Personal Development through Language Learning

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In our interconnected and increasingly interdependent world, many people have considered learning a second language. Learning another language contributes to your own personal development through building character and boosting self-confidence. Taking the time to improve yourself and learn a language also helps to enhance travel, business, brainpower, culture, influence, connection, decision-making, and perspective.

Learning another language may not be mandatory in life, but there are many reasons why it will benefit your personal growth and so many parts of your life. Self-Development is a process where you take specific steps to improve various aspects of your life. It is the conscious pursuit of personal growth through improving personal skills, competencies, talents, and knowledge. Anyone can begin the journey of personal growth at any time of the year. It requires commitment, motivation, and focus.

To begin on a journey of improvement, create a plan that will help you achieve your goal. You must also create a lifestyle that allows you to focus on your plan. If part of your plan requires you to set aside time each day to learn something new, then you must create a schedule that encourages this new behavior. If you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier to work on your learning, make this part of your schedule. You must change your behavior to match your learning plan.

Changing behavior requires commitment and a motivation to succeed. You know yourself, so if you need to write down reminders and place them throughout your living place, do it. If you need to reward yourself as you reach specific milestones, then do it. Whatever it takes to encourage you to remain committed and focused will help you stay the course.

Along with reminders and rewards, enlist family and friends to help you with your personal growth plan. Holding yourself accountable can be difficult, but if you enlist a friend or family member to help you stick with your plan, you will feel obligated to complete the task and guilty if you don’t.  You can practice speaking your new language with real people, and who knows, you might get them to join you in your learning.

In fact, the more people you tell, the more likely you will be asked about your progress. These simple inquiries may be just what you need to stay on top of your self-development plan. Sticking to a plan and reaching your goals will only benefit you; however, getting through the rough patches, when you don’t feel like committing or working, is the hardest part.

Learning a second or even a third language is a perfect way to add to your personal growth. The benefit to your own development begins with connecting to people from all over the world. When you can speak the language, you become a local and connect on a deeper level. Your mind opens up both literally and figuratively as you become aware of different perspectives and become immersed in a different community.

And, yes, the mind literally opens-up by creating more pathways to your memory. Learning a second language can develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your brain’s natural ability to focus. When your focus is self-development through language learning, you improve your memory, listening skills, and knowledge of your own language. Boosting your brainpower is always a good move, especially as you age. Require yourself to face a new challenge. You can only benefit from the experience, and it will help you on your path of personal growth. 

When you do decide to travel to another country, you will not only have a more enhanced experience, but you also become more open to people of all traditions. Multilinguals are more willing to experience the world and all it has to offer. Meeting new people and practicing the language will help you immerse in a new culture where you will discover the world can be much smaller and more intimate than you first thought. And, opening up to a new culture gives you the advantage of seeing the world from different perspectives.

These types of challenges take you out of your comfort zone and requires you to take a chance and try something new. The more experiences you have, the more confident you become. You begin to build on the experiences and gain a sense that you are capable of handling any situation that comes your way. Now that sounds like true personal growth.

Through self-development, you may even advance your career. Many companies, both large and small, need multilinguals. Speaking another language is a skill that sets you apart from others. As a multilingual, you are a competitor in the business world where top employers need your skills. Thus, your self development journey begins to touch all aspects of who you are.

As you make an effort to improve various aspects of your life, you can see that learning another language fosters personal growth. Whether you want to improve your personal or professional life, taking the time and striving for self-development is a worthy endeavor which will benefit you in countless ways.

Student Satisfaction with Online Learning

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Person sitting on a sofa looking at a laptop.

Starting in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing, schools all around the world began to convert their traditional face-to-face courses to an online format. In most cases these courses were offered in the same timeframes with the same rules as the face-to-face courses that they replaced.

While many of these converted courses were successful, they tended to focus on just finding a new and online way to present course material to students. At best these courses were hybrids, and in many cases weren’t designed to be permanent replacements for face-to-face learning. As we look back at the massive pandemic-motivated shift to online learning, we decided to take a look at how some of these courses chose to address student satisfaction and student success. Here is what we found.

As many instructors quickly turned their face-to-face courses into online courses, students found themselves feeling isolated. Class participants stared at a screen with pages and pages of material, poorly constructed videos, and little to no interaction with the instructor or peers. Students were essentially left to their own devices to learn the material, take a test, and show their understanding. Instructors tried to make-up for not seeing students through email. They wanted to stay in contact with their classes, yet students found their in-boxes bogged down with messages, assignments, and links to lectures. Since participation grades could not exist anymore, instructors added more assignments to the syllabus. All of this became overwhelming for both instructors and students.

