 Memory researchers tell us that it is easier to retain semantic information when it is linked to unusual locations. This strategy, Vocabulary Shapes, capitalizes on that by linking spelling or vocabulary words to a simple shape. I have used it with elementary, middle and high school students as a simple, no-prep strategy. Play this short Educreations video to see how easy this is - and then try it tomorrow with any vocabulary terms you are teaching!
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 If your co-teaching efforts aren't quite as effective as you'd like, please consider joining Sonya Kunkel and me in Chicago this summer for the
National Train the Trainer Institute Co-Teaching that Works! Here is a video overview or you can find more information at www.ber.org.  A visual timer can be a lesson lifesaver for students and teachers!
Many of our students do not have an accurate, internalized sense of time. The teacher tells them that they have 10 minutes to work on something, and when they get the 1 minute warning, they are shocked! They had no idea that ten minutes passes so quickly. A visual timer, projected on the board, provides them with an easy system for keeping track of time. As a teacher, I also benefit from the use of a visual timer. As students are working, I am roaming the class and supporting. I frequently get caught up in something a group is discussing, or helping a struggling student. If I don't use a timer, before I know it the 10 minutes I had planned for has turned into 15 minutes, and I am now trying to catch up with the rest of my lesson plan. A timer keeps teachers on track as well as students. My favorite visual timer is Timer by Ten. After it counts down to 0, it immediately begins tracking the elapsed time until it is stopped. The elapsed time shows up in red digits (see photo.) I can then use this data with my students to talk about how long their transitions take. I have even bar graphed the data and motivated students to transition more quickly each successive day. If you are connected, there is also a great web tool that is free - Online Stopwatch. It has a variety of visuals and sounds to add some novelty to your time tracking.  Is movement good for learning? Judy Willis, a neuroscientist and educator, recently stated in an interview
"Multiple modalities of learning and practicing information will increase the storage areas, the accessibility and the likelihood of retaining it for memory." This served as a good reminder to me to let kids move. If you’d like to add some simple kinesthetic opportunities for your students, consider setting up standing work stations in your classroom. One of my favorite ways to do this is by using ironing boards. Because they are adjustable, I can change the height based on which students are using it. Sometimes I will let any two students take a turn at the standing station, sometimes I intentionally select students that I believe need the opportunity. When we are done, we can fold it up and tuck it out of the way. TIP: Check your local thrift store for an inexpensive, used ironing board. |
Anne M. BeninghofAnne's mission is to improve instruction through collaboration and the sharing of creative, practical ideas for educators. Archives
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