It's the last week of the A to Z Challenge!!
Waiting time - Teachers can find that the pace of their lesson slows when asking children questions and they can rush children on or pass by a child slow to answer. However, by factoring in Waiting time which means simply directing a question to a child and telling them they will come back for an answer in a few minutes allows that child the thinking time necessary to formulate a reply. I have certainly found this useful (and not only for those children on the Special Needs register!)
I could also write about the Waiting time involved in getting any action taken for children with special needs but I feel I would begin to rant and rage and become rather despondent if I did, so I Won't!!
Whisper phones - I was told on one of the first phonics courses I attended that whispering helps with enunciation which is why sometimes you will find teachers whispering to their class in such lessons. The whisper phone allows a large number of children to practise their phonics out loud without interfering with others and allowing the noise level to become excessive.
Thank you to www.littlegiraffes.com for the photo
The funnel allows sound to be directed straight to the ear as well as reducing background noise. As you can see in the photo above, they can also act as a very useful tool for children to be able to read out loud in the class but in a more private and quiet environment. This is also important as it focuses attention on what the reader is actually saying and helps with understanding, fluency as well as reducing distractions. Children also actively like using them!
Of course with any education tool they can be expensive to buy for a whole class so some smart teachers have come up with ways to make their own for a fraction of the price so head over to:
http://teacherificfun.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/diy-whisper-phones.html
if you would like to find out how!!
It would be great to know if anyone else has had experience of using them either at home or in the classroom so please let me know?
Wool - I think this picture says it all!!
I hasten to add this is NOT my wool stash because I do not have the time to gather all of the wool up that I possess from all the places I have stashed it in my house - so thank you to Nikki from
confessionsofayarnfiend.blogspot.com for sharing this pic :)
I have two reasons for why my wool is hidden all over the house:
- I don't have a room in the house where I could store it all together
- I certainly do NOT want my husband to actually see the amount of wool I have!!!!
Let me know your thoughts - I know through this challenge that some of you are amazingly passionate about your craft materials so what makes you go weak at the knees!!
W Freebie is my Walk 'n' Talk onset and rime activity which helps children write words using the initial sound (the onset) combined with the remainder of the word (the rime) - we sometimes call these word families :)
Hope you like it :)
I use waiting time in a lot of my music lessons. They have such short lessons that it is often the only way to give every child an opportunity to answer a question and make progress.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of that but of course as you say when time is short it is a good way for the student to process what the answer could be whilst doing something else :)
DeleteWaiting time would have helped me a lot when I was at school. I had the answers, but not necessarily on the tip of my tongue.
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
I think far more children are capable of answering correctly or even incorrectly (and allowing the teacher to understand where their misconception might be) if they are given time to formulate their reply!
DeleteHow cool! I taught English (ESL) for 10 years, but not to children (the youngest I taught was a class of sixth graders), and I've always admired teachers that work with kids... Total challenge. The waiting time, though, sounds like a fantastic idea--and definitely not just for kids! I can see how using it with adults would work wonders; especially when starting to learn a second language adults tend to get inhibited and shy about making mistakes, so rather than pressuring them into answering, or taking away the opportunity for them to practice by moving on to someone else, a waiting time would be lovely. Ah, well. If I ever teach anything again... And that wool! Yes, I'd be like Gollum too, haha.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit over at Quiet Laughter -- yes, you got "tiki" right! You're now in the drawing for a collection of short stories about Curaçao coming this summer (winners to be announced in May), so congratulations! And happy last A-to-Z days :)
Thank you, Guilie for stopping by - your blog is very informative and I am so pleased I got the question correct - I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for May :)
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