Routines In Our Classrooms

Presented by:

• JoLynn Holly
• Mercedes Kearney
• Cathleen Mabe
• Catherine Morrow
• Jessica West
• Hope Tillotson

Proactively Planning Details in the Classroom

• Student is respected and actively participates
• Student is focused and well-behaved
• Student is learning effectively and efficiently
• Student succeeds at a complex task

2 Key Goals for Calling on Students

1. Everyone has opportunity and responsibility to speak.

2. Create a method for helping students meaningfully contribute to discussions, conversations or debates.

I Have a "Bag of Names," and I will draw one at random. Be ready to answer.

Do I have any volunteers who would like to answer the question? (For those who have healthy opinions or itching to be heard.)

I want to hear "new voices" now. (Reminding those who haven't shared of their responsibilities.)

Priming students by reading the question first, and building on a hesitant student's idea are beneficial and accommodating to the students!

Group Work!

STUDENT SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK

• Listen intently to members of the group
• Understand when a group member is struggling
• Be problem solvers
• Make and respond to ideas

STUDENT SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK CONT.

• Be ready to work as a group
• Know the boundaries of the group
• Make a plan, create jobs according to strengths with key goals in mind
• Evaluate progress and make adjustments where needed

Group Tasks

• Group members understand goals
• Task aligns with goals
• Members understand expectations
• Most members find task interesting
• Requires collaboration to be carried out successfully

Group Tasks Cont.

• The task demands the activity of each group member
• The group requires a shared understanding of task and content
• Opportunities for peer coaching
• Group members understand next step when quality work is complete

Untitled Slide

Provide A Way Out

How would you provide a "way out" for a student who is not working productively or cooperatively with the group? (Please include your answer in your discussion board post)

Noise Management

Good Noise

• Be clear with students concerning expectations
• Teach students the value of working silently
• Create noise limits and ways to enforce them (stoplights, clapping, categories and monitor)
• "Allow students to block out distracting noise" (Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010, p. 122)

Getting Help

Develop Routines

• Create and clarify directions
• Play games and have contests to teach students to actively listen
• Teach them when to ask (teacher or peers)
• Use "poker chips" or a "first aid" area, providing ways to get help from others

Reflection by: Hope tillotson

• Understanding the importance of establishing classroom routines, whether it be for group work, managing noise, calling on students or teaching them proper ways to ask for help, is essential in providing a successful working environment for every student.

Reflection by: Hope tillotson cont.

• This assignment stimulated my awareness and challenged me to implement these techniques into my physical education classroom. Whether it be using a hand signal for noise control, using flexible grouping for fitness activities or asking a question first before calling on the student to answer, all are successful techniques in producing desired results.

Student Transitions

• In a differentiated classroom, you can expect lots of student movement such as transitions to and from small group, whole group and independent work (centers/stations)
• Transition routines should be established from the beginning of the year so that students are aware of expectations.

Transition Routines

• Establish clear expectations- movement, materials and getting settled.
• Time challenge- time students and challenge them to beat that time in a safe (not running) manner
• Organization- keep student materials at perimeter of the room to prevent students from walking in the middle of the room.

Transition Routines Cont.

• "Supply Student"- allow 1 or 2 students to pass out and return materials for the entire group to limit traffic and distractions.
• Post alternative floor plans- post various plans and practice going from "home base" to other floor plans, so that students can get in appropriate groups to make classroom seating more flexible.

