Assignment #6: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 6 – Nonliguistic Representations.
Remember: Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part C and D. We’re trying to make the blog easier to read and more user- friendly. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategies of Nonlinguistic Representations in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment. After completing your self assessment please post a thought or two as a comment (click on comment link below) to this posting labeled Week Six: Nonlinguistic Respresentions.
• Nonlinguistic representations help us to recall and use information every day. Think of a topic that you understand very well and notice how many images related to this topic you can generate in your head. Now identify a topic with which you are familiar but that you do not understand well. Try to generate images and notice how difficult it is.
• What would be the purpose of representing knowledge in different forms everyday in our classrooms across curriculum areas?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 6 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for both Nonlinguistic Representations. After completing your chapter reflection, please post it as a comment (click on comment link below) in the posting labeled Week Six: Nonlinguistic Representations.
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom). You may want to consider the bullets below.
• This chapter explains that nonlinguistic representations are powerful ways to learn and recall information but that many classrooms are very linguistically oriented. Think of classroom experiences that are often effective but that are inherently linguistic (e.g., reading the textbook, engaging in a discussion, listening to an explanation). Suggest several specific ways that these linguistic experiences could be even more effective by guiding students to generate and use nonlinguistic representations, such as graphic organizers, multimedia, and role-plays.
• When do you ask students to represent knowledge using forms other than words?
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Nonlinguistic Representations effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How might I change how use nonlinguistic representation in my classroom?
• What is something you now understand better about nonlinguistic representations?
12 comments:
C. I feel that I use nonlinguistic representations quite a bit. I’m always trying to show my students in any way that I can what we are talking about. When we read a story about volcanoes and Mount St. Helens, I found video and pictures online to show them what it looked liked (before, during and after the eruption). With our vocabulary, we always try to find a picture of the word and act it out if we can. Most of the skills in our reading program are represented with a graphic organizer that I usually show the students and post in the room. In writing, we have used the four square and the Step-Up to Writing stop light colors with the accordion paragraph as graphic organizers. When we were studying geometry, I used a concept pattern graphic organizer to look at quadrilaterals. We could sort them into trapezoids or parallelograms and then we could break down parallelograms into other specific quadrilaterals. When we were learning about lines, rays, and points we would act it out with our bodies (a line was both arms stretched out with fingers pointing out). We also used journals in which the students write the vocabulary, the definition and draw a sketch of what it looks like.
Currently in math, we are learning about fractions. There are several of the nonlinguistic representations I am using. We make physical models of the fractions. We have strips that we cut into equal parts, we have circles that are divided into different fractions (i.e. fourths) that we work with, we have fraction bars that we use to compare fractions or find equivalent fractions. We have colored circle manipulatives that we use to find fractions in a set. I try to get them to generate mental pictures. I often use food as an example with fractions and we try to imagine if we had an orange or a candy bar (depending on how healthy we want to be that day) and we divide it into equal parts and find the fraction that is left. We are also drawing pictures to go with our fractions. I will have students draw a rectangle and divide it into equal parts and show a certain fraction shaded (this task is difficult for students to make the parts equal however, and some get easily frustrated with it. Some students I modify for by drawing the equal parts for them and then they just have to shade). We also try to use kinesthetic activity. This goes right along with the ELL strategy of Total Physical Response. I have had students stand in the front of the room and we talk about what fraction is girls, boys, wearing red, has long sleeves, or whatever and students sort themselves and then we talk about the fraction. I have a manipulative that looks like a large pizza that comes in several different fractions. We acted out with that what different fractions look like. We try every day to get our hands on something and play around with the concepts we are learning.
D. I was surprised at the end of the chapter that it said this is one of the most underused instructional strategies! It seems like one I try to use a lot. I want kids to understand the information being taught and I try to find as many different ways to present that information to them. They all have different learning styles and my job is to teach in a way that will help them understand it. I think using a visual model helps. Perhaps I tend to do it more because I like to see things so that I understand it better myself. This chapter helped to remind me that it is important to keep finding new ways to show students, rather than just tell them. It is a strategy that I will continue to use as much as I can.
kelsey
assignment 6
C.
