1. Strategies for effective teaching and learning
Dr. Cody Lawson
Assistant Professor- Education
Office: Jonas 225

2. How to focus in the age of distraction…

4. Teaching Strategies in Social Studies
This short video displays a few of the educational strategies that are designed to teach analysis and retention, as well as the ability to re-analyze previously learned information. These new strategies are essential for any student enrolled in a course that requires the analysis, memorization, and then re-analysis of a large amount of content-specific material.  Learn more at
Teaching Strategies in Social Studies
Do you remember this? Isn’t this the perfect example of Ineffective teaching?
Boring Economics Teacher

5. Classroom Instruction that works
Identifying similarities and differences
Summarizing and note taking
Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
Homework and practice
Nonlinguistic representations
Cooperative learning
Setting objectives and providing feedback
Generating and testing hypotheses
Cues, questions, and advance organizers
Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering

6. Graphic Organizers

7. Discussion Strategies • Think • Pair • Share

8. THINK
Provide a few minutes of quiet “think time” to allow students, individually, to review their own descriptions and images of the targeted terms in their notebooks.
Consider modeling for them, by thinking aloud, some of the kinds of thinking they might do during this quiet time.

9. PAIR
After students have had a chance to think about the targeted terms, organize them into pairs and ask them to discuss their descriptions and pictures of the terms with their partners. You might need to guide these interactions by suggesting or modeling ways they can discuss the terms, such as
* Comparing their descriptions of the term.
* Describing their pictures to each other.
* Explaining to each other any new information they have learned or “ahas” they have experienced since the last time they reviewed the terms.
* Identifying areas of disagreement or confusion and seeking clarification from you or other resources.
Ask students not to change their entries in their notebooks yet. At this point in the process, they should simply be discussing their understanding of the terms.

10. SHARE
Invite students to share aloud with the whole class any new thoughts or understandings they have discussed in their pairs.
As students share, highlight interesting ideas and encourage students to explain any examples of confusion or any misconceptions that surfaced during their discussions.
This step provides an opportunity for you to make sure that confusion and misconceptions have been resolved accurately.
Ask students to make additions and revisions to their notebook entries.
Monitor their work to ensure that their additions and revision are accurate.

11. Formative Assessments
Formal and informal presentation
Scientific method being applied
Reading aloud
Talking about one’s work
Persuasive debates
Following instructions
Measuring objects
Presenting own work
Dialogues
Storytelling

12. More formative assessments
Dramas/role play
Music-related activities
Group or partner activities
Designing a Web page
Giving opinions
Listening to others
Charades
Sculpture
Puppet shows
Teaching a lesson

13. Digital Storytelling: An example
Digital Storytelling- Writing Prompts for Elementary Education
Digital Storytelling Helpful hints and tips
Project Ideas and Examples of Digital Storyboards

15. Social Bookmarking
An online list of bookmarks, categorized by keywords (“tags”) and available to other members
Social bookmarking allows different people to create and post customized resource lists of sites related to any number of topics
Recommended Sites:
(bookmarks are of places in the world, with linked information)
Ideas for the Classroom:

16. Glogster http://edu.glogster.com Online poster making site
Free educational account
Embed or share link
Teacher sample
Student sample
Glog rubric
Classroom ideas:
Alternative to book report
Science notebooking / digital
science fair
Biographies
Getting to know you
Writing process

17. Blogs Many free blogging sites
Blogger, Posterous, Twitter
Post topics, questions, content review, resources
Students comment on blog posts and reply to each other
Teacher sample – US History
Teacher sample – 5th grade math
Blogging rubric
Classroom ideas:
Reading response journal
Problem of the day
Student writing - peer revision
Science notebooking
Parent communication

18. Closures Handout for lesson closures and examples
Reflections, Questions for review, exit slips, quizzes, forced choice activity, skit, graphic organizers, etc.
Refer to handout and Daily Wrap Up activities!

19. Daily Wrap-Up What changes in your “usual routine” might be necessary?
The KEY to improving student achievement is not looking at HOW to assess, but focusing on WHAT to assess.

20. THANKS!