Samples of Some Cooperative Learning Models

Corners
Teacher announces a topic and gives students a choice of four alternative. Students then form groups in the four corners of the room and share reasons for their choice with a partner in their corner. Students realize they can be accepted while making choices that are different from their classmates.
Steps:

1) Teacher announces corners
2) Students think and write
3) Students go to corners
4) Pairs discuss

Tips:

• Have students writes down the number of their choice without discussion among themselves.
• Post a title of visual in each corner of the room.
• If only one student chooses a corner, validate their choice, but ask them to choose their second favorite group.
• Give equal time to share in pairs.

Find-Someone-Who
Students receive a worksheet. The worksheet asks them to "Find someone who..." The student has to have the person who knows the answer for their question to write it along with their name on the worksheet. Students can find only one answer from each person. When students finish they become helpers by sitting down and becoming a resource for others who can ask them any question. Students who originally knew none of the the answers, after filling in one or two of the answers become a resource for others because they have become "someone who knows."
Steps:

1) Students mix and pair
2) Student questions partner
3) Partner checks
4) Reverse roles

Tips:

• 
  

  
  
  

  Have students raise one hand as they walk until they find a partner. This makes it easier to spot those looking for a partner.

  
  
  
  
  

  Prior to doing the activity have students turn in one little know fact or idea that they would like everyone to know to use for the form.

  
  
  
  
  

  Remind students that they can gen only one answer from a partner and then must circulate to find another partner. 

  
  
  
  

Formations
The teacher presents the class with something to form. Students then make the formation by coordinating their efforts, deciding where each student should stand or what they should do. More advanced models may include sound and movement.
Tips:

• If possible, use an open space.
• Show students a picture of the shape they are to form.
• The formation must involve all students
• Model how students may interact to make the formation.

 Guess the Fib

Each student writes down three statements. Two are true and one is false. One student at a time reads their statement to the class. Teams huddle to discuss the statements, trying to "guess the fib."
Steps:

 1) Students write three statements.

 2) One student reads statements.
 3) Teammates discuss statements.
 4) Teammates guess.

 Tips:

• Have teams reach consensus before guessing.
• Make sure students correct the fib so students remember the correct information.
• Give the role of "consensus seeker" to one student.

Inside/Outside Circle

Students form two concentric circles. Both circles have the same number of students so that each student is facing another student. Teacher announces a topic or question, and students discuss with that partner. Then both circles rotate so that students are paired with a new partner for the next question or topic.
 Steps:

 1) Students form circles.

 2) Student shares with partner.
 3) Reverse roles.
 4) Students rotate.

 Tips:

•  If the weather is nice, this is fun to do outside. 
• Vary the number of positions rotated and occasionally switch directions.

Line-Ups
The teacher announces a dimension on which students may vary. The dimension may be a characteristic or a value. Students then line up according to where they stand relative to their classmates on the characteristic or issue.
Steps:

1) Teacher describes the line.

2)Students line up.
 3) Fold the line so that the individual on the very end of the line is facing the person at the opposite end.
 4) Pairs discuss.

Tips:

•  One variation of this exercise is to give students slips of paper or index cards with one part of a process written on it and have students arrange themselves so that the overall process is in correct order.

5 Elements of Cooperative Learning

Positive Interdependence
(sink or swim together)

• Each group member's efforts are required and indispensable for group success
• Each group member has a unique contribution to make to the joint effort because of his or her resources and/or role and task responsibilities

Face-to-Face Interaction
(promote each other's success)

• Orally explaining how to solve problems
• Teaching one's knowledge to other
• Checking for understanding
• Discussing concepts being learned
• Connecting present with past learning 

Individual & Group Accountability
( no hitchhiking! no social loafing)

• Keeping the size of the group small. The smaller the size of the group, the greater the individual accountability may be.
• Giving an individual test to each student.
• Randomly examining students orally by calling on one student to present his or her group's work to the teacher (in the presence of the group) or to the entire class.
• Observing each group and recording the frequency with which each member-contributes to the group's work.
• Assigning one student in each group the role of checker. The checker asks other group members to explain the reasoning and rationale underlying group answers.
• Having students teach what they learned to someone else.

