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This month's protocol was designed by a college professor for college students, but I think it is easily adapted for all levels of education. How can you adapt this for your level of students?
THREE PENS GROUP QUIZ (Collaboration, Feedback, Discussion, Writing) Description: Presented by Dr. Mary Ellen Weimer of Faculty Focus, Three Pens Group Quiz transforms a mundane quiz format into a novel approach of collaboration and feedback for students by using color pens to denote progress while learning. It also forces students to revisit incorrect items on a quiz in order to seek understanding. Application: Provide occasional opportunities like Three Pens Group Quiz when seeking to pique student interest in a topic. Process: Based on presented topic, announce quiz for the next class meeting and urge students to prepare. On class day, hand-out black, green, and blue pens to each student. Part one: Administer quiz making sure students write answers in black ink. Monitor. Part two: Once finished, quickly form groups of four. Direct students within each group to discuss questions they could not answer or were not sure if correct and after discussion, each student makes edits to their individual quiz in green. Part three: Allow students within groups to take out notes, textbook, and other resources and amend answers using blue pen. At the conclusion of the activity, allow time for students to measure the level of their knowledge (black) against the knowledge of others in their group (green) and the content contained in course materials (blue). Direct students to hand-in quiz. Comment according to the levels of different colors and consider participation points versus grading based on original answers. For reference or for more information: Weimer, ME. (2012) Students as Formative Assessment Partners https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/students-as-formative-assessment-partners/  January's post is a little different and if you've never used the VideoAnt tool, I promise it will make an ordinary video into something interactive and worthwhile for your students. Introduce the concept, provide opportunities for students to interact with the tool and then show them how to use it in their responses. Enjoy!
USING TECH: VIDEOANT ANNOTATION (Discussion, Collaboration, Feedback) Description: From Edshelf.com: “VideoAnt is a web-based video annotation tool for mobile and desktop devices. Use VideoAnt to add annotations and/or comments to web-hosted videos. VideoAnt-annotated videos are called ‘Ants.’” By signing-up for this free service, users can manage their Ants from their account dashboard, otherwise known as the “Ant Farm” (or “Ant Pile”).” With the provided code, Ants can be embedded on a learning management system or anywhere HTML is allowed. Only those who have the code can access the VideoAnt. Application: Both teachers and students can use VideoAnt. It can be used during class time, after school for homework, or as an integral part of an online class. For teachers, it is a way to present information with stopping-point questions on videos so that students can respond. For students, an individual can use VideoAnt as a way to add comments to a video, but also engage with the entire class through threaded discussions on collaboration notes. It can also be used when there is a substitute teacher scheduled. Process: Go to VideoAnt: Getting Started-YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SOE2aQky2I) to get familiar with the various capabilities of the tool. Before class meets, find a short video to use with students the first time, inserting one or two questions, directions, and/or thoughts. On class day, show “VideoAnt: Getting Started” YouTube video and allow time for students to sign-up and become an authenticated user so that they can create “Ant Farms” or “Ant Piles.” Show the preselected short video and allow time for students to interact with the tool, especially the collaborative piece, and clarify points of confusion. As a follow-up, assign a VideoAnt with relevant content for students to engage. Be specific with instructions as there are many ways to elicit responses: "Respond, in sentence/paragraph format to embedded questions within video;” “At four separate points on the video, comment on the main character’s triumphs in sentence/paragraph format;” or “Insert at least four level two or three questions within the VideoAnt and make sure they are spread throughout.” References or for more information: The University of Minnesota is solely responsible for VideoAnt and is a free service: https://ant.umn.edu . https://edshelf.com/tool/videoant/ Greetings educators, this month I've decided to present a few tried and true review strategies from the "Itty Bitty Book of Classroom Protocols." My personal favorite is #6, Criss-Cross Cross-Out as it doesn't take long and can break the doldrums of paper reviews. It's especially effective when there is a bunch of people, places, and things to recall. I hope the end of the calendar year is productive and positive. Comment below and let us know how it goes.
