Education – Page 2 – Jenn Leah Ko

Project-Based Lesson Plan: My Healthy Body

This is a Project-Based Lesson Plan about healthy living for Kindergarten students.

At a time when health seems like the world’s primary concern, this lesson plan can help refocus and re-energize your young students. This project was created with home isolation/ quarantine in mind. Feel free to use this in your own classroom. If you do, please let me know your thoughts!

This slideshow gives a quick overview of the project:

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Project Description

Students explore healthy living over the course of 6 weeks. They learn about exercise— how to move their bodies and create dynamic workout routines for their peers. They learn about nutrition—where food comes from, design simple meal plans, and finally prepare a balanced dish with their family. Social-emotional health is an important aspect of healthy living, so in this PBL students learn about the value of cooperation, communication, and healthy quality time with family.

Plan for Monitoring

Assessing as projects progress is essential to a successful PBL. It helps students by giving them the information to reflect on their own learning, and it helps teachers by gathering data to improve instruction. It’s a win-win! In this project, I will do weekly assessments.

I decided to go with a single-point rubric because of the the age of my ELL kindergarten students. They can’t even read yet, and I think simplicity will help them focus on key goals and expectations. Single point rubrics also allow for more room for feedback. As Jennifer Gonzalez writes in her blog, “Because teachers must specify key problem areas and notable areas of excellence for that particular student, rather than choosing from a list of generic descriptions.” I focused on assessing 21st Century Skills and reward a growth mindset.

Week 1: I will be assessing if they understand the core content and concepts through check-ins and watching each individual’s class participation.

Week 2: I will be assessing if students understand the project and if they are collaborating well through team-check ins to ask about their project plan.

Week 3: I will be evaluating their work with a rubric.

Healthy Bodies: Exercise Rubric
Areas for Improvement	Criteria	Proof of Exceeding Standards
	Participation: Comes to class prepared with ideas. Completes tasks on time. Physically moves for exercises.
	Collaboration: Helps solve problems and manage conflicts in groups. Gives, receives and uses feedback to others in a polite and positive manner.
	Creativity: Comes up with ideas in movements and delivery of exercise routine.
	Grasp of material: Safe and effective exercise movements. Directs class using clear instructions learned in class.

Week 4: I will be assessing if they understand the core content and concepts through check-ins and watching each individual’s class participation and completion of worksheets.

Week 5: I will be assessing if students understand the project and if they are communicating and collaborating well with their parents through team-check ins to ask about their project plan.

Week 6: I will be evaluating their work with a rubric.

Healthy Bodies: Food Rubric
Areas for Improvement	Criteria	Proof of Exceeding Standards
	Problem Solving: Student tries to see the world around them and make decisions based on the available data, i.e. ingredients that are already available in their home to create a dish.
	Media Literacy: Student takes photos or videos and documents their experience. Student is able to upload and present media.
	Presentation: Student presents their experience to the class in a clear and descriptive manner. Students answer all guiding questions.
	Social and Cultural Skills: Student gives peers positive, polite comments. Shows patience, kindness, and cross-cultural understanding.

Nose Detective: An Educational Game

Education, Pedagogy

There is a growing body of evidence pointing to the value of games and play in education and learning. Games are inherently user-centered, and hence educational games, if designed properly, are inherently student-centered. They are motivating and provide a means of teaching concepts and skills that might otherwise be viewed by learners as irrelevant or uninteresting. Games can also result in deeper, more meaningful learning.

This is an sensory play-based, educational game for young english language learners.

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Flow in the Classroom

Education, Pedagogy

Flow is that magical moment when you’re completely immersed in an activity. Where you’re so engaged that all worries, sense of time, and sense of self just fade away. It’s a state of hyper focus. It’s being “in the zone.” Flow was first coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmilhalyi, and a highly desired outcome by teachers around the world. It’s an educational concept with goals to deepen learning and promote long term interest in students.

For example, I experience flow when I play ukulele. I picked it up as a hobby during quarantine. When I play ukulele, I’ll play until my fingers roughen up and bleed. I’ll sit, open up some tabs or watch a youtube tutorial, and lose 6 hours of my day. This in no way means that I’m good at it. When I zone out and regain my self-consciousness I feel bad for people that live within earshot of me. But it does mean that I love it. And my love for it means that I’m improving fast.

I also feel it when I produce stories. It’s something I picked up in journalism school years ago, and has stuck with me to this day. It’s the reason why I’m making this video here. When I’m working on a documentary, vlog, podcast, or other multimedia project… I get into that state of hyper focus. It’s fun for me. I’m creating something that I can show to the rest of the world. It’s a feeling that I personally never got during math class or filling out grammar workbooks when I was a kid. It’s a feeling I absolutely do not get when I’m working on my taxes or other boring governmental applications.

My cellphone is a litmus test for whether or not a task is engaging enough. These days, I normally feel anxious if it’s not next to me. If I’m working on something that I don’t like, I’ll check it every 3-15 minutes. I could be checking for an email or a text message and end up scrolling on social media for an hour. If I’m in flow, however, I forget that thing even exists.

