Tonya Madere Cambournes Seven Conditions of Learning

1. Tonya MadereCambournes Seven Conditions of Learning Wednesday, May 2, 2017

2. 1. Immersion • Immerse students in the content and context • Use multi-sensory approach ( sights, sounds, tastes, feelings) • Saturate the classroom with meaningful and relevant content *Throughout our classroom we have anchor charts for each letter we have learned. The students bring in pictures from home and we glue the pictures on the posters. These posters are hanging all over our classroom so that we can refer back to them if needed. *We also have a reading center that has lots of books to read. We have both fiction and non-fiction books to enjoy.

3. 2. Demonstration • Give practical and concrete models • Demonstrate using explicit action, giving a visual or auditory representation of the new learning • Use multi-sensory approaches • Use frameworks to aid memory • This is an example of an activity that I have created to allow students to use physical objects to demonstrate their understanding of beginning sounds. The students match the object to the letter tVv beg ni that they hear at the beginning of • the object. (For example: pig /p/ - • they put the pig on the letter Pp).

4. 3. Expectations • Be clear about what you expect your students to know, be able to do, or value • Start and end every lesson with a focus on the expected learning • Encourage students to reach for the highest level of performance • Provide rubrics when large tasks are assigned • Use anchor charts to define high quality *Students complete a page in a letter journal each week. They attach stickers or pictures that begin with our letter sound for the week. I write the letter and the words beside each picture. The students then have a book with each and every letter that we have learned. Students are given the opportunity to write the letters and words either by tracing my writing or by writing independently. *I expect each student to work independently to attach their pictures and to TRY to write the letters or words. I allow time for them to go back through their journals and add more to them if They want. These go home with them at the end of the year. *These are very helpful in assessing their progress throughout the Year!

5. 4. Responsibility • Teach problem solving • Give choices of ways students can demonstrate their learning • Provide leadership opportunities • Speak about students being accountable for their own learning *Students bring something from home each week to present to the class. Their presentation has to correspond with our letter sound for the week. The students are responsible for presenting their object to the class and telling all about it. They have to tell why they chose it and how it goes with our letter sound. *After their presentation I take a picture. I create a book for each letter we learn and display it in our class library. At the end of the year I put each child’s pictures together and make them their own alphabet book to keep at home.

6. 5. Approximations • Celebrate close approximations • Identify the classes’ “zone of proximal development” in relation to what you are asking them to learn • Modify expectations as needed for Special Needs students I have students on different levels, I differentiate my instruction so that all students can be successful.

7. 6. Practice • Keep contexts authentic • Many practice opportunities are needed • Start with near transfer practice and move to far transfer practice as students gain confidence with the new skill or knowledge • Give practice opportunities that involve whole group, small group, and individual practice Students are given a variety of activities to practice what they have learned. Students work in whole group, small group and independent centers to demonstrate their learning.

8. 7. Feedback/Support/Celebrations • Give feedback continuously • Be realistic • Be specific about strengths and weaknesses/ next steps for learning • Celebrate Students are encouraged to keep working so that they can reach new levels of learning. Celebrations include ribbons, notes home, trips to the principals office, and hearing their name called on the morning announcements. When students are able to identify all letters and sounds then they are inducted into the Letter & Sound Club. The purple ribbons on these students are given when they have mastered letter and sound knowledge. They also get to visit the Principal to show off their ribbons and their name is announced over the intercom. Even some of my three year old's have received this honor!!