Week Two Blog Review - 7 Simple Ways...
This week, I’m moving away from Mr. Heick's thinkpiece work and summarizing and reviewing a more clicktempting post by the Teachthought Staff.
In “7 Simple Ways You Can Help Students Pay Attention in a Traditional Classroom,” Teachthought cites and provides a graphic created by Reading Horizons, a company that has spent thirty years developing reading tools and strategies to market to K-12 readers and teachers, along with adult literacy programs.
There is a brief, assumption-heavy introduction to a common complaint among teachers and administrators - the problem of minimal student engagement during a traditional lecture, direct instruction, or a presentation. An amusing list of student behaviors that signal inattention, including apathetic responses, daydreaming, talking (off-topic, presumably), and texting are provided as indicators of a classroom in need of significant restructuring.
The post implies an admonishment for educators who rely too heavily on teacher-centric modes in the classroom, suggesting seven techniques by which teachers can improve engagement during these traditional classroom modes.
The seven techniques are the 10:2 method, movement in the lessons, accelerated pace, frequent feedback, 5-7 seconds of think time, the 3-2-1 method of summarizing, and periodically pausing mid sentence.
The graphic following the text is a reproduction of methods, occasionally with a brief description to clarify or augment recommendation.
Two of these ideas relatively new to me - the 10:2 method and the 3-2-1 method.
The first maneuver has a teacher providing two minutes of processing and response time for every 10 minutes of instruction. This is technique that was introduced to me by my friend Roland O’Daniel from the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning, and reiterates the long-standing and well-proven technique of breaking work into manageable segments to increase awareness, clarity, and deeper thinking for students during lectures and study sessions.
The second technique is a mode of exit-slip style processing, asking students to name three things they learned, two interesting things (do these have to be distinct?), and one important question they have about the material.
Overall, this website has a rich array of suggestions, topics, practical and philosophical concerns, and podcasts on a range of educational interests. And I have enjoyed the progressive mindset and optimism behind each of the posts I've read and all of the postings I’ve glimpsed.
But I am also frustrated by the site's frequent sub-standard attention to details. Poor or missing organizational language or headings, misspellings and poor grammar, and a thin regard for evidence and citation leave the site looking ill-conceived or hastily assembled. I admire the ambition and intent of this page and its workers, but I am hoping to find postings in the future that are as careful with details as they are forthcoming with wisdom and advice.
In “7 Simple Ways You Can Help Students Pay Attention in a Traditional Classroom,” Teachthought cites and provides a graphic created by Reading Horizons, a company that has spent thirty years developing reading tools and strategies to market to K-12 readers and teachers, along with adult literacy programs.
There is a brief, assumption-heavy introduction to a common complaint among teachers and administrators - the problem of minimal student engagement during a traditional lecture, direct instruction, or a presentation. An amusing list of student behaviors that signal inattention, including apathetic responses, daydreaming, talking (off-topic, presumably), and texting are provided as indicators of a classroom in need of significant restructuring.
The post implies an admonishment for educators who rely too heavily on teacher-centric modes in the classroom, suggesting seven techniques by which teachers can improve engagement during these traditional classroom modes.
The seven techniques are the 10:2 method, movement in the lessons, accelerated pace, frequent feedback, 5-7 seconds of think time, the 3-2-1 method of summarizing, and periodically pausing mid sentence.
The graphic following the text is a reproduction of methods, occasionally with a brief description to clarify or augment recommendation.
Two of these ideas relatively new to me - the 10:2 method and the 3-2-1 method.
The first maneuver has a teacher providing two minutes of processing and response time for every 10 minutes of instruction. This is technique that was introduced to me by my friend Roland O’Daniel from the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning, and reiterates the long-standing and well-proven technique of breaking work into manageable segments to increase awareness, clarity, and deeper thinking for students during lectures and study sessions.
The second technique is a mode of exit-slip style processing, asking students to name three things they learned, two interesting things (do these have to be distinct?), and one important question they have about the material.
Overall, this website has a rich array of suggestions, topics, practical and philosophical concerns, and podcasts on a range of educational interests. And I have enjoyed the progressive mindset and optimism behind each of the posts I've read and all of the postings I’ve glimpsed.
But I am also frustrated by the site's frequent sub-standard attention to details. Poor or missing organizational language or headings, misspellings and poor grammar, and a thin regard for evidence and citation leave the site looking ill-conceived or hastily assembled. I admire the ambition and intent of this page and its workers, but I am hoping to find postings in the future that are as careful with details as they are forthcoming with wisdom and advice.
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