But how do we foster “flow” in the classroom?

The difference is between making space for true engagement vs. requiring on task behaviour. David J. Shernoff, an associate professor of educational psychology at Northern Illinois U has said that flow is the result of Environmental challenge + environmental support. Students need to be challenged with an important task with clear goals in an environment built through positive relationships, motivational support and constructive feedback.

Flow can be fostered in developing partnerships with the community, creating learning opportunities not confined to school grounds. Educators need to find tasks students want to do. emphasize student choice, and minimize distraction.

Here’s an example. Let’s pretend we’re in a first grade language arts class. I might give the kiddos a newscast project. I’ll ask them to work in teams and tell stories of their choice. I’ll give them the freedom to vote on the news sections as a class. Say they decide to tell news stories about the school, about climate change, about coronavirus, about toys, and their families. I’d outline different roles and students would be able to choose what they wanted to do themselves. Students would practice our multimedia and technology skills and hone their storytelling skills. Hopefully they think it’s fun too!

And I’ll make a video of the kids making a video. The Key Learning Community High School in Indianapolis (After opening in 1987, the school closed in 2018) produced a documentary for each student from the beginning to the end of the school year. They hired a videographer to document key moments and package into something the children can build and reflect on. It helps them Set goals and reflect on their progress.

I will definitely try a version of this for my class in September. Since I’m just 1 homeroom teacher and likely won’t have the time to produce an individual movie for each student, I’d produce one for the whole class. I like making videos, so this would fit nicely into my own flow.

Flow, play and learning go hand in hand.Incorporating flow and play in learning means creating an environment for students to explore freely. During play, students can make mistakes, discover strengths and boundaries, develop creativity and imagination, and make connections with peers. What could be better than learning while you’re having fun?

Mobile and Project-Based Learning [Podcast]

Education, Journalism, Pedagogy

This is a podcast about a game-centered, and creative project based assignment that integrates mobile learning. How can students use mobile technologies in the classroom to enhance project-based learning? Have a listen!

Special thanks to Sian Eatwell, Bensound.com, and Brianna Hugh.

jennleahko · Climate Change Scavenger Hunt: A Project-Based Mobile Tech Lesson

Mind Map: How to Identify and Support a Struggling Student

Education, Pedagogy

I created a mind map documenting the steps taken at my kindergarten in China to identify and support children who might be struggling. At the end of the mind map I focus on different modes of learning, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder because those are the cases I have experienced firsthand in my classroom. This method uses the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework as a guiding standard and philosophy.

Using Technology in Student-Centered Lesson Plans [Video]

Education, Pedagogy

COVID-19 has pushed the field of education online much sooner than many educators anticipated. Teachers everywhere are adjusting old and trying to adopt new learning strategies to better serve their students in a digital world.

This vlog was created using the answers from a questionnaire I conducted with teachers around the world. discussing technology in the classroom. I talk about integrated lesson plans, strategies, ethics, and digital learning during COVID19.

A checklist for creating technology-enhanced learning plans:

Does the teconology benefit students of all learning levels, styles and backgrounds in the class?
Are all students able to access resources besides at school? If not, what adjustments can be made to accomodate those students?
What is the real-world application of the technological skills the students are using/acquiring in this exercise?
Is the technology conscientious about protecting student data and privacy? If students need to give some personal information, is the level of exposure acceptable compared to the benefits of usage?
What is an alternate activity or backup plan in case the technology is not working or not responsive?

Case Study: Rey and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Education, Pedagogy

Names have been changed to protect the student’s identity.

Rey is a sweet and incredibly smart three-year old boy in my K1 classroom in China. When he started with us in Pre-K, he showed signs of extreme separation anxiety. His mother or maternal grandmother would walk him to the front door of our classroom and like many students his age, he would hold on as if for dear life. However, even after 15 minutes of pleading from his caretakers and teachers, Rey could not be convinced to come play with his peers in class. Even an hour after his guardian left the kindergarten, Rey would oscillate between crying out in deep despair or sulking quietly with his head down. This behaviour lasted several months through to K1.

He is presenting with other concerning habits and characteristics. Rey has not made any close friends. Peers who started school around the same time as Rey have developed treasured friendships, but Rey is content to spend the entire day of everyday alone. Other children might feel sad if they were excluded from others, but Rey would barely notice he was standing alone. He rarely made eye contact with others. When adults spoke to him, they would often need to guide his face and eyesight towards themselves by gently holding his face. Rey also has more difficulty performing simple tasks such as: folding his jacket; taking off and putting on his clothes after nap time; eating; and brushing his teeth. Rey can become very upset if he cannot put on his sweater or pull up his pants and might panic or begin to cry. However, if I tell him to pull on his sweater and push his head through the “big zero” with his arms “as strong as 100.” Rey will calm down and complete the task. Similarly, if I tell him to “pull on your pants as hard as 100 until you can see and count all 10 toes”, he can put on his pants without frustration. Rey has difficulty following multi-step processes during arts and crafts time. Rey rarely communicates his thoughts, feelings and desires to teachers or students. However, he speaks in a near-constant stream of numbers throughout the day. If he uses his voice to speak, it is to count aloud from 0 to 1000. If teachers ask him a question ranging from, “What is this?”, “Where is the pig?”, “Did you wash your hands?” to “Are you happy?”, he will respond in numbers. Rey shows an above-average affinity for memorization, patterns and mathematics. He could do simple addition and subtraction when other students were just learning to count. If letter flashcards are laid on the floor randomly, he can organize the entire alphabet from A to Z.