Interpersonal & Small-Group Skills
Social skills must be taught:

• Leadership
• Decision-making
• Trust-building
• Communication
• Conflict-management skills  

Group Processing

• Group members discuss how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining effective working relationships
• Describe what member actions are helpful and not helpful
• Make decisions about what behaviors to continue or change

Class Activities that use Cooperative Learning

Most of these were developed by:
Kagan, Miguel, Laurie Robertson, and Spencer Kagan; Cooperative Learning Structures for Classbuilding, 1995; Kagan Cooperative Learning; San Clemente, CA

Jigsaw

 Groups with five students are set up. Each group member is assigned some unique material to learn and then to teach to his group members. To help in the learning students across the class working on the same sub-section get together to decide what is important and how to teach it. After practice in these "expert" groups the original groups reform and students teach each other.  Tests or assessment follows.

Think-Pair-Share

 Involves a three step cooperative structure. During the first step individuals think silently about a question posed by the instructor. Individuals pair up during the second step and exchange thoughts. In the third step, the pairs share their responses with other pairs, other teams, or the entire group.

Three-Step Interview

Each member of a team chooses another member to be a partner. During the first step individuals interview their partners by asking clarifying questions. During the second step partners reverse the roles. For the final step, members share their partner's response with the team.

RoundRobin Brainstorming

Class is divided into small groups (4 to 6) with one person appointed as the recorder. A question is posed with many answers and students are given time to think about answers. After the "think time," members of the team share responses with one another round robin style. The recorder writes down the answers of the group members. The person next to the recorder starts and each person in the group in order gives an answer until time is called.

Three-minute review

Teachers stop any time during a lecture or discussion and give teams three minutes to review what has been said, ask clarifying questions or answer questions.

Numbered Heads Together

A team of four is established. Each member is given numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4. Questions are asked of the group. Groups work together to answer the question so that all can verbally answer the question. Teacher calls out a number (two) and each two is asked to give the answer.

Team Pair Solo

Students do problems first as a team, then with a partner, and finally on their own. It is designed to motivate students to tackle and succeed at problems which initially are beyond their ability. It is based on a simple notion of mediated learning. Students can do more things with help (mediation) than they can do alone. By allowing them to work on problems they could not do alone, first as a team and then with a partner, they progress to a point they can do alone that which at first they could do only with help.

Circle the Sage

First the teacher polls the class to see which students have a special knowledge to share. For example the teacher may ask who in the class was able to solve a difficult math homework question, who had visited Mexico, who knows the chemical reactions involved in how salting the streets help dissipate snow. Those students (the sages) stand and spread out in the room. The teacher then has the rest of the classmates each surround a sage, with no two members of the same team going to the same sage. The sage explains what they know while the classmates listen, ask questions, and take notes. All students then return to their teams. Each in turn, explains what they learned. Because each one has gone to a different sage, they compare notes. If there is disagreement, they stand up as a team. Finally, the disagreements are aired and resolved.

Partners

The class is divided into teams of four. Partners move to one side of the room. Half of each team is given an assignment to master to be able to teach the other half. Partners work to learn and can consult with other partners working on the same material. Teams go back together with each set of partners teaching the other set. Partners quiz and tutor teammates. Team reviews how well they learned and taught and how they might improve the process.

Function Groups

Example of group roles as propsed by Brady, L. (2006)

Group leader- facilites group discussions
Monitor/Time keeper-ensures everyone participates
Recorder-keeps a written record
Reporter-presents the group's findings
Explainer-paraphrases individual contributions
Clarifier-checks for individual understanding
Praiser-gives positive feedback to group
Challenger-calls on group to give justification of their opinions
Gopher- assembles all resourses
Observer-watches group members performance and gives feedback
Evaluator- checks that the group task has been completed

Benefits of Cooperative Classrooms

These benefits are taken from the research of Johnson and Johnson 1999 Methods of Cooperative Learning: What can we prove works?

