Sunday, February 23, 2014

Applicaitons of Brain-Based Learning

The Principals of Brain Based Learning and how I can apply them in the classroom (“The Twelve Principals”):
  • Principle One: The brain is a parallel processor
    • The brain is continually receiving stimuli from multiple inputs and then processing that information in different areas of the brain. If teachers can take advantage of this, learning will be maximized (“The Twelve Principals”).
    • Information should be presented using all of a students senses. The student should then be provided adequate time to process this information and come up with a hypothesis and test it. They should be given the opportunity to do this using a variety of modalities (Zull)
  • Principle Two: Learning engages the entire physiology
    • Learning does not automatically happen just because a student is in a classroom with a teacher. The teacher needs to keep in mind what students are experiencing physiologically and make adjustments accordingly.
  • Principle Three: The search for meaning is innate
    • Students need to be provided with real life connections to what they are learning in order for those things to stick. It is a natural function of the brain to search for meaning (“The Twelve Principals”)
    • When planning a lesson for students use technology to help students make those personal connections. If you are teaching about geography have the students use Google Maps to explore exactly where and how we fit in the world. Making these connections will develop deeper understanding.
  • Principle Four: The search for meaning occurs through “patterning"
    • The brain works in a way of taking new information and seeing where it fits within what we already know (Hardiman).
    • When teaching a new topic instead of starting with one small chunk present the bigger picture first. That way when students are presented with the smaller information that have a place to process it and make connections to it (Hardiman). 
  • Principle Five: Emotions are critical to patterning
    • Emotions are interconnected with the student’s peers. It is important for students to make social connection, but these connections need to be deliberate to facilitate learning (“The Twelve Principals”)
    • Assigning students to groups that consist of peers that enrich other students weaknesses and strengths can be invaluable.
  • Principle Six: Every brain simultaneously perceives and creates parts and wholes
    • Both sides of the brain should be engaged with learning (“The Twelve Principals”).
    • Lessons should be presented in multiple ways so that the brain has the opportunity to evaluate the parts and the whole using both side of the brain. For example, lessons should incorporate science and analytical information in combination with an art activity.
  • Principle Seven: Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral perception
    • The learning environment has a huge impact on learning. The brain receives about 90% of its sensory input from visual stimuli. It has been shown through research that children in bland and unchanging environments do not learn as well. (Hardiman)
    • The classroom should incorporate a visually stimulating environment to assist with peripheral perception. Bulletin Boards should be utilized and changed frequently to display relevant learning information. By utilizing the wall space in the classroom in this way it reinforces what it being taught using the students focused attention.
  • Principle Eight: Learning always involves conscious and unconscious processes
    • Unconscious learning may not be apparent immediately. The brain uses all of the information received to put the pieces together, but the bigger picture may not be understood immediately.
    • Every time a topic is reviewed in the classroom it can change the way the student originally stored the memory. Therefore frequent review should be utilized to help bring to the surface the unconscious processing of information (Jensen).
  • Principle Nine: We have at least two types of memory -- a spatial memory system and a set of systems for rote learning
    • Spatial memory is for instant memory of experiences. It does not need to be reviewed to be processed. The Taxon memory is based more on memorization. This system can be easily stressed because of the limited number of brain cells involved with this system(“The Twelve Principals”).
    • Teaching should be done in small sections and then students should be given he opportunity to rest and process. Depending on how new the information is to the student lessons should not last longer that 15min for there is risk for information not to be retained (Jensen).
  • Principle Ten: The brain understands and remembers best when facts and skills are embedded in natural spatial memory
    • For maximized learning information should not simply be presented as note taking or lectures (“The Twelve Principals”).
    • According to Dr. Hardiman “By providing students with multiple ways to manipulate content, skills, and concepts, teachers are not only promoting long-term memory but are providing the opportunity to differentiate instruction based on students’ emotional needs, academic goals, and cognitive learning styles.”
    • This is a great way to involve technology into learning. If students are able to interact with an application or a game and still be presented with the same information they might normally get through lecture they are more likely to process it in a way that will stick. iPads are a great way to do this!
  • Principle Eleven: Learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat
    • Lower stress environments are shown to increase learning as it allows cortisol level to lower. Safe zones are ideal for learning (“The Twelve Principals”)
    • One way to reduce stress is to incorporate movement in the classroom. Allow the student to select the physical activity. Movement increases the good hormones in the brain and opens the student up for maximum learning (Jensen)
    • Music can also be used to lower stress and create a positive working environment; a place for happy emotions.
    • Education on coping skills can also provide students with the tools they need to excel in the classroom (Jensen)
  • Principle Twelve: Each brain is unique
    • It has been proven time and time again that all students have different ways of learning and processing information (Jensen).
    • The teacher should not expect all students to be at the same level at the same time. The classroom should create an environment that celebrates these differences and encourages students to work with each other based on their strengths and weaknesses (Jensen).
    • If a classroom in arranged in a way that uniqueness is not accepted that will just create an environment of stress which we know is not an appropriate environment for learning!
Brain based learning touches every aspect of a classroom, from the way it is decorated, to how material is presented. It is imperative that this information is taken into consideration so that we provide our students with the best opportunities to excel and learn to the best of their abilities.

