Feedback and Photos from Udaipur

Here is the feedback for all three days from the Udaipur workshop.

 

Input Rich Classrooms

As we had discussed, Input-Rich language classrooms have both fiction and nonfiction resources. Here is a table that explains the elements of both types of resources to teach English!!

Fiction	Non-Fiction	Both Categories
It is invented or imagined by the author	It tells about real people, places, events, thoughts, and times.	Table of contents
The author’s job of writing is only half the process. You bring a story to life by using your imagination.	You are informed of what is happening or has happened in the world.	Reading in order will help comprehend better
Plays, novels, short stories, fables, fairytales, fantasy, Science Fiction, poetry	Autobiographies, biographies, newspaper and magazine articles, Editorials and letters to the editor, Diaries and journals, speech, reports
It is easier to remember	It requires you to be more critical in your reading as compared to other texts	Topic could be about almost anything
You read it quicker	It is mostly read for a particular purpose.	You need to have a beginning, middle, and end to the story
Usually read for pleasure	Details are important. You look at more than “the big picture”.	You come across new vocabulary
Details are not as important as big picture	It is often hard to form mental images	Have a main idea
Use your imagination to form mental images	It is about facts
Has at least one character	Often there are charts, tables, and graphs to help you understand what you’re reading.
Characters may or may not be real/ human	May or may not have characters
	Any character is or was alive

How to become a master of "classroom management"

1. Thumbs-up, thumbs-down, thumbs-to the side: This is used for as a QUICK check for understanding of instructions or as an INFORMAL assessment for whether kids need more clarity on some content.
2. Eye contact with every child
3. Walk around the room
4. When teacher raises her hand, students should stop whatever they are doing, stop talking, raise their hand and look at the teacher. This is all done in silence. Great for transition from small group work to whole class or when teacher wants to give some instruction
5. Countdowns for transitions,like giving them 20 seconds to make groups, 10 seconds to take out their books, 20 seconds to pass worksheets, etc.
6. Strict time limits on group discussions with CLEAR roles and VERY CLEAR instructions. Teachers should give the FULL TIME that they have mentioned in order to do justice to students but they should also give a time check.
7. Use of structured discussions so that everyone gets a chance to talk and listen and is engaged and on topic
8. Clear instructions, clear instructions, clear instructions
9. Consistent classroom norms that are non punitive
10.  Short readings with clear tasks on what students are supposed to do during the reading and then time to debrief the task. For example if you have asked them to circle 2 new words, you HAVE to make time to discuss them else the next time kids won't do it.
11. Closure
12. If homework is assigned, it MUST be discussed the next day!
13. Clear learning outcomes and activities ALIGNED ONLY to that LO.
14. Lots of structures and scaffolds to guide student thinking. Could be graphic organizers, etc.

And the MOST IMPORTANT.....

Photographs of Science Exhibition