• Students who learn in the cooperative model perform better academically than students who learn in the individual or competitive model especially in problem solving, predicting, and concept attainment.
• Short term and long term memory is increased for all ability level students.
• Cooperative learning groups promote self-esteem and school enjoyment.
• Cooperative learning leads to positive social interaction among students.
• Cooperative learning leads to stronger scholastic aspirations, pro-social behavior, and positive peer relationships.
• Cooperative learning is the most flexible and powerful classroom strategy.
• Cooperative learning works with all age and ability levels.
• Cooperative learning teaches how to work in teams, how to give and receive criticism, how to plan, how to monitor, and how to evaluate.

Further evidence from Brady, L. (2006) on the benefit of Cooperative learning groups.

• Positive interdependence
• Face-to-face interaction
• Individual accountability
• Development of social skills
• Group evaluation
• Cognitive development
• Personal skills
• Equity

Direct Instruction

When teaching the whole class it is important to be clear and concise not the bore them with dialog or take up too much of their engaged time.  The instruction time should be both before and after the group activities and be used to:

• Directing/sharing teaching objectives
• Instructing/giving information
• Demonstrating/modelling
• Explaining and Illustrating/giving further examples and step by step solutions
• Questioning and Discussing/listening carefully to students and eliciting higher order responses
• Consolidating/get students reflecting on their ideas
• Evaluating students' responses/students justify their methods and clarify their ideas/ teacher feedback
• Summarizing/reviewing all that was learned and clarify misunderstandings 

Multiple Intelligences

Gardner (1983) also the writer of my favorite social-educational theory of second language motivation came up with an theory that addresss the overall intelligences of the individual.  These are the EQ ideas that have been floating around in consumer educational circles for years.  As a teacher, I believe it is the responsibility to find what area the student excels at and build that area so they excel something.  We all don't have to be linguists or mathematicians, yet if we can excel in an area that we are naturally gifted we can reach our full potential and the world could possibly be a better place.

• Visual/Spatial intelligence
• Logical/Mathematical intelligence
• Bodily/Kinaesthetic intelligence
• Musical/rhythmic intelligence
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Intrapersonal intelligence

Maritime Museum

Jessie and I visited the Auckland Maritime Museum and thought of some interesting ways we could incorporate it into our class lessons.
How to use the Auckland Maritime Museum in Social Studies Classes
Maori

• Investigate the migration of people from Africa to NZ
• List the items Maori would have needed on Waka to survive on the open ocean.
• Hunt Moa (or chickens)

First Encounter

• Role play the first encounter between Maori and Capt. Cook
• Write a news paper article about the arrival of Capt. Cook
• Study the life of Capt Cook
• Design maritime uniforms

Immigration

• Compare and contrast the voyages of the Maori with the voyages of the Europeans.
• List items that a pioneer might need to establish a new homestead
• Genealogical research of family background
• Make a poster advertising immigration to NZ
• Immigrant fashion parade

Current Affairs

• Investigate the uses of whales
• The history of whaling-Greenpeace can come in and talk to class
• Inquiry into aquaculture
• Track the Whitbread Race

How to use the Auckland Maritime Museum in other curriculum subjects

Arts

• • Sketch a ship
• • Build a ship out of recycled materials
• • Draw a pirate ship flag that represents your interests
• • Design a dream bach
• • Build a raft out of flax
• • Scrimshaw etchings

Maths

• Measure a ship

Science

• Wind Study and how it relates to sailing
• Study constellations and navigation

Language

• Write a Journal of Immigrants daily life on a transport vessel

PE

• Play Captain is Coming
• Take a canoe trip
• Low ropes course to build teamwork
• Take the Free Ports of Auckland Cruise held every Tuesday for school groups

