Teaching Strategies

Double-Entry Diary

This is an “access tool” student can use to hold their thinking. Students use this technique to slow down as they read and begin to track their thinking. On a sheet of paper students draw a line down the middle to make two columns. On the left column students copy text from the book. On the right column students share their thinking which represents inferential and critical thinking. By using this strategy during reading I will be able to see the thoughts of many students at once because everyone will be required to participate. 

SEEI Presentations

The teacher will provide written explanations of a key concept and then ask them to teach to concept to other students. The concept explanation must be clear yet complex. Students will be assigned to small groups and try to understand the target through discussion and asking questions. Once they understand the concept students will try to explain it to other by using the “State, Elaborate, Exemplify, and Illustrate model”. I see this model especially useful for the rules of grammar and explaining how to analyze text using textual evidence.

Student-Chosen Texts

As a way to develop life-long readers, students will be encouraged to choose their own texts. In the classroom this can happen in a variety of ways. Students can choose their own SSR book. For some assignments, students may be presented with three or four different options of reading for the same assignment. Students may also vote on what literary text we use for the unit. Giving the students to make their own choices adds value and empowerment to their learning experience.

Teaching Pre-Reading and Pre-Writing Strategies

Before reading and writing, students can use different strategies to gain a deeper understanding and help organize their thoughts in meaningful ways. Some pre-reading and pre-writing strategies are KWL charts, quickwrites, vocab flashcards, graphic organizers, and brainstorming.

Promoting Student Metacognition

I want to promote student metacognition in my classroom. Teaching student to think about their thinking will help them be successful both inside and outside of the classroom. English is not about memorizing vocab and writing fluff. The more students truly think, learn, and assess, the better prepared they will be for college, the workforce, and beyond. Metacognition can be taught by asking questions, identifying confusions, thought-provoking discussions, self-assessment, recognizing conceptual change, and more.

Scaffolding

Scaffolded instruction “refers to teachers challenging students to engage in tasks that they are unable to complete independently and providing the support needed to enable students to share the teachers’ understanding of the task and successfully carry it out”. Scaffolding will be used on a daily basis to accommodate all types of learners. Scaffolding allows students to work more in their comfort zone and stay engaged.

Journaling

Individual journaling is a way for students to take “time to think and write something substantive about the concepts before time is up”. Students can share their responses with a partner and looks for similarities and differences in their ideas. I like that students will keep an ongoing record of their responses. They can use this to assess their learning and take ownership of their learning. Being responsible for a journal yearlong also creates good habits for life outside of school.

Gallery Walk With Chalk Talk

For this strategy several poster papers with conceptual questions will be hung around the room. Students rotate around the room responding to the questions and the thoughts of their peers. Once all student answer/respond, the responses are read aloud. This activity allows the students to engage with each other in a more casual environment. They’re mobile which makes thinking easier for some. This activity might be good as an assessment posting about the essential questions and readings from a unit.

Concept Attainment

Students will “develop their own ‘definition’ of a concept by investigating many examples of a concept”. This may work well in a poetry unit. Students can study a grouping of poetry and work backwards to understand concepts such as genre, structure, literary devices, etc.

Student-Centered Discussions

Student-centered discussions are discussions where students determine the direction. The teacher often establishes the learning goal and gives the students time to develop their own thoughts. Afterwards, the students steer the conversation by asking questions, sharing inferences, and drawing conclusions. This strategy allows for the students to be in control of their learning which will hopefully lead to more engagement. It also teaches students how to navigate social conventions in a group setting.

Kahoot!

Kahoot is an online activity where students and/or teacher can create quizzes and challenge the class. I like this strategy as a pre-assessment activity or for students to create their own Kahoot. If used as a pre-assessment, it’s an informal approach to gather information on what students already know. If students are creating the Kahoots, it can serve as a formative assessment to see how much they have comprehended.

Text Sets

Finding accessible texts for the students is important. Grouping those texts into categories that help students understand a topic can be beneficial as well. Organizing texts by genres, authors, themes, etc. can provide opportunities for students to practice reading strategies and learn content information. Text sets should contain material that vary in length, difficulty, text structure, etc.

 

 

Works Cited

A Blog by Concordia University- Portland. 2019. Retrieved from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/teaching-strategies-for-english-teachers/

Edutopia. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/stw-expanded-learning-time-individualized-learning-hassan-mansaray

Kahoot! 2019. Retrieved from https://kahoot.com/

Promoting Student Metacognition. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.12-03-0033

Sage Journals. 2019. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2307/1511107

Stern, J., Ferraro, K., & Mohnkern, J. (2017). Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Secondary. SAGE Publications LTD.

Teaching Channel. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/strategies-for-student-centered-discussion

Tovani, Chris. (2004). Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Stenhouse Publishers.