The beginning of the school year may have you wondering how to connect academic subjects and/or VESOLs to make learning engaging for your students. Thematic Instruction is a teaching strategy which organizes curriculum and instruction around a central theme. It allows students to engage in high interest topics while learning academic and communication skills. Students… Read More Can You Make the Connections?
Fostering a Sense of Belonging and Community
⏱️ A 5 Minute Read + 9 Activities to Try Read More Fostering a Sense of Belonging and Community
New to TTAC? What I Wish I had Known as an ECSE Practitioner
If you’ve found yourself reading this article, you are in the right place for useful resources on supporting our young children in any educational environment. As the newest member of our Early Childhood Education Specialist Trio at ODU’s Training and Technical Assistance Center, I am excited to start making these meaningful connections. Read More New to TTAC? What I Wish I had Known as an ECSE Practitioner
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #5 Building Community Through Feedback
Group Contingency is an evidence-based practice that offers teachers the opportunity to provide positive, targeted feedback that reinforces specific classroom expectations and routines. When implemented with fidelity, and supported by strong teacher-student relationships, it also fosters social cooperation and community as all students work toward a common goal. This practice builds a foundation for successful… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #5 Building Community Through Feedback
Increase Engagement by Giving Students More Choices
In the spirit of inclusive practices, let’s consider an instructional strategy that not only works well for students with intellectual disabilities, but for all learners. The school day is full of opportunities for students to make meaningful choices. We can give our students options for how to get new information or ways to demonstrate what has… Read More Increase Engagement by Giving Students More Choices
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #4 Feedback for Growth: Error Correction
One of the most powerful teaching and learning practices is providing specific, timely feedback (Hattie, 2008). Feedback can take the form of acknowledgement and praise or error correction to help guide learners in strengthening new skills. This week’s post and accompanying module focuses on best practices for respectful, dignified, and effective error correction. The linked… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #4 Feedback for Growth: Error Correction
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #3 Engaging Students in Learning: Opportunities to Respond
Providing multiple opportunities to respond (OTRs) is a practice that allows students many chances to actively participate in their learning, and also provides teachers frequent opportunities for formative assessment. It is important to consider providing both high rates for response (i.e. frequency), as well as providing variety. When considering frequency – how often students are… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #3 Engaging Students in Learning: Opportunities to Respond