Alternative Floor Plans

• Discussion Format- desks arranged in a circle to promote conversation in discussion
• Current Events Format- possibly work in pairs to use newspapers or magazines.
• Seminar Format- All students facing teacher (whole group or lecture time)
• Team Format- desks arranged in small groups

Examples of Classroom Floor Plans (click to begin video)

Time Management

Routines

• Student routines should be established for what the students should do if they complete a task early or how to ask for more time to complete an assignment.
• Teachers must establish routines to allow for "forward and backward teaching" (Tomlinson, 2012, 127), such as anchor activities.

aNCHOR aCTIVITIES

• Begin anchor activities early in the year
• Add more options throughout the year.
• Should not be graded
• Set ground rules for extra time. (Example- "petition for time extension")

Anchor Activities Should:

• Be focused
• Be engaging
• Be broad enough for different interests
• Address many different learning profile needs
• Have clearly defined expectations
• Be monitored and adjusted by teacher

Working with Advanced Learners

Strategies for working with advanced Learners

• Apply multiple complex skills simultaneously
• Advance and extend resources to student
• Focus on the students' interests
• Connect learning inside and outside of the classroom
• Allow student to move on or advance to more appropriate grade level or course

"Buying Time" With Students that Struggle

• Use learning contracts, menus, centers and computer games
• Regularly meet with them in small group and work with them individually
• Assign alternate HW assignments to meet their needs
• Scaffold their assingments when possible
• "Double Dip"

Jessica West's Reflection

• This assignment connected to Standard 4 and allowed me to really think through how I plan to set my classroom up for next year to allow for more differentiation.
• The chapter provided tips, tools and great strategies to help differentiate not just for my low performing students but also my high performers, which I really struggle with providing extra support.

Tiered Assignments

Tiered Assignments...

• allow teachers to provide specific assignments to specific groups of students
• match students to appropriate assignments
• facilitate a deeper understanding and application of desired goals

Ways to Structure Tiered Assignments

• Challenge Level
• Complexity
• Resources
• Outcome
• Process
• Product

Challenge Level

• Apply Level: reteaching activity using new resources
• Analyze Level: challenge activity after student mastery using new resources to compare information

Complexity

• determine student level of learning: introductory or advanced

Resources

• tier materials: level and content

Outcome

• differentiate outcomes using the same materials
• requires knowledge of student readiness

Process

• students will follow different paths to arrive at the same destination

Product

• utilize Gardner's multiple intelligences to group students by learning preference
• differentiate the assignment/product based on student preferences

Reflection: Catherine Morrow

• One daunting factor for teachers regarding differentiation may be implementing a learning environment that suits a variety of student needs without a variety of quality strategies. The texts allowed me to expand my understanding of ways to teach all learning styles within one classroom.

Reflection: Catherine Morrow cont.

• The portion pertaining to tiered assignments allowed me to expand my mastery of Standard 4. I gathered ideas for the upcoming school year of practices to engage students with multiple assignment types that match their individual needs. Adding six ways to tier assignments to my instructional strategies also allows me to continuously mix assignment types to prevent students from feeling boredom with the expected tasks.

Questions to follow

Question #1

• Some students need more time to work on content or skills?
• Tier by Challenge OR Tier by Complexity

Question #2

• Is the activity matched with resources that meet the needs and readiness of the student?
• Tier by Resources

Question #3

• Could the student benefit from working on the same outcome, but different kind of work?
• Tier by Process

Question #4

• Can the materials be used on basic and more advance outcomes?
• Tier by Outcomes

Question #5

• Could the activity results be shown in more than one way?
• Tier by Product

Making Tiers Invisible

Introduce All Tier Activities In The Same Enthusiastic Manner - Make All Activities Sound Interesting and Engaging

Different Work - Not Simply More OR Less Work

Equally Active - Plan Activities That While Different Have The Same Level of Activity

Equally Interesting and Engaging - Equally Desirable Activities So That Students So Student Feel They Are Being Treated Fairly

Fair In Terms of Work Experience - Task Can Be Different, BUT Comparable In Time and Effort To Complete

Require The Use of Key Concepts, Skills, or Ideas - Use What Students Know, Have Learned, and Their Critical Thinking Skills

Reflection - jolynn holley

• In completing this project, I worked with tiered assignments and when to use them. I saw that activities can be differentiated to fit the student's academic needs and used in a group setting. I have found interest in this concept and feel that it's very benficial in the classroom.

