Category: Tutor News

Directed Thinking Reading Activity (DRTA
Thinking is an on-going process and activity. Thinking is a skill that can be learned through practice and use. It is the ability to ask questions, read between the lines, develop problem solving techniques.
Why use directed reading thinking activity?
• It encourages learners to be active and
thoughtful readers.
• It activates learners’ prior knowledge.
• It teaches learners to monitor their understanding of the text as they’re reading.
• It helps strengthen reading and critical thinking skills.
How to use directed reading thinking activity
Tutors should follow the steps below when creating a DRTA.
1. Determine the text to be used and pre-select points for students to pause during the reading process.
2. Introduce the text and provide examples of how to make predictions.
3. Use the following outline to guide the procedure:
D = DIRECT. Tutors direct and activate learners’ thinking prior to reading a passage by scanning the title, chapter headings, illustrations, and other materials. Tutors should use open-ended questions to direct students as they make predictions about the content or perspective of the text (e.g., “Given this title, what do you think the passage will be about?”).
R = READING. Learners read up to the first pre-selected stopping point. The tutor then prompts the students with questions about specific information and asks them to evaluate their predictions and refine them if necessary. This process should be continued until learners have read each section of the passage.
T = THINKING. At the end of each section, learners go back through the text and think about their predictions. Learners should verify or modify their predictions by finding supporting statements in the text. The tutor asks questions such as:
o What do you think about your predictions now?
o What did you find in the text to prove your predictions?
o What did you we read in the text that made you change your predictions?
Billmeyer, Rachel and Mary Lee Barton. Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me. Than Who? Aurora: McREL (Mid-continental Regional Educational Laboratory), 1998.

To Think or not to Think… by Isabelle Dumont.
While teaching the technical skills of reading and writing are important, it is also important that we include thinking skills in our lessons. Included in the NALA definition of literacy is the recognition that ‘…more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.’ Thinking critically is not just a ‘nice’ skill to have in the 21st century; it is essential. Thinking critically may be seen as a ‘soft’ skill but more than ever – particularly in the age of ‘fake news’, it is necessary that learners are able to reflect on their learning and essentially think about their own thinking.
Thinking critically is a skill that can be learned through practice and use. Learners need to read between the lines and develop problem solving techniques if they are to become proficient readers. Effective readers learn to think about what they are reading and ask questions as they go along.
Effective reading skill development is further accomplished when the learner becomes proficient in literal, inferential and critical comprehensive reading.
Below are examples of three questioning techniques that encourages learners to think about their own thinking.
Literal Question Prompts
Literal comprehension involves what the author is actually saying.
Example: After reading the first section of Stuart Little, the teacher says: “What are Stuart’s parents’ names? Their names are Mr. and Mrs. Little.”
Inferential Question Prompts
Inferential comprehension deals with what the author means by what is said. The reader must simply read between the lines and make inferences about things not directly stated.
Example: After reading the first two chapters of Stuart Little, the teacher asks: “How did Stuart’s size help his family? His size is helpful because he is able to do lots of things only a mouse could do.”
Evaluative Question Prompts
Evaluative comprehension concerns itself with why the author says what he or she says. The reader will react emotionally and intellectually with the material.
“Stuart likes to be the first one up in the morning. Do you like to be the first one up in the morning in your house?”
o
Sources:
http:/Stuart Little by E. B. White 1973
/reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/comp/comp_dr_1.php
https://owlcation.com/academia/Literal-Inferential-and-Critical-Comprehensive-Reading
Answers to Puzzles
Puzzle 1:
The letter ‘e’.
Puzzle 2:
Yesterday, today and tomorrow
Puzzle 3:
No, it is not legal to get married if you are dead.

9/6 Perspective
Taken from: www.thejugglestruggle.net
Write the figure 9 or 6 on a piece of paper and put it on a desk or on the floor. Have students stand on either side of the piece of paper and ask them what they see. One will say 9 and the other will say 6, Who is right?
The discussion will likely go like this: Both sides are right. It depends on where they are standing. How you see things matters and where you are coming from matters. Even though we may differ we are all entitled to our opinions. Perhaps have students change sides – the 9’s become the 6’s – so they can experience life from the other side.
The objective of the exercise is to highlight the fact that the other side’s perspective needs to be heard and listened to as their life experience and culture may differ from our own.

Strategies for Teaching Algebra
Louise Gaughran
Killarney Centre
Although I am not currently teaching algebra to any of my learners, I welcomed the opportunity that NALA provided for my own professional development by holding this inservice in Tralee, and so I was delighted to get a place on the course. I really didn’t know what to expect and certainly questioned my own ability to keep up with the lecture as English is my first love while maths…well, I usually leave that up to my 11 year old in-house mathematician extraordinaire!
I needn’t have worried. Presented by Lecturer in Maths Education, Niamh O’Meara, the morning was filled with a little crucial theory and a lot of hands on, fun mathematics. Yes, I said ‘fun’ mathematics!!
Niamh had prepared reams of excellent, authentic material for us to work on in pairs and small groups and made the experience for us truly interesting and manageable. She taught us, for example, that the best way to teach Algebra is by demonstrating how it can be used in the real world. We were tasked with creating algebraic expressions and equations using authentic material such as GAA and rugby scores and celebrity ages and were treated to some highly entertaining Maths Magic along the way.
In addition to teaching us the basics of algebra, Niamh crucially gave us some great teaching tips as well. She used, for example, flash cards rather than worksheets to get us matching algebraic expressions with their simplified form. This is something that I will definitely adapt to use with my learners who are working on basic maths concepts as a more fun and kinaesthetic way of learning than simply filling out worksheets.
I have attached a copy of her presentation and the games and worksheets Niamh used with us and I would encourage you to take a look as there is some really great stuff there. More than that though, I think the greatest learning for me from this experience was to embrace whatever learning opportunities come our way as, while algebra isn’t on my teaching radar at the moment maybe one day it will be, and I’ll be ready for it now when it does! And, what’s more, everything I learned in that room can be adapted to improve and inform my teaching skills at all levels of maths going forward. So, thank you NALA!

