This fabulous Blooms Gardners Writing Matrix contains 42 ideas for writing! Here's 10 FREE ideas, verb posters and displays for HOTS. Love number 3!
Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical ordering of cognitive skills that can, among countless other uses, help teachers teach and students learn.
As I mentioned before, I participated in my very first webinar last night. It was hosted by the STEM Institute, and I really enjoyed the experience. The webinar was called: Communicate, Collaborate, and Create: Building Dynamic Classroom Projects. It was based on the 7 principles outlined by Robyn Jackson in her book, Never Work Harder Than Your Students. I haven't read this book, but I think I need to ... I'm afraid I'm definitely working harder than some of my students most days. ;) The neat thing about this webinar was that it took the 7 principles from the book, and applied them to technology. I want to give you a brief outline of what I learned last night, and some of the sites we were given. I haven't explored a lot of the sites yet ... but as I try them out, I'll share my experiences with you. 1) Start Where Your Students Are ... Adjust your teaching to meet your students' interests (use more technology because that's where their interests are) 2) Know Where Your Students Are Going ... As teachers, we are preparing our students for jobs that don't even exist yet ... we need to prepare them the best we can. 3) Expect Students To Get To Their Goals We want students to reach their goals, but they don't all need to be A+ students - many truly successful people were far from it in school. 4) Support Students Along The Way This is where the technology resources started - here are some websites we were given to help students learn and meet their individual learning styles: www.transl8it.com - (English to text lingo conversion - I blogged about this last night - see my post below). Google Translate - Language translation - spells it (correctly and phonetically), and says it. Skype - great for author conferences, social studies (talk to people in other countries), keep a student connected who has been absent, or is away on a trip. https://posterous.com/ - easy way to create your own blog through your email - great for setting up a class blog to keep students / parents informed. 5) Use Feedback Feedback needs to be descriptive and given in a timely fashion. If feedback is to be beneficial to the students, it needs to be given to them quickly and consistently. edmodo.com - It's almost like a kind of facebook - but you can set it up for your classroom - post questions, reading clubs, etc. and give feedback to students as they answer questions. ed.voicethread.com https://docs.google.com - Students can use this for their writing assignments, and not worry about bringing files back and forth to school. Teachers have access to the page to make corrections / give feedback throughout the writing process. 6) Focus on Quality Rather Than Quantity Get ready for this ... you've got some exploring to do ... edu.glogster.com - I've set up an account with glogster so we can make multi-media posters next year. I can so see myself using this with science / social studies. www.animoto.com/education - A site for making movies and slideshows. photopeach.com/education - Another site for making movies and slideshows. www.jaycut.com - Yet another site for making movies and slideshows - this one looks like it has a few more features (like slow-motion). blabberize.com - Bring your still pictures to life by making them talk - I can so see myself using this next year with my SMARTboard lessons! Wouldn't it be cool to make a fraction talk and explain how to do a concept during a math lesson?!? www.wikispaces.com - I am definitely going to investigate this one further. I'd like to make a wiki for one of my science units next year - assigning students a different part or concept, and then putting it all together. We could even print off the pages later and turn them into our own reference book. livebinder.com - A lot of the teachers at the webinar talked about how they would use this resource to set up student portfolios ... hmmmmm ... intriguing. epubbud.com - Students can create their own ebooks (which other people can access) and display them on a shelf (similar in looks to shelfari). A great way to publish their writing, and make the writing process more authentic for them. www.prezi.com - Another multi-media site great for presentations. Use as an introduction to a new unit, or have students create their own presentations for a certain topic. 7) Never Work Harder Than Your Students To summarize, by using these resources, your students will be applying bloom's taxonomy while exploring new technology and creating fantastic technological presentations. However ... with all these new resources to explore, I have a feeling I'm going to be working pretty hard for a while ... ;) Do any of you these any of these websites in your classroom? If you do, I'd love for you to leave a comment and tell me how you use them. (affiliate link)
