[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Station Rotation Ideas #18964

For English Language Arts, using technology-based stations students can create collaborative stories to put into practice their understanding of narrative structure and character development; students write a small part of a story which other students have also partly written. It is a fun exercise that creates a sense of collaboration and above expected results in terms of the quality of the story.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Station Rotation Ideas #18963

I really liked your English class ideas, but would say that it is difficult limiting tools. Perhaps an alternative to no spell check is have students handwrite an assignment, correct together in groups and then transpose digitally to use spell check to find mistakes.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Station Rotation in My Classroom #18962

What does the station rotation model look and sound like in your classroom from the student perspective? What about the teacher perspective?

Students are given greater flexibility and freedom, allowing them to be proactive and independent learners. It is surely a welcome break from exposition based lessons they have had during their day, and they develop their own sense of maturity and self in a controlled space.

Teachers can monitor and be better aware of theirs students, observing their strengths and weaknesses and how well they understand the content and have developed the desired skills. It is much easier to spot trends and different things students might have trouble with.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Classroom Stations #18961

Thinking back to the information you just learned about station rotation, which of the stations would you most like to use in your classroom?

I enjoy using collaborative activities & stations which promotes interaction, proactivity, and group work, which are ever important soft skills that often go underdeveloped in content heavy curriculums.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Teacher-Led Instructional Activities #18960

What are instructional activities that work best in a teacher-led, small group setting?

Tasks that require specific modelling, such as mock exams, where students must follow simple, but specific instructions.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: The World of Playlists and Hyperdocs #18959

What are you most excited to try with playlists and hyperdocs?

Creating playlists and hyperdocs will better allow me to understand the curriculum as well as the tasks, activities, projects, and assessments I will use during the semester.

How might playlists and hyperdocs impact your students?

Students will benefit from having a course companion that they can consult, use to review their understanding, and gain greater autonomy and independence.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Favorite Hyperdocs and Playlists #18958

I am a big fan of Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/ela/10th-grade-reading-and-vocabulary) because of both their purpose (making education freely available) and their execution (they have great resources for teachers and students). Here it offers 6 units that dig deeper into English Language Arts and provide a robust foundation that works great as further practice for most literature syllabi.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Favorite Hyperdocs and Playlists #18957

I agree, this is a great example of a hyperdoc. It is clear, visually exciting, and has tons of great tasks and activities. I will definitely use this as a model when creating my own hyperdocs next semester. Thanks for sharing!

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Playlist Concerns #18956

I agree. Group work is a good way of spreading the responsibility and decreasing the odds of procrastination. Providing feedback, using completion rates for participation grades, and gentle but constant reminders can be helpful in addressing this.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Playlist Concerns #18955

A concern with student pacing is they lose track of their objective (acquiring knowledge and developing skills) and rush through tasks to get through them and done with.

Providing timely feedback and checking progress is fundamental, as well as keeping the course structured with a similar pacing that students see the same contents both in playlists and in class at the same time.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Getting Started with Playlists and Hyperdocs #18954

What are some methods you have used with students who need extra time on classwork?

Acquiring content and developing skills should always be kept in focus and tasks must always exist in this function. That way, even if classwork goes unfinished, focus should go learning. Time management is one of the most important soft skills students learn during their time in school. While they should always be given enough time to coherently complete tasks at the desired level, it is also important that they learn that they often won’t have extra time (like in exams) and must do the best they can with the time they have. If most students fail to complete a task, difficulty and time should be adjusted. Further practice tasks (from as simple as a reflection to quizzes and more complex assignments) should also be given to guarantee learning beyond a single task or activity.

For students to whom this often happens, it is important to create an individual action plan alongside coordination and family that allows the student to be better equipped to complete the activities in class during the given time.

What are some methods you use for those who finish early?
While early finishers should not be punished (and be given tasks), they should also not be rewarded to the point of encouraging students to rush through their tasks, or let to do nothing. Reflection tasks works well, allowing students to think about what they have just done and learnt, taking notes, and consolidating knowledge. Further practice tasks should not be given to early finishers as that is not their purpose. Reflections can also be done in pairs and small groups.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Your Flipped Lesson Plan #18953

Teaching literature, I will probably employ texts more than videos, and get students do do plenty of reading (both the texts themselves and supporting texts) at home. Students read a chapter, highlighting key sentences and writing down key actions, dialogue, and developments. This ensures student read actively and not passively, and will help them be better prepared for class (it is common that students read a chapter and forget important details by they time they discuss it in class). It also allows students a first moment of individual analysis and reflection. In class, students share in small groups, then present to the rest of the class, boarding and writing down different ideas and analysis. Teacher intervenes when necessary with corrections and provocations, but this is mostly student led.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Setting Up Your Flipped Classroom #18951

2-3 steps you would take to implement a flipped classroom approach in your classroom

Offer scaffolding; clear, small, doable steps; plenty of support. Also be sure to give some small assignment to be done individually that requires the desired reading/learning, and that can be shared and checked in class. Checking all the assignment is paramount for students to understand their importance, and grading (participation, not necessarily accuracy) can be a strong motivational tool. Time spent in class should be dynamic, interactive, and provide something different to what learners have already done at home.

1-2 obstacles or challenges you might encounter when flipping your classroom

Poorer performing students may find ways to avoid doing flipped classroom activities. Tools such as LLM’s may also offer a way for students to complete tasks without doing the necessary work. Students may also complain that the teacher doesn’t explain anything to shy away from their responsibilities as students.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Blended Classroom Tools #18950

I will teach High School literature. An activity I like doing with students in the beginning of a new year is giving them some time to interact and get to know their peers (students do this freely, with few instructions). Then student write a brief individual reflection on who they are, what they like, and their strengths and weaknesses. Afterwards, they write the same reflection, but on a peer. (Generally, students tend to be kinder and more positive about others than about themselves.) I then ask them to re-read and analyze the language used in their reflections, highlighting how we often focus on what others do well, but on what we ourselves do poorly. This activity promotes an analysis and awareness of language, and of how they see themselves and each other.

[raul.longhini]

in reply to: Practicing Blended Learning #18949

What aspects of blended learning are already an active part of your teaching practice?

Increasing teaching quality and prioritising peer interaction are key components of my current teaching practice.

What is an area or two for which you would need to develop your practice?

I would like to greater develop using a variety of approaches, as it allows students to interact with content using different skills and perspectives, and decrease student fatigue during the semester, where they might have a smaller engagement with a new topic just because they are tired of using the same approach.

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