After observing Rey’s behaviour for several months at school, teachers asked his mother about their home life with the intention to develop and coordinate an intervention plan collaboratively. Rey’s mother then explained to us that she has severe, diagnosed clinical depression and is taking medicine and receiving therapy from a professional. This is exceptional in China because people rarely diagnose mental health issues due to societal stigma. Rey’s mother also disclosed that Rey’s father is not compassionate and has anger issues. He apparently only treats Rey’s infant baby brother with affection. Emotional, she admitted that Rey’s father has said to her, “You are a terrible mother for being incapable of raising a normal son.” and “That is no son of mine.” It should be highlighted that Rey’s mother is a very loving mother and Rey adores her.

Based on the description, what do you think about Rey and his behaviour? What steps should teachers follow to seek help at this time? What is the teachers’ role after hearing about Rey’s complicated home life? How can teachers differentiate learning to create a student-centered solution for Rey?

Rey’s behaviour can be analyzed through different standards in early childhood education and psychology—in this case the EYFS and DSM-5. Clearly teachers already noticed that Rey is not meeting certain Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) standards. He shows reduced physical development in both gross and fine motor skills. His lack of eye contact, peer and adult relationships, and expressive language shows less personal social and emotional development. His difficulty with crafts time shows an issue with expressive arts and design. These signs of a struggling student are enough for the teachers to reach out to admin and seek further analysis and possibly diagnosis. The special education professional at our kindergarten also happens to be the principal. She conducted observations as a passive and active observer in the classroom over several days, using The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as reference and made a preliminary conclusion that Rey has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Teachers need to collaborate with parents and administration to deliver the best care and education for Rey. The kindergarten recommended that Rey get a professional diagnosis, but Rey’s parents refused. Without an official diagnosis, students in China are unable to receive special education funding from the government, so we made our own plan.

We used an Applied Behaviour Analysis approach to create a differentiated learning plan for Rey. We are teaching Rey relaxation techniques. Whenever he starts to panic, I will take him aside and practice simple breathing exercises. We are working to increase positive behaviours. Rey selects a preferred activity (usually some form of math with physical objects) as reinforcement after working on a new, target activity such as pre-writing or new vocabulary. Teaching new skills requires step-by-step instruction using modelling and lots of patience. For instance, every day after nap time a teacher will sit with him and repeat the instructions (speaking with numbers as a language) for putting on his clothes. During writing practice time, we will give him similar worksheets. Letters A to E were very messy but letters F to O are almost excellent!

The most difficult aspect here is his family situation. Adverse childhood experiences can cause years of negative outcomes for children. However, working at a private kindergarten in China means that teachers need to follow certain societal standards. Teachers need to create a safe environment for Rey at school while fostering opportunities for him to learn how to make and maintain meaningful, lasting relationships with others without causing undue tension with his parents. We make a concerted effort to pair him with the friendliest, chattiest, and kindest students in the class. We need to prioritize relationships and teach him how to bond with good people, listen to him, and create opportunities to succeed. The skills Rey develops in kindergarten will become the foundation for his future. Teachers who suspect their students are dealing with traumatic homes must be an essential source of stability and support.

References

Autism Speaks. (2019). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/applied-behavior-analysis-aba-0

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, August 27). Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic Criteria. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html

Practice Guidance for the The Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for children from birth to five. (2008, May). Department for Children, Schools and Families. Retrieved from https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2011/10/EYFS_Practice_Guide1.pdf

Early years foundation stage statutory framework (EYFS). (2018, February 20). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2

Differentiate Your Kindergarten Classroom. (2016, November 17). Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/allie-magnuson/differentiate-your-kindergarten-classroom-1

Lahey, J. (2014, December 02). How Teachers Help Students Who’ve Survived Trauma. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/how-teachers-help-kids-heal/383325/

Teaching Kindergarten Online from Hostels in South East Asia During COVID-19

Education, Pedagogy

This video is about the problems I encountered and solutions I tested as a K1 teacher while travelling abroad during the peak of the Coronavirus in China. How do you teach ESL 3-year olds with nothing but your iPhone from hostels in Southeast Asia? I used WeChat, InShot, and YouTube.

This video is filmed and edited in the same method that I used while teaching on the road — made on and for viewing with the mobile phone.