Junior Cycle Implementation Support (JCIS)

Classroom Strategies

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  • Jigsaw Strategy
  • Strategies to Activate the Key Skills:

BEING LITERATE

JIGSAW Strategy more_vert

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JIGSAW Strategyclose

This is a cooperative learning activity. Students form a home team and are set a home team problem. They break up into "expert groups" and gain expert knowledge that feeds into the overall problem. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each student's part is essential for the completion and full understanding of the home team problem.

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Think. Pair. Share. more_vert

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Think. Pair. Share.close

This strategy is designed to provide students time and structure for thinking on a given topic, enabling them to develop individual ideas and share these ideas with a peer.

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3-2-1... more_vert

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3-2-1close

This strategy gives students a structure to record their understanding of what they have learned.
It also gives teachers the opportunity to identify aspects of the lesson that need more attention, as well as areas of student interest.

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Assigning Group Roles more_vert

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Assigning Group Rolesclose

Group work allows students to learn interactively as well as develop interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Students expected to participate actively prepare themselves better for class.

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Anticipation Exercise more_vert

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Anticipation Exerciseclose

This is a comprehension strategy that is used before reading to activate students' prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic.

This strategy also stimulates student interest in a topic and sets a purpose for reading, listening or watching. They teach students to make predictions, anticipate and verify predictions. They will connect new information to prior knowledge.

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Blue Sky Thinking more_vert

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Blue Sky Thinkingclose

This strategy is a means of kick-starting a student's imagination and compels students to provide a variety of options or ideas.

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Brainstorm... more_vert

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Brainstormclose

Brainstorm is a process encouraging students to generate ideas in a creative manner.

It gives students a chance to tap into previous knowledge and form connections with the current topic.

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Classification... more_vert

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Classificationclose

This strategy allows students to demonstrate an understanding of relationships between things and helps them clarify concepts.

Used collaboratively, students develop communication skills and can deepen their understanding of the topic in hand.

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Diamond 9... more_vert

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Diamond 9close

This is a collaborative strategy to help students prioritise key factors.

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Dotmocracy... more_vert

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Dotmocracyclose

In this strategy students work together through group vote to make informed decisions, to prioritise and reach consensus. It could be used in a Tutor Class, Year Group or Student Council to come to a democratic decision.

Dotmocracy gives every student an equal chance to have their opinion recorded even in the largest of groups.

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Facts / Falsehoods more_vert

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Facts / Falsehoodsclose

Gives all students an opportunity to evaluate a series of statements which the teacher and/or other students devise and decide on whether they are true or false.

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Peer Assessment Using Success Criteria more_vert

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Peer Assessment Using Success Criteriaclose

. . . success criteria summarise the key steps or ingredients the student needs in order to fulfil the learning intention - the main things to do, include or focus on.

Shirley Clarke 2010

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Peer feedback... more_vert

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Peer feedbackclose

Provides students with an opportunity to learn from each other and improve their own work.

This strategy complements Peer Assessment Using Success Criteria.

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Kahoot!... more_vert

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Kahoot!close

Quizzes are an engaging way of activating prior knowledge and revising content. Kahoot! is a quiz based classroom response system. It displays the quiz in a fun and exciting way that is appealing to students.

It gives teachers the opportunity to ask thought provoking questions, find out previous knowledge or revise a topic in a fun way.

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KWL... more_vert

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KWLclose

This strategy serves several purposes: it elicits prior knowledge of the text, it sets a purpose for reading and it helps students monitor their comprehension.

By being aware of students' interests and prior knowledge the teacher has the ability to create projects and assignments that are challenging and that the students will enjoy. A KWL chart is a tool that can be used to inform teaching as well as guide student learning.

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Through the Lens more_vert

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Through the Lensclose

This strategy involves students interpreting, summarising, comparing and contrasting information using a different form of representation, generating new information and knowledge by adapting, designing and representing information digitally.

