1. Helping Students Become Independent Learners
Lori A. Hamilton, MS, MSEd, NBCT
Southeast Kansas Educational Service Center

2. Classroom Culture
The inclusive classroom is one that has accepted the right of any student to participate with all others in the process of learning. Difference in race, ethnicity, and gender do not lessen that right. Neither does difference in ability. All learners are accepted as members of the classroom community as equal participants within their abilities and needs.

3. Inclusion: Basic Principles
All children have a right to a place in the regular classroom
Each student should participate, at some level, in all classroom activities
All children have individual abilities and needs that should be recognized
All children are learners
Teachers, paraprofessionals and students are colleagues in the act of learning

4. Types of Participation
Full participation
Student joins others throughout the activity to the same extent as his/her peers
E.g., group work, cooperative learning
Partial participation
Student participates in some part of the activity that is seen as important and equal to what the students are doing

5. Types of Participation
Pull out
Student taken to a specific area to complete a specific task that is seen as necessary to that student’s learning that cannot be achieved within the classroom

6. A Few More Words… 1:1 work may be perceived as stigmatizing
Student never “pulled out” because you do not know what to do with him/her
Student should be “pulled out” because you know what you need to do and you believe that working in a specific setting would be more beneficial than working within the classroom
Helpful to have a peer(s) accompany the student and join the activity
1:1 work may be perceived as stigmatizing
Learning to work with others is more important
than learning to work alone

7. Strategies for
Encouraging Participation in Discussions and Cooperative Learning Groups

8. How can we get our shiest students, or even our student with her head down in the back of our class, participating? While cold calling, randomizers or pulling a Popsicle stick will ensure students are equally called upon, some students find that approach frightening or annoying…

9. Strategies for Encouraging Participation… Continued Three Seconds
The average wait time is 1.5 seconds between asking a question and calling on a student. By increasing the wait time to a mere three seconds, the following occurs:
Accuracy increases
"I don’t know" decreases
Student responses get longer
Achievement on tests increases
More students participate
You should literally count at least three Mississippis in your head after asking each question.

10. Strategies for Encouraging Participation… Continued
2. Hand Out Questions in Advance
Pre-plan a few questions that you want to ask, write them on slips, and hand each student one question at the beginning of class. Once it’s time to ask the question, reach out first to the kids who had the question, then to the rest of the class. Try dividing the class into the groups whose members had the same question so that they have a chance to chat first before sharing out.

11. Strategies for Encouraging Participation… Continued
Anonymous Questioning
There is software to check for understanding that can be accessed via smartphone, tablet or laptop. You can incorporate all types of questions from multiple-choice to short answers, and responses can be anonymously represented via graph. You can then make informed decisions with rapid, real-time data. Kids love it because they get to use technology, feel safe and get immediate feedback.

12. Strategies for Encouraging Participation… Continued
4. Choice Questions
It's important to incorporate questions that have more than one right answer, but broad, open-ended questions can be decrease participation. Try incorporating some choices or either/or questions.
Instead of asking, "How are you going to solve today's equation?", try "Would you rather use the simplify or guess-and-check method for today's equation?“
Instead of asking, "Which character exhibits what it means to be a friend?", try "Would Charlotte or Wilbur make a better friend? Why?"

13. Strategies for Encouraging Participation… Continued
Snowball to Avalanche
This is a fun kinesthetic strategy:
Have a really debatable question? Start the discussion. When a student answers, they become a "snowflake." As students agree with the original student, they move their bodies closer to that student to "build on that snowflake,"’ making a snowball. If you choose a great question, there should be several snowballs throughout the room that eventually, if one side is more convincing, turn into an avalanche. Kids will love showing allegiance to their classmates' ideas. And they can definitely change their minds.
As kids show their allegiance, call on different kids to share out why they are taking that particular stand.

14. Strategies for Encouraging Participation… Continued
Estimation Line-Ups
Ask kids a question that has a numerical response based on a sliding scale Place a number line around your classroom walls. Students stand under their number/answer preparing to share why. Fold the line in half so the students who most strongly disagreed with each other now chat before sharing out to the whole class.
"On a scale of 1-5, 5 being 'strongly agree,' 1 being 'strongly disagree,' should Jack and the boys take Piggy's glasses?"

15. Scaffolding for Increased Student Independence….

16. Scaffolding can increase student independence and ACHIEVEMENT!!!
Goals of Scaffolding:
The idea of scaffolding instruction is to provide instruction just beyond what the learner can do by themselves.
The teacher or tutor can provide the scaffolds so that the student can accomplish tasks they could otherwise not complete without assistance.
Scaffolding is about helping the learner through their specific ZPD.

