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In this section of our education blog, we give tips for tutors and teachers on how to teach subjects, keep kids passionate, and more. Subscribe to our newsletter (on the left or below on mobile) to get bi-monthly updates in your inbox!

4 ways to help students with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)

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To helping students with ADD - hand with watch

Traditionally, schools are places where kids learn to sit still, listen, follow instructions, pay attention. But ADD students won’t be able to fulfill such requirements as their brains work in the opposite way. So how can tutors help students with ADD? Here we give you 5 tools you can use to engage these unique kids:

1. It’s all about the chairs

There are several options you have when it comes to “sitting” ADD students:

  • Thera-bands: Wrap these bands around the feet of the chair. ADD students can fidget with it while working on a task.
  • Balance balls: Originally designed for physical therapy, balance balls are proving to be of great help for students with ADD. This is because balance balls require kids to be constantly moving so as to not lose their balance. So their physical energy is redirected into something positive. Gaiam.com offers a great example of a second grade teacher who got a few balance balls for her classroom. She immediately saw a change for the better with of some of the ADD students’ behaviour.
  • Chair-free classroom: The idea here is to redesign the entire classroom so ADD students have multiple choices when it comes to sitting while doing a task. They can sit on the floor, stand by the desks, lay down on floor mats, and other options. This encourages physical movement and allows students with ADD to learn however they feel most comfortable at any given time.

2. Incorporate quick physical games during lessons

Get up and move activities can help kids who can’t sit still for too long. So take 2 minutes a few times out of your lesson and play a game! Jumpbunch.com has a great list of simple games you can play with your students. Some of them include Simon Says, Wall to Wall, and Duck, Duck, Goose.

3. Use individual timers to help students with ADD concentrate

Starrstrangledplanner.com suggests giving students their own timer if you need them to stay focused at a given task. This visual reminder may help students to be less distracted when doing an activity. But still, with ADD students, try to keep tasks short enough so their attention span lasts an appropriate length. Say, giving them 5-10 minutes for one task and then taking a quick movement break. This may be easier to achieve for ADD students.

4. Give them something to chew on

Theinspiredtreehouse.com says that “certain smells, tastes, and textures have been associated with more attentive behaviour in children.” So give them a chewable tool like y-chews, chewable pencil toppers, or a chewable necklace.

ADD students can still learn!

Finally, remember that, although you can help students with ADD, they are quite capable of learning. They just learn in a different way. And each individual ADD student will be different from another. So the above tips may offer general help for teachers struggling with ADD students. If you need more specific tips for helping ADD students, check out the following articles:

Also, check out our articles on similar topics for further information:

3 Ways to manage diversity in the classroom

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kids in mongolian dress

When you think of diversity, multiculturalism may be the first thing that comes to mind. After all, Canada is known for being a multicultural nation. But when we talk about diversity in the classroom we need to go beyond cultural differences. Diversity in the classroom may include:

  • Students coming from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds
  • Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) students
  • Students with learning and physical disabilities
  • Students with different learning styles
  • Gifted students

And although there are schools that are able to provide adequate extra support in the classrooms for some of these types of students, there are many teachers handling such diverse classrooms on their own.

So here we’ll give you 3 ways to manage diversity in the classroom:

1. Highlight the diversity of your classroom to the students

Teach your classroom what diversity means and how it is manifested in their own classroom. A great lesson could include choosing a few different students who represent such diversity (if they’re open to it – don’t put them on the spot!). Then highlight how each of those students adds something valuable and unique to the classroom. For example, we’ve written about religious tolerance in the classroom:

You could then pair up students (as the teacher you may need to use your discretion here to pair up students you know will have notable diversity differences, for the purposes of this activity). Give them a simple questionnaire so they get to know each other. They could then do a mini presentation about the uniqueness of their partner. The key here is for students to value their diverse classroom and therefore, their peers. This may create inclusiveness within the classroom.

And, this can especially be effective depending on the location and demographics of the school, as education in the suburbs and the city can be different. We’ve written about this topic here:

2. Get to know your students and build relationships with them

In order for teachers to be inclusive with their lesson plans, they need to get to know their students. Depending on the kids’ age, teachers could ask them to keep a weekly journal at school. If the kids are younger, a thematic journal of drawings may also give teachers insight into students’ lives. It could be assigned with themes, depending on the need seen in the classroom.

Not only would it be free writing practice, but it may give teachers insight into the student’s life outside school. A strong bond of trust may be formed if students realize their journal is something shared between them and their teacher. Through this, they can manage diversity in the classroom based on issues at hand.

