BeEvenMORE Engagin g ! MBS Learning Conference 2014 Suzanne Culbreth

Culbreth Reunion

“There is no better example of the throttling of creativity than the difference between what we observe in a kindergarten classroom and what we observe in a high school classroom. Take a room full of 5 year olds and you will see creativity in all its forms positively flowing around the room. A decade later you will see the same children passively sitting at their desks, half asleep or trying to decipher what will be on the next test.” Madeline Lavine

IF teachers only provide: THEN… We are obsolete formulas theories research content

THINKvalidate synthesize collaborate problemsolve leverage We must teach our students to:

“65% of class should be student-to-student interaction…. research has proven that communication is vital to student learning. Knowing that this is true, classrooms should be arranged in groups of four and not in rows.” Tim Kanold

Content Acquisition Collaborative Practice Performance Tasks

SIMULTANEOUS ROUNDTABLE Use four different worksheets. Students answer a problem, then pass it to a teammate to check and then answer the next problem

LINE IT UP! Students place cards in the correct sequence. Trade cards and sequence again.

TEAM DISCUSS EXAMPLE / NON-EXAMPLE Each team discusses how to define the term. Team must reach consensus and 1 student records the definition. Randomly chosen groups share their definition which is then refined.

FIND THE FICTION Teammates write three statements: two true / one false. One student reads statements. Teammates guess which statement is false. Teammates defend guess. Student announces the false statement.

ONE STRAY A number is randomly called and that that student stands up. The remaining teammates stay seated but raise their hands. The teacher calls “stray”. Student strays to another team. Teams lower their hands when a new member joins.

NUMBERED HEADS TOGETHER Students number off within the team. Teacher poses a problem and students privately write their answer. Students put heads together to showing answers to discuss and share. Teacher calls a number to share with the class.

MIX N MATCH Each student is given a card which is a match for another student’s card. Students find their match. Students mix and trade cards while the music plays. Then repeat the matching process.

LION / TIGER One student provides one sheet of paper which is folded in half lengthwise with each partner’s name at the top of one column. One student tells the other how to work the problem as the other student records and checks. For the next problem roles reverse.

LION Listener Recorder Checker Tiger Talker Give instruction “First, you must…..”

FAN-N-PICK Student #1 holds question cards in a fan. “Pick a card, any card” Student #2 reads the card aloud. Student #3 answers the question. Student #4 responds to the answer.

INSIDE / OUTSIDE CIRCLE Each student numbers off as a 1 or a 2. One group forms a circle and turns around to face outward. The other group of students creates an outside circle by facing a peer from the inner circle. The teacher provides prompts or discussion topics. After allowing time for discussion, the teacher has the students in the outside circle move one or more peers to their right or left.

JOT THOUGHTS Teacher names a topic, sets a time limit and provides think time. Students write and announce as many ideas as they can in the allotted time, one idea per slip of paper. Each slip of paper is placed in the center of the table in an attempt to “cover the table”.

Teaching Channel Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies Mind / Shift

BeEvenMORE Engagin g ! MBS Learning Conference 2014 Suzanne Culbreth