Do you have problems writing learning outcomes/objectives for your content or courses? Or more specifically, do you have trouble finding the right ACTION VERBS to describe what you want your students to achieve from the course, module, topic or unit? Have you tried using Bloom's Taxonomy wheel(s) before to assist finding those magic action verbs? New version (2014): Creative Visualizations of Bloom's Taxonomies! from Zaid Alsagoff Old version: Bloom's Revised Taxonomy Wheel Source: http://www.cobbk12.org/sites/alt/training/Blooms/circle.GIF Source: http://www.mmiweb.org.uk/downloads/bloomimages/bloom_plts.jpg Bloom's Taxonomy Wheel Source: http://www.alline.org/euro/images/bloomwheel.png Source: http://teaching.uncc.edu/sites/teaching.uncc.edu/files/media/files/image/resources/pedagogy/diagramforwriting.gif Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blooms_rose.svg Why not print out the one you like most (not too many, due to the shortage of trees today!), or download the Bloom's Taxonomy wheel images above, and then use them to find those magic action verbs that you might have struggled to find before. These wheels work much better than idiotic tables of action verbs according to Bloom's taxonomy. Trust me! Also, please learn how to apply Bloom's taxonomy to web 2.0 learning tools (and 21st Century learning): Bloom's Digital Taxonomy "It's not about the tools, it's using the tools to facilitate learning." Finally, here are a few sites worth exploring to learn more about the Bloom's taxonomy (if needed): Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains Writing Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy Critical and Creative Thinking Instructional Design - Knowledge, Attitude & Skills REFLECTION I still remember when I started off as an Instructional Designer in 2001, I was required to assist subject matter experts (SME) in constructing learning objectives/outcomes. Especially, in the beginning it was a nightmare, because I struggled with finding and suggesting the appropriate action verbs. But then one of the senior instructional designers introduced me to Bloom's taxonomy wheel(s), and from then on writing instructional sound learning outcomes has been as easy as eating rambutan. When developing content with SMEs it certainly helps having relevant and agreed upon learning outcomes early on to guide the content development process. In other words, it is good to spend some time on constructing them, and not just creating them as an afterthought, because of some education ministry requirements. I am not sure about your country, but in Malaysia the Bloom's taxonomy is the reference that Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) recommend (a requirement to use!), and most Universities use it to construct learning outcomes with an eye on infusing more deep thinking (critical and creative), or higher order thinking skills (HOTS). As an action verb classification system I am fine, but I have low regard for Bloom's taxonomy as a pyramid, whereby Evaluation (old version) is on the top. It is helpful, but to me it is misleading. But that, we can discuss in another post sometime in the future (However, your opinion about Bloom's taxonomy would be highly appreciated). Also, I would like to highlight that Clayton R. Wright has simplified the process in finding those magic action verbs. He found that many participants in his workshops found it easier to deal with a smaller number of categories than the six stated by Bloom. Some verbs can be found in several categories, but it depends on how they are used. Rather than use verbs at the lower-end of the skills spectrum, he suggests that emphasis should be placed on application and problem-solving skills. The list is not "a magic bullet", but it helps educators who have difficulty finding the word that describes what they want their students to achieve. Click the graphic to enlarge it (Reference: Instructing in an International Setting: A Handbook for Those Who Will Provide Training in Developing Countries (p. 3-24), by C. R. Wright, 1997) "If we could transform these tables into a wheel, it would simply be awesome!" When creating objectives for secondary and post-secondary courses, Clayton reminds his workshop participants to also consider the 21st Century Learning Outcomes developed by the League for Innovation and sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts. These learning outcomes were validated by 260 colleges in Canada and the United States. They cover a variety of skills such as technology skills, communication skills, computational skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, information management skills, interpersonal skills, personal skills, and community skills. All of these skills are important for those living in a digital world. Although, learning outcomes usually helps in the content development process, but do they help or guide students in the learning process? Let's recall our own experience as a student. To be honest, as a student I never gave two hoops about reading learning outcomes/objectives, whether they were in the course plan/guide/outline, courseware, or in a book. Neither can I recall discussing, nor listening to other students discussing about their learning outcomes. Well, that is my experience! However, it would be interesting if there was some actual research done on how students use learning outcomes to facilitate their own learning. Or perhaps they don't use them at all! So... Are learning outcomes really important to facilitate the learning process? Do we need them? Are they destructive to facilitate creativity and innovation? Are there other ways to tell our students what learning output we should expect from them? Do we need to be more creative in the way we express learning outcomes? What do you think? Speak up! It is about time! Thank you :)
Classroom-tested and time-saving activities for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers. Find ready-to-go lesson plans and teaching ideas!