Like Renee I feel that I am constantly using non linguistic representations, even though I teach English which is inherently linguistic. Every unit we use graphic organizers, create mental pictures, draw pictures, use realia or physically act out different things that we are learning about. One of the classroom practice strategies that I like to use is drawing pictures or pictographs. Recently we did a lesson that asked students to describe what was happening in a picture. They also had to answer specific questions that required a past, present or future tense answer. After using the pictures that were provided I had my students draw their own picture of an activity and ask each other questions about the picture they drew. I think this really helped them take more ownership of the knowledge and they retained more from this lesson than from most. We also did a lesson recently where we learned about penguins. I had my students act out the different actions that penguins do rather than just watch a video and talk about it. As for graphic organizers, I use them for pretty much everything. Mine are often simpler than those in the figures in the chapter. For example when learning about sequence of events my students will have a graphic organizer that has them draw a picture for each step. The older students will have more pictures to draw while my younger ones might just have ‘beginning, middle, end’ or ‘first, then, last’.
D.
I don’t feel that the information in this chapter has really changed my thinking about teaching and learning. I have always felt that nonlinguistic representations are an important part of teaching and learning. I guess I’ve never really thought of them as a separate way to teach, since they are always integrated into how I teach. I don’t think that I’ll change much about how I use nonlinguistic representations but I can always use more. Perhaps I will try to use more models or kinesthetic activities since those are two practices I don’t use as much as others. I find it interesting that this strategy is possibly the most underused of all those the book discusses. It is one that I know from experience helps so many students I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be utilized more.
c.
Currently, I use many different non-linguistic activities in my social studies curriculum. However, these activities usually follow the reading of a chapter and the use of linguistic learning. I have really bought into the fact that students remember what they have learned when they demonstrate their knowledge through art. For example, my students make a comic strip about life in Ancient Greece. I give them a list of topics and they create pictures and dialogue about what they have learned. They first draw the pictures to represent what they have learned and then add the words. They then go back and research, out of their textbook, and come up with meaningful dialogue to go along with the artwork. Most students love to share their work with the class and are able to re-teach their classmates through their very own words and cartoon style pictures. Another time I use a non-linguistic lesson would be following a reading about the city of Rome during the bustling Empire. I ask to the students put their heads down on their desks’, close their eyes and listen to a brief story of a young Roman boy or girl walking down street in the capital city of Rome. I ask each of them to imagine the sounds, smells and “back drop” of Rome. Most students really get into this “story time” and love to share their “time in Rome” with classmates through pair-share. I will continue to use both linguistic and non-linguistic lessons in the future. Both strategies when used together really add to the students’ experiences in social studies and with their imagination.
D.
As I mentioned above, I think it is powerful to use both linguistic and non-linguistic types of activities when covering the curriculum in my social studies class. It is another creative, fun way students can show what they know without a lot of words and writing. I believe reading and writing are very important at the middle school level (any level for that matter), but adding a certain amount of fun and creativity is equally important. Students tend to be very engaged when their classmates are presenting. I am looking forward to using many more non-linguistic charts and diagrams in the future and have students use the document camera to show their work. Something I have learned for sure…a picture paints a thousand words. Reading and feeling the motivation behind art and other visual or audio presentations really can be powerful and educational. I like to imagine the thought that goes into student work as it is presented.
Recently, at a Structured Instruction training class (SIOP), I took part in a lesson involving a visual display of pictures that went along with the topic of exploration. We, as learners, did not know the topic, but had to write a comment or question about each picture. When we finished the “hall of pictures” we were given the topic (exploration) to better understand the displays. I really liked this method of introducing the topic visually. I plan on using this teaching strategy in the near future.
T, I really like the comic strip idea. You reminded me that I have something in my supplies that I could use for this and have been wanting to try it. Thanks for the reminder!
Renee, You reminded me of how important the visual strategies are (especially for our ELL population). I want to try having my 4th grade group "sketch" some of their math vocabulary words to make it a little more concrete for them. There are so many to learn in some of the units, I feel that this would solidify what they know but can't always attach to anything.