Resources:
Hardiman, Mariale. “The Brain Targeted Teaching Model” Johns Hopkins School of Educaiton. Retrieved 23 Feb 2014 <http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Journals/spring2010/thebraintargetedteachingmodel/index.html>
Jensen, Eric. “What is Brain Based Learning?: Brain-Based Education is the purposeful engagement of strategies that apply to how our brain works in the context of education.” Florida Educaiton Association. Retrieved 23 Feb 2014 <http://feaweb.org/brain-based-learning-strategies>
“The Twelve Principals for Brain-Based Learning” The Talking Page Literacy Organizaiton. Retrieved 23 Feb 2014 <http://www.talkingpage.org/artic011.html>
Zull, James. The Art of Changing The Brain: Enriching The Prcatice of Teaching By Exploring The Biology of Learning.  Sterling, Viginia: Stylus, 2002. Print.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Planning for ELLs - Teaching a Unit on Weather

Next semester I am likely to be teaching a kindergarten unit on the weather.

Unit Objective:
Understand different types of weather, what causes it and the four seasons.

Language Acquisition stages (Haynes): 

  1. Pre-Produciton: This is the silent period. Students will acquire about 500 words in their vocabulary but are not speaking in English yet. Will begin to repeat things you say, not a sign of learning.
     
  2. Early Production: Students can usually only speak in one or two word sentences in which many of these have been memorized and may not be used in the correct way. Will develop active vocabulary of about 1000 words in this stage.
     
  3. Speech Emergent: Students will have 3000 word vocabulary. Will speak in simple phrases and sentences. Are able to ask questions and hold short conversations with peers. They will understand basic stories read aloud.
     
  4. Intermediate Fluency: Vocabulary of 6000 words. Will use more complex sentences when speaking and writing. Will be able to express opinions, share thoughts, and ask questions to clarify what they are learning. Writing skills will still be filled with a lot of errors.
     
  5. Advanced Fluency: Takes 4-10 years to reach this level. They will be near native in their ability to use English. Will no longer need ELL support programs.
     
Strategies for teaching this lesson (Haynes):

Pre-Production:
  • Actively listen to the lesson — The teacher will actively describe the different types of weather and what causes it.
  • Copy words from the board — While orally describing the lesson, the teacher will write down key words like hot, cold, rain, snow, dry, ice, etc and have the student write them down as well.
  • Use pictures to show understanding — Provide the students with pictures of different types of weather to use when answering questions.
  • Total Physical Response Method — Have students act out how they might react to different types of weather, like shivering in the cold, fanning themselves when it is hot, and finding cover from the rain (“Total Physical Response”).
Early Production:
  • Ask yes or no questions — While teaching the lesson verbally, ask students questions about the weather like, “Is it raining outside right now?” or “ Would you rather it be hot outside or cold?”
  • Have students use pictures to respond-Have students sort out different types of weather using pictures and place them under the correct season.
  • Focus on key vocabulary — Use a word wall for key words.
Speech Emergent:
  • Have the student sound out a related story phonetically in pairs — Read a short story about the weather.
  • Complete activities using word banks — Create a worksheet that uses fill in the blank words from a word bank to describe the picture of the weather.
  • Use flash cards — Flash cards created with pictures and the associated word.
  • Write short story with pictures — ask the students to write a story about their favorite season and weather.
Intermediate Fluency:
  • Have student actively participate in class discussion on topic —  Ask more in-depth questions, other than yes/no or either/or. For example, ask the student to orally describe the current weather.
  • Use more complex topics like critical thinking, but expect grammatical errors — Have the student write how weather occurs using both pictures and sentences.