3. Provide an array of different learning tools

Nowadays, technology plays a key role in students’ learning. Edutopia.org has a great article on 100+ Tools for Differentiating Instruction Through Social Media. Essentially, these tools help teachers manage diverse learning styles based on students’ profiles: their interests, abilities, learning levels, and struggles. Thus, incorporating such tools in a diverse classroom may give teachers a great way to meet the learning needs of all their students.

For more on social media tools check out our blogs on these topics:

For more on teaching based on learning styles, check out these posts on our blog:

To conclude, diversity in the classroom needs to be fully understood and embraced by both teacher and students. A positive and open-minded classroom atmosphere is key for a teacher to implement inclusive lesson plans. If such a mindset is created from the start, then managing a diverse classroom will be successful.

 

5 great activities to teach kids about multiculturalism in the classroom

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Teach kids about multiculturalism in the classroom

Canada is known worldwide for being a multicultural society. For the most part, Canadians grow up embracing, respecting, or at least tolerating the diversity of their nation. Multiculturalism is a key aspect of what makes Canada such a warm and welcoming place. And the Canadian government encourages learning about the diversity of the country. Recognizing the value in teaching our kids about multiculturalism may be important in raising citizens who treat everyone equally. So here are 5 great activities you can use to teach kids about multiculturalism:

1. How do you say “hello”?

A simple activity to start with. Get your students to share with the class how the say “hello” in their respective languages, or their parents’ languages (if English is their first language). Then you can make small posters with each greeting and practice a different greeting every week! You could even expand this activity by teaching kids simple but meaningful words like “friend” and “thanks” in other languages that kids (or their families) speak in the class.

2. ‘Learn about a country’ day

This activity would be based on the countries represented in your classroom. You could choose a country once a month and dedicate a portion of the school day (or the whole day) learning about it. You can ask the student(s) from that country (or background) to help you prepare the day. The ideas are limitless: music, food samples, traditional dress, popular games around the world, songs, guest speakers, holiday decorations and crafts, etc.

For example, see these articles on our blog that incorporate cultural learning into lessons or activities:

We also wrote about how you can find educational activities on Pinterest. See this link for more:

3. Explore skin color diversity

Racheous.com has a number of great activities to explore this topic. You can use paint sample cards, cut a circle in the middle and get kids to match their skin tones. You can make puppets using the leftover circles from the paint cards. Ourtimetolearn.com explains that color exploration with paint cards teaches kids that “everyone’s skin is a different shade of the same color.”

In this activity it’s important to emphasize that you’re not trying to get kids to pay attention to differences, but to the fact that differences in skin colour don’t matter. Inclusivity is key here. Use the ‘skin colour’ talk to start conversations with the class about what their colour means to them, and the friendships they create in their lives.

4. Around the world through books

Kcedventures.com has a selection of 30 books that explore cities and countries around the world. Jaquie Fisher, explains that she chose these books because they were written in modern times and a number of them were written from the perspective of children. You could choose books based on the cultural diversity of your classroom. You could read the book to your students in class. Or you can assign kids a reading at home, then create activities based on the themes presented in the chosen book(s).

5. Create continent boxes

This Montessori-inspired multicultural activity gets kids to collect things like pictures or photographs, maps, cultural objects, animals, flags, stamps and anything else that is typical of a particular continent. The boxes (plastic containers would do but you can get fancy!), can be made at the end of the study of a particular continent. It could almost be viewed as a souvenir the kids get to keep after learning about the continent.

These are just a few activities you could do to teach kids about multiculturalism. Here are a few more links for you to explore:

Multiculturalism can be fun, interesting, and a very valuable subject to teach kids of all ages!

Plus, see these posts on related teaching resources and topics:

 

Teaching kids about the value of public art in Vancouver, and their hidden lessons

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Teaching kids about the value of public art in Vancouver
Photo Credit: keepitsurreal via Compfight cc

It is really easy to take public art for granted. And that’s a shame as public art is not just to beautify a certain space in a city. It is worth teaching kids about public art so they know what was chosen to represent what a city stands for, its surroundings, history, and community.

Vancouver is a great place to start teaching kids about the value of public art. Vancouver has an immense collection of public art. There are 5 great public art displays in Vancouver with links to resources for more lesson planning (and don’t forget a field trip for each if you can!)

1. Digital Orca

This large public sculpture located next to the Vancouver Convention Centre, was built by Douglas Coupland in 2009. It signifies the prevalent connection Vancouver has between technology and nature. The orca looks as if it’s built with lego blocks because it’s supposed to be pixelated. Coupland explains that, when you look at the actual materials the orca was made with, you can get a sense of the variety of workers found laboring at the harbor.