In a regular face-to-face course, students could receive answers to questions immediately; however, when students had a question in an online course, answers were often delayed because of the asynchronous format. Or, if a synchronous format existed, many felt awkward answering over Zoom; it just seemed unnatural. These courses caused feelings of isolation and  increased student anxiety And, with little to no interaction with others, students had no way to cope.

Attending school face-to-face created bonds with fellow students organically. The regular every day or weekly routine of attending class naturally generated conversations between students. Whether they discussed the next big assignment or the next big game, students had many opportunities to meet and talk. So, how does this interaction get created in distance learning?

It has long been a belief that online courses are not as effective as face-to-face courses; however, we discovered that when courses provide optimal course design and a sense of community, students were satisfied and learning outcomes were met. According to a study on distance education from the University of South Carolina, students found that the success of an online class was determined mostly through the ability to communicate with the instructor and other students. Students revealed that they found activities that allowed for ample opportunities to work with other students met their needs for both learning and socialization.

While the pandemic continued to soar and it became inevitable that distance education would need to continue, instructors made changes. As they became more adept at teaching online and creating courses, they were able to find ways to increase student engagement. They intentionally added activities that focused on building trust and increasing interaction between students. This type of engagement is easily done with synchronous courses. Instructors can hold class discussions and send students into breakout rooms for more interaction. Activities can incorporate small group projects where students meet to discuss and complete the assignment. All of these activities can be done when classes meet regularly. Teachers can still get to know their students, and students can get to know their peers.

However, instructors who lead asynchronous courses have more of an uphill battle when trying to create an online course with opportunities for students to work together and meet with the teacher. Many students love the flexibility of an asynchronous online course. They can create their own schedule for learning the information as long as they follow the deadlines for assignments.  They don’t have the stress of getting ready for school or attending classes early in the morning. Yet, many students discovered that the lack of a set routine and regular meetings with others made learning the material difficult. Their motivation was lacking without the required attendance. Both students and teachers were not satisfied with the lack of interaction despite the appeal of flexibility.  So, instructors had to create opportunities for engagement throughout the course. This interaction may have included small group assignments, video messages between students, and even a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Another concern was the technology curve that many faced in distance education. For online courses to work for both students and teachers, new technology had to be incorporated into the classroom. Learning how to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams was one of the first hurdles, but it didn’t end there. Instructors had to find ways for students to interact and show understanding through Flipgrid, Kahoot, Softchalk, Canvas and so many more. Once the technology was learned and utilized, courses became more interactive, which satisfied to some extent, the students’ need for socialization.

Overall, distance learning has been a forced experiment for many. Students who used to take their face-to-face courses for granted have a new appreciation for attending school. Yet, instructors and students are meeting the challenges of online courses and many are discovering the benefits. Student success and satisfaction vary from student to student and course to course, yet with the ubiquity of distance learning, courses will continue to evolve and hopefully meet the needs of students.

Math Mastery

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How to make math part of your child’s everyday world.

Children at an early age utilize mathematics in their everyday life. They compare quantities, find patterns, and share an equal amount of cookies with a friend. Math helps children make sense of their world, and once in school, it helps them with other subjects as well. Beginning to teach math concepts to children at an early age helps them develop critical thinking and reasoning skills. These skills are the foundation for success as they progress in school.

Math is not about rote memorization and worksheets. Math is the world your child experiences each day. Open-ended and playful exploration encourages children to solve problems in real situations, so it is up to you to help them experience their everyday, math world. When you make the situations meaningful for your children, they will gain a deeper understanding of number, quantity, size, patterning, and even data management (Grossman, 2012). For example, it is easier to understand what the number 8 means when applied to a real-life task such as finding 8 books to read or placing 8 blueberries in each of three bowls.

Children need to feel confident in their mathematical skills. This confidence will follow them throughout school and life. Everyone knows that children who are not reading at grade level by 3rd grade are fated to struggle academically throughout school. However, did you know that the predictor of later academic success is based on early math skills? A 2007 study demonstrated that early math concepts, such as knowledge of numbers and ordinality, were the most powerful predictors of later learning.

