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The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
AudioMass is a new online audio editing tool that I recently learned about on Product Hunt. AudioMass doesn't require any registration in order to use it. In fact, there isn't even an option to...
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
The rapid shift to tech-driven, remote learning this spring has infused more technology into K-12 education, but AI tools still remain on the fringe.
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
Smarter eLearning: Promoting Higher-Leveling Thinking In Online Courses
contributed by Rosa Fattahi, WizIQ
Since the ancient days of philosopher Socrates, asking questions has been a critical part of the teaching and learning process.
The well-known question-and-answer technique that Socrates employed with his pupils demonstrated how well dialogue and discourse work to stimulate students, encourage more complex thinking, and help them learn. For educators, verbal questioning also helps foster a sense of community in the classroom and keeps students engaged in the instructional process. Thus, in order to maintain active classroom dialogue and encourage student involvement, it is important for teachers to understand and employ effective questioning techniques.
Questions are invaluable teaching tools that serve many functions in the teaching and learning processes. Teachers use questions for many reasons, such as to:
Assess knowledge and learning
Prompt students to clarify, expand, and support their claims
Direct students to engage in discussion or debate
Encourage students to question their own thought process or reasoning
Apply class concepts to real-world scenarios
Verbal questioning is one of the most common pedagogical tools, second only to perhaps lecturing. However, the art of good questioning practices that facilitate higher-order, more complex thinking in students takes time and planning. In addition, for online teachers, effective questioning techniques must be restructured to suit the technological medium of the course.
Effective Questioning Addresses a Range of Cognitive Skills
It is important that traditional and online teachers employ a variety of question types that address a range of intellectual skills.
Questions should not only be used to assess student comprehension of the material, but also to help students extend their thinking and creativity skills by connecting ideas to each other and applying concepts to the real world. For teachers, this means first having a clear understanding of hierarchy of lower order to higher-order intellectual skills, and then using questioning techniques in the classroom that address the full range.
Bloom’s Taxonomy is the most commonly used framework for understanding the hierarchy of intellectual skills that students demonstrate. For effective questioning in the classroom, teachers should ask questions relating to each category. Following is Bloom’s Taxonomy listed from the least to the highest order of thinking skills, and including example verb prompts that might be used to display each skill:
Knowledge = basic recollection of information or data, with questions often beginning with words such as define, list, or repeat
Comprehension = displaying a deeper understanding of a concept’s meaning, with questions often beginning with words such as describe, explain, or identify
Application = using a learned concept in solving a problem or situation, with questions beginning with words such as demonstrate, predict, or solve
Analysis = explaining the component parts of a concept, breaking it down to distinguish between facts and assumptions, with questions beginning with words such as infer, compare/contrast, or relate
Synthesis = combining the parts of a concept to form an original, creative idea or solve a problem in a new, useful way, with questions beginning with words such as create, devise, or plan
Evaluation = independently judging the value, usefulness, or strength of learned ideas or concepts, with questions beginning with words such as assess, interpret, or choose
Lower vs. Higher Order Thinking Skills & Convergent vs. Divergent Question Types
The classification of question types reflected in Bloom’s hierarchy has also been simplified into two groups: lower-order and higher-order cognitive skills.
Lower order cognitive skills are fostered by questions that ask students to display their knowledge and comprehension of concepts. Generally, such lower-order intellectual skills can be honed with convergent, or ‘closed’ questions, which have an anticipated response and do not require original thought on the part of the student. Convergent, lower-order questions are usually ‘what’ questions that require basic recall and explanation.
On the other hand, higher-order cognitive skills are seen in answering questions that require application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These skills are best furthered with divergent, or ‘open,’ questions, which have a number of possible responses and demand both reasoning and creative thinking from the students. Divergent, higher-order questions often ask students ‘why’ or ‘how’ and force students to think more critically about the subject.
Too often, teacher questions focus on the first or second, lower levels of cognition, asking questions that do not encourage students to think for themselves, apply their newly gained knowledge, or develop original ideas. Instead, teachers must consider their questioning techniques in advance, to ensure that they are using simple, convergent questions, as well as more complex, divergent questions to address all levels of cognitive skill. Overall, though, the emphasis should be on asking higher-order questions that require more developed thinking skills, which better challenge students and help them to grow intellectually.