Related lesson:

If you’d like to extend this public art lesson further, here is a great video lesson about orcas. You can also look into the history of the Vancouver harbor.

2. A-maze-ing Laughter

Laughing statues in vancouverThis art display is hard to miss! It was built by Beijing-based artist Yue Minjun for the Vancouver Biennale in 2009. (You can also teach kids about the Vancouver Biennale, the organization that exhibits great public displays in the city).

For artist Minjun, this art display should encourage those who see it, to appreciate laughter and laugh with it. Take kids to look at these various statues and encourage them to mimic them. They may have a good laugh!

The inscription behind this public display says “May this sculpture inspire laughter playfulness and joy in all who experience it.” Here is a guided tour video about this iconic Vancouver art display.

Related lesson:

You could also take the background of this piece further and teach kids about the history of Chinese immigrants in Vancouver.

3. The Inukshuk

This public art display is an iconic Canadian image that was even used as the main symbol of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. In Vancouver, you can find this public monument a 5 min walking distance from the A-maze-ing Laughter sculpture, near the sea wall.

These stone monuments were used by the Inuit to communicate and survive. So for instance, they would be used as “a navigation tool, to mark a place where fish could be found, or as a memorial for a loved one.” So the Inuit meaning is “Someone was here” or “You are on the right path.”

This piece of public art is now used as a welcome sign to all the tourists that come to Vancouver annually. The University of Washington has a lesson plan on the Inuit Inukshuk and the 2010 Olympics for your further reference when lesson planning on this piece of public art.

4. The Birds

Birds public art in olympic village vancouverAt the heart of the Olympic Village in False Creek, you won’t miss two giant sculptures of sparrows. Myfanwy Macleod’s thought behind this public art display in Vancouver, was to highlight the threat of non-native species to the local ecosystem. It was built in False Creek in particular because, prior to the Olympics, the area was an industrial wasteland. Through the Millennium Water project, the Olympic Village became the greenest neighbourhood in the world.

Related lesson:

For a hands-on lesson on invasive species in BC, check out this comprehensive resource.

Plus check out our article:

Focused Lesson — teaching kids about invasive species

5. Human Structures

Not too far from The Birds public art display, you will see a colourful public monument of steel figures holding hands and standing on each other. About the art display, Jonathan Borofsky said “we are all constantly in a process of connecting together to build our world…Humans use structures to build our world, not only architectural, but psychological and philosophical structures.”

Related lesson:

Here is a good lesson to teach kids the benefits of working together.

Vancouver and the Lower Mainland have so many more public art displays to offer. The above 5 are just a way for you to inspire kids to look at public art as a tool to learn about their community and even its connections to the world.

How to teach kids about transformations in nature

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Teach kids about transformations in nature

Real-life projects can leave a long-lasting impression on kids. In this article we’ll give you three great projects you can do in your classroom to teach kids the amazing science behind transformations in nature and metamorphosis.

This lesson can be used as a follow-up, or introduction into another lesson on our blog about autumn nature changes:

Science lesson: teach students about autumn’s nature changes

A simple project such as making raisins can introduce the topic of transformations in nature

This is probably one of the easiest science experiments you can do with kids. If you show a regular group of kids a bunch of round juicy grapes and some dark, dry, and wrinkly raisins, they’ll probably tell you they look nothing alike and don’t even taste the same! So this is a great lesson to introduce kids to how nature transforms itself from one thing to something completely different.

This lesson ties in with teaching kids about the properties of sunlight. You can put kids into small groups. Then give each group a bag of about 10-20 grapes. Designate a spot in the classroom for each group to place their bunch of grapes, preferably a sunny one. According to planet-science.com, it can take as little as three sunny days (if you leave them outside) for grapes to transform into raisins. If you leave them in your classroom it may take longer, up to two weeks according to learnplayimagine.com.

But, while waiting, you can get your students to check the progress of this natural transformation every other day. They can make notes of the change in colour and shape. And at the end, they get to enjoy their project by eating it!

Teach kids about one of the most amazing transformations in nature by studying the butterfly life cycle

Probably one of the most known natural transformations is that of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. You can start by reading the classic book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar.’ You can then show your classroom a short video clip documenting this natural transformation. Here are three possible clips:

Depending on the kids’ ages, you can then do a simple craft activity such as this one made with different types of pasta. Or this more elaborate one showing the actual metamorphosis.

