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Unfortunately, I can't find the author of this useful Lesson Builder. I am sure I downloaded it from the Facebook page Global Innovative Language Teachers (an amazing page where teachers share a lot of resources and ideas). So, using the MARS EARS approach, this is a quick visual reminder of activities we can prepare.
COLD CALLING
Asking questions in class can be tricky. This statement may sound silly, but how we question students can sometimes affect the class' engagement. How often has it happened to you to ask a question and: a. all you hear is silence, b. everybody is calling out, c. you always have the same few people putting their hands up.
Well, I found out that while I plan my lesson, I need to remember when I will ask questions, what I will ask, and how I will do that to be inclusive and keep students engaged.
Before posing the question, I always introduce it with instructions, such as, "For this question, I want you to put your hand up." I use this type of instruction if the question is a bit hard, and I allow volunteers (generally higher-ability students, but not only) to try to answer.
However, for the majority of my questioning, I use what is called "cold calling". Cold calling is a teaching practice that has been a long-standing one in classrooms. For this strategy, I ask students to keep their hands down as I will choose who to ask. I think cold calling has the following advantages: Active Engagement: Cold calling keeps students actively engaged in the class. When students know they could be called upon at any moment, they are more likely to pay attention and participate in discussions. This active participation can enhance their understanding of the material.
Equal Opportunity: Cold calling ensures that every student has an equal chance to contribute to the discussion. It prevents a few dominant voices from monopolizing class time and allows quieter students to share their thoughts and ideas.
Encourages Preparation: Knowing they may be called upon, students are more likely to come to class prepared. They are more likely to complete assignments, read the assigned materials, and review their notes before class to avoid feeling unprepared when called upon.
Improved Retention: Active participation through cold calling can lead to better retention of information. When students engage with the material by answering questions or contributing to discussions, they are more likely to remember and understand the content.
Development of Critical Thinking: Cold calling can encourage students to think critically about the subject matter. They must be prepared to defend their responses and consider alternative viewpoints, leading to deeper learning.
Despite the many advantages, I think it is useful to point to an important downside. Cold calling may cause anxiety for some students. The fear of being called upon can make some students anxious and deter them from actively participating in the class. This can negatively impact their learning experience. However, I believe there is a solution for that, and that is the use of "Think, pair, share" which makes speaking less difficult.
THINK -PAIR -SHARE
I have been struggling with questioning my students as I always find some very dynamic students who want to answer the questions and others who just sit back because they know other people will do the hard job. This strategy
enables students to think independently on a topic or respond to a question.
fosters students' ability to exchange ideas with peers and enhances oral communication skills.
aids in directing attention and involving students in understanding the reading material.
PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO WRITING
Providing meaningful feedback is crucial in everyday lessons. While I consistently offer oral feedback, when assessing students' writing, it's imperative to ensure that our efforts yield positive and productive outcomes. Here's my approach:
As I correct students' writing, I note the most common mistakes and record them in a Word document. Typically, I note one or two mistakes for each piece of writing.
I correct the writing using symbols and various colours and maintain a separate document to track the meaning of each code.
During class, students receive a worksheet containing sentences they need to correct. Many students are pleasantly surprised to find their sentences included and eagerly engage with the task. Once this correction phase is complete, I return the corrected writing to the students and challenge them to decipher the meaning behind the codes. Once again, they demonstrate high engagement levels and collaborate to decode the errors. After some time, I reveal the meaning behind each code and instruct students to improve either a paragraph or two to three sentences, depending on the complexity of the writing.
I adopted this practice from Gordano School and have found it incredibly effective. It empowers students to focus on their writing, understand their mistakes, and direct their efforts toward improving specific areas.
SEE - THINK - WONDER STRATEGY
As "think, pair, share", the See-Think-Wonder strategy is a student-centered learning approach. As a key component of Harvard's Project Zero Visible Thinking routines, it empowers students to observe, interpret, and question diverse subjects, fostering critical thinking and lively engagement.
The See-Think-Wonder strategy consists of three steps:
See: Students carefully observe and articulate what they see in an image, text, experiment, situation, or concept. This phase involves gathering information without forming judgments or interpretations.
Think: Students analyze and interpret their observations. They share their thoughts on what they believe is occurring or the significance of the observed item or concept.
Wonder: Students pose questions based on their observations and interpretations. They express their curiosity, indicating what they would like to delve deeper into or what aspects they find perplexing or fascinating.
How can we use it in MFL teaching?
It interrogates these three questions:
What do you see?
What do you think is happening?
What does it make you wonder?
Some more reading about "visible thinking routines" here.
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