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Mindmap... more_vert

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Mindmapclose

This strategy gives students a structure to summarise and represent visually what they have learned. It improves long-term memory of factual information.

After teaching a topic coggle could be used to summarise, organise and visualise the topic. It could also be used as a brainstorming exercise to summarise prior knowledge at the beginning of a topic.

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Placemat... more_vert

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Placematclose

This activity gives all students the opportunity to work individually, to share ideas and learn from each other in a cooperative small-group discussion

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Ranking Ladder... more_vert

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Ranking Ladderclose

Provides all students with an opportunity to engage in thinking at the evaluation level of Bloom's taxonomy.

A Ranking Ladder requires students to place items on rungs of a ladder in order from least to most important, as a group activity it allows students to be challenged as to why they rank one item above or below another.

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Skype... more_vert

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Skypeclose

Using Skype in the classroom is a way for teachers to introduce the world beyond the classroom walls to their students. It creates a global community of learners.

It can develop critical thinking, geography skills, listening and speaking skills. It can be both teacher and student-led. It encourages collaboration, communication and it a useful tool for research.

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Stop and Jot... more_vert

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Stop and Jotclose

This strategy gives students the opportunity to respond to questions in writing. Asking students to think and write about what they are learning promotes retention and comprehension.

These checks for understanding help students make sense of what they are learning before moving on in the lesson.

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Survey... more_vert

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Surveyclose

This strategy encourages students to gather information relevant to subject or topic in question. It is particularly relevant to the key skill managing information and thinking. The students learn to design quality questions and subsequently analyse the results in order to come to valid conclusions.

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Venn Diagram... more_vert

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Venn Diagramclose

This strategy allows students to graphically display the similarities and differences between two items or themes. It works very well with groups allowing oral processing of learning. A very effective strategy for comparing and contrasting.

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Padlet... more_vert

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Padletclose

This is an online application 'a blank sheet of paper' that allows students to express their ideas on a given topic. Padlet allows students to post content relevant to a topic e.g. images, text, video, audio.

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BEING LITERATE
JIGSAW Strategy more_vert

View More

JIGSAW Strategyclose

This is a cooperative learning activity. Students form a home team and are set a home team problem. They break up into "expert groups" and gain expert knowledge that feeds into the overall problem. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each student's part is essential for the completion and full understanding of the home team problem.

View More

Think. Pair. Share. more_vert

View More

Think. Pair. Share.close

This strategy is designed to provide students time and structure for thinking on a given topic, enabling them to develop individual ideas and share these ideas with a peer.

View More

3-2-1 more_vert

View More

3-2-1close

This strategy gives students a structure to record their understanding of what they have learned.
It also gives teachers the opportunity to identify aspects of the lesson that need more attention, as well as areas of student interest.

View More

Assigning Group Roles more_vert

View More

Assigning Group Rolesclose

Group work allows students to learn interactively as well as develop interpersonal and collaborative skills.

Students expected to participate actively prepare themselves better for class.

View More

Anticipation Exercise more_vert

View More

Anticipation Exerciseclose

This is a comprehension strategy that is used before reading to activate students' prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic.

This strategy also stimulates student interest in a topic and sets a purpose for reading, listening or watching. They teach students to make predictions, anticipate and verify predictions. They will connect new information to prior knowledge.

View More

Blue Sky Thinking more_vert

View More

Blue Sky Thinkingclose

This strategy is a means of kick-starting a student's imagination and compels students to provide a variety of options or ideas.

View More

Brainstorm more_vert

View More

Brainstormclose

Brainstorm is a process encouraging students to generate ideas in a creative manner.

It gives students a chance to tap into previous knowledge and form connections with the current topic.

View More

Classification more_vert

View More

Classificationclose

This strategy allows students to demonstrate an understanding of relationships between things and helps them clarify concepts.

Used collaboratively, students develop communication skills and can deepen their understanding of the topic in hand.

View More

Diamond 9 more_vert

View More

Diamond 9close

This is a collaborative strategy to help students prioritise key factors.