If you would like for the kids to see first hand this incredible transformation of nature, you can raise live butterflies in the classroom! As the butterflysite.com states, you can either go find your own butterfly eggs and get the appropriate tools for rearing them. Or you can buy a butterfly kit online.

Side note: need help learning how to find educational crafts online? Check out our blog article on using Pinterest to do so:

How to find educational crafts and activities on Pinterest

Teach kids about the metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog

The life cycle of a frog is another great way of teaching kids about metamorphosis and transformations in nature. There are a number of books that can introduce this topic to kids. ‘From Tadpole to Frog’ by Wendy Pfeffer, may be a good one to start with. Stillplayingschool.com has a great craft of a frog’s life cycle using recycled materials.  And here is a great site with a bunch of other different resources on the life cycle of frogs.

Depending on the laws where you live, your school regulations, and your own personal beliefs, it is possible to raise tadpoles in the classroom for a more hands-on approach. Exoticpets.com begins with a warning for this activity, but then outlines the different steps needed to make this a successful experience. Mum, teacher, and marine biologist Cerys from rainydaymum.co.uk, has successfully raised tadpoles with her children and outlines all the steps she’s taken on her site.

Related lessons:

A related lesson on this topic of raising tadpoles is on invasive species. Since raising tadpoles and then releasing them into the wild could pose environmental restrictions, this can be a great segway into another lesson on our blog:

Focused Lesson — teaching kids about invasive species

Also, did you know salmon go through changes when they return to their birthplace to spawn? See our other article on teaching kids about this topic:

Focused science lesson: teaching kids about salmon controversies during the B.C. salmon run

Make science lessons memorable by using these hands-on activities on natural transformations in your class!

How tutors and teachers can prepare for the BC curriculum update in 2016

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BC curriculum update in 2016

In the 2015/16 school year, British Columbia introduced the draft of a researched new model of BC’s curriculum for kindergarten to grade 9. In September 2016, BC teachers will be given the choice to use the draft for grades 10 to 12. This updated curriculum will continue to be slowly introduced in the school system until the year 2018.

Learning will be more flexible and personalized

The 2016 BC curriculum has been updated to ensure that learning is more flexible and personalized for the students. There is an overall agreement among educators (not just in Canada) that “small-group instruction” and the use of technology is a great way to personalize learning.

By pairing up students or placing them in small groups for tasks and projects, the teacher is able to keep up with the large numbers of students that classrooms often have. Students can also use each other as sources of information and help. Using technology in the classroom, and the new trend towards personalized learning, helps students connect with one another and the teacher. It also gives students the chance to learn basic learning skills through a variety of methods.

If you would like to know how to use more technology in the classroom, check out our articles on these trends that also reflect the personalized learning approach:

Get students ready to use math and literacy skills in real life situations

Based on the previous 2016 BC curriculum link  there will be a greater emphasis on getting students to apply whatever they learn into real life, and tapping into students’ individual skills and interests. Math and Literacy assessments have been updated in the BC curriculum to meet that goal. Teachers and tutors can prepare for this curriculum change by looking into math and literacy activities that help students apply those skills in real world situations.

Teaching math skills for the real world

Education World has a number of great activities that teachers and tutors can use to help students apply math to real life situations. For example, students can learn about annual  expenses when working for minimum wage by preparing a budget based on the given earnings.

Another activity consists of adjusting a basic recipe to be able to feed 150 for a dinner.

Real World Math is another great website with great resources that link math to the real world. This site even utilizes google earth for very interesting math activities.

Philtulga.com is a site that combines music with reading, math, and science. This would be a great site for teachers and tutors to find activities for students who are musically inclined and thus can learn other skills using music.

We’ve also developed real-world math skill lessons on our blog. Check them out here:

PLUS! See all our teaching resources on other subjects here.

Teaching literacy skills for the real world

Literacy assessments have also been updated in the BC curriculum to reflect a more real world approach to learning. Although geared towards ELT ( English Language Teaching) and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) instruction, elt-resourceful has a number of great real world writing activities that BC teachers and tutors can use with their students. Some of those activities include “writing to a favourite author, writing a review for a movie, writing a short story for the internet, and writing on behalf of human rights abuse victims”, among others.

Education World, linked to above, also has great literacy activities with the same goal. For instance, students can research the Tower of Pisa, write a report of their findings, then develop and budget a class trip to see it.

The 2016 BC curriculum update has been thoroughly researched and the drafts for grades 10 to 12 are open for feedback from anyone who looks into the drafts. To see some of the other changes of the 2016 BC curriculum update, visit https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/.