Applying Cognitive Variation to Questioning in the Online Classroom
In the virtual setting of the online classroom, questioning techniques must be restructured to meet the restrictions of the environment. However, verbal questioning strategies will differ among online courses, depending on the type of online platform being used.
For example, many online courses do not have live teacher-student interaction, so students and teachers only interact through digital files and text. In these types of online courses, effective questioning strategies must be employed through message boards, discussion posts, and course materials. For the teachers of such courses, the challenge comes in wording prompts and planning questioning patterns to ensure that questions address all levels of cognitive skill and difficulty.
In addition to applying cognitive levels to their questioning strategies, teachers of online courses that do have a live, interactive video component may have additional tools that are useful in questioning students. In particular, many online educational platforms offer a number of features that can be used to facilitate questioning, both during and after live class sessions including interactive screens, breakout sessions, live streaming, data reporting, polling, and related engagement tools, and more.
By understanding cognitive levels and the importance of addressing a variety of thinking skills in verbal questioning, traditional and online teachers are better equipped to apply more effective questioning techniques in the classroom. For the online teacher developing online courses, this knowledge—paired with any specific online educational features they might use to apply it—will make verbal questioning the most useful pedagogical tool in their toolkit.
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
I am talking with schools to see how they’re responding in the wake of this global pandemic. I invite you to join me for the Coronavirus Chronicles, a series of 10-minute check-ins with educators all over.
Episode 022 is below. Thank you, Dan McDowell, for sharing how the Grossmont Union High School District in California is adapting to our new challenges and opportunities. I especially appreciated hearing about how your educators are staggering classes and classwork right now to accommodate the needs of students and families. Smartly done!
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
The Difference Between Personalized Learning And Individualized Learning
contributed by John McCarthy, EdS
What is the difference between personalized learning and individualized learning?
The term personalization and individualization are often used synonymously for differentiating instruction.
While both concepts support meeting students’ learning needs, they serve different purposes. For many educators, this conversation may seem like an exercise in semantics. Yet the differences in the practical usage of personalization and individualization can help improve instructional planning by teachers and be strategic in meeting the needs of all students.
Differentiation is the lens for the tools and resources for meeting learner needs. Personalization and individualization are approaches for providing the best conditions for the success of students achieving the learning goals.
Differentiation Defined
It is best to start with a common structure for taking this dive into deeper learning through Differentiation. In practice, the definition of differentiation focuses on meeting the needs of all learners, beginning through assessments of where their skills currently stand. Lorna Earl explains the relationship between assessments and Differentiation best.
She states, “Differentiation is making sure that the right students get the right learning tasks at the right time. Once you have a sense of what each student holds as ‘given’ or ‘known’ and what he or she needs in order to learn, differentiation is no longer an option; it is an obvious response.”
Differentiation in Practice: Intuitive & Intentional
There are two approaches to practicing Differentiation: Intuitive and Intentional. When used together, the effective and efficient practice of personalization and individualization of instruction can take place.
Intuitive differentiation occurs ‘in the moment’ as instruction happens. Teachers make adjustments based on “how students respond—or do not react—to the plan (John McCarthy, So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation). A core skill of teachers is being able to adapt instruction when some students appear to be lost, or for learners who find the work to be not challenging.
Intentional differentiation happens during the lesson planning process. Preplanning enables teachers “reflecting on and implementing the elements of differentiation into lessons provides strategic support of student learning” (John McCarthy, 2017). If we know that students are likely to negatively struggle with an upcoming lesson, or have previously learned the targeted skills, then preplanning differentiation based on assessment data is necessary for greater chances of learner success.
Once the plan is in place from intentional differentiation, teachers will have prepared responses to the predicted likely needs of learners, such as leveled activities aligned to readiness skills of students, graphic organizers, and/or opportunities for students to drive how they can best demonstrate their understanding. Within this context of Differentiation, personalization and individualization can be used with greater clarity.
Individualization Of Learning
Individualizing learning is likely most often used as it is a teacher-centered approach. Teachers look at assessment data to identify trends for the common needs of the group, either whole class or through small groups. For example, students working on research and writing may be identified into groups based on skill level for writing details, from a basic listing to using text evidence.
When individualizing, teachers develop supportive designs, using student data. Students may be given choices, but they are generally not included in the drafting process. This teacher-centered approach is useful when the scaffolds and adjustments can be generalized based on students’ shared common needs.