For the most part, reasoning, deducing, inferring, and critical thinking are not skills that come naturally to our students. Rather, they must be nurtured and developed. We want our students to become critical thinkers so they can reason and apply logic to solve novel problems throughout their lives. These skills will set them up to...
The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.
This fabulous Blooms Gardners Writing Matrix contains 42 ideas for writing! Here's 10 FREE ideas, verb posters and displays for HOTS. Love number 3!
The most recent blog post, Writing Effective Learning Objectives, introduced the concept of starting with the end in mind. Identifying the desired level of learning is one way to start at the end.…
Use these 3 techniques to help your students build critical and higher-level thinking skills.
‘You Can’t get to Bloom Without Going Through Maslow’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. This eight-part series on teacher/student relationships is wrappe…
Hands-on assessment is an amazing alternative to traditional paper and pencil. Today I'm going to write about my favorite method way to mix up assessment in your classroom--sort cards. Halfway through my first year of
I have spent a lot of time blogging about self care lately. I suppose it is top of mind for me, as I know how stressful this upcoming school year is going to be. Teaching, by nature, is normally stressful but this year teachers will have heightened and unprecedented amounts of stress placed on us. We must give ourselves permission to do a mental self-check to make sure that we are doing alright. I loved the analogy the Distance Learning Playbook illustrated. If we are on an airplane and it begins to go down without warning, we must first place an oxygen mask on ourselves before we attend to others. This same analogy applies to this school year. We have to make sure our oxygen mask is properly fitted to us, before we can help anyone else. Doing a self-check to see how we you are doing mentally is a great way to stay emotionally aware and in check. A great tool to check in with yourself is Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid. Maslow ordered human needs--starting with the most basic needs of humans (food, water, sleep) and progressing to deeper needs (do I feel connected to something greater than me?) In order to be able to get to the top (a healthier mental state), we must satisfy the needs in the previous steps of the pyramid. If we, or students, are stuck on the lower steps our behavior can be impacted and we are not functioning at our best potential. On each level in Maslow's hierarchy ask yourself the reflective question to see if your needs are being met. If you are unable to answer yes to the question, try some of the tips suggested. Level 1-- Physiological (Basic Needs) These are your most basic necessities such as being fed, getting enough sleep and living in a safe environment. Reflection question: Are my basic needs met? Tips: Drink more water to stay hydrated. Try a meal delivery service. Go for a walk outside or garden. Set a specific bedtime and don't drink caffeine six hours before bed. Remove electronics from the bedroom. Level 2-Safety and Protection needs This stage is about safety--in a physical and material sense. Do you feel secure with your finances, health and safety? Reflection question: Do I feel safe? Tips: Record your worries and fears in a journal. Listen to calming music. Talk to a banker or financial advisor. Create a safety plan. Try a meditation app. Schedule a doctor's appointment. Identify areas that lack order and develop a plan to organize them. Level 3--Love and social being This stage is all about relationships. First we must have a positive relationship with ourselves. We must first accept who we are, however human nature is to search for other's support so we can create the best version of ourselves. With this stage we need to have positive and healthy relationships, be it friends, family or colleagues. Love, affection and acceptance are imperative to give us a sense of belonging. Reflection question: Do I feel like I belong? Tips: Be present in the moment when you are with friends and family. Put away your cell phone while having conversations. Stay connected with colleagues by going to events you are invited to. Give yourself permission to let go of toxic relationships. Hide negative people on social media. Level 4--Esteem This stage refers to desire to have esteem for oneself (feeling of achievement, mastery, dignity) and the desire to have respect from others (status, prestige, etc.) Reflection question: Do I feel confident? Tips: Recite self affirmations. Tame and re frame it (look for the positive in something that could otherwise be seen as negative). Make sure the goals you have set for yourself are realalisitc. Check