tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post2306312300965150504..comments2024-02-14T06:20:51.688-06:00Comments on SBISD GT Book Studies: Session 3 - Question 2atxteacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15216583790234498239noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-58729602458740238412010-04-28T19:17:25.247-05:002010-04-28T19:17:25.247-05:00There are great ideas wrapped up in this section f...There are great ideas wrapped up in this section for younger and older students alike. The authors shared solid suggestions and “how-to’s” in putting effective instruction into a classroom with the concept of being creative and understand what you want from student’s product by being intentional with instruction. Currently, I am placing my thoughts towards how to use some of the strategies, like T-T-T in Professional Development.tiggeronmarsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-80519603046988720852010-04-28T18:58:18.342-05:002010-04-28T18:58:18.342-05:00Matthew C you were thoughtful with your suggestion...Matthew C you were thoughtful with your suggestion to “hide” Bloom’s in the T-T-T without directly revealing the level of challenge. It is obvious you have used the ideas from this book as a starting point for you to increase your effective teaching through differentiating instruction. Your thoughts were enjoyed by many of the other bloggers during this book study.tiggeronmarsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-1078162728495517592010-04-14T23:40:07.391-05:002010-04-14T23:40:07.391-05:00I just love this idea of Think Tac Toes! I have n...I just love this idea of Think Tac Toes! I have not used this before, but really love the concept. I am planning to use it in PGP when we study inventors/inventions. After reading about notable mistakes that turned out to be great inventions, I think using the Think Tac Toe would be the perfect tool for allowing students to choose what products to create while researching their inventors.Michellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-20168984843996967722010-04-14T14:28:01.647-05:002010-04-14T14:28:01.647-05:00I have been using menus this past year, but the Th...I have been using menus this past year, but the Think-tac-toe has really helped me to be more organized and even more intentional. The rows/columns of options based on subject, learning style, ability, etc. allow so much student choice. They also have the ability to challenge the student to choose something (if the teacher makes this expectation on the rubric) outside of what's comfortable to them. The Think-tac-toe is "designed for children of varying abilities and readiness levels, it's more of a Cracker Jack scenario than a competetive one" (page 114). This is such a true statement! Students know when they are in the low group/assignment or high group/assignment. This reinforces a climate of choice and differentiation verses comparison, which can be pretty unhealthy at times.Elise Williamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-84340845931692472902010-04-14T11:30:51.561-05:002010-04-14T11:30:51.561-05:00as susanm and sacevedo have mentioned, I too have ...as susanm and sacevedo have mentioned, I too have students that do not challenge themselves or try to find an easy way out. My issue with many of my students is that they try to push the boundaries of time constraints and will try to drag out an assignment. We have done menus this year, but now I am curious to try the think-tac-toe to get the students to the higher level thinking without realizing it.Sara Russohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05512431304528644154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-58862488102802345342010-04-12T22:26:17.015-05:002010-04-12T22:26:17.015-05:00Like s acevedo, I, too, have the students that don...Like s acevedo, I, too, have the students that don't go out of their way to challenge themselves. For example, when my kids that qualify for Navigators are given a variety of different "independent study" activities which they are to work on when I'm teaching the concepts for which they've tested out, most will opt to get started on thos that are more simple and less time consuming. In order to make sure they are doing something with more rigor, I usually "mandate" at least one or two of the activities that MUST be done by the time they are finished.susanmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-32579744227227840322010-03-23T23:09:40.916-05:002010-03-23T23:09:40.916-05:00These tic-tac-toes remind me of the Navigators men...These tic-tac-toes remind me of the Navigators menus I provide some of my students with when they test out of different units in math. I really like the example of the trigonometry vocabulary project Tic-tac-toe (Figure 7.4 on page 108). While I don't teach trig, one of the things I do stress quite a bit in my classroom is understanding and using appropriate mathematical vocabulary, without a solid foundation in math vocabulary it can sometimes make it difficult to demonstrate mastery of a concept. I would like to create a tic-tac-toe similar to this but for the vocabulary words applicable to my students, such as geometry or measurement vocab. I also like Figure 7.19 on page 124 which relates to measurement. I could easily scale this up to reflect my grade level TEKS with respect to measurement.susanmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-52533475670374127672010-03-23T22:13:40.526-05:002010-03-23T22:13:40.526-05:00I really like mcushing's ideas of integrating ...I really