C. The classroom practice for nonlinguistic representation that I use most often is the graphic organizer. Currently our school is in the process of using Step Up to Writing (grades K-5) for the writing process. This program offers a wide variety of graphic organizers that help break down writing for the youngest of students. I am currently using a T-chart organizer with my first grade class to emphasize details and transition words in their writing. We began with mental pictures or sketches for ideas, and then went to words and finally complete sentences to stretch the idea and create more details. Sketching or “generating mental pictures” as referred to on page 81 of chapter 6 is the most direct way to help primary students begin to construct their writing. (I have also used sketching mental pictures of more abstract concepts such as place value in math with students. This is a developmental stage in understanding numbers that is critical for some students to understand our base 10 number system.) The students seem to clearly see the connection in their sketches to their sentences in using this graphic organizer. It is very linear and makes sense to those that are just beginning to form ideas using words. This is the second time I have used this graphic organizer for writing with the first graders. Next time, they will complete the organizer on their own using sketches and words. They have become much more comfortable with this process and seem to have more confidence in beginning their story. I will continue to use this organizer but, move one to different varieties once students are independent with each one and show they can connect it to their writing.
D. In the future I will continue to use graphic organizers but I now have so many more in my tool box. The Step Up to Writing program has provided us with a wide variety depending on the type of writing you are doing. Also, this chapter reaffirmed my belief in generating pictures/visuals for students and making abstract concepts more concrete for them. Using kinesthetic activity (or Total Physical Response) to directly teach concepts is something that I want to incorporate more often in more subjects. I think if I am intentionally planning with these strategies in mind I will be able to include them in more subjects and help more students make connections in their learning.
I love the comic strip idea too! I have some 5th grade boys that would really get into that...
Assignment #6: Nonlinguistic Representations
C. I too love using graphics organizers in my teaching. I think our students get overwhelmed with all of the information we throw at them, and if we can give them another way to remember it—visual instead of auditory for example—it has a greater chance of “sticking” for them. As Christi mentioned we recently started using Step Up to Writing at our school. The thing I love about the program is not only does it use a lot of graphic organizers, but they are all color coded. I find that when students write they have a really hard time breaking up their own stream of consciousness way of thinking. In their mind it ALL goes together, so that’s one paragraph, right?!? The Step Up to Writing organizers literally take their thoughts and help them break them up in a nice, organized way. This process starts out very simplistic for the younger students by using pictures in boxes (graphic organizer), then takes them to words, sentences, paragraphs, etc as they grow as writers. When established enough they can even “add a color” to include supporting details within their paragraphs. I love this concept because of the multi-level visual supports it offers for a process that we tend to mostly see as a mental thought process. Without visual supports students can become very overwhelmed by the writing process before they ever get started “writing.”
D. I liked the various graphic organizers the book provided as examples, however I would be cautious with using some of them. There were a few that were so multileveled I think they would be more confusing than helpful to many kids, such as the Episode one (figure 6.5) or the Concept Pattern Organizer (figure 6.7). The students that could keep up with these particular structures probably didn’t need an organizer to begin with…I liked the reminders of visualizing, drawing pictures and doing kinesthetic activities to help retain new information. Engaging the different parts of the brain really does make a difference, and I think we often forget to look outside of the box, and find our creative teaching sides. This chapter reminded me a lot of a speaker I saw at a conference this last fall—Marcia Tate. She is the author of a series of strategy books, Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites being the original, based on the research of how students learn when they are actively engaged in their learning—“actively” in the literal sense of movement and physical response. She demonstrated various dance moves, hand motions, etc to go along with concepts being learned.
We are impressed with the amount of nonlinguistic representation you are all using in your classes! Thanks for sharing your ideas and lessons, I’m sure others will be able to use or adapt them for their own students.
Hello Renee!
Wow, you do use nonlinguistic representation a lot in your room! I’m a big fan of using food for fractions also. I also like using movement in math. I’ve used body movements with vocab. words like ray and line before with great success. Did you know that a banana will always divide into 3 equal segments? Our math coach told me this last year, assuming that I knew this… I didn’t, but it does break into 3 long pieces if you gently squeeze it to separate. ☺ You said it well at the end of your post, “It is important to keep finding new ways to show students, rather than just tell(ing) them.” Show don’t just tell. Good to remember!
Hi Kelsey!
What a great lesson to have the students ask each other questions about their drawings. I can see why the students were more invested in the lesson versus one where they didn’t share and discuss the drawings. Your comment also stuck with me about how you “never really thought of them as separate ways to teach, since they are always integrated into how (you) teach.” It’s exciting to hear from teachers who make such great use of nonlinguistic representations in their classroom. ☺
Hi Therese,
I absolutely agree that students recall more (and prob. enjoy it more) when they use art to demonstrate their knowledge. You raise a good point that students can re-teach each other when presenting their work, another benefit of using the nonlinguistic representations in our practice. Also, student engagement is increased as well as including the “fun” element to assignments and school.
