Within Biology, especially the IB program, I realized that the students did not appreciate or utilize their best resource, the textbook. (Our school provided DP students in grade 11-12 with 3 textbooks!)

So I developed some activties to demonstrate to students how to get the best out of their textbook, as many of them have never really used textbooks in English. Of course summary notes based on the textbook are essential here too.

Here are some examples of this active reading, and students teaching each other.

You will see some interactive and dynamic ways to use the textbook, or 3!

Students recieving feedback from high scoring students.

Discussion, explanations and effective feedback.

It is many times more effective when students can explain to each other than when a teacher does it.

Students completed a 6 mark extended response past paper question.

I showed them what an incomplete answer looks like then showed them a model answer and they did peer-assessment.

This is them doing peer assessment based on the answer on the board and giving effective feedback.

You can also hear me gain control of the class again as they were talking over my istructions.

All students give their name and written feedback on the work that they are peer-assessing.

Students were loud, but that is a good thing.

They are communicating in English, asking questions and checking understanding and knowledge. I instructed them to ask questions from the texbook to their partners and to ask deeper questions. Then they got a pop quiz/formative assessment based on the topic they just learned all by themselves.

I wanted to teach them resourcefullness and active reading in this activity.

Formative assessment based on the information they just learned earlier in the active reading sessions.

It's so quiet...I love it!

And of course, we checked answers using peer assessment.

1 minute teacher, my favorite activity!

Also known as Topic Bowling, this is one of my favorite starters or plenary activities.

Random student is chosen at random to be the teacher for 1 minute, (I used our school's random selector software to choose).
All other students have to stand up and think of just one work (keyword, or concept) that was discussed in the lesson or topic.
Random student must talk (like the teacher) for 1 minute about the topic, lesson or concept, and every time a student hears their word, they sit down.
The object of the game is for the Random chosen student to get the rest of the class to sit down.

Works with any grade, any topic and subject!

Students teaching each other

If the above activity is 1 minute teacher, this is 1 class teacher. Students teach each other an entire new topic.

In these videos we can see students working hard, independently on a task to learn the concept of Defense against disease (IB) by themselves.

The asssessment would come from a peer and self assessment of effort, knowledge and clarity. Each group separated their tasks, learned their topic and taught it to each other in whatever way was best. Then they self/peer assesed each others method of 'teaching'

Very effective.

The teacher is definitely just the facilitator here.

Google Sites

Report abuse