Parents may feel uncomfortable with the idea of teaching math skills. However, children are already using these skills to explore the world around them. So, you can begin teaching math concepts everyday, and the easiest way is to begin with play. Through songs, puzzles, and games, you can enhance their understanding of math.

Purposeful Play

Children learn through playing, so take these opportunities to show them math skills. As children play with blocks, you can ask, What can you do to make the block tower taller? Then have them create a pattern with the blocks such as two yellow blocks, one blue, two red.

How many cars did you use to make that train? Can you add (or takeaway) three cars to the train?

You can create counting games when you go to the grocery store. Your child can help you pick out 7 apples and 6 oranges. They can then add all of the fruits together. They can also count how many people are in line at the checkout counter and determine if one line has fewer people than another line.

You can discuss measuring the length of a piece of string and then have your child cut out 5 pieces of string of the same length, or for additional learning, have your child cut each string a certain amount longer than the last.

Children are often fascinated by variations in size. They get excited about the enormity of a skyscraper and the tininess of a ladybug. They naturally look at the size of the amount of ice cream in their bowl and compare it to their friend’s bowl. Their curiosity with comparisons fosters a curiosity with units of measurement.

According to Douglas H. Clements and Julie Sarama, authors of Learning and Teaching Early Math: The Learning Trajectories Approach, measurement is the best way for young kids to learn about math; it can help develop reasoning and logic. Measurement also helps to connect geometry with numbers. This learning will help ready your child for future and more difficult math problems.

These simple ideas demonstrate some of the fun and everyday opportunities parents can use to incorporate math into their child’s world. It’s important to remember that the ability to count can sometimes just be rote memorization. It’s great for children to learn how to count, but do they really understand what the number means? With purposeful play, you can turn counting into addition and subtraction.

Speak Math

You can talk math anytime and anywhere. Have conversations where children can compare which object is bigger. You can count out the number of forks you need to set the table. You can discuss the temperature outside and decide whether it is too hot or too cold to go out.

You want to take the conversations beyond just rote counting. While at dinner you can ask your child to compare items on each person’s plate. Ask, “Do we each have the same number of green beans on our plates? How many more green beans do I have than you have? Are there more strawberries on your plate or in the bowl?”

You can also give children problems to solve. Explain that we have 7 people in our family, but I only have 4 spoons, how many more do I need so that everyone in the family gets a spoon? From there, you can give different word problems. For example, I have 4 spoons on the table, 7 people in the family, but your brother will not be here for dinner, so how many spoons do I need for dinner? These basic math problems can be changed and made more challenging depending on the age of your child.

As a parent, one of your most important roles when teaching your child math skills is to help build their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in an individual’s ability to succeed at a task. When children are positive about learning and feel that they can succeed, they are more likely to be successful. So, encourage your child every chance you get. Make math learning fun and your child will develop the necessary skills to succeed in school and in life.

References:

Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2021). Learning and teaching early math: the learning trajectories approach. Routledge.

Grossman, P. D., & Colburn, J. C. (2012). Capillary Electrophoresis Theory and Practice. Elsevier Science.

Stipek, D., Schoenfeld, A., & Gomby, D. (2012). Math matters: Even for little kids. Education Week.

How to Ask for Help

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Have you ever spent time with a two-year-old who asks “why?” after everything you say? Asking questions is a skill that our youngest children have mastered. In fact, the average kindergarten student asks approximately 300-400 questions each day. Yet, as students get older, they tend to ask fewer questions.

Asking for help is not always easy. Some fear they are bothersome or that they appear ignorant. Others just don’t know how to ask or think they can solve the problem in their own way even after working on a problem for hours without progress.  Unfortunately, all of these reasons stem from the inability to know how or when to ask for assistance. This issue is a critical problem for students. When students don’t ask, they don’t receive help, so they can become frustrated and fall behind.

Asking for help is a way for students to manage the problems they encounter. They are essentially gathering data to help respond to a problem they need to solve. This skill is needed throughout life. Although young children usually rarely encounter problems asking for help, students entering middle school are more concerned with what peers think, so they are less likely to ask questions. They fear looking foolish, so some would rather copy homework than ask for help. It’s important to remind students that usually when one student has a question at least three others have the same question. Classmates can feel relief when one student finally asks the question everyone else needs to ask.

Learning how to self-advocate should be taught in the early years. Yet, students at any age can learn how to ask for help. They must believe in a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that with hard work and perseverance anything can be accomplished. A fixed mindset is the belief that a person is either naturally good or naturally bad at a specific skill. Changing students’ attitude about their ability to learn not only helps with learning how to ask for help, but it is also motivational for students as they learn new skills.