Group Work

Students must first be taught the necessary skills needed to participate in group activities. These include:

• Sharing Skills
• Participation Skills
• Communication Skills
• Listening Skills

The instructions must be clearly stated and there should be no ambiguity among the students. By giving the students clearlly defined roles this greatly decreases the misbehavior and increases learning time.  The teacher should have questions and instructions for each of the roles that the students can work on independently and then merge to share as a group. Examples of the roles are:

• Summarizer
• Researcher
• Checker
• Runner
• Observer
• Recorder

Possible Discussion Roles


Facilitator/Encourager: This student gets discussion moving and keeps it moving, often by asking the other group members questions, sometimes about what they've just been saying.

Timekeeper: Someone needs to make sure that the group stays on track and gets through a reasonable amount of material in the given time period.

Summarizer: Every so often (perhaps once per question for a list of questions, or at the end for one question), this student provides a summary of the discussion for other students to approve or amend.

Reflector: This student will listen to what others say and explain it back in his or her own words, asking the original speaker if the interpretation is correct.

Elaborator: This person seeks connections between the current discussion and past topics or overall course themes.
 
There are a variety of different ways in which the students can work in groups these are:

• Thinking buddies- Allows the students to discuss what they are thinking and then report on their buddies ideas (promotes active listening)
• Buzz Groups- For preliminary discussions.
• Jigsaw-Where group members work on specific tasks and then come together to report findings.
• Crossover Groups- same as jigsaw but spilt again and report to small groups.
• Whole class- group- individual- A reversal that allows students to eventually work independently at home.
• Snowball groups (2-4-6-8)-In which the groups gradually increase as the lesson progesses
• Checkers- Students work independently then check each others answers and decide together on the correct answer.

I love to use group work with integrated projects were students have to research information and present it to the whole class as a poster and a presentation.

Constructivism in Practice

There are many teaching strategies that teachers use that are common elements of constructivism.

• Connecting learns with prior knowledge
• Modelling
• Scaffolding
• Coaching- Motivating and providing feedback
• Encouraging students to articulate their ideas, thoughts, and solutions
• Reflection 
• Exploration and problem solving
• Risk taking 
• Teacher Flexibility
• Stressing multiple realities 

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is used by teachers to move students beyond their current developmental stage or skill set and into progressively more difficult tasks. Scaffolding relies on sociocognitive learning where the student learns by observing a more competent person solving a problem or completing a task. The teacher provides support and models strategies for the student, then gradually withdras the support.  Scaffolding can also come from other students in the class.

Zone of Proximal Development

The zone of proximal development is the level of interest during scaffolding. Vygotsky theorized that cognitive development occurs at this point. Through scaffolding, teachers move students from the zone of proximal development to the zone of actual development, where they are able to work independently.

The provision for assisted performance is known as scaffolding. Common elements of scaffolding include:

• Task definition
• Direct or indirect instruction
• Specification and sequencing of activities
• Provision of materials, equipment and facilities
• Other environmental contributions
• Modeling

Scaffolding may include assistance with planning, organising, doing and/or reflecting on the specific task. Such assistance is best made available in a timely manner matched to the learning needs and interests of the learner.

As the teacher observes the students at work, he must decide when he needs to step in and model a problem-solving strategy that will pull the students forward in terms of knowledge or skills. The ideal educational environment takes into account an individual's existing skills and developmental level and provides adequate challenges for the student move forward with help and guidance--scaffolding--from the teacher.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are statements that describe significant and essential learning that learners have achieved, and can reliably demonstrate at the end of a course or program. In my opinion they are the most important aspect of the lesson planning and determine what the students should learn and how to assess this learning.  I feel the use of benchmarks is a valuable method to assess the achievement of LO. 

