What we need to know!
Here are some important terms, theories, and strategies for instruction popular today!
Balanced Literacy
Balanced Literacy in the simplest terms is guiding students to become proficient readers. The "balance", comes from focusing on both whole language and phonetic instruction.
Main Components: The components of balanced literacy differ from one source to another. The main 5 include modeling, guided, shared, independent, and word work. In some cases, these five models refer only to reading while others add writing and listening. Within this section I will only focus on reading to give you an idea of these components mean.
Balanced Literacy Resources
Blended Learning
Blended learning is an approach that used both teacher led as well as online instruction. This mix allows the student more control over the content by working at their own pace and time.
Great info-graph provided by www.theteslaacademy.com
ASCD provides a list of teacher tips on how to best create this environment.
The Blended Classroom is a great article on blended learning.
The Blended Classroom is a great article on blended learning.
Flipped Classroom
Flipped classrooms transform the role of the teacher from lecturer to facilitator. Here the instruction happens on the individuals time and space. This allows the classroom to become a hands-on, experiential, environment to practice what is learned.
In other words, instruction happens online at home and the content is practiced at school with the teachers guidance.
In other words, instruction happens online at home and the content is practiced at school with the teachers guidance.
Teaching 21st
Edudemic gives some background on the subject as well as the benefits.
*Flipped Institute gives you everything you need to know to create your very own flipped environment. They even include step by step instruction completely free!
*Flipped Institute gives you everything you need to know to create your very own flipped environment. They even include step by step instruction completely free!
Bloom's Taxonomy
Other buzz words related to this subject are higher order thinking, H.O.T. for short, and scaffolding. Benjamin Bloom created a learning framework with six categories. This progression of learning and teaching lead to the ultimate goal of higher order thinking.
Common Core
Common Core State Standards have been adopted by most states in the U.S. These standards are built on the idea of a common set of learning goals to prepare students for college and/or career. The two areas of standards are English language arts and mathematics.
Differentiated Instruction
Carol Ann Tomlinson is the guru of differentiated instruction. She believes this method of teaching begins before developing instruction, by first knowing your students learning styles and abilities. Teachers then provide a variety of leveled content, process, and product instruction. This instruction happens both on an individual and small group basis, where students' progress is continuously assessed.
Growth Mindset
A theory worked on my Dr. Carol Dweck, is the belief that a person's intelligence, abilities, and skills are developed through practice and perseverance.
PBL
PBL stands for two similar concepts:
Problem Based Learning |
Project Based Learning |
RTI
Response To Intervention is a three tiered early intervention and support for struggling students.
Tier 1High quality classroom instruction, screening, and group instruction. In other words, most students fall in this tier and are annually assessed to look for struggling learners.
Tier 2Targeted interventions. Students not meeting adequate progress will receive intensive instruction in a small group format. Students in this tier receive more frequent screening to assess progress.
Tier 3Intensive interventions and comprehensive evaluations. At this level students work individually on targeted skills.
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STEM / STEAM
STEM - Science, technology, engineering, math.
STEAM - Science, technology, engineering, arts, math.
Both STEM and STEAM focus on the inclusion of all subjects, taught together in real-world applications.
STEAM - Science, technology, engineering, arts, math.
Both STEM and STEAM focus on the inclusion of all subjects, taught together in real-world applications.
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The Science of Reading
The Science of Reading is the giant buzz word in education right now. It is being ripped off the shelves like a clearance T.V. at Target on Black Friday. Although it sounds new, it's actually been around for a long while. The major problem with implementation was the extreme cost of scrapping the old and bringing in all new curriculum in our schools. So not only was it costly but curriculum copies were slow on the uptake to implement it. What first came out and claimed to be Science of Reading had only taken a few key concepts, not the whole.
Some states picked up on this movement and are providing money for schools to train their staff. Grants are being offered for schools to buy new curriculum and reading materials. The time is now to do the research and make the switch.
So what is the Science of Reading? It takes the two main parts of reading, language comprehension and word recognition, and "ropes" them together to show that they are both needed to grow skilled readers. This diagram is a great visual to help teachers and parents understand the components needed to create skilled readers.
My personal favorite is the added emphasis on "language" comprehension and not just "reading" comprehension. The importance of listening comprehension of language. This resonates with me as my students can recall every single major event from my read aloud time but not during their independent reading time.
Some states picked up on this movement and are providing money for schools to train their staff. Grants are being offered for schools to buy new curriculum and reading materials. The time is now to do the research and make the switch.
So what is the Science of Reading? It takes the two main parts of reading, language comprehension and word recognition, and "ropes" them together to show that they are both needed to grow skilled readers. This diagram is a great visual to help teachers and parents understand the components needed to create skilled readers.
My personal favorite is the added emphasis on "language" comprehension and not just "reading" comprehension. The importance of listening comprehension of language. This resonates with me as my students can recall every single major event from my read aloud time but not during their independent reading time.
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