18. Scaffolding is an instructional technique whereby
the teacher models the desired learning strategy or
task, then gradually shifts the responsibility to the
students.

19. I Do, We Do, You Do strategy….

20. Students become independent, self-regulated learners through instruction that is deliberately and carefully scaffolded.
Scaffolding is a tool that provides the support and structure necessary for students to become independent, self-regulated learners.

21. Scaffolding Techniques
Teachers provide substantial support in early stage of new concept
Verbal
Procedural
Instructional

22. Verbal Scaffolding…
Paraphrasing
Think Alouds
Reinforce contextual definitions

23. Procedural Scaffolding…
Demonstrating to students the steps to a process or a procedure
Step by step instructions

24. Instructional Scaffolding…
Use scaffolding to help students understand what they are learning
Example: Use a graphic organizer to highlight what material is covered in a particular chapter or lesson.

26. Share at your tables… “how
can I use these strategies
with the students that I
Work with?

27. Strategies
to avoid
“giving answers”
to students…

28. Wait Time – A Three Step Process
1. Teacher asks the question to all students. Name one component of a good paragraph. 2. Teacher pauses and allows students to think about the question and how he/she is going to answer the question. (3 – 5 seconds) 3. Teacher will retrieve the answer from a student.

29. Extended Wait Time - Four Step Process
Teacher Asks the question to all students
Teacher pauses and allows students to think the question and process his/her answer
Teacher allows students to pair up with another student to share each other’s responses – The teacher can tell specific student he/she will be calling on them
Teacher will retrieve answers from students

30. Think Time 2 Allow Think Time, then 3. Repeat the question
1. Ask the question
2 Allow Think Time, then
3. Repeat the question
4. Request a response from all or an individual
5. Answers should be something that was reviewed, studied or should be known for all
6. A wrong response would lead back to Remember ….. When we discussed…..
7. Go to another student for a correct answer, then
8. Go back to the student that had the incorrect answer, for the correct response.

31. Provide and Exit - The Pass Option
A strategy designed to facilitate the human needs of students in a structured instructional environment.
The pass option may be used by a student when the student does not know the answer, is embarrassed, or was not listening. When the response is given, the teacher goes back to the student who used the pass option and asks them to tell one thing they heard from the previous student.
Do not limit the number of pass options a student may use; however, when a student misuses the opportunity to pass, a re- teaching session may need to be scheduled.

32. Checking for Understanding
Content: We need to stop and check for understanding in content approximately every:
PreK – 2nd grade to 4 minutes
3rd – 6th grade to 7 minutes
Middle School ---6 to 7 minutes
High School minutes

33. Students will remember content much better!
10 to 2 Formula
10 minutes of quality instruction and then,
2 minutes of a summary.
Students will remember content much better!

34. Checking for Understanding
Questioning techniques by a teacher when monitoring students on whether a direction or part of a lesson is understood.
**Can be used as part of the 10 to 2 Formula
Directions:
Have students repeat the set of directions.
A different student gives each one of the STEPS
Don’t have student use hands.
Every time you give a set of direction, check for understanding by asking the students to repeat the directions.
This increases listening skills. Students will start to listen if they know you are going to ask them to repeat them every time.

35. Effective techniques
to foster and
maximize student
independence

36. It’s an age-old saying, “Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day
It’s an age-old saying, “Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.”
Helping students become independent is the greatest gift we can give them and our ethical obligation,

37. 1. Make It a Safe Place To Fail
We must give our children and students room to fail. The fear of failure cripples a student’s ability to risk new endeavors and try something new. Give them lots of space to mess up and make mistakes. Show them failure is NOT fatal.

38. 2. Encourage Curiosity
As much as possible, allow your student’s curiosity to take them to new places.

39. 3. Give Your Students a Voice
Teaching students how to disagree and debate respectfully helps them to develop their own internal voice – something that is crucial when there aren’t hordes of people patting you on the back later in life.

40. 4. Tiered Responsibility
In teaching new subjects, you should first model the concept, then assist the student with the concept, and then let the student work on the concept independently. Each step is critical to allowing the student the chance to trust in his/her ability. “I do, we do, then you do!”

41. 5. Foster Peer Support
In the classroom, students who feel “I CAN” usually have friendships that offer further support when the going gets tough. There is a type of peer pressure that benefits students to complete their assignments. Try to foster that kind of encouragement when working with students.