• When designing learning outcomes start with what you hope children are able to achieve by the end of the unit.
• Focus on the success criteria for the individual unit.
• Keep learning outcomes specific and very short term.
• Inform students what they are to achieve from the unit.  This allows students direction in thier studies and focuses their learning.
• Keep the language of the learning outcomes simple.
• Determine how to assess the outcomes.
• Use the learning outcomes until they are actually acquired by the students.

Learning outcome

A learning outcome is a descriptive statement that outlines the knowledge, skill, and understanding(s) attained in an aspect of the curriculum and measured against various criteria (for example, success criteria, achievement criteria, assessment schedule, performance criteria). Learning outcomes are derived from the achievement objectives of the curriculum, and form the heart of teaching and learning plans. They are the conduit between the achievement objectives described in the curriculum and the day to day learning that happens in lessons which are expressed as learning intentions.

Teaching and learning plans should show the success criteria that guide the teacher in what they want to teach, and form the basis for assessing what the students have learnt against the learning intention. Sometimes these are called 'specific learning outcomes' (SLOs) or 'indicators' in some curriculum documents and Ministry of Education resources. (Clarke, Timperley, Hattie 2003.)

Learning outcomes are usually preceded by the stem: Students will be able to . . . (description of acquired learning).

Learning intention

Learning intentions describe the knowledge, skill, understanding(s) and/or attitudes/values that are designed to develop an aspect of the curriculum. They are usually negotiated with students and expressed in a lesson or series of lessons. Learning intentions are expressed in language that students understand and support them in understanding what they are supposed to be doing and why. Ideally students will put learning intentions into their own words.

When the learning is expressed as an intention, it implies that a process is enacted. The process involves the complex relationship between students' prior knowledge, experience, and learning capability, and the teaching and learning strategies used by the teacher to meet the individual learning needs of students. As a result of the learning process, intentions may well have to be renegotiated or transformed according to the achievements of students. Having flexible learning intentions allows for learning spontaneity and 'unplanned' learning. A learning intention takes achievement of the original learning goal into account and aims to move students on towards the next part of the learning. Students measure their success or achievement against success criteria. Once this has been attained, the learning intention becomes an outcome because it has been 'measured'.

Learning intentions are also referred to as intended learning outcomes and usually are preceded by the stem: Students will . . . (description of intended learning). They may also be written in the first person by a student: I am learning to ... (description of intended learning) and I will achieve this by... (description of criteria for achievement).

TKI.org.nz

Star of the Day

Students love extrinsic motivation, but most of all they want to be recognized for their achievements.  A simple good job or I like the way you are working is enough to set their mood for learning for the entire day.  By selecting a Star of the Day and detailing why they were chosen is another great way to provide motivation and positively focus all the students on proper classroom behaviour.

Last day at Albany Primary

Bloom's Taxonomy

KNOWLEDGE
remembering;
memorizing;
recognizing;
recalling identification and
recall of information
Who, what, when, where, how ...?
Describe

COMPREHENSION
interpreting;
translating from one medium to another;
describing in one's own words;
organization and selection of facts and ideas
Retell...

APPLICATION
problem solving;
applying information to produce some result;
use of facts, rules and principles
How is...an example of...?
How is...related to...?
Why is...significant?

ANALYSIS
subdividing something to show how it is put together;
finding the underlying structure of a communication;
identifying motives;
separation of a whole into component parts
What are the parts or features of...?
Classify...according to...
Outline/diagram...
How does...compare/contrast with...?
What evidence can you list for...?

SYNTHESIS
creating a unique, original product that may be in verbal form or may be a physical object;
combination of ideas to form a new whole
What would you predict/infer from...?
What ideas can you add to...?
How would you create/design a new...?
What might happen if you combined...?
What solutions would you suggest for...?

EVALUATION
making value decisions about issues;
resolving controversies or differences of opinion;
development of opinions, judgements or decisions
Do you agree...?
What do you think about...?
What is the most important...?
Place the following in order of priority...
How would you decide about...?
What criteria would you use to assess...?

The Good Teacher

These tips were taken from my professor Michael Irvin's book Educating Boys and are seen as the characteristics that make up a good teacher.

