Literacy for Gifted and Talented Learners

Differentiation is a struggle that we as educators face but needs to be faced if we are to meet the needs for all children in our classes. Often we are more adept at meeting the needs of the struggling children but truth is our able children need rigour and their unique needs to be met as well.

Issues to Consider

• Identification: Who are these children? Have they arrived already reading independently?
• Challenge: How can we help our gifted readers become more discerning readers?
• Interaction: How can these children share their reading with others? 
• Goals:Ensure we are setting realistic goals for these children.
• Reading skills: Are we teaching to read smartly, utilising features of text and to understand deeper concepts of print?
• Problems: Do we recognise that some of our gifted students may have reading problems and respond to these accordingly.

Brooke Trenwith from Cognition Education has provided these links to resources that primary schools are using to extend their gifted students.

Writing

Reading

A magazine created by kids for kids

 Reading lists can be found here

Resources to consider for purchase

Gail Loane's Book, 'I've Got Something to Say'.

Resources to Use

Search for Sandra Kaplan's 'Depth and Complexity Framework', via Google and you will find many examples that others have created that you might modify.

Experts to Contact

Robert Seney's reading lists and literacy tips are worth a look

• Books to inspire the gifted reading
• Wikispace with some links and resources from Robert Seney
• Gifted Readers and Young Adult Literature Reading
• Seney handout to read

Managing a Classroom

Great ideas to remember and consider...

Original post

Connecting with Learners

Relationships are at the heart of learning and this article certainly illustrates this. We recently held interviews for teaching positions and one of the questions was about what you would do if you realised that a child was not reaching potential in your class. This article, by Lisa Medoff, is full of fantastic ideas that are centred on improving the relationship with the child. The child the author references has ADHD but I believe the suggestions would work with most learners.

Click here for the full article.

• Ask the student to help you figure out what he needs and how you can help him. 
• Frame new strategies as experiments, not decrees.
• Teach students how to question and challenge in a manner that will get them heard.
• Rather than trying to clamp down on off-task behaviours, use them to get to know students better. 
• Share stories with students about your own struggles.
• Make deals with students about behaviours that you both want to change. 
• Try as hard as you can to limit negativity in your interactions with a challenging student.
• Have students teach you something. 
• Take a beat to stop and acknowledge that a student may have the right answer even though it is different from what you were expecting.
• If a student seems to be off-task or is having trouble getting started, don't assume he hasn't been paying attention; 
• Allow students to work just outside the classroom door.
• Be patient. 

Handwriting - Resources for staff

Teaching Handwriting

The teaching of handwriting is has been the subject of many discussions.

• How often should it be taught? 
• How should it be taught? 
• What is important about the teaching of handwriting? 
• What is the purpose of teaching handwriting?

For many years we have been offered good voice recognition software. Many hours are needed to perfect touch typing, far more than what can be provided with the time and resources have at school.

Here are some links to interesting and informative readings and blog post to help us consider this.

• A debate tool providing arguments both for and against the teaching of handwriting. 
• A blogpost from a NZ teacher providing a wealth of tools and information about the teaching of handwriting.
• An article from the Guardian asking, "Is the Pen Mightier Than the Sword?" 
• An article from the NY Times asking "What's Lost as Handwriting Fades?"
• Business Insider, 'Here's why writing things out by hand makes you smarter"
• It is also worth looking in Twitter and Pinterest for ideas on teaching handwriting.

Touch typing tools

The flip side of teaching handwriting is ensuring that we are equipping our children to live in a digital world. Can we provide links in our blogs to touch typing tools that children can use at home as part of their home learning?

• BBC Dance Mat Typing
• Typing Club
• Keyboarding Games for Kids

Voice Activation Software

Voice activation software is great for children with a learning disability, giving them the space they need to get their thoughts and ideas down quickly. Smart phones have voice capability that allow users to dictate messages, emails and texts.

Whilst this blog post is essentially US based there are some predictions well worth thinking about. Having watched 'Most Likely to Succeed' last week I would also suggest that there are a few more that could be added, particularly for secondary hill.

