Rays' Report
Feb/March 2014
Reagan Calendar
Teach Like a Pirate
Teaching consists of content, techniques & methods and presentation. Your team can collaborate on which content you are teaching and the techniques, but presentation is your own special touch on the lesson. Presentation is your way to engage your students. Hooks are a powerful way to engage your students in the content you are teaching.
Here are some of his examples:
- Taboo Hook: tell the students that you should not be telling them this or use something controversial
- Message Board: post something that will spark conversation as they enter the room
- Mystery Bag: hiding something in a bag and building up what it could be. When reveal the object, all eyes will be on you so deliver the content right then. Don't put it away.
- Props: use images, music, artifacts
- Kinesthetic: How can you get your students moving?
- Demonstration: give them something that correlates and use students to help.
- Safari: Think, where is the best place to deliver this content? How can I get outside these 4 walls?
As teachers, we may feel that we are not as creative as the person next door and coming up with ideas for hooks, may not come easy. I know I don't always feel creative, however brainstorming and asking the right questions will assist you in finding the right hook. Ask yourself, what music or props can I use? What can I put on the board to spark conversation? Can I transform the room or myself? Can I make the lesson into using teams or a competition?
Sharing ideas can help a new pirate get started. Please take this 3 question survey to add your ideas for hooks. http://goo.gl/mbnZEC
To see the responses: http://goo.gl/WBk6b2
Join Dave Burgess in a tweetchat on Mondays at 8pm. Use hashtag #TLAP.
Technology Tools
TCEA Learning
Some highlights:
- Nearpod: engaging lessons you create easily that students can do on their own device.
- Socrative: student response system
- Storybird: students can create their own stories
- Answer Garden: group brainstorming or feedback
- Smore: create newsletters
- Diffen: compare two subjects side by side
- SafeShare: to safely share videos without ads and other videos on side