Reflection - Jolynn (cont'd)

• In this reading, I feel that I have a better understanding for Standard 4. Students' needs and learning styles need to be addressed in everything that they do on a daily basis in the classroom. I feel incorporating tiered assignments in my classroom will help growth and acceptance in the work.

What do students need?

Differentiation is all about meeting the needs of your students. Sometimes, this means taking student interest into consideration and allowing them to make choices.

Four student choice strategies

Pathways plans

• This strategy allows students to track their academic skills and choose activities to work on independently based on their proficiency in those skills.
• Small-group instruction will be implemented with the students who still need help mastering the skills in the unit.

WHat do students need?

Project menus

• The students are choosing an activity from the numbered list that the teacher will have created.
• These assignments are created using blooms taxonomy. In other words, students will either recall, apply, analyze, evaluate, or create something within the assignment.

Challenge Centers

• With this strategy, students are encouraged to work independently.
• Students perform the task in the center. All resources, materials, procedures, and checklists need to be included in that station.

Spin-offs

• This strategy includes creating projects based on the interests of the students.
• Teacher-Directed spin-offs provide key ideas and requirements.
• Spin-offs with required products require the students to choose their own topic and key ideas, but have a specific product listed.

Reflection: Mercedes Kerney

• From this chapter, I have learned that one way to differentiate instruction is to give the students choices. Not only are you sparking their interests, but you are motivating them and actively engaging them in their learning.
• This chapter reflects standard 4 (student learning) of the Standards for Graduate Teacher Candidates. The reading provided me with evidence-based practices that I can and will use within my classroom.

Reflection (Continued..)

• Next school year I plan to implement pathways plans in my classroom. I want my students to be able to keep track of their skills, see their progress, and choose activities that grasp their interest while challenging them.

Flexible Grouping

• The heart of differentiation.
• The starting point for teachers to really get a grasp of students individual needs and to group/plan accordingly.
• (Heacox,2012)

Why flexible grouping?

• Gives the opportunity for teachers to make activities that are curtailed for individual student needs, especially areas of concern.
• Students are more active and engaged in their learning.
• Allows for additional time to be spent on areas of instructional need. (Heacox,2012)

When should we utilize flexible groups?

• When students struggled with mastering the concepts.
• When additional time is needed for students to grapple with concepts.
• (Heacox,2012)

other grouping options

• Tracking: Grouping by ability.
• Ability groups: Groups based on scores on tests or assignments.
• Performance: Groups based on classroom grades or averages.
• Cooperative: Grouped for working together, not based on teachers choice.
• Flexible: Grouped based on learning needs.
• (Heacox,2012).

Tips for managing flexible groups

• Attempt to keep groups small.
• Spend time with groups based on their need.
• Create tasks that can be done by students without your help.
• Give help and guidance .
• Convey expectations.
• Establish procedures.
• (Heacox,2012).

Student independence

• Keep in mind that students have vairous needs.
• Students need varying levels of direction.
• Offer independent work time for those who do not like working in groups.
• Some groups will need more supervision.
• Watch student talking, make sure it is about content.
• (Heacox,2012).

Reflection-Cathleen Mabe

• In reading this weeks chapters, I really gained a new understanding for student needs and how to approach them to best help.
• I plan to utilize the tools like flexible grouping to better help my students in the lessons, and help to strengthen their understanding when they struggle.
• I also really gained a new understanding for the importance of routines within the classroom, and the importance of having them.

reflection- cathleen mabe continued

• This weeks readings really appealed to standard four of the graduate teacher standards.
• These chapters focused on student learning, and how we can better approach the lessons and our classroom to best help the students be successful.

REFERENCES

• Classroom Management through Cooperative Groups [Video file]. (2009, September 24). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBoWNIfgJs4
• Heacox, D. (2012). What do students need?: Choices. Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom, (pp. 97 - 124). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

REFERENCES

• Myers, J. (2015, November 20). Classroom Organization [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzCA1jp5W40
• Thinking cap [clip art]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://senecafallslibrary.org/thinking-cap/

References (Continued..)

• Tomlinson, C. A. & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.