1. Exam based assessment be a thing of the past - why ask students to perform in isolation without access to information? They will never have to do this again in their lives!

2. Subject integration has to be the norm, where in life to we face an issue to only consider one aspect?

Any others you can think of?

What are the skills and attributes needed in tomorrow's workforce?

I love the provocation in this article. We talk a lot about what skills our children need. This article suggests the need to emotional intelligence rather than factual knowledge and skills will be increasingly important in the future. The collaborative and cooperative skills learned and demonstrated in primary classrooms are more closely related to the skills needed in the workplace than those learned and demonstrated in secondary and tertiary schools.

How can we redesign learning to encourage older students to build on these skills?
What is more important, what or how we learn?

An article that doesn't provide the answers but poses some great questions.

Making Collaborative Practice Work

This is a case study of Wildwood IB World Magnet School. Teachers there believe teacher collaboration fosters a supportive professional culture, lessens conflict between teachers and provides students with school-wide best practices.

The reading provides a video, overview, explains how it's done and gives links to further reading.

Building Relationships Means Having Empathy

I have the long held belief that relationships are at the heart of learning. Building, sustaining and nourishing those relationships requires energy and hard work. Here are some blog posts from Edutopia about empathy which provide ideas to do just that.

Innovative Learning Spaces Means Collaboration

Moving forward effectively with innovative and flexible learning spaces means that you have to work closely with colleagues. There is no hiding behind a closed door with 24 children and hoping that others don't pop in to see what you are doing.

While that is exciting for many it is daunting for others. This article suggests strategies and systems that can be used to contribute to effective collaboration. Many we are already using but these can always be developed to be made more useful.

Great tools to collaboration
Googledocs and sites - share planning, information, ideas and resources
MATEs - Mutually Agreed Team Expectations make how you are working explicit to all
Scheduled Meeting times
Strategic Pairing - designed to complement and bring out the best in each other.

This is a great article from Edutopia that uses these tools and leads to further readings if interested.

Fantastic Posters for the Classroom

I just love edutopia, it is well worth following them on Twitter!

This link came through today and provides access to great downloads to 9 motivational posters for your classroom.

Modern, Innovative Learning and Practice

This is a great post from Derek Wenmouth from CORE. It examines what is the most important thing about MLEs and that is the practice. Does an MLE suit all learners, turning the question on it's head we consider does a traditional classroom suit all learners? The answer is simply "it depends". Derek poses some great questions to consider when reflecting on practice and moving forward with modern learning environments and practices. By visiting this page you can browse through categories to find other thoughtful blog posts on MLE and other topics of interest.

Mindsets and Feedback

This is great website to go to for resources and thinking about using Mindset work in your classroom.
This particular item caught my eye as it talks about simple things we can all do to promote growth mindsets in our learning communities.
It talks about:

• Questioning and thinking about what you publicly reward and value in your class and school.
• Belonging to an academic community that includes adults.
• Believing in success.
• Seeing value in the learning.
• Belief that intelligence can grow.

Characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher

I have read many of these kid of lists before. In the past there has been the mention of the need for a 21st Century teacher to be technologically literate but this is the first time there are specifics about the ways technology can be used differently.

I think it is certainly worth a read as it is challenging of current practice for many. The list comes from the Edutopia discussion board and was written by Tsisana Palmer.

Obviously, teaching in the 21-century is an altogether different phenomenon; never before could learning be happening the way it is now -- everywhere, all the time, on any possible topic, supporting any possible learning style or preference. But what does being a 21st-century teacher really mean?

Below are 15 characteristics of a 21st-century teacher:

1. Learner-Centered Classroom and Personalized Instructions

As students have access to any information possible, there certainly is no need to "spoon-feed" the knowledge or teach "one-size fits all" content. As students have different personalities, goals, and needs, offering personalized instructions is not just possible but also desirable. When students are allowed to make their own choices, they own their learning, increase intrinsic motivation, and put in more effort -- an ideal recipe for better learning outcomes!

