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Conflict Resolution with a Wheel of Choices Feature Image
Classroom ManagementCommunication

A Wheel of Choices for Conflict Resolution

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

One year, when I was working as a principal, a group of 5th graders seemed to have conflicts many times a day. So much so that it made instructional time difficult, and recess breaks were full of incidents, both verbal and physical. Conflict resolution and management were challenging processes that always required the teacher’s attention. Of course, there are some student issues and conflicts that will always need to be handled, managed, and resolved by an adult. But how can we set students up to resolve conflicts on their own (when appropriate), and why is this important?

Students will eventually need to resolve disagreements and issues independently as they get older. However, some minor conflicts are appropriate for younger students to resolve on their own after receiving tools, guidance, and modeling. One way to help them succeed is by giving them choices for healthy responses to conflict. A visual tool, like a Wheel of Choices, can work wonders! Let’s explore how to get started with this tool.

Why is conflict resolution important?

Conflict and disagreement are a normal part of being human. Unfortunately, we all know this doesn’t go away or decrease with age. And (unpopular opinion alert), it’s important for students to know that they don’t have to like, play with, or be friends with everyone in their class. However, regardless of friendship status, we must treat people respectfully and work through conflicts and disagreements in healthy ways. So, let’s teach conflict resolution skills early on! Learning to effectively navigate conflicts sets students up for more success in life. It helps them:

  • Deepen relationships
  • Build resilience
  • Identify their feelings
  • Acknowledge the feelings of others
  • Gain confidence
  • Build leadership skills
  • Grow in empathy
  • Broaden perspectives
  • Achieve goals
  • Build active listening skills
  • And more

What is a Wheel of Choices?

A Wheel of Choices is a visual chart that provides students with healthy ways in which they can respond to and work to resolve conflicts. When a dispute arises, students can reference the wheel and choose a response to try. The goal of the Wheel of Choices is for students to eventually be able to resolve minor conflicts independently, confidently, and successfully. Here are ideas for introducing the wheel to students:

  1. First, talk with your students about conflict. What is conflict? What conflicts have they experienced (without naming names)? How did they work through them? You can also discuss healthy and unhealthy responses to conflict.
  2. Then, reiterate that conflict and disagreement are normal, and they aren’t necessarily “bad”! When issues arise, it’s an opportunity for growth that can help us learn about each other and ourselves.
  3. Next, introduce the Wheel of Choices as a reference tool for students. You can introduce the whole wheel or add one strategy at a time, explaining each strategy and modeling them in brief mini-lessons. You could also brainstorm your own strategies as a class to add to the wheel!
  4. As conflicts arise, begin prompting students to use the wheel. Work with them on choosing strategies to support them in resolving issues together. It may take trying several choices from the wheel to solve a disagreement, and that’s okay!
  5. After some practice and time working under your guidance, the students might be ready to try using the wheel independently.

Tips for Using the Wheel of Choices

After using a Wheel of Choices with the 5th grade students I mentioned at the beginning of this article, here are some things I’d recommend:

  • Role-play the different strategies with students.
  • Remind students that respectful dialogue is imperative.
  • Place a wheel in areas where conflicts tend to happen (playground, cafeteria, etc.).
  • Give each student their own mini-wheel.
  • Talk to parents so they can encourage using these strategies at home, too.
  • Be there for students during conflicts to guide them.
  • When appropriate, encourage independence.
  • Celebrate successful resolutions!

Example Use of the Wheel: Jose and Cassandra are arguing over whose turn it is to kick during kickball. Things are getting heated and escalating. Cassandra suggests they look at the Wheel of Choices to help them reach a resolution. Cassandra chooses “Make a deal.” Jose has an idea! Since the two have different opinions, they could play Rock, Paper, Scissors (best two out of three) to decide who kicks first. Cassandra agrees to the deal. Jose wins two out of three. He kicks first, and Cassandra will go next.

Strategies on the Wheel:

Colorful infographic with the strategies from the Wheel of Choices explained.
Created by the author: Linked in the Wheel of Choices template below.

The strategies shown on my wheel are not at all set in stone. Feel free to access the editable template and add your own strategies or ones that you and your students think of together! Let’s explore the choices I included on my wheel:

Share. Listen. Restate. Explain how you’re feeling. Listen to how the other person is feeling. Restate what they explained about their perspective to make sure you understand how they feel.

Take responsibility. Apologize. Make a change. If you make a mistake, own it. Say that you’re sorry, but sorry isn’t enough! Explain how you’ll make a change.

Ask, “How can I help?” If a student shares how they’re feeling, ask how you can help. Then, listen to what they say.

Give a bug and a wish. Share what’s bugging you and then what you wish the other student would do. “It bugs me when you won’t let me have the ball. I wish we could take turns!”

Brainstorm a solution. Work together to problem solve! Brainstorm ideas and pick one to try.

Ask an adult for help. If you need help solving a problem or are hurt, uncomfortable, or unsafe, go to an adult you trust immediately. Tell them what happened.