like mcushing's ideas of integrating Blooms throughout the Think Tac Toe board. I think that controlled choice can be so powerful for both students and teacher. How great to give the students a choice while knowing that you are moving the kids to higher level of thinking without them really realizing it. (That sounds almost devious, but it's not really.)patricetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-23173614087796296282010-03-23T21:35:12.550-05:002010-03-23T21:35:12.550-05:00I went to Curry/Samara training years ago in my pr...I went to Curry/Samara training years ago in my previous district. Now I just need to find all that stuff! I'm doing all intervention at the moment, so I don't think the Think Tac Toe would be useful there. In my case, if I was doing an extended training, it might be a good way to differentiate for the various levels of teaching experience in my building. I also think it would work if I worked with one group of students over a long period of time. I think I could tweak it so that would work.patricetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-76772091080864694902010-03-23T21:08:33.335-05:002010-03-23T21:08:33.335-05:00I am planning to use the Tic Tac Toe strategy for ...I am planning to use the Tic Tac Toe strategy for 3 students who are able to perform slightly above level, but consistently choose unchallenging projects and activities when given options to choose. It has been like pulling teeth to get them dig deep, analyze, or do anything that takes them more than 45 minutes to complete at a mastery level. I think the Tic Tac Toe strategy will be a non-confrontational and passively coercive (shhhhh!) manner of getting them to choose more challenging activities/projects.S. Acevedonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-30170255928545379432010-03-23T19:29:09.983-05:002010-03-23T19:29:09.983-05:00Debra p - I agree with making sure that students h...Debra p - I agree with making sure that students have enough exposure to the material to be successful, especially with younger children. I think it would be a great way to assess what your students have learned in the bird unit. There are lots of possibilities for projects that could be incorporated into a bird unit and some great ideas that we have learned at Rice this year should serve as authentic assessments.mcushinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00176195808674537479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-14808902376617731072010-03-23T17:58:47.442-05:002010-03-23T17:58:47.442-05:00I agree with Sharon G about giving the students ch...I agree with Sharon G about giving the students choices related to their interests to increase motivation. I also like the idea expressed by Matthew C about hiding levels of Blooms in the t-t-o without directly revealing the level of challenge. I have gotten so many good ideas for differentiation from this book and blog.Debra Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-50634684788746826312010-03-23T17:54:19.868-05:002010-03-23T17:54:19.868-05:00I like the idea of incorporating the t-t-o with en...I like the idea of incorporating the t-t-o with end of unit projects. Teaching younger children I have to make sure that they have enough experience with a variety of products so that they can choose well and complete projects. I only teach math and science this year so I am going to try to put together one for an end of the birds project in May.Debra Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-41440710911552893032010-03-23T12:15:40.802-05:002010-03-23T12:15:40.802-05:00I too agree with Katie, I think this tool will be ...I too agree with Katie, I think this tool will be useful for all students. Looking at the tic-tac-toe, I am getting an idea for an end of the year project that will keep the kids focused and learning after the TAKS test since many of them try to shut down. In history we tend to skim over recent history due to time constraints but by having them choose from different rows, I can encourage them to learn about several decades and tap into their interests be it art, music, reading, etc. With my mix of classes that include GT, academic, and Sp.Ed. each assignment can be reworked to the students level.Sara Russohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05512431304528644154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-91516242932711455522010-03-23T10:55:49.915-05:002010-03-23T10:55:49.915-05:00Commenting on jmelancon
I really liked the sugges...Commenting on jmelancon<br /><br />I really liked the suggestion of using the Tic Tac Toe stragetgy for TAKS review. I also like the suggestion of getting to choose off of the menu if the student has mastered the content. I am going to use what sanchez suggested to encourage students to try an activity that they are not used to. They may find that they really enjoy it.Christahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13572699778164078301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-23288735055796262372010-03-23T10:39:41.345-05:002010-03-23T10:39:41.345-05:00I have used this strategy several times in the pas...I have used this strategy several times in the past without realizing what the name was. I teach government and have my students choose different hands on activities to understand concepts such as voting behavior and civic participation. The students like having the choice of activities to learn the concepts. When teaching Bill of Rights, I might give the students a menu that they can choose from that will allow them to take real