2. Students as Producers

Today's students have the latest and greatest tools, yet, the usage in many cases barely goes beyond communicating with family and friends via chat, text, or calls. Even though students are now viewed as digital natives, many are far from producing any digital content. While they do own expensive devices with capabilities to produce blogs, infographics, books, how-to videos, and tutorials, just to name a few, in many classes, they are still asked to turn those devices off and work with handouts and worksheets. Sadly, often times these papers are simply thrown away once graded. Many students don't even want to do them, let alone keep or return them later. When given a chance, students can produce beautiful and creative blogs, movies, or digital stories that they feel proud of and share with others.

3. Learn New Technologies

In order to be able to offer students choices, having one's own hands-on experience and expertise will be useful. Since technology keeps developing, learning a tool once and for all is not a option. The good news is that new technologies are new for the novice and and experienced teachers alike, so everyone can jump in at any time! I used a short-term subscription to www.lynda.com, which has many resources for learning new technologies.

4. Go Global

Today's tools make it possible to learn about other countries and people first hand. Of course, textbooks are still sufficient, yet, there is nothing like learning languages, cultures, and communication skills from actually talking to people from other parts of the world.

It's a shame that with all the tools available, we still learn about other cultures, people, and events from the media. Teaching students how to use the tools in their hands to "visit" any corner of this planet will hopefully make us more knowledgable and sympathetic.

5. Be Smart and Use Smart Phones

Once again -- when students are encouraged to view their devices as valuable tools that support knowledge (rather than destructions), they start using them as such. I remember my first years of teaching when I would not allow cell phones in class and I'd try to explain every new vocabulary word or answer any question myself -- something I would not even think of doing today!

I have learned that different students have different needs when it comes to help with new vocabulary or questions; therefore, there is no need to waste time and explain something that perhaps only one or two students would benefit from. Instead, teaching students to be independent and know how to find answers they need makes the class a different environment!

I have seen positive changes ever since I started viewing students' devices as useful aid. In fact, sometimes I even respond by saying "I don't know -- use Google and tell us all!" What a difference in their reactions and outcomes!

6. Blog

I have written on the importance of both student and teacher blogging. Even my beginners of English could see the value of writing for real audience and establishing their digital presence. To blog or not to blog should not be a question any more!

7. Go Digital

Another important attribute is to go paperless -- organizing teaching resources and activities on one's own website and integrating technology bring students learning experience to a different level. Sharing links and offering digital discussions as opposed to a constant paper flow allows students to access and share class resources in a more organized fashion.

8. Collaborate

Technology allows collaboration between teachers & students. Creating digital resources, presentations, and projects together with other educators and students will make classroom activities resemble the real world. Collaboration should go beyond sharing documents via e-mail or creating PowerPoint presentations. Many great ideas never go beyond a conversation or paper copy, which is a great loss! Collaboration globally can change our entire experience!

9. Use Twitter Chat

Participating in Twitter chat is the cheapest and most efficient way to organize one's own PD, share research and ideas, and stay current with issues and updates in the field. We can grow professionally and expand our knowledge as there is a great conversation happening every day, and going to conferences is no longer the only way to meet others and build professional learning networks.

10. Connect

Connect with like-minded individuals. Again, today's tools allow us to connect anyone, anywhere, anytime. Have a question for an expert or colleague? Simply connect via social media: follow, join, ask, or tell!

11. Project-Based Learning

As today's students have an access to authentic resources on the web, experts anywhere in the world, and peers learning the same subject somewhere else, teaching with textbooks is very "20th-century" (when the previously listed option were not available). Today's students should develop their own driving questions, conduct their research, contact experts, and create final projects to share all using devices already in their hands. All they need from their teacher is guidance!

12. Build Your Positive Digital Footprint

It might sound obvious, but it is for today's teachers to model how to appropriately use social media, how to produce and publish valuable content, and how to create sharable resources. Even though it's true that teachers are people, and they want to use social media and post their pictures and thoughts, we cannot ask our students not to do inappropriate things online if we ourselves do it. Maintaining professional behavior both in class and online will help build positive digital footprint and model appropriate actions for students.

