What Makes a Good Program?

What should be in a program?

- Evidence that you have thought about the children in your class

- Evidence that your program reflects the school policy that in turn should reflect the community the school serves

- School mission statement

- School aims

- Student profile

- Student needs analysis. Include in this comments about special needs children

- Evidence of integration

- Rationale and aims for each KLA e.g. ‘This year I want the children to’

http://www.raritanval.edu/uploadedImages/faculty/hsse/full-time/suk/chalkboard.png?n=7579

Units of Work

-       Outcomes & foundation statements

-       Indicators relating to how the children may achieve the outcome

-       Duration

-       Teaching learning activities (the crux of your program)

-       Assessment strategies. Try to date these if possible (plan when you will do things)

-       Unit evaluation

-       A statement about how the unit integrates with other KLAs

Perspectives

-       Aboriginal education

-       Gifted and talented education

-       Student equity

Setting Out

 Try to keep your program simple. Integration saves you time. Worksheets should be in a resource folder. Keep photocopies to a minimum.

Happy programming! 

Toovey, J (2012)

National Accelerated Literacy Program

 The National Accelerated Literacy Program (NALP) aims to remove the educational divide faced by students who are struggling in the areas of English and Literacy. Between the years 1998 and 2003, Dr. Brian Gray and Ms Wendy Cowey of the University of Canberra, ran a pilot program across 30 schools in five states and territories to examine the effectiveness of the NALP. The partners noticed significant improvements in the literacy of Indigenous students. The NALP was then established in 2004 to take the teaching methods from the program in attempts to meet the needs of other Indigenous students in the Northern Territory. The program was originally designed to tackle low literacy levels in remote communities around Australia, particularly Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. However, with the adoption of Vygotsky’s scaffolding theory of teaching and learning, the NALP has now been delivered in other parts of Australia with successful results.

The teaching methodology of the NALP requires educators to take on an alternative way of teaching literacy that may place teachers out of their comfort zone. However, NALP is believed to create a supportive and structured learning environment that will help even the students with the most emergent needs to learn in a positive way.

Accelerated Literacy Image

References:

National Accelerated Literacy Program (NALP). (2010). What is NALP? Last accessed: 18/10/2012, http://www.nalp.cdu.edu.au/whatisnalp.htm

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Student’s strengths are catered for when linking the multiple intelligence theory and differing levels of Vygotsky’s ZPD in guided and discovery teaching to assist students to learn. Combining these theories assists students to develop schemas and learn to transfer information as well as perfecting various skills and talents they possess (edutopia 1997). Gardner first discusses the seven intelligences in Frames of Mind, his first full-length statement about his multiple intelligence theory in 1983. Gardener names his seven multiple intelligences as: Linguistic, Mathematical and Logical, Visual and Spatial, Bodily Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Music. In the later years of his career, due to research and great consideration Gardner revised his seven intelligences. With reflection by Gardner there appeared to be three particular potential possibilities: a naturalist intelligence, a spiritual intelligence and an existential intelligence (Scherer, M. 1999). He concluded that the naturalist intelligence merited being added to the list of intelligences (Gardner, 1986). With the spiritual intelligence Gardener came across difficulties settling on the 'content' of spiritual intelligence.  The unsupported claims with regard to truth value, 'and the need for it to be partially identified through its effect on other people’ (Gardner.1999). The final, revised candidate is the moral intelligence. In his research, Gardner began by asking whether it is possible to define the 'moral domain'. He suggests that it is difficult to come to any agreed upon definition.

The key principles of the MI theory are; Pluralisation: That it is important to accept that intelligence is beyond logical-mathematical and linguistic but is often an individualised blend of dominant and submissive intelligences that make each of us suited to particular vocations or interests. Contextualisation: Intelligent behaviour performs better where the context is familiar and meaningful to the student and Distribution: The IM theory is linked to the Vygotskian theory where the interactions with significant others aids our intellectual functioning. (Vialle et. Al 2008, pp.133)

Multiple Intelligences Revisited By Rolf Palmburg

Free Multiple Intelligences Test (Manual Version)

Multiple Intelligences Survey

Multiple Intelligences Image - Brain Storm

Multiple Intelligences Pin Wheel Image

REFERENCE LIST

Edutopia 1997, Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences, last accessed 24/08/2010, http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-howard-gardner-video

Gardner, E. H 1983, Frames Of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, 10^th edn., pp. xxiv, Basic Books, New York, USA

Gardner, H., & Hatch, T. 1989. Multiple intelligences go to school: Educational implications of the theory of multiple intelligences. Educational Researcher, Volume 18, Pn. 4-9.