References:

Haynes, Judy. “Stages of Second Language Acquisition”. everythingESL.net. Web 15 Feb 2014. <http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_stages.php>

“Total Physical Response” Wikipedia. Web 15 Feb 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_physical_response>

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Special Education Referral Process


In order to explore the referral process for special education I had the opportunity to interview both a Vice Principal and a 6th grade teacher at a local Middle school. Here is a summary of our conversation detailing the processes that they use at their site.

Middle School Vice Principal on the referral process:

Students who are considered to be at risk and in need of intervention go through a process called a SST that stands for Student Study Team in which parents, students, teachers, and a counselor meets to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the student. Using a Response to Intervention (RTI) pyramid of academic and behavioral interventions, the goal is to intervene at the lowest level possible in an informal manner prior to making a formal request for assessment and consideration for special education services. Informal interventions are implemented and monitored over an agreed-upon period of time. If the student does not show adequate progress they are then referred to the school psychologist for official testing for special education services.  Students can be referred by teachers, parents and/or administration. All testing must be agreed upon by parents through an Assessment Plan. Once an official Assessment Plan has been signed by parents testing, a meeting to go over testing results, and  the creation of an IEP must occur within 60 schools days by CA State law. After the school psychologist reviews the students grades, attendance, behavior, antidotal information from teachers, and completes the testing process, an IEP is scheduled to discuss the findings with the students parents. The IEP team consists of a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school psychologist, a school administrator, and parents. All decisions made for the student must be made as a team. It is essential that the student remains in general education classes as much as possible while meeting their needs; this is called least restrictive environment.  Goals will be written in the areas of weakness. They must be standards-based and grade level based but yet scaffolded to help bridge the gap with the student. The special education teacher is responsible for monitoring the progress on goals and reporting such progress to parents on a regular basis.

Middle School Teacher on the referral process:

Students who are not making adequate progress in the classroom are provided extra support by scaffolding the lesson, given extra time, using the lowest level necessary of the RTI interventions, and seeking strategies that work for other teachers by talking about the student within team meetings. At this school the team is made up by a grade level interdisciplinary team called a Professional Learning Community (PLC). It is composed of  1 LA teacher, 1 SS teacher, 1 science teacher, 1 PE teacher, 1 elective teacher, and 1 math teacher. Students are placed in classes based on their PLB. These teams meet 1x per week to discuss all student and to identify those who may be struggling.  Most students who struggle have a tendency to act disconnected, sometimes have behavior issues, earn poor grades, have missing assignments and homework, and receive low scores and/or failing scores on assessments. Our school provides core replacement classes in reading for any student who is reading two or more grade levels below grade level. We also provide an additional math intervention for students who have difficulty understanding the grade level curriculum. Struggling students are discussed in team meetings on a regular basis and communication home is made. Progress reports are handed out every two weeks, and grades are uploaded daily on each teacher's website so that students and parents have access to real-time information. Our teachers refer kids to the SST process all the time if they are struggling academically and the team has exhausted all informal levels of intervention. We also offer after school Homework club, and many teachers are available before school, lunch time, and after school, to provide personal help.

After my discussion with both the Vice Principal and Teacher, I feel that this school has a great set up for identifying struggling students. They are not quick to throw anyone into special education, or exclude them from mainstream classrooms, but try to exhaust every possible way to help them before turning to the formal process. My favorite aspect of their system is the PLC. By assigning students to one PLC for the entire year this allows the teachers to really monitor their progress through all classes. It reminds me of the set up seen in the Finland’s Formula for Education Success (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdFi8zMrYI). If one student is struggling in one subject but excels in another it may give the teacher more insight as to how they can help them. I think this schools serves as a great example for other schools. They seem to have a great process worked out that works for every student.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Comparing School Districts in my area to the State of California