How To Use Wiki In The Classroom

Source : Christopher Pappas , elearningindustry.com

More and more classrooms are now learning, creating, reading, and testing online. In order to keep up with our technologically demanding lifestyles, the traditional classroom is making way for such innovative tools as wiki. Not only is this an inexpensive way to manage your classroom, it’s also a fun way to engage students in content across the curriculum.

9 New Ways to Use Flipgrid in the Classroom

Source : Kathryn Nieves , www.edutopia.org

The popular tool has features that teachers in any subject can use to help students connect with each other and share their learning.

The video-sharing tool Flipgrid, as we all know, is popular in schools—so popular, in so many countries, that its rapid rise been attributed to “Flipgrid Fever.” The tool has been free for educators to use for over a year now after being acquired by Microsoft.

One of the main things going for Flipgrid is its ease of use. Teachers set up an account and create grids, which act as communities for students to work in. Within each grid the teacher creates prompts called topics, and students post video responses to the prompts and replies to each other’s videos. Most of the videos are quite short, just a minute or two long, and the tool is simple enough that kindergartners use it.

The magic of story time

Source : Carol Read , www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Have you ever noticed children listening to a story so attentively that the classroom is completely quiet? Or have you ever noticed children participating in a story so actively that everyone in the class wants to contribute? If so, then you've witnessed the 'magic of story time'!

8 Strategies for Preschool ELLs' Language and Literacy Development

Source : Karen Ford , colorincolorado.org

Early childhood education can play an essential role in preparing young English language learners (ELLs) for later success in school. Children who have an opportunity to develop basic foundational skills in language and literacy in preschool enter kindergarten ready to learn to read and write (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & McLaughlin, 2008).

But how can early childhood educators know if their programs are providing children with the skills they need? This article will describe some of the methods and strategies that research has proven effective in preparing young ELLs for kindergarten.

It’s time for laundry! - An alphabet class game

Take 26 clothespins and write on each one of them the upper case letters of the alphabet. Cut out from colorful carton paper 26 T-shirts and write on each one of them the lower case letters. Use 2 cups and lace in between them a rope to create a hills hoist. Ask the pupils to do laundry by matching the upper case with the lower case letters and hang the T-shirts on the rope.

Autism and Classroom Strategies

Source : www.icommunicatetherapy.com

Autism and Classroom Strategies 

Many children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties at school and in the classroom. They may require the curriculum to be adapted in some way so that they can understand and achieve. For many, it is important to have a trained teacher aid to guide them, as well as specialist input such as speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy. The other students also need to have an understanding and awareness that the student with autism might behave differently and have different needs.

Save the polar animals! - A vocabulary class game

Watch the video “Go Diego Go Game – Diegos Arctic Rescue” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8VJSjAgSJE). Place on the floor light blue pieces of paper to demonstrate the ice. Underneath each paper place 1 flashcard of a polar animal. Students need to rescue the animals like Diego on the video. Pupils run around the ice while the song “Five little penguins” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etAzWdYufkE) is playing. When you stop the music, pupils have to step on the ice, lift up the paper and say which animal they rescued.

The Introvert in the Classroom

Source : Katie Hurley , www.huffingtonpost.com

School is designed for the extroverts of the world. OK, maybe that’s not entirely fair. Many teachers design their classrooms to meet the needs of different personality types and different learning styles, but if we step back and think about the schedule of the typical school day, it’s not designed for the introverted.

10 ways of using Quizlet in the Classroom

Source : Nick Acton , www.learninginspired.com 

Simple quick wins. That is what most teachers are looking for when it comes to using technology in the classroom. We all want apps to offer something new and innovative. We all want an extra layer of engagement in the classroom through the use of tech. But, above all, it needs to be simple enough that we can actively embed it in the first place. Quizlet is a simplistic app that takes seconds to get to grips with. Ultimately, it is an app that enables children and teachers to create digital ‘study sets’ or ‘flash cards’. You simply type in your questions or ‘Terms’ and your answers or ‘Definitions’. These resources can then be engaged with and shared in a number of ways. The set up is ridiculously simple. However, the nice thing about the app is that you can expand the horizons of it’s use. This is how it can be embedded in to the classroom in a number of ways. Below, are just ten ways that this app can be used…

Cuisenaire rods in the language classroom

Source : Malisa Iturain , teachingenglish.org.uk

The first time I saw Cuisenaire rods being used in the language classroom I had no idea how much fun they could be.

Since then I've used them in both adult and young learner classrooms where they have always been received with enthusiasm. 

In his book 'Teaching and Learning Languages' (1988) Stevick describes them as: "wooden or plastic blocks one square centimeter in cross section and one to ten centimeters in length. [...] I recommend that you get some for yourself. They are compact, portable and relatively inexpensive, but they are the most versatile teaching aid I know of at any price."

• How you can use them
• Some classroom management considerations
• How they've affected my teaching
• A few tips
• Conclusion

How to Use Legos in the Classroom

Source: Amie Taylor , ehow.com

If you grew up in America in the last 50 years, you've probably played with Legos. These multicolored, interlocking plastic bricks, invented in Denmark and sold in more than 130 countries, come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and allow children to use their imaginations to construct anything they can think of. While Legos are considered toys, they also serve a useful purpose in the classroom. Several options exist to use Legos in an educational way.

Signs That a Child Has a Learning Disability in the Classroom

Source : Kristen Moutria , ehow.com

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004, a learning disability is defined as a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes including thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling or doing mathematics. Learning disabilities include behavioral problems and academic problems; this is the perspective the American Psychiatric Association adopted in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Spotting a child with a learning disability in the classroom will lead to other tests that can help determine the category and severity of the learning disability. The following are the seven main criteria to determine if a child has a learning disability.

Classroom Arrangement

Source : PEAK Learning Systems , readingrockets.org 

 

 

How your classroom is arranged can have a big effect on your ability to effectively manage your class. This article discusses some ideas you should keep in mind as you set up your classroom.

How to Control Talking in the Classroom

Source : Charlotte Johnson , ehow.com

Talking among students can be a major distraction in a classroom. Although teachers may want students to be vocal during times like class discussions, there are many other times in which talking can be a negative factor. Luckily there are ways to curb talking in school. By using some proactive strategies before and during class time, you can reduce talking in your classroom to a minimum.