With so many students working online and essentially on their own to solve problems, it’s important to have reliable resources where students can go for help. When students are attending school face-to-face, they must first understand that the teacher is there to help them. Even with this understanding, some students are too shy or introverted to seek help, so parents should actually role play how to ask questions to their teacher. Speaking to adults and in front of peers can be stressful, but with role playing and encouragement, students may begin to feel more comfortable asking for help. Parents can provide sentence starters such as: “I’m struggling with ___, would you help?” Or, “I’m not sure what I need, but I don’t understand ___.”

Students must also learn to recognize that they need help. This recognition requires self-reflection and honesty. Some students remain in denial about their needs despite poor grades on assessments. Parents can monitor students’ progress and encourage self-reflection. Ask questions about study strategies and preparation. If students receive poor grades, it is a good time to discuss how they prepared for the test or project. These conversations will help students be honest about their needs.

Students must believe in their overall ability to succeed. With this belief, they are more likely to speak up and ask for assistance. Asking for help is a skill needed throughout life, so the earlier kids can begin practicing and recognizing the need for help, the sooner they will benefit from asking.

Reading in the Early Years

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Parent and infant looking at a picture book

Children begin learning as soon as they are born, so it is imperative for parents to create opportunities for them to thrive. Sounds, shapes, smells, and words surround infants and toddlers as they begin to process the world around them. Caregivers foster learning through their nurturing and attention and can utilize specific strategies to help prepare children for school and life.

Read, Read, Read

The easiest and most effective method for teaching your child literacy skills is to read to her often. Storytime should be a fun experience where you create voices for characters, make sound effects, and encourage your child to participate. You are showing your child that print and pictures represent symbols that are interpreted. You are also helping your child increase her vocabulary and understand the conventions of reading. For example, children learn that books are read from front to back and the page is read from top to bottom. Children imitate sounds and gestures, so reading to them establishes the basics of language.

Make it Fun

Talk and sing to your infant. Babies love to hear your voice, and this helps them make connections and begin to understand language. Introduce them to books and point out pictures. Ask them, “Where is the teddy bear?” and “Where is the ball?” Let them play with blocks then point out the letters. The more you repeat the letters, questions, and songs, the more your infant will learn.

As they grow, create a routine of story time before bedtime. This routine separates playtime from quiet time. Toddlers often want to hear the same story over and over again, so allow them to choose which story they want to hear. If you read to them often enough, they will soon begin to connect words with pictures. Let them get involved in the story by giving them certain lines or words to “read.” If you read the same story enough, they will begin to memorize it and have fun getting involved with the “reading.”

Try to connect what you read with activities you do with your child. For example, if you read about rabbits or puppies, take a trip to a pet center where your child can see the real thing. Before you go to the grocery store, allow your child to help “write” the grocery list or separate coupons. Along with these experiences that help them connect books and words to real life, expose your preschooler to a variety of print. Let them “read” menus, greeting cards, post cards, and mail. The more exposure your child has to print, the more prepared she is for learning how to read.

The Benefits

As children continue to listen to the stories you read to them, their vocabulary increases and so does their understanding of how stories unfold. The more vocabulary children know, the more they are ready to learn how to read. And, the more stories read to them, the more they understand the basic idea that each story must have a beginning, middle, and ending. They begin to understand that one event causes the next event. When those basics are understood, they begin learning about empathy, consequences, and problem-solving. They learn to associate with characters and why they make certain choices. Your child will also begin to empathize with the character’s circumstances and start to understand that actions have consequences. As you are reading a new story to your child, ask her to predict what might happen next. This high-level thinking helps children problem-solve and learn more about human interactions.

Take your child to the library often and allow her to choose books and participate in story time. Each night when you read to her, follow her lead. Pause after each page to see if she has questions. Allow her to fully study the pictures on the page. The key is to take your time, be patient, and let your child explore and enjoy the wonders of reading.

If you’re looking for some great books to share with your child, check out NPR’s 100 Favorite Books for Young Readers.

Interest Based Learning

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If you want children to get excited about learning and develop into lifelong learners, let them take control.

But…

Will my children learn if they take control? How can my children determine what to learn?

Interest based learning (IBL) allows children to discover more information about what they are already interested in. When IBL is the focus for children, they are more likely to retain what they are taught and to develop a curiosity to discover more. Motivation and interest matters, and we all learn better when we are interested in a topic.