Sharing Basket
Louise Gaughran
Killarney Centre
As tutors we rely on the ethos of sharing best practices and information to continuously improve our teaching methods so that we can give the very best education to each of our students. But, as we all know, and not withstanding the excellent resources we have in our centre resource rooms, it can sometimes be difficult and time consuming to come up with exciting, relevant and authentic learning materials. The good news for our students is that each and every tutor already works tirelessly to achieve this despite the obstacles of time etc. But, perhaps there is a way of making life a little bit easier on ourselves?
Most of us probably do this informally in one way or another already, but I recently put forward the idea to the ALO of the Killarney Centre, Mary Concannon, that we set up a Sharing Basket in our resource room. This will be a place where tutors can leave copies of unique worksheets and/or materials that they have created themselves so that other tutors can get new ideas for their own classes and even photocopy any items that they feel might be useful in their own sessions. This sharing of ideas works not only as a time-saving initiative for busy tutors but also works to promote team work and good feeling within the centres.
Mary advised me that this is something the Killarney centre had used successfully in the past and so she has agreed to reinstate the idea by setting up a basket in our Resource Room with immediate effect and so we look forward to telling you our good news stories as it gathers momentum. It’s a simple idea really but we hope that this is something that all the centres might find useful. And, with that in mind, happy sharing 

‘What’s the Story?’ – Galway Adult Basic Education Service

by Elaine Clifford at Killarney ABE
It all began when I read an article by Alison Jones, Galway ABES, in Literacy Matters – Winter 2015.  My ALO, Mary Concannon, gave me a copy of this article – ‘Making the connection: some ideas for blended learning’.
The article was interesting and informative.  I was particularly interested in trying out ‘What’s the Story?’ www.gabes.ie web-based programme in my teaching.  I emailed Alison Jones who provided whatever support I needed to get started on this project.
‘What’s the Story?’ is a web-based programme developed by a tutor in Galway and Roscommon ETB.   Killarney ABE learners have many stories uploaded to this programme and they enjoy using this to enhance their literacy skills.  The process – the learner writes a story, we proofread and edit if required, the learner types it and emails same to me. I then email the learner’s story to Alison Jones who uploads it to the ‘What’s the Story?’ website.  Alison Jones is hugely supportive with regards to uploading stories and general tips about using this website.
You can read these stories by accessing the following:
– www.gabes.ie
– Select ‘What’s the Story’ option which is available on left-hand side of the screen
– Click on ‘What’s the Story’ hyperlink
– There are 3 levels to choose from and the levels are based on the number of words in the story (100, 200 or 300).  Killarney ABE learners have stories in each level.
– There are many ways to use this resource with your learners.  For example, ‘hide Dolch words’; ‘hide selected words’; ‘Very Easy up to Hard’.
This website is continuously improving and there is a ‘What’s the Story’ app now available which I cannot wait to use with my learners.
 
 
 

Work together with your learners to make your brainstorms into word clouds
Answergarden is a web based app to bring together your learners’ answers into a word cloud – right before your eyes.

We are all familiar with the idea of brainstorming, where we pose a question or a topic and jot learners’ answers onto the flipchart, as they come up. AnswerGarden is a new way to do this, online. It puts learners’ answers into a word cloud instantly, as they enter them. If an answer is entered more than once, the text of that answer gets bigger. So it’s clear and obvious which answers are the popular ones, and it represents information in this visual, colourful way. And it takes the pressure off the learner who doesn’t like to raise their voice in a group, as they can type in their answer and make their contribution that way.
How might you use it in a group class?
• Checking learner understanding of material you’ve covered, using a quiz question. You will soon know how much your learners have understood.
• Collecting ideas for future activities
• Collecting evaluation/ feedback comments
• Starting a writing activity: it’s a great way to generate ideas and get creative juices flowing
• Reading comprehension questions – the answers are anonymous, so it takes away any fear of getting it wrong
How do I use it?
Go to www.answergarden.ch and click on the “+” sign at the top to make a new answer garden with the question you want to ask. This gives you a unique ID number, which you give to the learners. They can be on a phone, a tablet or a PC/laptop, using the www.answergarden.ch website. As this is a web based application, not an app that has to be downloaded, anyone with internet access can use it on any device. They go to the site and put in the ID number, and can immediately join the fun.
Anything else I need to know?
• You can set learner answers to 20 of 40 characters (so it works best with questions that require one or two word answers)
• You can export the word cloud to other programmes to print it, or you can take a screenshot if you want to keep a copy
• The default setting allows learners to input multiple answers. You can really get momentum going when they see others’ answers coming up, which in turn gives them more ideas.
• As it uses multiple answers from multiple people, it would not work well with a one-to-one learner. It needs a group to work, but a small group is fine if you allow them to enter multiple answers (this is the default setting).
• The help files on the AnswerGarden site are great, with lots of demos to get you going.
I learned about AnswerGarden last summer, while on an Erasmus + mobility in Graz, in Austria. We used it for some group activities and I loved how instantaneous it is. You see your group’s words come up, and they work together to build this unique combination. It’s a bit of fun, but can give instant feedback so you can find out in a moment how much your learners have understood of the material you’ve been covering, and I have found this very useful when deciding whether or not to finish a topic and move on. I hope you enjoy using it with your groups.
Maggie O’Sullivan Graham (DLEO Kenmare)