Visual Aid

Visual Aids should be present in every classroom. Many teachers ignore their importance and forget about them. Some don't know how valuable and helpful they could be. Others don't have enough time to prepare them. In all cases, they are missing out on something that can save them a lot of effort for the long run.
Visuals enhance understanding and help students memorize and focus on important information. They also add life to the classroom. Students love them! Teachers can refer back to them for revision instead of writing the information all over again on the board. Therefore, they save teachers time that they can use for something else. Also, they are extremely helpful for visual students who learn by seeing and reading things.


In my class, I make sure to include variety of visuals. I have a big A0 genre chart that has all genres we covered during the year with the features for each and the titles of the selections that belong to each genre. In addition, I use comprehension charts for each selection, others for vocabulary strategies and other vocab cards. Some of them are hand-written. Others are designed and printed.
Take a look at some samples of my work.

A chart to record the genres, features, and titles of selections

A summary of skills and vocab words included in a selection - Designed on Photoshop

Expository Text Features

Historical Fiction Features

Webinar: "Rigor: A Key Principle for High Impact Learning Experiences"

Today, at 12:00 till 1:00 AM, I attended a webinar entitled: "Rigor: A Key Principle for High Impact Learning Experiences". The Webinar was presented by Linda Dove, the Director of learning experiences at MeTEOR Education. She presented a clear and concrete understanding of Rigor and gave a strategy to determine alignment of  complexity to the student task within a supportive learning environment.

She started off her webinar by showing a landscape picture magnified to purple flowers. Then she showed the whole scene that these flowers are part of.

Then she explained that when we talk about Rigor it is important to see the big picture and how everything is connected. So with that in mind we need to connect the pieces to its entirety.

Rigor is  one component in designing quality learning experiences just as the purple flowers were part of the overall picture of a landscape. As educators we need to be very deliberate in that design and in corporation of instructional practices that are going to promote to collaboration, critical thinking, student engagement, curiosity and problem solving skills.


She later mentioned that it is important to modernize our learning environment and have our instructional practices address 21st century skills. We should look at the high impact learning experiences that we design for our students and check if all the components are there.

She then shared the following saying about  student engagement.


How do we help students to find their spark to make their own fire? We do that by creating experiences that include an emotional component, physical component and cognitive component.



So, what is Rigor?
Rigor is about giving students worth their time and investment.  It is defined as the level of complexity plus difficulty. It takes place in an energetic learning environment which is motivating, encouraging and inspiring.
 

Teachers can't change the standards set to achieve by the ministry of education or the complexity level of the standards. If the standard states that students should practice thinking, we can't just settle for recall.
Linda displayed different DOK (complexity) levels and later gave several examples:

 

One of the examples she gave on DOK levels

Afterwards, she explained how rigorous learning experiences affect on the development of the brain.

Finally, she wrapped it up by reading the following saying and answered some questions.


These are only main and brief points of what was covered. I enjoyed attending a webinar for the first time of my life. It is truly interactive and beneficial. I engaged with other participants and asked a question that Linda answered in the Q&A session at the end of the webinar. 

Reaching All Learners

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” (Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada)

Never ever call a student stupid for not understanding what we've teaching. Each student is unique and learn differently. It is our job to adjust our teaching to meet our students' needs. Some students are visual, others are auditory or kinesthetic. Sometimes, if we work hard enough to vary our activities to meet the needs of all kinds of learners, all students would acquire and reach the intended objectives. 

This could be applied after the teacher learns more about her students and observe them enough to know how each of them learns best. It also requires spending sufficient time planning instruction methods and activities. Tenacity is also a must. Thus, it needs effort from the teacher's side but could take the students' achievements up to the next level. 

Be Such a Teacher :)

"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework."- Lily Tomlin said.

Once I read this quote, it sank deep in my heart. Teaching isn't only about explaining material and expanding our student's knowledge. It is much more than that. But how often do we meet a teacher like the one described by Tomlin? 

A remarkable teacher would inspire students and stir their minds and souls. She would have an influence on her students and the ability to build their enthusiasm and motivation to learn from deep within. She would discuss with them real life topics, and have them share their perspectives and look for answers.

Motivating Competitions!

Competitions are interesting ways to motivate students and allow them to engage in activities. Last week, I conducted two competitions for my grade 4 class. 

The first one was titled : 1 minute pro reader. Students were expected to read a text with fluency in front of their parents who attended to provide support to their children . The readers had to show expression and accuracy. Those who read in the targeted manner and were the fastest won. They received certificates and gifts. 

