Have fun with English!

пʼятниця, 15 травня 2015 р.

The Fish Bowl Strategy

How it works: Divide your class in half. One half will form the center circle, facing inward. The other half of the class will form the outer circle, facing inward as well. The students in the inner circle will discuss a predetermined topic. The outside circle will be listening to the discussion, making note of interesting, new, or contradictory information. They are not allowed to say a word at this point. The inner and outer circles can then switch positions and repeat the steps above. Why I love this: Eases Discussion Management: Since only half the class is discussing at a time, this makes it much easier to manage than a whole-class discussion. Promotes Active Listening: Half the students have the explicitly given job of listening to the inner circle. They understand that their turn to talk will come, which is more likely to free their attention from trying to get a turn to share, and focus it on attentive listening. Great for Debate: I love this arrangement for classroom debates. The physical position of students makes it very clear when it's time to listen and when it's time to talk. You can switch through the roles a number of times during debate, and students have more incentive to listen when they are in the outer circle so that they can appropriately counter the points made from the inner circle. Peer Evaluation and Modeling: This model presents a valuable opportunity for students to evaluate their peers. Successful student presenters also serve as wonderful models to other students who are not as skilled at class discussions.

"Expert Groups,"

Group your students into 4 equal "Expert Groups" (e.g. Group A, Group B, etc.). These groups should be strategically organized in heterogenous groups in regards to student ability. Each of these groups will have cover a unique topic or have a unique task to accomplish. For example, you could divide a reading selection from a social studies or science textbook into 4 equal parts. The students in these groups are responsible for becoming "Experts" in their topic of study. You will also need to think about how you are going to organize the "Numbered Groups" (e.g. Group 1, Group 2, etc.). Similar to the "Expert Groups," these groups should also be varied heterogeneously. After the "Experts" have gathered to learn their assigned topics in-depth, they can then be dispersed into numbered groups, which will contain one "Expert" from each group. During this time, "Experts" will present to the other members of the group. The number of "Expert Groups" and "Numbered Groups" are totally flexible depending on the topics you are studying and the number of students in your class. I have used the strategy successfully with a class of 36 students (4 Expert Groups and 9 Numbered Groups). Why I love This: Less Overwhelming- The students can focus their learning on one aspect of a topic, which allows for greater understanding of a concept. Student Accountability- The students understand that they will be responsible for presenting this information to another group of students. Responsive to Student Learning- As you observe these groups in action, you will quickly see who is and is not "getting it." If you see students struggling to present the information in their "Numbered Groups," then you can always have the "Expert Groups" reconvene.

"Q&A Match-Up."

Create a set of questions and answers based on the topic your class is studying. Each question will be placed on a separate card and each answer will be placed on a separate card. I made all of my answer cards pink and all of my question cards green; this makes it easier for students to "match-up" during the activity. If you are covering a vast topic (for instance a chapter in a social studies or science text) then you could easily make enough questions and answers cards so that each student has a unique card. However, you can also make several copies of just a few questions and answers so that some students have duplicate cards; this works best when your topic is more focused (e.g. a lesson within a chapter). Randomly distribute the question and answer cards to your students. Give them a few minutes to read their cards and think about what might be the corresponding answer or question that would match their assigned card. Then allow the students to "mingle" as they try to "match-up" with their correct question or answer. Once students start matching up, I have them stand shoulder-to-sholder with their corresponding card/partner along the perimeter of the room. Unmatched students are still floating around the center looking for their counterpart. Once all students have been matched up, each student can read his/her question and matching answer to the group. If the group feels that the match is incorrect, then the students can do a little reshuffling to find a better fit. Versatility: This strategy can be used with almost all content and with varying size classrooms. For some lessons, I would make 17 different question cards and 17 matching answers cards so that each of my 34 students had their very own card. However, if I taught a lesson that perhaps only had 4-5 worthwhile questions, I just made duplicate cards for the students and the activity was just as successful. Engagement: Students love mystery and games and this activity incorporates both elements. Discussion Opportunity: When the matched-up students present to the group at the end it creates a perfect opportunity for discussion. Did the question and answer match? How do you know? Who can elaborate? Why are X and Y a better match? etc. Built in Review: This strategy is a great way to review for a test or reinforce a lesson that you just taught. Longevity: Once you have made a set of these cards, you can use them for years to come, adding and changing certain questions/answers as you see fit.

"Circle Chats," today's cooperative learning strategy, in another great way to get your students out of their seats and interacting!

Divide your class in half. One half will create an inner circle; the other half will make up the outer circle. Students in the outer circle can ask a question of the students in the inner circle. These questions can be self-selected by the students or you can make your own question(s). After a set period of time, the teacher signals and the inner circle rotates and pairs-up with a new student. Once the group has completed a full rotation, the inside circle and the outside circle trade positions and repeat the steps above. Listening and Speaking Practice: This activity allows students to practice active speaking and listening skills. Active Engagement: Students are constantly moving and/or switching roles. This variety keeps students engaged and on task. Safe/Comfortable: Talking one-on-one with each other is far less intimidating than talking to a small group or to the whole class. This is a great activity to help build confidence in students who are reserved or afraid to speak in front of others (ELLs). Ownership: One option for this activity is to have students create their own questions (which they LOVE doing). They really take this task seriously and become quite invested in the process.