your thoughts--are they based off assumption or reality? Level 5--Self Actualization This stage is the realization of a person's potential and peak experiences. At this stage, one will desire to accomplish everything they can and become the most that one can be. Each person will have a different focus and goal. One may want to be an ideal parent while another may want to excel as a professional athlete. Reflection question: Am I living my best life? Tips: Choose work that you love. Know yourself and identify when your needs aren't being met. Find the best time to get things done. Level 6--Transcendence This stage is being able to overcome the limits of yourself. It is the idea that you have completely explored your own potential, and you are now focused on something that is bigger than you. Reflection question: Do I feel connected to something greater than myself? Tips: Write a thank you note. Keep a gratitude journal. Seek inspiration in books, movies, art, scripture, quotes, etc. Share what you are grateful for. If you are interested in a deeper dive into Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I suggest the book Take Time For You by Tina H. Boogren, PhD. Tina is a former classroom teacher, English department chair, instructional coach, professional developer, athletic coach, author and building level leader. She wrote this book to provide teachers resources, strategies, self care surveys and reflective questions to guide them on a clear path to well being. Also, I have created a free reflection tool for teachers. This resource includes guiding questions for each stage of Maslow's hierarchy, tips for each stage and a reflection graphic organizer. Click the image below to take you to TPT where the product can be downloaded for free. This would be a great resource to provide teachers with during this back to school season, or several months/weeks into the school year. Furthermore, if you want to know about Maslow's needs and how it relates to students during this Covid crisis, check out the recent article from ASCD titled Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the Covid Crisis . As always, if life gets to be too much and you begin to experience overwhelming anxiety, sadness or stress please seek professional help. Stay safe and healthy!
This fabulous Blooms Gardners Writing Matrix contains 42 ideas for writing! Here's 10 FREE ideas, verb posters and displays for HOTS. Love number 3!
Bloom's Taxonomy is a helpful tool for teachers to guide their students to a deeper level of understanding and critical thinking.
Question stems can be used as thinking prompts for class discussions, prompting, and various forms of assessment.
Differentiation is adjusting and modifying what skills and concepts students learn, what materials they use, and/or how their learning is assessed based on the needs of the students. Our students a…
Shortly after I posted my Math Reflection Fans, I had a few people contact me to ask me to create a set for Reading based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. So, I got on it. I know including those higher-order thinking questions (HOT questions) into our lesson plans and class discussions is a HOT topic right now. ;) I just posted this set of Reading Reflection Fans for fiction (I'm going to create a set for nonfiction, next). The questions are aligned to the six levels in Bloom's Revised Taxonomy: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. They will also fit the CCSS Reading Standards for Literature. There are between 15 and 23 questions for each level (with over 100 questions in total). I have also included a checklist sheet for each level so you can keep track of questions asked in class. The 23 different questions for CREATE can be used as formative or summative assessment activities. Questions can be used in class discussions, as prompts for written reader responses, in guided reading groups, after independent reading or paired reading activities, after read alouds, etc. I use mine for so many different purposes in the classroom. Sometimes I choose the question, and sometimes I ask a student to choose a question and display it under the document camera for all to see. You can see more about how I use and store my question fans HERE. Fans can be assembled into separate levels, using a brass fastener to keep them together. Or, you can clip all the levels together and keep them on a binder clip (this is how I store them in the classroom). Well, that's about it ... I hope you're all enjoying your weekend ... and maybe, just maybe, you get one extra day tomorrow! We're planning on taking our girls downhill skiing for the first time tomorrow (with ALL this snow we have, we've got to take advantage of it). Jen
If you are planning to study the various countries of the world you are gonna love this free world book!