Cares and respects the learner
Builds positive student-teacher relationships
Uses humor effectively
Collaborates and listens
Helps individuals
Focuses on learning, not just content knowledge
Encourages learning talk
Uses activity-based learning
Explains carefully
Sets clear expectations and high standards
Uses cooperative learning
Gives specific feedback
Recognizes personal best achievements
Establishes firm, fair and consistent behavior management

The Philosophy of John Wooden

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

John Wooden the greatest college basketball coach in history passed away this week. We call all learn from his wisdom as a coach and as a man.

The Erikson life-stage virtues

The Erikson life-stage virtues, in the order of the stages in which they may be acquired, are:

Hope - Basic Trust vs. Mistrust - Infant stage. Does the child believe its caregivers to be reliable?

Will - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt - Toddler stage. Child needs to learn to explore the world. Bad if the parent is too smothering or completely neglectful.

Purpose - Initiative vs. Guilt - Kindergarten - Can the child plan or do things on his own, such as dress him or herself. If "guilty" about making his or her own choices, the child will not function well. Erikson has a positive outlook on this stage, saying that most guilt is quickly compensated by a sense of accomplishment.

Competence - Industry vs. Inferiority - Around age 6 to puberty. Child comparing self worth to others (such as in a classroom environment). Child can recognize major disparities in personal abilities relative to other children. Erikson places some emphasis on the teacher, who should ensure that children do not feel inferior.
During this stage, often called the Latency, we are capable of learning, creating and accomplishing numerous new skills and knowledge, thus developing a sense of industry. This is also a very social stage of development and if we experience unresolved feelings of inadequacy and inferiority among our peers, we can have serious problems in terms of competence and self-esteem.

As the world expands a bit, our most significant relationship is with the school and neighborhood. Parents are no longer the complete authorities they once were, although they are still important.


Fidelity - Identity vs. Role Confusion - Teenager. Questioning of self. Who am I, how do I fit in? Where am I going in life? Erikson believes that if the parents allow the child to explore, they will conclude their own identity. However, if the parents continually push him/her to conform to their views, the teen will face identity confusion.

Up to this stage, according to Erikson, development mostly depends upon what is done to us. From here on out, development depends primarily upon what we do. And while adolescence is a stage at which we are neither a child nor an adult, life is definitely getting more complex as we attempt to find our own identity, struggle with social interactions, and grapple with moral issues.

Our task is to discover who we are as individuals separate from our family of origin and as members of a wider society. Unfortunately for those around us, in this process many of us go into a period of withdrawing from responsibilities, which Erikson called a "moratorium." And if we are unsuccessful in navigating this stage, we will experience role confusion and upheaval.

A significant task for us is to establish a philosophy of life and in this process we tend to think in terms of ideals, which are conflict free, rather than reality, which is not. The problem is that we don't have much experience and find it easy to substitute ideals for experience. However, we can also develop strong devotion to friends and causes.

It is no surprise that our most significant relationships are with peer groups.


Love (in intimate relationships, work and family) - Intimacy vs. Isolation - Young adult. Who do I want to be with or date, what am I going to do with my life? Will I settle down? This stage has begun to last longer as young adults choose to stay in school and not settle.

Caring - Generativity vs. Stagnation - the Mid-life crisis. Measure accomplishments/failures. Am I satisfied or not? The need to assist the younger generation. Stagnation is the feeling of not having done anything to help the next generation.

Wisdom - Ego Integrity vs. Despair - old age. Some handle death well. Some can be bitter, unhappy, and/or dissatisfied with what they have accomplished or failed to accomplish within their life time. They reflect on the past, and either conclude at satisfaction or despair.

Future Practicum Goals

Proper use of voice- I want to continue to use my voice as the instrument of energy control in the classroom. I want my tone to be able to raise and decrease the energy in the class with older children as well as younger children.

