Posts Tagged ‘learning’
Training the Mind to Think
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” – Albert Einstein At one time, the expectation for an effective classroom climate was one where students were expected to sit quietly, listening to the imparting of knowledge – the outpouring of facts – the monologue from the teacher. Now we…
Read MoreDialogue Not Monologue
Mind Frame 5: Teachers engage in dialogue, not monologue – John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning Research has shown that teachers talk between 70 and 80% of classroom time. Traditionally a monologue flows from the teacher and then the students are asked to complete a task to demonstrate their understanding. From…
Read MoreTalk about the Learning
The work Dr. John Hattie, the author of Visible Learning, is inspiring. His thought provoking research focuses on the factors that have the greatest impact on learning and Hattie advises, “Know thy impact!” When student learning is visible to the teacher – the teacher grows and makes sound instructional decisions that impact student learning. When…
Read MoreStudent Talk Boosts Learning
“Communication is the essence of human life.” -unknown Teachers are lovers of learning and language and usually very skilled communicators. We know that language is the key to how we think, speak, and make sense of the world around us. Classroom talk can be powerful, but think back to a time when you were confined…
Read More2 Teaching Tips for 2016
“Teachers need to be evaluators and activators.” – Professor John Hattie We hope the New Year finds you ready to step back into the classroom invigorated and energized. At ERG we believe effective teachers learn from their own teaching, so we would like to suggest two simple tips as you prepare to activate meaningful learning in…
Read MoreWhat's Your Best Lesson of 2015?
What comes to mind when you think back on your instruction in 2015? Would you say you played it safe or you took risks? Did you try a strategy multiple times so you could tweak it or did you knock it out of the park on your first try? Whatever the lesson, it is worth…
Read More5 for 5 – Take Five for a Brain Break
Brain research has shown that movement in the classroom improves our students’ focus, memory, concentration, and creates better overall attitudes. When you see your students getting a little restless – try one of these quick brain break activities to stimulate your team of young learners. Take five for a brain break! Copy My Pattern – The…
Read MoreFlexible Math Groups – Flex Math Muscles
Successful math students are the ones who have developed a deep understanding of concepts, are fluent at computation, and are able to use what they know to solve real problems. Flexible math groups allow students the chance to flex the math muscles that build these skills in meaningful ways. Teachers can effectively differentiate instruction using…
Read MoreImmersed in Interactive Info
Want a way to enable your students to be more independent thinkers and grow in processing and applying information? Try implementing interactive notebooks. These tools allow students to organize information through creative thinking and can be developed for most any curriculum area. Interactive notebooks are used for class notes, problem solving, and other activities where…
Read MoreFine Tuning the Routine
“It is significant to realize that the most creative environments in our society are not the ever-changing ones. The artist’s studio, the researcher’s laboratory, the scholar’s library are each kept deliberately simple so as to support the complexities of the work in progress. They are deliberately kept predictable so the unpredictable can happen.” Lucy Calkins,…
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