More Metacognitive Ideas!

Thanks to Carolyn Markel of Moraine Valley for sharing these ideas. Way to go Carolyn for empowering your students!

"For math, I like to have the students sometimes show math problems with drawings or manipulatives.  For example, students may be able to solve 1/4 of 20 on paper, but they struggle with how to show it with manipulatives.  They are often tempted to put the counters in groups of 4, instead of showing how there are four groups, and one of those groups has 5 in it, which is the answer.   

Also, after we complete an activity in class, I often ask my students to tell me why we just did what we did.  After being with me for a few classes, students soon learn that "because it will be on the GED" is not an acceptable answer to this question.  A lot of times the students will come up with much deeper reasons for doing an activity than I originally had in mind.  I think the students find this exercise empowering because it puts them in the mindset of the instructor.  They learn that my instruction is intentional and purposeful - and that a teacher isn't a magician or a puppet-master.  There is a method to the madness, so to speak. "

Please feel free to comment and share other ideas of what you do in your classroom.

Fostering Metacognitive Skills and Critical Thinking in Your Classroom

Fostering metacognitive skills and critical thinking is a topic covered multiple times and in multiple ways in the Institute to Credential Special Learning Needs Resource Specialists. It's a topic everyone in education should value so I'm going to share some great posts from previous SLN participants and ask everyone out there to share their thoughts.

This is a topic I'll be presenting on at Elgin Community College this Saturday morning as they host the APC 509 15th Annual Adult Educator's Fall Conference. Then I will share the same information at the Forum for Excellence in Bloomington on September 22nd.  

Let's start a discussion here beginning with suggestions from Cathy Kramer of Waubonsee Community College:

 
"I would start by sharing my own thought processes.  What am I doing while reading?  How will I organize my thoughts? How will I find out the information I don’t know.   I like to share how I write down EVERYTHING I have to do during the day in the morning, even if it seems like I wouldn’t forget.  Marking each thing off my list gives me a sense of accomplishment.  Overtime, this has given me a real sense of how long each task will take to perform so that I can better organize my day."

What do you do to foster metacognitive skills and critical thinking?

Great Video for Start of the Educational Year

Check out this link suggested by Christine Decker of Parkland that features "Famous Failures":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs

What a great way to set the stage for the new educational year. It would also be a nice  starting point for classroom discussion on who these people are/were, what they did, and where we would be if they HAD given up! And you teachers know this leads to a natural writing prompt! 

Hope the new year is a great success!

 

New Dates and Locations Announced!

Visit the link below to find the applications for the 2015-16 SLN Institutes:

http://www.siue.edu/SIPDC/Special%20Learning%20Needs/Special%20Learning%20Needs%20Resource%20Specialist.htm

Thanks to Triton College hosting our northern group and Southwestern Illinois College hosting our southern group.

If you have questions or need more information, contact Sarah Goldammer at sgoldam@siue.edu

Please note if you are interested but your program is waiting for your funding, please let Sarah know and we'll work with you.

Special Learning Needs Institute 2015 - 2016

We're ready to make plans for new SLN learning groups. Click on the link below to take you to the SIPDC website and some promotional information. Dates and locations are still being finalized. If you are interested in being a part of the 15-16 group, email Sarah at sgoldam@siue.edu!

http://www.siue.edu/SIPDC/Special%20Learning%20Needs/Special_learning_needs.htm

Please Share Your Knowledge at the Forum for Excellence

We're looking for presenters for the fall conference this year. Please consider sharing your expertise with the field by submitting a proposal at:

http://icsps.illinoisstate.edu/pd/forum-for-excellence/

If you have questions or want to discuss topic ideas, please email Sarah at sgoldam@siue.edu

September 22 & 23, 2015

Bloomington - Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
 

The Forum for Excellence is Illinois’ premier Career and Technical Education (CTE) professional development event. In 2015 we are building on CTE’s expanding partnership with Adult Education (AE). This Conference is sponsored by the Illinois Community College Board, and hosted by the Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support (ICSPS), the Southern Illinois Professional Development Center (SIPDC), and the Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center (CIAESC).

“For people without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.” 

IBM Training Manual 1991

Here's another worthy technology suggestion:

Rewordify.com is powerful, free, online software that improves reading, learning, and teaching. This site can:

• Intelligently simplify difficult English, for faster comprehension
• Effectively teach words, for buildgin a better vocabulary
• Help teachers save time and produce engaging lessons
• Help improve learning outcomes

Help students to simplify words and comprehend more fully! Build individual vocabulary lessons, build engaging activities, and help students organize.

Thanks to Patricia White and Klaus Neu from Arkansas who shared this at the COABE conference!