Keeping Them All Engaged: Active Participation by Traci Blackburn, Instructional Coach Stephanie Rountree, Reading Support Specialist (based on the work of Anita L. Archer, Ph.D.)

Active Participation Why? What? Increased academic achievement Increased on-task behavior Decreased behavioral challenges What? Verbal Responses Action Responses Written Responses GOAL- ALL Students Respond. When possible use response procedures that engage ALL students.

Active Participation Power Teaching /Whole Brain Learning Class! YES! Teach! OKAY! Switch! http://wholebrainteaching.com (Chris Biffle)

Active Participation Think Pair Share Have students think about responses. Can also be written and recorded as a quick write. Pair Have students share their ideas with their partners. You might have them record their partner’s best ideas or simply share orally. As students are sharing, record ideas on charts, graphic organizers or boards. Share Use for sharing with the class or a “sharing wall” (post-it notes on window, door etc…).

Active Participation - Choral Responses (Use when answers are short & the same.) Whole/small group Choral Responses Students are looking at the teacher. Ask a question. Put up your hands to indicate silence. Give thinking time. (wait time) Lower your hands as you say, “Everyone.” Students looking at a common stimulus. Point to the stimulus. (words on a chart, board, poster, etc.) Give thinking time. Tap for a response.

Active Participation - Choral Responses Choral Responses Students are looking at their own book/paper. Ask a question. Use an auditory signal. (“Everyone” , snap, tap, etc.) Hints for Choral Responses Give adequate thinking time. (3 second rule on average) Have students signal to indicate enough thinking time for questions requiring longer processing time/written.(thumbs up/pencils down). If students don’t respond or they blurt out an answer, repeat.

Active Participation - Partners (Use when the answers are long or different.) Partners Assign partners. Pair lower/middle or middle/higher performing students. Give the partners a number (#1 or #2). Sit partners next to each other. Utilize triads when appropriate.

Active Participation - Partners Other hints for partners Give students a “sentence starter.” Teach students how to work together and give appropriate feedback. Teach LOOK, LEAN, AND WHISPER technique. Change the partnerships occasionally (every three to six weeks).

Active Participation - Partners Uses of partners. 1. Say answer to partner. 2. Retell prior learning/steps . 3. Review content (Tell, Help, Check). 4. Brainstorm (Think, Pair, Share). 5. Explain process, strategy, or algorithm using examples. 6. Read to or with partner.

Active Participation - Partners Other Uses of partners. Monitor partner to see if directions are followed. *name, page #, all complete, etc. Share materials with partners. Assist partners during independent work. Collect papers, handouts, assignments for absent partners.

Video - Active Participation (Segment 1: Active Participation - 2nd/7th ) http://vimeo.com/6771051 http://vimeo.com/6771095

Video - Active Participation S-L-A-N-T What other good instructional practices did you observe? Think - Pair – Share

Active Participation - Individual Turns Less desirable practices #1. Calling on volunteers. Guidelines: Call on volunteers when the answer is a product of personal experience. Don’t call on volunteers when the answer is a product of instruction or reading. Instead expect that all students could answer your question. #2. Calling on inattentive students.

Active Participation - Individual Turns Option #1 – Partner First - Have students share answers with their partners. - Call on a student or partner to share. Option #2 – Question First - Ask a question. - Raise your hands to indicate silence. - Give thinking time. *Wait time I & Wait time 2 - Call on a student. Option #3 – Whip Around or Pass This strategy is best used when there are many possible answers to a question.

Active Participation - Individual Turns Procedures for calling on students to insure that all students are involved. Procedure #1 - Call on students in different parts of the room. Procedure #2 - Write names on cards or sticks. Draw a name. *Equity Sticks*

Active Participation - Individual Turns If a student is called on and says “I don’t know.” Scaffold his/her response. Procedure #1 - Have student consult with his/her partner. Procedure #2 - Have student refer to his/her book. Procedure #3 – Have student “phone-a-friend”. Procedure #4 - Give a clue or simply tell student an answer. If answer is short have class repeat with “everyone” signal. **Go back to this same student to also hold them accountable for the answer!

Active Participation - Other Responses Act out. (facial expressions, movement, etc.) Touch Stimulus. (point to, follow along, etc.) Keeps students engaged Helps with monitoring Use hand signals or gestures. Useful to share categorical responses. Carefully introduce and model hand signals.

Active Participation – Gestures (Examples) Drawing Conclusions: When you draw a conclusion you use 2 things: What you know in your HEAD and What you’ve read in the STORY. Literary Devices Simile- “Compares 2 things using LIKE or AS” Onomatopoeia – a word that imitates sound Crash-Boom-Pow!

Active Participation - Other Responses continued Display answer with response cards. Ask a question. Have students display card or point to response. Pinch Cards- (e.g., vocabulary words, story grammar elements, grapheme, punctuation, numeracy, operation symbols). A,B,C,D color-coded cards

Active Participation – Written Responses 3-2-1 Three-tear sheet Quick write/Quick draw Exit Tickets Dry Erase Boards/Response Paddles Think-Pair-Share Post-it notes work GREAT!

3-2-1 Reflection T-P-S Your big aha! 3- ways students can respond during a lesson? 2- ways you could use response cards? 1-thing you learned today that you would like to try in your classroom? Your big aha!

Contact Information Traci Blackburn tblackburn@bradleyschools.org Stephanie Rountree srountree@bradleyschools.org