activities. Bring on the novels!

 

Popularity: 10% [?]

#Fail / Behaviour / Challenge / Teaching — No Comments
11
Sep 11

Are Lesson Plans Flawed?

I have been reflecting  a lot this week on lesson planning and design as I am teaching a new subject for the second year in succession. The time required to create NEW resources, and learn NEW knowledge can be exhaustive (although I am somewhat reassured that having “advanced content knowledge” is worth only 4weeks learning, so if I get my act together I should be able to recover this deficient).

This aside, I know I have to move my students on. Here is how I intend to do, my teaching mantra for this years RE classes.

First I aim to start the lessons with a ‘Thunk’ either sourced or based on the topic. Setting a tone for reflecting and investigative thinking.

Second, to clarify and share learning intentions and criteria for success. As much for me, as for the students.

Third, I am aim to openly and actively encourage students to look for opportunities for further and deeper discussion using the ABC question framework of (Answer, Backup or Contest).

Pupils taught to look for things and have discussion or wrote about what they think believe. @richards_james

Forth, I am going to try and write one significant hinge question, to really get to the bottom of whether students know what it is we are discussing and it is at this point my lesson planning has faltered.

If I want to assess and evidence learning midway through the lesson, the lesson has to be responsive right? To be able to adapt in real time to meet students’ learning needs? Agreed? If you are in agreement, how do you then plan for flexibility? I am certainly not planning 2 or even 3 possible second halves to the lesson?

Fifth, I am using Classdojo for feedback, for both classroom behaviour management and rewarding proactive learning behaviours. Its quick, instant and visual.

The final two steps are getting students to assess their own and one another’s learning. Both self-assessment and peer-assessment will focus on the examination structure and learning how to be ‘great’ PSRE exam takers. I believe that this skew is possible given the emphasis of the points.

What is formative assessment_

Still, that leaves me with an unfinished lesson plan. I am going to have to get comfortable with being ‘uncomfortable’ working with incomplete lesson plans.

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Behaviour / e-Tools / Teaching — 2 Comments
2
Sep 11

ClassDojo

ClassDojo works by setting up real-time feedback loops in the classroom, to recognise and reinforce desirable behaviours and values. Real-time visual notifications appear via the tool which can also be updated from a smartphone running the same page. Mobile of sorts…

ClassDojo automatically generates analytics, shareable character report cards. What I really liked was the ability to monitor behaviour over time and the developers call for more ideas… not being too shy I added a few to an email. PS – requires a plugin for IE.

 

Behaviour Management

 

I have a passion for game mechanics in education. In fact I would be fair to say, I am always looking for ways to make school FLUN – Fun-learning.

I have a couple of ideas for you….

1. Groups of +ive and –ive – for discussions, for class work, for group work, for independent study, for presentations – as well as day to day lessons.

2. I would like to be able to weight the behaviours – so that some behaviours were worth more points than others. I would like to be able to offer 2 points for the behaviours that I believe would construct the best learning environment

3. Randomness – I am a big fan of randomness – it keeps us on our toes – I would love to be able to ask Dojo to pick a student a random. Currently I use an app for that. Teacherpick (but you have it all there in the dojo).

4. I would like the change to roll dice, dice with rewards and dice with consequences, again I currently use an app for that. Make dice.

5. Timers are good

6. Unlocking levels is very good

7. Lead learners, I would love to be able to leave a marker / gold star for a student, so when we started the next class I could remind her/him just how well they did last lesson.

8. Improved – can dojo recognise uncharacteristic behaviour, eg a student who is negative 4 lessons in a row but then get a positive? Could I get a nudge?

9 Add a warning icon

Looking forward to seeing the dojo develop.

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Popularity: 15% [?]

Behaviour — 1 Comment
18
Jul 10

Very Important Letter

Talking of behaviour management strategies. We tried the Very Important Letter a few times in ICT and I hope to re-introduce it next year. Simply, prepare some postcards with the following message.

‘Please thank this student sincerely for delivering this postcard. Emphasise how important it was that you received this message and then send them back to my class. This short break from class will enable him/her to calm down, avoid a confrontation and for them receive some much need praise. Please securely discard this message.’

Place the message in a sealed envelope and send the student on their very important delivery. The time it takes may just avoid a confrontation and it is hope the student will return in a slightly better mood following the praise. Anyone else tried this approach?

Popularity: 6% [?]

Behaviour — No Comments
12
Jul 10

Magic Pocket Name

Over at ‘The Teaching Palette.’ I read an appealing article titled Magic Pocket Name. Its a simple behaviour management strategy, one worth sharing with you. You can of course read the full article but here is my abbreviated version.

  1. Idenitify a behaviour your wish to encourage.
  2. Identifify a student to observe, writing their name on a piece of paper, stored in your ‘magic pocket.’
  3. Late or at the end of the class identify the students only if they ACHIEVED the deserved outcome. If the students was unsuccessful, simple annouce that there was ‘no winner in this class.’
  4. ‘Winners’ are transferred to a winners board or are entered to the prize draw.

In principal its a technique I like the sound of. I only teach one lower school class, but I think I will give it a go next week. With 3 weeks remaining, I think I will offer an in class, immediate reward, rather than building up to a class draw that requires at least the same number of lessons as magic names. I would be lovely to share your ideas if you have any.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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