View More

Dotmocracy more_vert

View More

Dotmocracyclose

In this strategy students work together through group vote to make informed decisions, to prioritise and reach consensus. It could be used in a Tutor Class, Year Group or Student Council to come to a democratic decision.

Dotmocracy gives every student an equal chance to have their opinion recorded even in the largest of groups.

View More

Facts / Falsehoods more_vert

View More

Facts / Falsehoodsclose

Gives all students an opportunity to evaluate a series of statements which the teacher and/or other students devise and decide on whether they are true or false.

View More

Peer Assessment Using Suc... more_vert

View More

Peer Assessment Using Success Criteriaclose

. . . success criteria summarise the key steps or ingredients the student needs in order to fulfil the learning intention - the main things to do, include or focus on.

Shirley Clarke 2010

View More

Peer feedback more_vert

View More

Peer feedbackclose

Provides students with an opportunity to learn from each other and improve their own work.

This strategy complements Peer Assessment Using Success Criteria.

View More

Kahoot! more_vert

View More

Kahoot!close

Quizzes are an engaging way of activating prior knowledge and revising content. Kahoot! is a quiz based classroom response system. It displays the quiz in a fun and exciting way that is appealing to students.

It gives teachers the opportunity to ask thought provoking questions, find out previous knowledge or revise a topic in a fun way.

View More

KWL more_vert

View More

KWLclose

This strategy serves several purposes: it elicits prior knowledge of the text, it sets a purpose for reading and it helps students monitor their comprehension.

By being aware of students' interests and prior knowledge the teacher has the ability to create projects and assignments that are challenging and that the students will enjoy. A KWL chart is a tool that can be used to inform teaching as well as guide student learning.

View More

Through the Lens more_vert

View More

Through the Lensclose

This strategy involves students interpreting, summarising, comparing and contrasting information using a different form of representation, generating new information and knowledge by adapting, designing and representing information digitally.

View More

Mindmap more_vert

View More

Mindmapclose

This strategy gives students a structure to summarise and represent visually what they have learned. It improves long-term memory of factual information.

After teaching a topic coggle could be used to summarise, organise and visualise the topic. It could also be used as a brainstorming exercise to summarise prior knowledge at the beginning of a topic.

View More

Placemat more_vert

View More

Placematclose

This activity gives all students the opportunity to work individually, to share ideas and learn from each other in a cooperative small-group discussion

View More

Ranking Ladder more_vert

View More

Ranking Ladderclose

Provides all students with an opportunity to engage in thinking at the evaluation level of Bloom's taxonomy.

A Ranking Ladder requires students to place items on rungs of a ladder in order from least to most important, as a group activity it allows students to be challenged as to why they rank one item above or below another.

View More

Skype more_vert

View More

Skypeclose

Using Skype in the classroom is a way for teachers to introduce the world beyond the classroom walls to their students. It creates a global community of learners.

It can develop critical thinking, geography skills, listening and speaking skills. It can be both teacher and student-led. It encourages collaboration, communication and it a useful tool for research.

View More

Stop and Jot more_vert

View More

Stop and Jotclose

This strategy gives students the opportunity to respond to questions in writing. Asking students to think and write about what they are learning promotes retention and comprehension.

These checks for understanding help students make sense of what they are learning before moving on in the lesson.

View More

Survey more_vert

View More

Surveyclose

This strategy encourages students to gather information relevant to subject or topic in question. It is particularly relevant to the key skill managing information and thinking. The students learn to design quality questions and subsequently analyse the results in order to come to valid conclusions.

View More

Venn Diagram more_vert

View More

Venn Diagramclose

This strategy allows students to graphically display the similarities and differences between two items or themes. It works very well with groups allowing oral processing of learning. A very effective strategy for comparing and contrasting.

View More

Padlet more_vert

View More

Padletclose

This is an online application 'a blank sheet of paper' that allows students to express their ideas on a given topic. Padlet allows students to post content relevant to a topic e.g. images, text, video, audio.

View More