Breaking Through Barriers To Language Acquisition
December Newsletter 2010 – a website with help for all academic disciplines
ELL Teacher Pros December 2010 Newsletter
December break is almost here (a well deserved one of course). Over the break, we often think about new techniques to spark student interest and challenge higher thinking skills with the new year. With this is mind, I found a site which does that with ease.
It is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at http://www.learnnc.org/ Though this site offers information on all academic disciplines, I selected one that took the familiar Bloom’s Taxonomy and tied it to the new (internet). With Bloom’s Taxonomy, teachers can set students up for challenging, focused academic activities on the web that will develop more creative thinkers for the future as opposed to just setting students loose on their own to “do research.”
KNOWLEDGE—factual recall (Student will name, list, label, or define something)
APPLICATION—show understanding by summarizing (student will paraphrase, illustrate the concept of something, or give examples)
COMPREHENSION—take newly acquired information and apply it to a new situation (student will demonstrate, solve the following dilemma, use this information to prepare…)
ANALYSIS—answer the question of WHY (student will differentiate between… The student will analyze and infer… student will reduce these materials and then outline)
SYNTHESIS—collect data and then with it, create a new whole or new original insight (student will design…, student will devise a new…, student will revise this work and integrate….)
EVALUATION—make a judgment. Given specific criteria, students judge the value of information gathered for a specific purpose (student will evaluate the supplied materials…, student will critique specific materials…, student will compare/contrast…, etc.)
For an example of a lesson that incorporates all 6 levels see http://www.huntington.edu/education/lessonplanning/Bloom.html Though designed for a university class, you can see how all 6 levels show up in the lesson. This approach can be used at ANY grade level. It takes time to plan, BUT once done, you save it and adjust as links die or textbooks change.
Now, let’s look at a “A picture is worth a thousand thoughts: inquiry with Bloom’s taxonomy” http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/articles/bloom0405-3/bloompix.html Something so simple as a picture can easily be tweaked to address each of the six levels of questioning. As you click on each of the 6 levels, notice how the questions and question prompts change. In a mixed mainstream class (ELLs, EOs, and those with special needs), this questioning technique would provide a challenging, academically rigorous learning environment in which every learner would develop the skills to be an independent inquisitive learner. ELLs need to able to tackle academically demanding material if they are to survive academically. Watering down curriculum with questioning that barely scratches the surface does little to prepare them for college.
Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran one, we hope you find this site one that you will bookmark and use often.
Happy holidays!
Denise, Marnie, and Cheryl
ELL Teacher Pros
4 Comments
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4/20/2012
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4/21/2012
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