The learning experiences may be differentiated in several ways:
Whole-Class
The teacher provides a variety of graphic organizers and other tools to students based on their needs while conducting a whole class experience. The lesson might also include jigsaws or think-pair-shares that encourage students to support each other’s thinking during the whole class lesson.
Small Groups & Individuals
The teacher plans centers activities where students rotate between stations that include folders, each assigned to the needs of student groups. The centers could also be virtual to add more options and address any room space challenges. The teacher has the option to move around to provide help where needed or run a station to meet with groups or individuals for coaching support.
Choice-based
The teacher designs and offers set choices. The students pick from the options, giving them some control of their learning experience. Choice is a gateway to true student voice, which is often fostered through personalized learning.
Other examples of Individualization might include Guided Reading and leveled math groups or classes. Often when we think about the readiness skills of learners, we group them based on their assessment results. It is how teachers differentiate based on common needs. Identifying a student’s learning preferences and interests is used by teachers to inform lesson planning and unit development.
In each case, when the teacher drives the development work, informed by assessment data, the results can be high-quality individualization.
Personalization Of Learning
Personalizing is actively including the learner in constructing their understanding. What skills and life experiences does she have, and how could they be used to tackle concepts and skills? What the student brings is used along with academic assessment data to craft learning experiences that use the student’s strengths and interests.
For example, let students design their homework practices and assessments, with guidance on the academic criteria from the teacher. An easy first step is to give students two options as designed by the teacher. Then, give them a third option, which is to develop their own idea. The teacher listens to the student’s proposal. The design can be accepted, revised, or sent back to students for developing a new idea. If the student does not get a proposal accepted within a specified time frame, he must pick from the teacher-designed options.
Including students in the lesson or assessment development process does take more time in the short term, but may save time in the long term, because the learning connections are tighter with students’ active input. Involving students in the planning process enables them to provide ideas that “they” know will help them make learning connections, raise buy-in, and empower them to persevere where needed.
All this can happen because the student shares in the planning process.
Differentiation Meets Everyone’s Needs
Individualization and personalization are both good for meeting learner needs. While there may be arguments by proponents on both sides, what matters is differentiating for what students need to achieve. Analysis of these ideas can provide us a nuanced perspective that contributes to the search for improving student achievement. The best option will depend on the teacher’s comfort zone when planning and how best students might respond.
Individualizing is a common choice by teachers because it seems quicker to manage and plan with only one person, the teacher. Arguably, individualization based on sound assessment results can be used for many day-to-day student needs. Personalization requires teachers to be willing to give up at least some of their control of the planning.
When a student helps create what is often a performance assessment, there is no guessing by the teacher as to the fit. No need to convince students that the learning experience will be good for them because they helped make the choices.
The next time you are planning intentional differentiation, think about if individualization or personalization is the best approach for that upcoming lesson. Whichever path you choose, based on a close look at assessment data, will be good for students.
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
Certify'em is a Google Forms add-on that I've been using and recommending for a few years. Certify'em makes it easy to automatically send certificates to students when they get a minimum score on a...
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
Disclosure: Pixton EDU is currently an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com
Online comic creation tools like Pixton EDU make it possible for almost anyone to create great-looking comics and...
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
I am talking with schools to see how they’re responding in the wake of this global pandemic. I invite you to join me for the Coronavirus Chronicles, a series of 10-minute check-ins with educators all over.
Episode 024 is below. Thank you, Michael Walker and Sean Beaverson, for sharing how the Edina Public Schools in Minnesota are adapting to our new challenges and opportunities. I especially appreciated hearing about how your school district is trying to ensure that students have some deeper learning opportunities, even during the pandemic.
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
Enabling students to experience accomplishments and improvement builds their feeling of competence—a powerful intrinsic motivator.
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
The following is a new blog post related to education and teaching and relevant to our website visitors. The blog post is not based on the opinions or values of our company but is related to education and teaching, so we wanted to share it with YOU! If you ever have any questions please let us know. Now… on to the post!
For decades, lower courts have recognized an exception to the nation's employment laws for ministers. But how do we define who is a minister and who is not?
(Image credit: Alex Brandon/AP)
Time To Teach reviews each blog post by our contributors but if you feel this is a blog post better suited for another page please let us know.
Teachers and Educators are our heroes. We want to thank you for the work you do!
Yours In Education!
Time To Teach
AudioMass is a new online audio editing tool that I recently learned about on Product Hunt. AudioMass doesn't require any registration in order to use it. In fact, there isn't even an option to...