42. 6. Use Natural Consequences
Natural consequences (without condemnation) work well to steer students that need to get back on track. This works closely with creating a place to fail safely. You don’t want to strip students of natural consequences – that isn’t real life.

43. 7. Confidence Building
Periodically offer activities that boost confidence. Shower them with praise or arrange a group roasting of one particular individual that is working particularly hard. Do things that help bolster their unique strengths and abilities. Not everyone is a math whiz perhaps, but each student has a talent that should be celebrated.

44. 8. Model How To Learn
Try exploring a topic together that you all know nothing about. They will carefully observe how you are learning to get ideas for how to do it themselves. If you aren’t overly critical when you fail or mess up, that will stick.

45. 9. Don’t Impose Limitations
Sometimes the assignment limits a student’s possibility. Rather than limiting them, give them an opportunity to see how far they can go. You’ll have a few students who go way under what you were hoping for, but you might be surprised to see how far some students go when there aren’t any limitations on the goal. Then it gives you the opportunity to say, “WOW I didn’t realize you could…” and watch their faces light up with confidence and joy.

46. 10. Use Real-Life Examples of Perseverance
Take time out of the day to study other “can-do” leaders. Study people who rose out of hard circumstances, people with crippling disabilities who still went on to beat the odds, and those who failed repeatedly before their big successes. 

47. 11. Teach Students How To Set Manageable Goals
When a task feels overwhelming, the “I can,” quickly falls apart. Teach the art of goal setting – how to break down a big project into miniature steps.

48. 12. Teach Students How To Overcome Disappointment
Overcoming disappointment is the foundation to an “I still can” attitude. When your students face a loss, teach them how to step back and see the bigger picture, feel the loss, talk it out, and then move onward.

49. 13. Reward Attitude, Not Just Aptitude
Life is 90% attitude, 10% ability. In school we have it backwards. You can create an atmosphere if positive attitude, even when you are obligated to produce “results”.

50. 14. Believe In Their Abilities
Ultimately a child must come to believe in his/herself. But before that can happen, someone older and wiser must hedge their bets on that child. As you get to know each of your students, extend great confidence and let them know that you are rooting for them.

51. 15. Accept The “Mess”
Learning is messy. Childhood is messy. The whole thing is a big ball of failures and flub ups, which ultimately produces an adult who has the skills and knowledge to succeed in some area of life. Things are not always orderly or in the proper spot, but it is okay.

52. 16. Offer Reflection After The Project Is Over
After a failure or a success, self-reflection is crucial. Ask questions like,
What part of this was easiest for you?
What part was most difficult?
Where do you think you could have worked harder?
Do you think you could have worried less about…?
How do you hope next time goes?
Is there anything you wish you could have told yourself at the beginning of this project?
Are you proud of your work? Why or why not?

53. 17. Give Immediate Feedback
Immediate and specific feedback helps keep students on track.

54. 18. Give Both Short And Long-Term Assignments
Students need to flex muscles of patience and perseverance during long projects. For the short ones, they need concentration and focus.

55. 19. Identify Obstacles And Negative Beliefs
Oftentimes we want to blame our circumstances, our lack of ability, lack of time, etc. but the true problem is our mindset. The biggest obstacles happen between the ears.

56. 20. Let Go Of The Idea That a Student’s Success Reflects On You
It is so much easier to facilitate learning when you aren’t wrapped up in the outcome. We want to know that our own tactics are producing results. It is easier to develop a safe environment for failing when you are the neutral (but compassionate) supporter, rather than someone who is holding your breath on the outcome of the project. It’s a balance of care and at the same time, a healthy detachment that keeps you free from your own worry and stress .

57. Share out…. Walkabout!
What is a strategy that you will use when you get back in your classroom?

58. What are Paraprofessionals? (My Take)
Para’s are like…
BAYER ASPIRIN
They work miracles.
CHEVY
They are like rocks!

59. What are Paraprofessionals?
Para’s are like…
COKE
They are the real thing.
HALLMARK CARDS
They care enough to send their very best.

60. What are Paraprofessionals?
Para’s are like…
GENERAL ELECTRIC
They bring good things to liGHT.
ALLSTATE
Your in good hands with them.

61. What are Paraprofessionals?
Para’s are like…
V0-5 HAIR SPRAY
They hold through all kinds of weather.
the U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor ice will keep them from their appointed destination.

62. What are Paraprofessionals?
But Most of all…
Para’s are like FROSTED FLAKES
They’re GRRRRREAT!!!!!
Hurray for Paras!

63. Thank You! Have an awesome school year!