13. Code

While this one might sound complicated, coding is nothing but today's literacy. As a pencil or pen were "the tools" of the 20th-century, making it impossible to picture a teacher not capable to operate with it, today's teacher must be able to operate with today's pen and pencil, i.e., computers. Coding is very interesting to learn -- the feeling of writing a page with HTML is amazing! Even though I have ways to go, just like in every other field, a step at a time can take go a long way. Again, lynda.com is a great resource to start with!

14. Innovate

I invite you to expand your teaching toolbox and try new ways you have not tried before, such as teaching with social media or replacing textbooks with web resources. Not for the sake of tools but for the sake of students!

Ever since I started using TED talks and my own activities based on those videos, my students have been giving a very different feedback. They love it! They love using Facebook for class discussions and announcements. They appreciate novelty -- not the new tools, but the new, more productive and interesting ways of using them.

15. Keep Learning

As new ways and new technology keep emerging, learning and adapting is essential. The good news is: it's fun, and even 20 min a day will take you a long way!

As always, please share your vision in the comment area! Happy 21st-century teaching!

Relationships are the Heart of Great Teaching

If I were to sum up teaching in one word it would be relationships. They are at the centre of all learning for both children and adults. This is a heartwarming TED talk by Rita Pierson who shares her passion for teaching and the important role we have as educators.

When thinking about modern, innovative learning we need to consider relationships and how can what we are doing enhance the relationships were are building.

• Why are we changing groups every three weeks?
• How can flexible groupings be used to strengthen relationships?
• Will some children work better with a particular teacher?
• Does the child need to see things from a different perspective to make the learning clearer?
• Would the child be best with their 'home room' teacher and not move elsewhere?

Research to Support Modern, Innovative Learning Spaces

When our school started the master planning process over a year ago we were on the hunt for research to support the move to modern, collaborative spaces. This link provides a great synopsis of research published in 2006 and whilst nearly 10 years old is still very relevant. It is well worth a read but in a nutshell discusses;

• Impact on learning
• Spaces due for an overhaul
• Power of active learning
• Facilitating focus
• Flexibility
• Comfort
• Decenteredness
• Community

Feedback and a Growth Mindset

Austin's Butterfly is a fabulous illustration of how children are able to respond to quality feedback and make improvements to their work. In order to do this children must have a growth mindset and be aware that learning is a process, seeking to challenge and improve. The use of praise is interesting too, Austin is given praise for persevering and his efforts that lead to improvements.





Dylan Wiliam shares a snippet of his work with self and peer assessment.  This is not the marking of another's work but time for students to formatively assess each others work which has huge benefits for both children involved in the process.

Great Sites and Apps to Motivate Writing

At a recent professional development session with Louise Dempsey some great sites were share to motivate writing.

Bored Panda is a site filled with fabulous photos and motivational stories that will inspire writing.

The Kids Should See This is a collection of smart videos for curious minds of all ages. Topics included are: science, nature, tech, DIY, music and much more. They are high quality, age appropriate and kid friendly making them perfect resources for the classroom.

Go Pro is worth investigating as it houses hundreds of videos and photos submitted by Go Pro users from around the world. From wild animals to riding waves you can join in the fun and see if from a unique perspective. Perfect to use for first person stories.

Apps worth investigating include:
Book Creator - an app that easily allows ebooks to be published.
Popplet - a tool for the iPad and web that allows you to capture and organise your ideas.
Telligami - an app that lets you create an avatar in front of a background then record a message worth sharing.

Formative Assessment

We know that one of the best ways to improve student outcomes is to provide quality feedback. It is also essential we give students the tools to clarify their understanding.

Love this link to a post on one of my favourite education sites, Edutopia.


This page provides a download to a list to keep in your planning folder as a reference to pop in reflection and revision ideas when planning your week.

Reading and Quotes; Two of My Favourite Things

This page contains great quotes from the works of Roald Dahl.

Love them!

Create Quotes for the Classroom

If you know me you will know that I am the quote queen. This is a fantastic site that help you create words of wisdom into cool posters for the classroom.

The site is called recitethis.com