For the most part, reasoning, deducing, inferring, and critical thinking are not skills that come naturally to our students. Rather, they must be nurtured and developed. We want our students to become critical thinkers so they can reason and apply logic to solve novel problems throughout their lives. These skills will set them up to...
Brain Breaks are a popular topic here on Minds In Bloom, so I'm adding a new twist to them: Mystery Brain Breaks! Your students will love the surprise!
As teachers we all know the stress of leaving our class with a sub, but what can you do when your three year old throws up in the car on the way to school (yep, that’s happened twice) or your…
Make learning fun for your students! Strategies, activities, freebies and more for teachers, tutors and homeschoolers. Ideas you can use today!
Matching colors is so much fun with this free matching color activity for preschoolers. While my daughter is quite a pro at matching colors, she is still learning to name the colors consistently. Using color matching and color sorting activities for preschoolers allows me to see her progress easily and find out what colors she is still struggling with (like purple and orange). Get the Free Color Matching Fishbowl Printable for Preschoolers to help your students or children learn to identify and name all of the colors!
Bloom Taxonomy Lesson Plan Template Lovely Session04 Ict for from bloom taxonomy lesson plan template, image source: pinterest.com
Transform your literature lessons into a captivating journey of higher-order thinking with this dynamic Blooms Ball activity, a must-have resource for any dedicated educator! Dive into the depths of literary exploration and cognitive engagement as you guide your students through the twelve facets of this interactive project. Why choose this engaging literature activity? Comprehensive Resource Package: This product is a treasure trove of resources, featuring guided templates that seamlessly walk students through each stage of the Blooms Ball project. Alongside these templates, you'll find a comprehensive Teacher's Guide providing invaluable insights into implementation strategies, ensuring a smooth and successful experience in your classroom. Tailored for Any Novel: Versatility is key! This project is designed to be adaptable to ANY novel, allowing you the flexibility to integrate it seamlessly into your existing curriculum. What's included in this product: Guided Templates: These meticulously crafted templates provide students with a structured framework, making the Blooms Ball project accessible and enjoyable. Teacher's Guide: Gain valuable insights and tips on effectively incorporating this project into your classroom. Benefit from tried-and-true methods that enhance student engagement and understanding. Blank Template: Have the freedom to customize and expand! The blank template allows for potential additions or customizations, ensuring the project aligns perfectly with your unique teaching style and novel choices. Elevate your literature lessons with a resource that not only sparks excitement but also nurtures critical thinking skills. Whether you're a seasoned educator or a newcomer to the Blooms Ball approach, this product provides everything you need for a successful implementation. Unlock the potential of your classroom with this engaging Blooms Ball activity. Embrace the flexibility to tailor it to any novel, creating a personalized and enriching experience for your students. Elevate your teaching toolkit today!
Bloom's Taxonomy is a helpful tool for teachers to guide their students to a deeper level of understanding and critical thinking.
Synopsis Expand/Collapse Synopsis Originally written for drama teachers working with students aged 9 to 18, this collection of short, snappy theater dialogues makes the perfect short break activity in any classroom, camp, or youth group situation. Students get much more out of these dialogues than just acting practice: they increase alertness, cultivate curiosity, boost literacy, and improve school attendance. The one-to-one dialogue format facilitates friendships and allows shy students to demonstrate new skills. Written by a family of drama experts, each dialogue centers around a theme related to young life: food, parents, hobbies, movies, even falling in love, to name just a few. Each dialogue is introduced with brief notes suggesting different ways of playing them at different ages and tips for adapting the dialogues to different age groups and situations. 101 Dialogues, Sketches, and Skits is part of the SmartFun Activity series from Hunter House, which includes over 25 titles that have sold more than 200,000 copies to date.