1. VOCABULARY BEAST (Discussion, Collaboration, Writing) Description: Incorporating grammar skills with content is at the heart of this protocol. Application: Use as a review of previously learned material. Process: Give students vocabulary terms to tackle throughout a lesson or unit. (Work can be done in or out of class as directed by the teacher.) During review time, tell students to bring vocabulary to class. Assign students into groups of two or three (preferably two). Instruct students that the goal of the activity is to create complex sentences, relating concepts using the vocabulary. Review the rules of the Beast: 1) There will be time limits or work until one group has used all of the terms; 2) Each sentence must be factually correct as well as grammatically correct (no run-on sentences); and 3) The vocabulary term used must be underlined. Award points for each vocabulary term used correctly in a meaningful way. In order to encourage students to write complex sentences that relate different concepts together, award points based on the sequential number in the sentence. (The first term will receive one point, the second term two, and the third term three points and so on. Remind students that each term can only be used once for points although it may be used again for no points.) Call time when students finish the sentence writing activity and direct them to “trade and grade.” Tell students that if a vocabulary sentence is called into question, the grading group needs to poll the entire class on whether or not the sentence should be accepted for points. If a sentence is deemed unacceptable, award no points. 2. DESCRIBE IT! (Discussion, Collaboration) Description: This team activity gets students actively involved by incorporating knowledge of material and communication skills. Application: Use as a review of previously learned material. Process: Have students separate into two teams. Ask each team to come up with a list of vocabulary words that relates to a specific unit or lesson, giving students about five minutes to come up with the list. After both teams have made the list, decide which team will go first. Have two students from one team come up to the front of the classroom, one student sitting in a chair with his or her back to the board and the second student standing in front of the first student. Using the other team’s list of vocabulary words, pick one word to write on the board. Remind all students that the standing student has one minute to describe the word on the board to the sitting student and that the student may not use any form of the word as a description. (If the describer accidentally uses the word, the team’s turn is over.) Award one point to the sitting student if he is able to guess the word correctly in the allotted amount of time. Continue this activity until each team has tried to guess all of the vocabulary words on the lists or until the set-aside time for the activity is reached. 3. BASEBALL (Collaboration, Questioning) Description: This activity/game resembles baseball except the “ball” is replaced by “questions” and there is no bat. Application: Use this protocol as a review activity for tests. Process: Prepare questions ahead of the game. Create the “baseball diamond” and “bases:” first base should be one wall; second another; third another; and home plate should be the whiteboard. Divide the class into two groups and remind students that they will be physically moving from one base to the other. Assign team captains and emphasize that there is a no-talking rule when students are “at bat.” Direct a question to player number one on Team A. Remind all that this student cannot receive assistance from other team members. (If the student answers correctly, tell him to go to first base. If the student fails to answer, direct the question to the opposing team captain. If the captain answers correctly, the student at bat is “out.” If the captain does not answer correctly, pose another question to the next student; correct answer advances all players. Repeat until there are three strikes at which time switch “at bat” teams. Remember, correct answers by four students equal one run!) 4. SYNOPSIS ON THE HALF SHEET (Feedback, Reading, Discussion, Writing) Description: Synopsis on the Half Sheet is a clever way for teachers to make sure students have completed an assigned outside reading. Application: Use this as a method of review and student accountability. Process: In preparation of homework, have students take out a sheet of paper and fold it horizontally. Assign a reading for homework and tell them to make notes on the top half of the sheet. When class meets, ask students to take out the reading and the homework notes and form groups of three or four. Give students additional instructions to use the bottom half of the paper to create a group synopsis. Remind them that a synopsis is a brief summary or general survey of the reading. Allow enough time for talking and writing, up to ten minutes. At stop time, ask groups to share, emphasizing or introducing the most salient points. 5. MOSTLY JUST TRIADS (Writing, Feedback, Discussion, Questioning) Description: Students write closed and open-ended questions to gain points by answering each other’s questions. Points can be used to award students a bonus on tests/quizzes. Application: Use as a review. Process: During the first part of this three-part activity, have students carefully review their notes. During the second part, direct each student to write a few closed questions on a card, followed by repeatedly forming triads and answering each other’s questions. During the third part, have each student write an open-ended question and form triads again. Throughout the entire process, encourage students to record the number of questions they answered so that students with the highest number of points can be awarded a bonus on the test for successfully reviewing. 6. CRISS-CROSS-CROSS-OUT (Collaboration, Discussion) Description: This protocol is game-like; it is fast, furious, and fun! Application: Use this as a review activity. Process: Before using this protocol, rehearse with a general subject. Divide the class into two groups (yes, each group will be big). Groups must be physically apart. Tell students in each group to select a “paper writer” and a “board writer.” Hand “paper writers” paper and a pen. Instruct students that the object of the activity is to record the most unique relevant terms from the topic within a given amount of time (2-3 minutes). Encourage students to be quiet when discussing because they do not want to “give away” answers to the other team. Say, “O.K. teams, you have ____ minutes. Remember, I have the final say in approving all terms. You have ______ minutes to think of everything and anything specific to __________________ (topic). GO!” At the predetermined time, tell students to stop and hand their sheets to the “board writer.” Tell both “board writers” to go up to the board (which is divided into two sections) and be ready to write down what is on their papers in one to one and a half minutes. Say, “Go!” At time, tell students to stop. Next, instruct the board writers to switch places, and as the teacher goes down the list, “board writers” mark off common terms. Count unique terms and announce that the team with the most distinctive terms wins! Happy Fall Greetings from Edumentality! The power of summary is this month's focus and I have two protocols for you to share with students. In the era of AI, students may push back and claim that they do not need to learn summarization skills because ChatGPT, Gemini, or Co-Pilot can summarize vast amounts of information in seconds. True, but thinking skills that are required to write a good summary must be exercised often. As they say, "Use it or lose it!" Let me know in the comment section what you are doing to make sure those thinking skills are honed and ready.