Gardner, Howard.1999. The Disciplined Mind: Beyond Facts And Standardized Tests, The K-12 Education That Every Child Deserves, New York: Simon and Schuster.

Scherer, M. 1999 'The Understanding Pathway: A Conversation with Howard Gardner', Educational Leadership 57(3)

Vialle, W., Lysaght, P. & Verenikina, I. 2008 Handbook on Child Development 2E, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Vialle, W. 2010, Multiple Intelligences and Effective Learning, Lecture notes, EDFE202, 24 August, 2010. Faculty of Education, UOW

De Bono's Thinking Hats

The 'Six Thinking Hats' is an important and powerful technique. Edward de Bono created this group thought tool, in his book '6 Thinking Hats'.

It is used to look at decisions from multiple perspectives. This forces individuals and groups to operate outside their habitual thinking style, and helps to develop a deeper view and understanding of a situation.

How to Use the Tool:

Use the Six Thinking Hats in classrooms during group work or when asking student to look at an issue or problem from different perspectives. In groups the hats benefit the group by blocking the confrontations that happen when people with different thinking styles come together to discuss the same problem.

Each 'Thinking Hat' is a different style and perspective of thinking.

White Hat:


• With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them.

• This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.

Red Hat:


• 'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.

Black Hat:


• Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them.

• Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties.

Yellow Hat:


• The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.

Green Hat:


• The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here.

Blue Hat:


• The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, etc.

De Bono's Thinking Hats Image 

6 Thinking Hats Class Display

6 thinking hats image

6 thinking hats PDF

REFERENCE LIST

Mind Tools Ltd, 2012. Six Thinking Hats Looking at a decision from all points of view. Cited 20.10 2012. URL: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm

Blooms Taxonomy

Bloom's taxonomy was originally created by Benjamin Bloom for cataloguing and organizing commonly occuring levels of intellectual within the classroom. Bloom identified six levels that have become known as Blooms Taxonomy. The levels of Bloom's taxonomy, from lowest to highest, are: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. It is vitally important that teachers teach students the lower order thinking skills whilst at the same time encouraging, teaching an challenging their students to also utilise the high order thinking skills as they develop the cognitive skills to do so. When students are evaluating and judging and using the higher order thinking skills they are more likely to retain information, perform better on standardized tests, and most importantly, achieve the ultimate goal of becoming lifelong learners. 

Pyramid Image of Blooms Taxonomy

Blooms Taxonomy Target Image

Blooms Taxonomy A4 Poster

Reference List

Waxler. A 2005. Article Alley. Cited 20.10.2012. URL: http://adamwaxler.articlealley.com/what-is-blooms-taxonomy-18775.html

Programming

Before you start developing a program, you need to assess a variety of issues to ensure the program is relevant to your class, school and ability. Below are a few information sheets and checklists to help you with this process.



Teacher Program Checklist

School Situational Analysis

Creating Individual Learning Plans

Helpful Websites:

Primary Programs Plus   


"Primary Programs Plus has been developed by experienced and well-qualified primary school teachers to provide other teachers with a total programming resource. Since 2001, we have successfully provided teachers with access to quality programs across all curriculum areas. We are proud of our reputation throughout Australia as a leading online provider of primary teaching programs that are both practical and relevant to your everyday teaching needs." (PPPlus, 2012)


Reference

PPPlus, (2012), Primary Program Plus; Primary Resources Developed By Teachers For Teachers, http://www.ppplus.com.au, accessed: 21.10.12

Image: https://oaus.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Teaching-learning-header-800-648x382.jpg