Given that our brains are hard-wired differently, in a true democratic classroom we should…
- Be attentive to each student’s behavior to get a sense of their nature, and then figure out how we can adapt our lesson to be inclusive of all learning types.
- Use a full spectrum of learning techniques — e.g. inductive and deductive, input and output, engaging a variety of senses, peripheral and focal, interpersonal and intrapersonal, memorization and spontaneous production — so that each student has at least some instruction in their “native learning language.” [I made that up, although I’m sure many others have done the same.]
- Learning styles: Visual, kinesthetic, auditory, tactile
- Invite student feedback to lessons and ideas for future lessons.
- Take advantage of peer scaffolding to “level the playing field” a little, giving students who might be learning a lesson more quickly to “bring along” someone who is struggling more. In a later lesson the roles are likely to reverse.
- Attend to the work of community-building within the classroom, to foster mutual respect and support.
- Incorporate “comprehension-checking questions” (CCQ) to be sure everyone is learning.
David: You need to teach to the middle students. If you focus there, and if they start getting lost, slow dow; if they get bored, slow down. For particularly complex topics, touch it with a variety of methods so everyone is addressed.
Ishmael: Don’t be a slave to a specific method; be versatile.
Tatiana: Long enough to be adequate, short enough to be interesting. Ditto for the level of difficulty.
Elka played various versions of Three Little Pigs on YouTube. Different accents (Engish). (I could preload some of these vids for Mexico.) Or she could teach with actual materials (sticks, straw, stone). Or through a poem. Could use a graphic organizer (e.g. index cards); input flooding; patterns (walked, talked…).
Two types of visual learning. “Chimney” and point to a picture of it. And “Chimney”: point to the picture of a chimney and to the word for it.