Winners in the Reading Competition

The other competition was spelling bee. Parents were also the audience. Eleven students participated after preparing the list I gave them. The list included the vocabulary words they have learned throughout the year. This way they got to review and practice them and are more likely to remember them in the upcoming years. The top speller wasn't among the usually high achievers in class. That was a surprise for her classmates and even for her other teachers. I believe this achievement will positively influence her performance from now on. She is now more confident about her abilities and has tasted success as a result of her hard work.

The Top Speller ❤

Make sure to always include such contests in your classes. They are opportunities for learning, added to being entertaining and motivating. 

My students' Participation in the Science Fair

Whenever a person feels appreciated, this feeling propels him/her to achieve more. Few weeks ago, I received a certificate for supervising my students' science project. My students in Islamic Cultural School participated in the Fifth Annual Science Fair at LIU. They received certificates of participation as well. The project they worked on was a demonstration of the digestive system.

They had very limited time to finish their project. To me, they did a marvelous job. They used materials that are considered as trash to model it. They prepared very hard for the presentation and didn't only memorize their parts but discussed each point with the judges in a way that showed their deep understanding of the topic. They received very good feedback and I was very proud of them.

Although they didn't win, but since it was their first time to participate, they did great. This was an enriching experience and  their self esteem have surely escalated. They were also very happy and proud of their school friends who won in other categories.

Group Picture for the 33 students who participated in the Science Fair with their Supervisors 

My student Reem explaining about the different organs of the digestive system

My four heroes ❤

This is me receiving my certificate :)

Back in Memories - My exchange year in the US

It has been too long. Almost 8 years have passed since I landed back in Lebanon, ending a lifetime changing experience. I was 16 years old when I was chosen among 40 other Lebanese students to travel to the USA. The Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) allows students to study one full school year at an American school. I was elected by a generous, caring, and friendly host family in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania.

I still remember how I first felt when  I met my host family for the first time. I vividly remember how I faked sleeping during the ride from the airport to their home because I was having difficulty understanding what they were saying with their fast pace and native accent. Then after few weeks of homesickness, the puzzle pieces started to fit together. 

Welcoming me, and Marta (Italian Exchange Student) at JP McCaskey High School during the homecoming game

Being very picky when it comes to food, I struggled at first. But soon I started to try new foods (I had no other option or I'd starve!). At school, things weren't very smooth at first. I was the only girl wearing a scarf among 2000 students. But regardless of all the strange stares I continuously received, I was able to build great friendships with most of my classmates. I was part of the International Baccalaureate Honors Program at school in order to cover material somehow similar to the curriculum back home. Most classrooms were very interactive and each subject had a specific class to be taught in. 

When I first met my host family

But it wasn't all about classes. I was a member of several clubs. And I continuously was delivering presentations about Lebanon. A major part of the program was introducing our Lebanese culture and traditions to Americans. And as a Muslim girl, I made sure I would present Muslims in the best way I could. I presented about Islam in several occasions as well. 

Serving Tabbouleh after a presentation in the Asian Club

Presentation about Lebanon in French class

Community service was a highly important part of my experience as well. Most of my volunteering hours were spent in interpretation to Arabic or English with Iraqi refugees and Americans who they dealt with. That year, many Iraqis were arriving to Lancaster, and most of them didn't know how to communicate in English. 

In addition, I enjoyed sports there. I was a member in the girl's soccer team at my school (J.P McCaskey High School). I also enjoyed horse riding, bowling, hiking, and ice-skating. 

My first ride!

Luckily, I was able to visit 7 states during my Stay. I went to New York city several times and had a blast! Also, I visited Connecticut, Maryland (DC!), New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia. I went on field trips to many universities, landmarks, Amusement parks and museums as well. 

in New York City 

in DC at Obama's Inauguration 

However, the greatest change that happened was deep within myself. My perspective of many topics related to the American culture had hugely altered. Also, during this year, I grew to become more independent, responsible, confident, social, out-going, patient, and adventurous. I also learned to appreciate and admire many things back home that I used to take for granted. 

It was very enriching to be a young ambassador for a year and I am looking forward to go for a visit whenever I get an opportunity ☺

Resting after a long hike!

DC- Exchange students from different countries

having fun at the zoo

P.S As a teacher, I always share things I've experienced and  learned about the American culture, traditions, and life style. I teach in American books, so we always encounter topics and things our Lebanese students aren't familiar with. So I try my best to educate them, build bridges of understanding, and highlight important information they should know about America and the world!