Integrated lessons- I want to continue to integrate lessons with language and extend the lessons to more than 1 week. I also want to use social inquiry and see the process develop and unfold.

Maths planning- My first two practicum were filled with maths testing and strands. I want to create problem solving cooperative maths activities where students use strategies to construct their own maths learning.

Longer full control- I want to continue having full control of the class for longer periods of time. Full control gives me the opportunity to learn through personal success and failure. For me this is the best way to learn and makes me a better teacher.

Routines

Procedures are the guidelines for accomplishing daily practices that frequently occur in the classroom. Overtime the procedures become routine and instinctual, therefore, minimizing potential misbehaviour.
Students need to know what is expected of them in your classroom. Routines ensure that you have smooth transitions throughout the day. It is important to discuss with students why the routines are in place and how they should be carried out. Students should help to create procedures with the teacher to promote a democratic classroom. This process creates a sense of ownership and community in the classroom.

In establishing procedures or routines, it is important to:

Ensure that students understand the reason for the routine.
Clarify the procedure through modeling.
Allow students opportunities to practice the routine through rehearsal.
Try not to overwhelm students by teaching too many routines at once.
Revist this process as you see the need.


Beginning the day
Entering and exiting the classroom
Labeling papers
Collection and distribution of papers
Signaling for quiet and attention
Appropriate times for moving around the room
Emergency drills and procedures
Going to the restroom
Moving throughout the school
Late arrival
Grading and homework policies (including make-up work)
Asking questions
Finishing an assignment early
Dismissal

Camp translates well for Koreans

Camp translates well for Koreans

By Callie White - Daily World Writer

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 10:59 AM PDT


When seven kids from Korea got their first taste of the YMCA’s Camp Bishop, they were overwhelmed by the rambunctiousness of the other campers and a bit alarmed at all the noise being instigated by the camp counselors.

“They all were homesick,” said John Jugenheimer, the Korean kids’ adviser and teacher at the American Home School in Pusan. “They were all begging, ‘Please, don’t make us stay a second week.’ ”

Doubtless, there was a shortage of kimchee, too.

But then they got to be pulled on an inner tube behind a boat, learned camp songs and bonded with their cabin mates.

“Now they want to stay here,” Jugenheimer said. “They are having the time of their lives.”

The point of the trip was for the children to improve their English skills. At home, they attend Jugenheimer’s American-curriculum, English-language classes as an after-school program. But Jugenheimer said, it’s hard that far away to get a sense of American culture, and being immersed in an English-language environment is key to developing their speaking skills.

“They have improved exponentially,” Jugenheimer said. Not only are the kids chattering away with their camp buddies, they are writing better on the journal entries he assigns each evening.

The kids almost didn’t come to Camp Bishop, which is on Lost Lake in Mason County. Initially they were supposed to go to a camp near Vancouver, B.C. But that camp closed suddenly and Jugenheimer and his wife, Jessie, scrambled to find a replacement. They e-mailed camps all along the West coast.

Jan Simons, the director for the YMCA of Grays Harbor’s Camp Bishop, was one of the first to respond and more importantly, Jugenheimer said, the friendliest. The trip was back on.

This isn’t the first time the Jugenheimers have accompanied their students to an American camp. But it has been perhaps the best trip yet.

“The staff here is just phenomenal,” Jugenheimer said. “They have made everyone feel so welcome.”

That includes the Jugenheimers, who are looking to move to the U.S. in the next year and, due to Camp Bishop’s hospitality, have found themselves considering Aberdeen.

Meantime, “We have kids going home telling their parents they have to go back to camp because their Korean friends will only be there two weeks,” Simons said. And indeed, enrollment is up.

The Korean kids have all settled into the routine — they are all in separate cabins, to better mingle — and even the few who have been to camp in Korea are experiencing new things.

“They had never swum in a lake before; they’d never been tubing. They love singing the songs,” Jugenheimer said. “It’s a lot of fun for them.”

