We all have students who are not the kind of kids that raise their hand. So, how do we get these shy kiddos to participate in class discussions? Try a silent conversation.
In a silent conversation all comments and questions take place on chart paper or poster board. If you want to use these conversations for a grade, simply have students sign their name on the back of their chart paper in the color marker they will be using. You can then go back and see who wrote what. When given this alternative to speaking up in class, many of our more timid students will feel more comfortable participating.
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Are you stuck in the rut of lectures, PowerPoints and chapter readings? Try representing your content in several different ways and you will see students' understanding grow in leaps and bounds.
This is a great cheat sheet for any teacher trying to offer options for student assessments. If you are only offering one choice right now, pick another idea from a different category. So, if you're only offering a test, add a podcast option, or perhaps let students create a Kahoot quiz to show you what they know.
I was fortunate enough to sit in on a really engaging ELA lesson a few weeks ago. This middle school teacher was exploring literary devices and used the Ray Bradbury short story, "All Summer in a Day". The students were enthralled by the story itself, but the teacher really caught my attention when she asked students to find examples of literary devices within the text and write/draw the examples along with the kind of literary device.
By offering students options for action and expression this teacher was giving students the opportunity to show her what they really knew! |
AuthorJennifer Pusateri is a Universal Design Consultant at the University of Kentucky's Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT). Archives
January 2019
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