The SIOP lesson sounds really interesting! I think I will try to incorporate it into some of my lessons that I collaborate with the teachers for. I’ve done a similar format with vocabulary words from a story or article. I would list the words and give the words to the students and have them write a story using the words or have them predict what the story or article was going to be about before we read it. Good ideas for creating engaging anticipatory sets.
Hello Christi,
Having a variety of examples to draw from definitely increases the use of nonlinguistic representations in our instruction. I think it’s a great goal to incorporate their use more in other subjects. An idea to support your intentional planning of the use of these nonlinguistic representations might be to add an area on your lesson plan sheet that simply says “Nonlinguistic Representations” as a visual reminder for yourself. I know if I stop for a few minutes and plan my lesson, I’m more likely to use a strategy in my teaching. (And use it well, not just winging it.)
Hello Molly!
I think color-coding can be very beneficial to students, not only in writing, but also in many topics and subjects. I have to check out Marcia Tate’s book Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites. I love the title. Have you seen the series?
Often teachers in this class comment about timelines, which I enjoy using with students at all levels. Earlier this class I mentioned I would share another Google tool. This is the Google Timeline. (You can find it in the same areas as the Wonder wheel, over on the left hand side under “search tools.”)
If you put a term like “Twin Towers” into regular Google and then click Timeline you are given a visual of a timeline graph depicting the amount of articles available on the topic.
So using our example of “Twin Towers” you would see a spike in 1974, 1993 and then of course 2001. The timeline graph starts in 1970 because that’s when they were built. But what happened in 1974??? The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (if you’re interested this is a true children’s book.) Philippe Petit walked on a tightrope between the World Trade Center Towers in 1974. 1993 was the first attack on the Twin Towers (a fact that many of our students might not even realize, that there was an attach before 9/11) and then the largest amount of articles was in 2001.
Another neat part of the timeline is that you can narrow the dates of your search to a custom range or within the last 24 hours, week, month or year. You can also combine the timeline with only news or images… if you have some time you may want to check this handy feature out. If you need further (or clearer) instructions let me know and I’ll help you find the timeline. (I actually was using this today to assist a teacher in her search for articles comparing 1929 to 2008. ☺)
Jackie and Mary, I have never used the 'timeline' function in google and am facinated by it! I have tried it in class with tobacco companies, teenage depression research, etc and the students are all VERY interested in what was going on in the world to prompt the 'spikes' they see. What a great tool!
C. Well after reading how many of you use nonlinguistic representations in your classroom I realize I am not as strong in this area as I would like to be. Like Therese, I attended a Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol workshop that was geared specifically toward teaching English Language Learners, but the more understanding of the process we gained the more we realized it was all just good practice! Using non-linguistic representations strengthens the connections students make between the text and their own lives, which means they retain the information much better! In my class we do read from the text book or have discussions, maybe too often. When I have tied more of these linguistic experiences to nonlinguistic representations, my students definitely connect to the material better. In health class we use a lot of role-play activities where students demonstrate their understanding of a concept in a kinesthetic manner. Because the students are also able to discuss the concept with peers, they see many different ways of assimilating the information.
D. As a learner, when I heard non-linguistic I immediately thought of graphic organizers. I pictured a Venn Diagram, a bubble chart, etc. After reading this chapter, I feel that as an educator I have to look beyond simply asking students to organize information into graphic organizers because they so often actually only have students putting more words into shapes, not truly allowing them to get away from the writing that may be difficult for them. Drawing pictures or pictographs is a great idea, even at the middle school level these kids LOVE to get out the colored pencils. Health doesn’t lend itself very often to that, so after reading the section on that in the book I am committed to finding ways to bring more symbolic pictures into my units. I am picturing a unit where we identify emotions and healthy ways to deal with them…maybe students could draw a picture to represent the emotion (crying face for sad) and then a picture to represent their coping mechanism (picture of their dog if they would play with a pet). I think students would not only be interested in finding a way to graphically represent the information, but also may find it easier to recall those suggestions in moments of great emotion, which is clearly the point of the assignment!
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