IBL creates an education that is specifically tailored to the child. The curriculum is focused on what interests each child. IBL works best with homeschooling because the child leads the way rather than learning a prescribed set of information that is typical in a traditional school setting.  Additionally, with homeschooling, parents can spend more time on a skill or lesson if the child is struggling with a concept. Or, if the child understands the concept quickly and wants to explore more topics, the parent has the flexibility to make it happen.

When students are allowed to move at their own pace, they experience less frustration and more success. Gifted students no longer need to wait for others to catch-up, and those who are struggling and need more time, do not need to feel embarrassed or judged. When students lead the way according to their interests, they gain more confidence because they have more say in what they want to learn. And, we all know that if we are doing something that interests us, we tend to gain a more in-depth understanding because we want to know more as opposed to spending time on a topic that bores us.

Students learn the same necessary skills that all children must learn; it’s just that the topics are geared more towards the child’s interests. In contrast to theme-based learning where students learn information connected to a specific topic, IBL may teach the same topic, but it allows children to take a deeper look at what interests them about the topic.

For example, if the topic in theme-based learning is transportation, children will learn about all types of transportation throughout several classes over a set period of time. In an IBL education, children will also learn about all types of transportation. But, if the child demonstrates a special interest in airplanes, it becomes an opportunity to dive deeper into understanding the history and types of airplanes. The topics of interest can be paired with traditional subjects, so children learn all of the necessary skills. Yet, they are less bored when learning about a topic that interests them. Less boredom equates to a motivation to learn.

The homeschooling environment works best with IBL since parents are invested in creating a love for learning in their children. As you sit on the floor and play with your child, take note of their interests. What holds your child’s attention? Which activity makes them laugh or smile? The answers to these questions become the beginning of IBL. Let them lead the way as they play.

Building Leadership in Teens

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Are leaders born or are they developed?

Many believe that some people are born with the ability to lead, and others believe that leaders develop skills over time that enable them to lead. It is true that some people are born with a personality type that makes it easier to lead, but the obvious answer is leaders develop their skills over time. Some may have the opportunity to practice certain skills more than others, so they appear to be born leaders. However, it is the exposure to specific skills and the chance to practice these skills in different situations that create strong leaders.

According to the Center for Creative Leadership,  all great leaders share the following characteristics: integrity, ability to delegate, communication, self-awareness, gratitude, competence, influence, empathy, courage, and respect. Additionally, more characteristics get added to this list by author Clinton McLemore in Inspiring Trust, Strategies for Effective Leadership, including: intellect, stability, emotional intelligence, motivation, flexibility, and assertiveness. How can anyone possibly possess all of these competencies? Yet, we have all encountered leaders who hold many, if not all, of these characteristics.

Consider leaders you encountered throughout your lifetime, a beloved teacher, coach, or boss. Most likely, you admired this leader and wanted to emulate what you saw.  You remember them for the important and meaningful role they played in your life. They connected with you on many levels and probably inspired you to be your best self. So, how did they become leaders who possess all of these skills? They weren’t born that way, nor did they one day decide to lead. They developed these traits throughout their childhood by witnessing strong leaders and then practicing the skills as they grew into adults. 

Why is it important to develop these characteristics?

When children acquire the characteristics related to leadership, they reap the benefits  throughout their life. The ability to make independent decisions, help others, and achieve goals are connected to leadership skills. Throughout middle school and high school, students with these competencies are more successful and possess a higher self-esteem. They tend to be happier, more confident, and more motivated. As adults, leadership skills assist with job satisfaction, promotion, community involvement, and overall well being. According to the Journal of Leadership Education, many universities now seek students with leadership experience, and employers are also looking for people with leadership skills.

What can parents do to help their children develop these skills so they can become great leaders?

First, children need to witness good leadership, and that begins with you. Children learn through example and parents are their very first and most influential example. Parenting style matters, and so does parents’ connections with others. Your parenting style should be authoritative where there are high expectations, yet you allow your kids to fail. You should be supportive and responsive to their needs while setting strict boundaries and consistently enforcing rules. Allow children to witness positive and honest interactions with friends, co-workers, and retail workers. When parents treat others with warmth and compassion, children learn to do the same. Children internalize these interactions and will emulate them throughout life.