SUMMARY STEP-BY-STEP (Writing, Reading) Description: Because students need to know writing a summary is more than just retelling; it also demonstrates their abilities to clearly and concisely explain a text's main idea. This concise three step plan was developed by ELLii.com. Application: Students in English language arts, social studies, and science classes will benefit most from understanding the process of summarization. Process: Before class, select relevant reading passage and create a summary. On class day, introduce concept by providing students with the pre-selected passage and ask them to summarize it. After completion, in whole group, project the teacher summary. Ask students to compare their summaries to the projected one and note summaries can vary and still be correct! Share the three-step process for writing a summary, distilled to its most concise form: Step 1: Understand the Text (Active Reading) Read twice: first for general meaning, then to identify the thesis, key points, and central idea and highlight or annotate the most important claims and evidence. Step 2: Write a Focused Summary (Order and Paraphrase) Begin with the author’s name and the title of the source (In name of work by name of author. . .). Paraphrase 3 to 5 main points in the order they appear and use attributive tags (e.g., “The author explains…”) to credit the source. Step 3: Revise for Objectivity Keep the summary much shorter than the original. Check for accuracy and remove all personal opinions or interpretations and focus only on what the author EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Writing, Reading, Discussion, Collaboration) Description: Executive summaries are used in professional, academic, and business settings to provide decision-makers the essence of a document without reading the full text. Learning to write summaries helps students develop key skills in analytical thinking, clear and concise expression, and recognizing cause-and-effect relationships Application: Use summaries in social studies to distill key causes, effects, and implications clearly and concisely. In science classes, use it to train students to extract essential data, interpret results, and communicate conclusions efficiently. Process: Assign reading(s) and once complete, tell students to take a 3x5 card and summarize the information on one side (see Summary Step-By-Step) and on the other, explain why it matters and the factors involved, focusing on broader implications or lessons learned. Allow students to share summaries with each other and discuss USING TECH: AI IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE (Discussion)
Description: AI in foreign language classrooms offer students a safe environment to engage in simulated conversations to practice vocabulary, grammar, and cultural context. They also deliver immediate feedback to maintain level-appropriate dialogue. Application: Because AI can be directed to meet the needs of all students, gear prompts to the age/ability level of learners. Prompts can be used in class, for homework, or a combination of both. Process: Determine overall goal of lesson and incorporate AI, directing students to use the following prompts as launch points: 1) I am a complete beginner in [specific language]. I would like to learn the language in [ ] months. I have an hour each day to dedicate to studying. Can you make a learning plan that follows the Pareto Principle to help me learn [specific language]? 2) I'm new to learning [specific language]. Can you suggest some fun stuff for a high school student like music, movies, shows, YouTube channels, and articles that I can read or listen? 3) I'm new to [specific language] and want to start learning grammar. Can you make a plan for me to learn it? Can you provide me some grammar exercises on past tense verbs? 4) Write grammatically incorrect sentences for a level II high school student in [targeted language] and I will try to fix them. Remind students to include level of language proficiency (i.e. High School Spanish II) in the prompt. USING TECH: CHATGPT LANGUAGE PARTNER (Discussion) Description: ChatGPT can be a conversation partner for practicing speaking and listening skills in foreign language. Application: Language Partner can be used as practice in class or at home. Process: Share the process of using Language Partner to students: On a PC, install ChatGPT Voice Control extension (add to Chrome). For listening practice, tell students to ask ChatGPT to read a story in the target language at the appropriate level. For speaking practice, have students use the microphone icon to talk to ChatGPT and receive voice-based responses. (Prompts can be situational such as dining out or a job interview.) Remind students to adjust difficulty levels and choose topics that suit their interests. This month's protocol simplifies questioning to an almost formulaic process, and, with some training and tweaking, students can use this formula independently in written papers that require proof or justification.
