Category Archives: Collaborative Learning
The Multilevel Teacher: Creating a Common Classroom Experience
As educators, we know how to differentiate instruction one student at a time, but how do we differentiate instruction for a whole classroom of students at once? And how do we maintain cohesion in a classroom with so many moving parts? A Common Classroom Experience In our digital age, the classroom presents a unique opportunity …
The Multisensory Checklist for Teaching Language
Here is a list I wrote to remind myself of the many modalities I can use in my class. Instructions: Just think back to your last week or two of teaching and check the boxes off. (To maximize this exercise, do it at regular intervals for several weeks.) Don’t expect to check all the boxes. …
Conversation Cards: A Warm-up Activity
Questions are the springboard for most conversations in English, whether they be “What do you do?” “Are you from around here?” or “How was your day?” These questions are a great way to open or extend a conversation. In my low-level English class we practice and recycle these questions regularly. Here’s how: Conversation Cards At …
Language for Working in Teams
Group work requires all sorts of language that might not be in the book. This is the language of turn-taking, clarifying, and making suggestions. Explicitly teach these gambits before students get into groups, so everyone is equipped with the language skills to work together.
Mixing It Up!
Teachers have shared really great ideas in my workshops for getting students into groups. This is one of my favorites: use a deck of cards.
Working Across Levels in the Multi-level Classroom
How can a teacher help mixed-level groups work together better?
