Kimbrell's Korner
October 3oth, 2017
Enjoying Learning Together!!
VOCABULARY
7 Steps to a Language Rich Interactive Classroom
What if you could design an amazing learning environment? We already have, and it's all contained in 7steps! 7 Steps to Building a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom provides a seven step process that creates a language-rich interactive classroom environment in which all students can thrive.
Step 3 - Randomize & Rotate When Calling on Students
Many teachers struggle with finding ways to manage a classroom full of diverse learners. Imagine the group of students in your classroom. When you ask a question of the whole group or small group, do the same energetic participators always raise their hand and subsequently get called on?
Solution 1: Radomizing
We all love solutions that require very little planning. Create simple systems like using index cards or Popsicle sticks with students' names on them. It changes the way we ask questions.
This solution helps us avoid phrases like:
- Who can tell me
- Let's see who knows
- Does anyone know
- Can someone tell the class
The goal is to have ALL students involved in the discussion, so ALL students' learning can be assessed. When randomizing the questioning technique looks like this:
- Ask the question
- Pause
- Select a student to respond using a random selection process
Talk about formative assessment!
Solution 2: Rotating
Spencer Kagan's "Numbered Heads Together" is an easy way to get everyone involved and avoid the problems of calling on the same students again and again.
- Divide students into groups of four
- Ask the students to count off within the group (1-4) so each person has a number
- Ask a question
- Give groups a chance to talk to each other about the answer
- Ask one number to stand up in each group. For example, "All Ones, please stand."
- Have the number One person report for the group.
- Instruct students to respond with this sentence stem if they have the same response as another group: "We agree that ______ because _____..."
This can be repeated until each number from 1-4 has been given an opportunity to respond.
The goal is to get us, as teachers talking less & students talking more!