life experiences pertaining to the amendments.Christa Blythnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-82046418889827948992010-03-22T22:29:07.193-05:002010-03-22T22:29:07.193-05:00As a Resource teacher, I see huge potential in usi...As a Resource teacher, I see huge potential in using Think-Tac-Toes as a means for me to support my students and classroom teachers by adapting and modifying the criteria to meet their readiness and ability levels. Even better though, is the idea that Think-Tac-Toes being used is a sign that everyone in the classroom has the attitude "that not everyone will learn everything in the same way."jeanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-65218208684300914462010-03-22T22:16:33.225-05:002010-03-22T22:16:33.225-05:00I think sanchezh and oliverl are right that studen...I think sanchezh and oliverl are right that students sometimes have to be encouraged to challenge themselves. The same holds true for teachers and creating really great Think-Tac-Toes will certainly do that!jeanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-41635289518876959982010-03-22T20:37:11.985-05:002010-03-22T20:37:11.985-05:00I have to say that I agree with oliverl in that st...I have to say that I agree with oliverl in that students should be encouraged to step outside of their comfort zone every once in a while. I think making tic tac toes could become a regular part of my classroom, and once students have become familiar with the format I would encourage them to do one activity that they had never done before. If enough variety is provided they will never be locked into doing something they hate, rather just encouraged to try something new, and in turn push themselves to explore new abilities.sanchezhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-54129315658154910202010-03-22T20:16:39.489-05:002010-03-22T20:16:39.489-05:00I also would like to implement the strategy to rev...I also would like to implement the strategy to review different physical science concepts such as solutions and mixtures. I especially like how the board in Figure 7.4 has a vocabulary bank at the bottom that the students are required to use. I will include activities such as vocabulary tables, interviewing experts that use mixture and solutions within their career, creating their own mixture/solution then write up the investigation that would be used to determine which of the two it was, analyzing a series of recipes to determine if they use mixtures and solutions, making a brochure that describes each of the two.sanchezhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-41228627595136060932010-03-22T20:06:40.206-05:002010-03-22T20:06:40.206-05:00I have already begun to use the tic tac toe strate...I have already begun to use the tic tac toe strategy with both reading and spelling activities. The Spelling menu I created for this week included activities spanning tactile art projects, to story writing to jumping out the letters of the words. I plan on implementing a variation of the Short Story Menu after we review the elements of Fiction this week. I am anxious to see how the children choose and anticipate a higher quality of work than I have seen in the past, very exciting!sanchezhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-77759352788084340072010-03-22T18:22:48.806-05:002010-03-22T18:22:48.806-05:00I've seen and even tried to use think-tac-toes...I've seen and even tried to use think-tac-toes before, but this chapter really breaks them down for me. I feel quite confident that I could take one of the ones in the book, particularly the ones on pp. 118-119, and make them work for my purposes. Since I'm not the "teacher of record" for most of the kids I work with, this will take some modification, and maybe some teacher arm-twisting, but I feel like this is just what some of our kids need. Every child needs choice, as is repeated several times in the book, and this is the perfect avenue to offer it. When my son came home with a think-tac-toe for his language arts project in middle school, he was much more motivated. I didn't have to remind him a million times to work on it. He just did, because he was interested and had a choice about how to present his work. If only he had more choice all the time! He might actually put forth the effort to show how smart he really is!melscalesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-89852968547209900662010-03-22T18:18:29.340-05:002010-03-22T18:18:29.340-05:00Kandel's fan - I love the idea of a modified t...Kandel's fan - I love the idea of a modified think-tac-toe for your novels! I would love to help you or work with some of your kids on these! Let me know and we'll do it!melscalesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-3945671470839738162010-03-22T18:16:22.393-05:002010-03-22T18:16:22.393-05:00I completely agree with Patty! As a Librarian, I ...I completely agree with Patty! As a Librarian, I don't have tons of time with kids all the time, but using the think-tac-toe with small ongoing groups is a great idea! I've tried a couple of times to come up with something that works for book clubs and with PGP and this could very well be it!melscalesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403699399198923073.post-45689582462047527712010-03-22T17:41:08.749-05:002010-03-22T17:41:08.749-05:00In response to Katie Kavanagh, I agree that “ALL” ...In response to Katie Kavanagh, I agree that “ALL” students can benefit from this strategy and it does take more planning on our part but the results are so worth it……BRollinsnoreply@blogger.com