Children will also internalize how you approach problems. They should witness you wrestle with conflicts so they will know how to approach issues. It is a natural tendency for children to imitate what they see, so they should observe their parents facing and coping with challenges. Parents do not need to pretend that life is perfect, nor do they need to shield their children from understanding that challenges are a part of life. If children witness their parents coping with problems honestly, with all the anxiety and stress, it demonstrates the realities of life. Facing the problem authentically rather than hiding it from children, demonstrates how problems are overcome. So, when children face a challenge, they have the confidence to confront it head on. They understand that coping with a problem is not the end of the world, but a part of everyday life. The skills needed to solve problems connect to the skills needed to lead.

When children witness their parents connecting with others, treating people with compassion, and dealing with conflicts in a responsible manner, they see leaders. They internalize these characteristics, and this helps to build their self-esteem. According to Bobi Seredich, in an article entitled, Why Self-esteem is Critical to Successful Leadership, she states, “High self-esteem is not created by receiving praise all the time or listening to motivational talks, but it is built in having connections with others and realizing that setbacks are opportunities to grow…” Those with high self-esteem are not threatened by others’ opinions or ideas, and they welcome diverse thinking. Having a high self-esteem works conjointly with building leadership skills.

More than ever, we need strong leaders who can problem solve, show compassion, and connect with others. Every individual has the potential to be a leader. Each child has strengths and weaknesses, but overall, leadership skills can be developed through exposure and practice. It begins with parents setting the examples and educators following suit.

Learning Stations

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Student at computer.

Learning stations expose students to a variety of activities that address the needs of multiple learners. Teachers who use this strategy empower and engage students because it accommodates all learning styles. Learning stations provide student choice, differentiate to meet students’ learning needs, and get students up and moving. 

Many teachers are hesitant to use this strategy because of the needed planning upfront and the reliance on classroom management. However, learning stations (also called learning centers) reach more students because if planned correctly will run smoothly and engage more students.

You can incorporate learning stations in your classroom in multiple ways. The most basic method is to first choose a topic or focus for the lesson. Then, develop various activities related to the topic. The activities should consider the various learning styles within your classroom. So, some activities are visual, some auditory, and others are hands-on and so forth.

Next, set-up your classroom with six to eight stations depending on the number of activities you created. Each station contains information about the topic, directions for the activity, and any necessary materials needed to complete the station.

Once the activities are created, and the room is set-up, gather students as a whole group to give background knowledge about the topic, an overview of each station as well as the expectations for time and behavior.  Typically, you will answer questions about how many students are allowed at each station, time limits, what students should do when they are done, and if you allow talking.

You may ask students to complete 3 of the 6 stations, or you may require students to complete all of the stations. However, you should create a time limit for each station to help students move along, experience various activities, and not get bogged down with just one lesson. 

You will want to give students reminders about time as the class progresses. Sometimes students really enjoy one particular station and want to have more time, so you will need to determine if you will allow this, or if they need to move to the next station.

Before calling time and telling students to choose their next station, have a brief whole class discussion. Students can share new knowledge, make connections to the larger topic, and promote the activities at the stations. When students hear their peers speak highly about a particular station, they are more willing to try it.

Depending on the complexity of the stations and your class schedule, you may continue stations into the next class period or more.

Another method for learning stations is to create packets that correspond with different levels of students. For example, each station would have a set of three packets. Each packet is progressively more difficult. Before beginning stations, you would place students in groups according to their academic level. You would have group A, group B, and group C where group C is the most advanced. As students progress through the different stations, they would open the packet that corresponds to their level and begin working. You may choose to tell students what each level means or not. For some students, knowing their level helps them work harder to improve, and for others, it bruises their self-esteem.

Whichever method you choose, learning stations provide differentiated instruction that meets the needs of various learning styles and levels.

Pre-assessments

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A pre-assessment is essentially a test given to students before a new unit of study begins. It allows teachers to save time and teach new material rather than reteaching what students already know.

However, pre-assessments not only save valuable time, but they also help with planning appropriate and purposeful instruction where teachers can focus on personalized and differentiated teaching. Teachers use the evidence from the pre-assessment to make decisions about content, pacing, grouping, and activities.

Through pre-assessment you can then create lessons that ensure students are challenged at an appropriate level, so they are more likely to demonstrate learning and growth. You can also discover which students are gifted as well as who might have learning deficits and need additional guidance. 