A-B-C Questioning (Questioning, Discussion, Feedback) Description: A-B-C is a structured questioning process that stands for Agree, Build, and Challenge. It is simple, effective, and requires little preparation. Application: Use A-B-C for all subjects and levels. Process: Create questions based on the topic of the day. Begin a whole-group discussion with a general open-ended question. Call-on one student to answer the question. Determine who Agrees and ask for justification. Further the discussion by asking another student to Build on the answer by encouraging elaboration and/or additions to the answer. Ask students if they would like to Challenge any of the ideas that were provided by others. Allow time for any challenges and repeat the process to further the discussion but end it when ideas have been exhausted. For reference or for more information: Sandling, J. (2021) My Top 5 Questioning Techniques for Teachers jonathansandling.com/top-five-questioning-techniques-for-teachers/ Hypothetical questions are the thinking playgrounds of the classroom, they invite students to step beyond memorizing facts and start thinking critically, creatively, and empathetically. Anytime thinking is activated, good things happen! Try it out and let us know how it goes.
Hypothetical Questioning (Questioning, Discussion, Collaboration) Description: Hypothetical questioning activates the part of the brain that requires students to go beyond the implicit and stimulates them to get creative, to problem-solve, to evaluate, and to judge, among other things. When framed in a “What if . . .?” type of question, students must consider how they or others “would feel or act in a potential, or imaginary, future scenario.” Since there are no right or wrong answers, all students can contribute without fear of being wrong. Hypothetical questioning can occur at any time during a lesson, but most especially as a bellringer to get students curious about the upcoming lesson. Adapted from Jonathan Sandling’s blog post, How to Ask Hypothetical Questions in Lessons. Application: Use hypothetical questions in most subjects at any grade level. In history subjects, visit “alternate history scenarios” websites that can supply ready-made questions. Process: Have a topic/lesson in mind when creating the hypothetical questions that are directly or indirectly related or use premade questions; fill-in the blanks before using the questions with students. Examples include:
For reference or for more information: Adapted from Sandling, J. How to Ask Hypothetical Questions in Lessons for Teachers https://jonathansandling.com/how-to-ask-hypothetical-questions-in-lesson-for-teachers/ What if? 50 Ideas for Alternate History Scenarios https://www.scifiideas.com/posts/50-ideas-for-alternate-history-scenarios/#:~:text=What%20If%3F%2050%20Ideas%20for%20Alternate%20History%20Scenarios,were%20no%20such%20thing%20as%20horses%3F%20More%20items What if Questions to Ask- Your One-stop Guide https://thepleasantconversation.com/what-if-questions/ This month brings two reading comprehension strategies that are very much different. The first one is geared towards students who really don't like to read, but can still improve; the second, a multi-step approach that promises to eke out every bit of understanding for the reader. Comment below if you have any questions or suggestions to make these strategies even better. 3 READING TIPS (Reading, Discussion) Description: Because not every student is able or willing to spend time to improve their reading comprehension, 3 Reading Tips offers quick ways for even the most detached student to improve. These tips benefit students during reading by providing structure as well as increasing reading speed and comprehension. The greatest benefit is that it helps prevent students from disconnecting from lengthy reading material. Application: Use in any subject that incorporates reading. Process: Present the tips in a way that results in the apathetic reader becoming curious. Use “click-bait” style headlines like “3 Easy Ways to be a Better Reader, #2 Will Shock You!” Make sure the three tips appear easy to try with huge benefits: Tip #1-Skim, Skim, Skim: Do not assume students know how to skim text. Be prepared to share a mini lesson on the task. “Skimming is the process of skipping details, data, graphs, or other elaboration for the purpose of getting the main (big picture) idea or argument behind the text and preventing one to lose oneself within the details.” After skimming, instruct students to read the text again, paying closer attention to the details. Tip #2- BEP: Re-Read Beginning and End-Paragraphs: Tell students to read material. When finished, instruct them to quickly re-read the introductory first paragraph and the summarizing last paragraph. Explain that this provides an overview and ignites memory with little effort. Tip #3- Highlight Key Fragments: Based on the reading, ask students to highlight the most important bits of information, recommending three to five bits. Once finished, ask students to connect the information and make generalizations. Adapted: The 17 Best Engaging Reading Activities for High School (kidskonnect.com) PQ4R STRATEGY (Reading, Discussion, Collaboration, Feedback) Description: Similar to SQ3R, PQ4R, developed by Thomas and Robinson in 1972, is a reading comprehension strategy that is best used with older students. The key to success is to train students to use the procedure so that they can create metacognitive connections which will eventually lead to automatic use in all subjects. Application: Use PQ4R when students are required to comprehend and recall information at a deeper level. Process: Introduce the strategy as a way to improve scores on all assessments (College entrance exams, state exams, etc.) which require reading and responding. Reassure students that each time they employ the strategy, it will take less time. Post or provide a copy for each student:  Optional extension: Act as facilitator and form groups after the first complete use of the strategy. Provide ample time for students to discuss questions they created, reflections they used, and sections most difficult. Repeat strategy often in order for students to feel comfortable using it.
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