Connect with Each Student

Connect with Each Student

Greet all students
Use eye contact will all
Ask each student about his or her life
Laugh with students
Solicit student opinion on the effectiveness of activities, tasks, and assessments
Give students a voice on appropriate issues
Ask students for help with classroom tasks

These are fantastic suggestions that enable the teacher to gain referent power in the class and build a close knit classroom community. Every day the teacher took ten minutes of class time for news sharing time. This allowed the students to discuss their lives outside of class and ask each other questions. It allowed the teacher to better understand the students interests and get to know them on a personal level. It also helped manage the class time because there are many times the students have 'important news' that they are itching to get of their chest and until they do are unable to concentrate on the work of the day. The teacher used a talking ball that was passed which signified the person with the floor. All other students had to actively listen and could raise their hand to ask questions, but comments had to be left for later. The students loved this activity and the day we missed it they consistently asked, "When is news?" I will definitely use this idea to start each mornings' class.

Attention Grabbers

Transitions: Orchestrating Change
Transition time between class events is challenging to manage, and empty minutes between activities set the stage for students to jump off task and misbehave. Attention grabbers keep the students with the teacher for those vital seconds or minutes.

Attention Grabbers

Rhythmic hand-claps
Gesture (hand in the air which all the students repeat)
Repetitive phrase (Ready, Set, Stop)
Chant or song (Eyes on Me-Eyes on you)


What worked the best for me was a simple "Freeze" were all the students stopped and put their hands in the air.
We practiced this as a PE lesson at the beginning of the second week and made a game out of it. Then we continued to use it in class as an attention grabbing technique.

It worked awesomely- Is that a word?

In addition I would call out the number of minutes or seconds left in an activity to prepare the students for the next event and allow them to finish what they were doing and clean up their mess.

Thank You Albany Primary School

I have completed my second practicum and I am almost half finished with the program. I have learned a lot so far and the experience is inevitably making me a better teacher, whether that will later be in New Zealand or another country we will have to wait to see. But I am using my strengths to help better educate students and present the material with clarity and interest. I can tell that the students are generally engaged with my lessons and are interested in learning from me.

I am continuing to work on my teaching tone to save my voice and force the students to actively listen to my instructions. I am also working smarter in lesson planning to better utilize my time and energy in teaching. I really like the integration of subjects to foster deeper learning and more independent learning from the students.

I witnessed first hand the usage of routines for management and learning. If the students have a clear understanding of what to do next then there is a greater chance that they will work on task and misbehaviour will be minimized. My associate teacher believed that all children are capable and that the teachers job is to find what they are good at and make them better. I think this is a great philosophy and by doing that you set positive ideas in the students and give them self motivation.

My associate was a great mentor and I hope to one day follow in her footsteps to motivate and inspire the children of today and tomorrow.

Sports Lessons

While I was at Albany Primary School Kiwikick an outside sports program put on some classes for the kids. I thought most of the activities were fun and athletic and the kids really enjoyed their time playing and learning new sports. Sports is my passion and I really feel that I can offer a school much needed athletic and coaching skills that will create an active and athletic student body. I played high school and university level soccer in America and although it might not be La Liga I think I have some skills. I was a coach at the International School of Busan where we won some soccer tournaments and while in Auckland I started coaching rugby, field hockey, basketball, and soccer for Kelly Sports. In fact, my associate teacher was impressed by the games and activities that I taught her students and was glad to add some to her bag of tricks.

Relevant, Hands-on, Meaningful

Year 1 students need much first hand experience to add richness to their lives and to give them ideas for their language and writing. During my practicum I helped to add to their experience by performing hands-on experiments with the students, which we used as a basis for our daily writing assignments. Two such experiments were making Hokey Pokey and the Catch a Rainbow. The students ohhed and ahhed as we performed the steps of the experiments and were dazzled at the results. Both of these were very visual and even delicious and the students got a lot out of the experiences.

Notice the principal of the school watching, I think she was impressed, as well.