Pre-assessments allow you to discover which lessons in the unit students have already mastered. If you have a unit created and students demonstrate their knowledge about specific topics, you can eliminate or enhance lessons to better reach all students. If only a couple of students demonstrate areas of difficulty with particular concepts, you can individualize instruction or create groups accordingly.

With the evidence gathered from pre-assessments, you can differentiate instruction by creating small groups of students with similar needs. Whether students demonstrate learning gaps and require additional instruction, or they show mastery and need enrichment, the pre-assessments will give you the information necessary to create learning that best fits the needs of all students.

Pre-assessments also help show actual learning. With the data from pre-assessments compared to post-tests or summative assessments, you can determine which students actually learned from the lessons you created. This information will help you decide what needs to be changed, if anything, the next time you teach the same unit.

If you have already created a unit, the pre-assessment will help you determine if all of the lessons are necessary, or if you need to change some of the activities. You may discover learning gaps that you did not expect, so you can curtail activities and create additional lessons to address the students’ deficits.

In addition to helping teachers, pre-assessments allow students to gain a better understanding of expectations and what they will be learning in the upcoming unit. This preview often raises students’ curiosity and engages them in learning. Students can set their own educational goals because they have a better understanding of what the unit will cover.

Plan to give pre-assessments shortly before the unit is about to begin. Pre-assessments are meant to pique students’ curiosity about the upcoming unit and should not be a barrier. With this in mind, pre-assessments should address key concepts from the unit and focus on what students already know rather than on what they don’t know. Allow students to show their knowledge in a variety of ways. Pre-assessments do not follow a particular format, and they should not be long and tedious. Short and to the point pre-assessments work best and can be done through surveys, journaling, multiple choice, exit tickets, and a variety of other activities.

Cooperative Learning

/ Ritamarie Hensley / Leave a comment
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Cooperative learning is a strategy where the entire class is broken down into smaller groups. Whether the goal of the lesson is to understand a new concept, improve skills, or accomplish a task, students work cooperatively to augment learning through peer to peer instruction. Cooperative learning is more than just group work; it emphasizes skills in interdependence and personal responsibility.

For cooperative learning to be successful, each member of the group must contribute in order to meet the goals the teacher establishes. The goals of the lesson can be accomplished through various activities such as discussions, reciprocal teaching, and problem solving. Almost any activity works with cooperative learning as long as students cooperate to meet the teacher’s expectations for the lesson.

Before beginning cooperative learning, teachers decide the size of each group, the goals to accomplish, the roles of each group member, the amount of time necessary to complete the goals, and the method for assigning members to groups. If working in-person, It is also necessary to arrange the classroom in such a way that groups are not seated too closely. Once the classroom is set-up and the decisions are made, teachers can begin teaching the lesson and explaining the task each group must complete.   

Heterogeneous groups work best, yet there are many ways to populate groups.  If the task requires critical thinking or difficult concepts, teachers may choose to mix students with regard to particular skills needed to reach the lesson’s goal. Teachers may also consider random grouping where students choose their own members, or groups are formed according to proximity. The size of the group depends on the assigned task; however, groups typically range from 2 to 6 members.

For cooperative learning to be a successful instructional strategy, students must understand the social skills associated with working together. For example, students should share ideas, refrain from speaking over another student, and show respect to each member of the group. So, along with students understanding the task given to the group, they must also understand how to work as a group. Teachers should review some of the social skills involved when working with others before group work begins.

The challenge with cooperative learning is keeping students focused and on-task. Since cooperative learning involves communication and collaboration, the classroom can be noisy. However, noise can be students working together or students socializing. The teacher’s role is to monitor groups. Circulating the classroom, collecting in-process documents, and spending time with each group will abate off-task behaviors.  If teaching online, teachers can pop-in to breakout sessions or ask to be invited to scheduled group meetings.

To avoid students dominating the group or not participating, roles can be assigned to group members. There are many possible roles including: timekeeper, project manager, editor, and educator. Yet, assigning roles is not necessary for cooperative learning to be successful. It is usually done if students are new to cooperative learning or lack the necessary social skills needed for success.

Once the assignment is complete, group members should be given time to reflect on the effectiveness of their group. Reflections can be written or discussed. Students may be asked to  respond to open ended statements such as: 

I helped the group with…

The best part about this group was…

Next time, I would change…

What I liked most about this group was…

What I liked least about this group was…

When done correctly, cooperative learning maximizes learning and helps students understand how to work with various personalities and apply skills in communication and collaboration.