Inspiring Learners
Nothing can encourage a teacher more than seeing students implement what has been taught to them. One strategy I taught in my class was to create a broadside or single sheet newspaper. I did it as a small group activity where each group of four or five students put together their own newspaper. It went very well in all three classes. In the second week of the workshop each of the three classes in our cohort puts together a demonstration lesson implementing some of the strat
The China ABC Book Project
One of our primary class’s culminating activities included having the Chinese teachers create an ABC book that would serve as both an assessment of the application of strategies and the three keys that were introduced in class, as well as an opportunity to share their Chinese cultures and traditions. The ABC book provided the opportunity for the Chinese teachers to apply their knowledge of ABC order, increase their writing motivation and confidence, recognize letter names, de
Gallery Walks in China
The activity I chose to do for my students was a Gallery Walk. The Gallery Walk’s theme was the history of Jamestown, Virginia. Students received a chart comparing and contrasting Powhatan Indians, Africans, and the English. I posted various historical pictures of each of the types of people around the room. The 6 topics students had to compare were: clothing, food, housing, technology, transportation and communication. For each topic, I provided leading questions to help gui
A Return to China
This year was my second time at the SABEH Summer Institute, and I wanted to show some new strategies I hadn’t used before. Among the new teaching methods I shared with the Chinese teacher-learners, my favorite was Literature Circles. When considering my approach to Literature Circles, I decided to combine the strategy with one I had discussed with classes previously, namely Jigsaw. Our classes had a positive experience with the Jigsaw strategy, so I combined it with the Liter
Reflecting, Remembering, and Returning
My colleagues of SABEH and I embarked on a wonderful week of touring three cities in China; all of them as beautiful as they are different. We left Zhoushan Island after a week of collaborative teaching and learning with our Chinese counterparts. We traveled on a comfortable air conditioned bus driven by Mr. Xu accompanied by a very delightful and well informed guide, Jackie, who had meticulously choreographed our itinerary from dumplings to Tea! Our first stop was in the cit
Cross-Curricular Integration and Multi-Modal Methods to Teach Vocabulary
Today's lesson emphasized alternative methods of teaching vocabulary. The purpose of the lesson was to demonstrate how teachers can implement hands-on activities by integrating English and Science to teach vocabulary relating to the environment. Environment, filter, filtration, pollutant, and pollution "came to life" today when the teachers worked together to build a water filtration system. Active participation and exposure to vocabulary by applying concepts in real-world