Use an “I feel” statement. Tell the other student how you feel and what made you feel that way. “I feel angry when you won’t let me have the ball.”

Decide to let it go. Think about what happened. Sometimes, if it’s a small thing or an accident, you can make a choice to let it go and move on.

Make a deal. Work together on a compromise! Find a win-win deal that will work well for everyone.

Cool off! Then, come back to the wheel. Sometimes, taking a break and some deep breaths is good before trying to resolve a conflict. If you need a minute to think and cool down before you can speak respectfully to a student, take the time you need!

End with a… Once a conflict is resolved, choose how you will show it! End with a high five, a hug, or a handshake to show it’s over and you worked it out.

A colorful wheel full of strategies for students to try for conflict resolution.
Created by the author: Edit or Download (Strategies are explained on page 2.)

We saw a lot of success in resolving conflicts using the Wheel of Choices! Every resolution was celebrated, and students were proud to take ownership and become more independent problem solvers. It’s very brave to be vulnerable and share feelings with another person, whether you’re an adult or a child. However, learning to do so at a young age can build confidence and resilience when students recognize they can overcome difficult situations. What do you think? Is this something you might try with your students? Are there any strategies you would add to the wheel? Share them in the comments!

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Content CreationGood Teaching

A Collection of Choice Board Examples and Templates

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

Dr. Robert J. Marzano states that self-agency is an essential outcome for students. The two elements making up student self-agency are voice and choice. He defines agency as students having “the belief that they can positively affect their lives and possess the skills to do so.” While voice and choice are two different elements, they are often connected. Marzano describes choice boards as one way to build self-agency by offering choice in social, environmental, and learning domains.

Four Ways to Offer Choice

In his book, “The Highly Engaged Classroom,” Dr. Robert J. Marzano outlines four ways we can offer choice to students: (1) choice of tasks, (2) choice of reporting formats, (3) choice of learning goals, and (4) choice of behaviors (pp. 14, 101). Choice boards can be used for each of these! In his blog, he says,

“Choices of task, reporting format, or learning goal allow students to take control of their learning and make decisions that ensure personal interest in their assignments.”

Source

In other words, choices boost engagement and motivation, which lead to more learning! With this in mind, let’s look at a few articles with templates, examples, and steps for creating your own choice boards.

How to Create Choice Boards

How to Create a Choice Board: Using a choice board to allow students to select their own journey while still ensuring they reach their destination is a powerful research-based strategy. Explore John Hattie’s mindset on choice and get five steps for making a choice board.

Choice Board Templates and Examples for Your Students

Choice Boards for Elementary Learners: Take your elementary classroom to the next level with these choice board examples and templates. Your students will thank you! Snag ready-made choice boards or use the templates to create your own. Either way, you’ll be ready to get the choice board party started.

Wakelet Choice Boards: Wish you had an easy-to-access and accessibility-friendly choice board maker? You do! It’s called Wakelet. Learn how to make choice boards the easy way. Check out three example activities, an example Wakelet choice board, and discover the benefits of using Wakelet to offer choice and voice in your classroom.

Templates and Ideas for Differentiated Choice Boards: Check out four ideas for differentiation with choice boards. Then, explore a wide variety of editable templates and examples you can follow. This article definitely has some gems to help students work on their level while still offering them options to choose from.

Choice Boards for Active Learning in Math: Choice boards are a powerful tool to use in any subject, and that includes math! Uncover math-specific templates for all grade levels that include checks for understanding, vocabulary, assessment, infographic creation, multiplication, division, geometry, pre-algebra, and more.

Create Interactive Learning with a Choice Board: Innovative teachers empower students through the use of the choice board, either in paper or digital format. Find digital examples and templates for ELA, history, math, science, and differentiation. You’ll have everything you need to create digital, interactive choice boards for your students in no time.

Have you used choice boards already? Are you planning to start? Share your experience and any additional resources in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

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Classroom ManagementContent AreasEnglish Language Arts Reading (ELAR)Math

Ideas for Flexible Centers

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

We’ve all had those students who are always early finishers. Like, always. Every time. Am I right? And we all know what can happen if they don’t have engaging work to start after they finish their assigned tasks– boredom! Boredom can creep in and manifest itself in a plethora of ways in the classroom. Do we want this? No, thank you! So how do we keep students engaged, thinking, creating, and learning, if they finish early? Today, I will share some resources and ideas for using centers flexibly for extension and enrichment. 

What Is the Purpose of Flexible Centers?

The purpose of flexible centers isn’t to introduce new content or to change your designated center times on your class schedule; instead, the goal is to give students flexibility and choice once tasks are completed to practice, extend, and reinforce or to enrich, challenge, and explore. With flexible center activities, students can:

These activities can become a natural part of your classroom routine with a bit of practice with your students, and they can complete flexible centers individually or with a partner/small group (when appropriate). Once you’ve put your system in place, you can reuse it with very little prep year after year. 

Types of Centers to Try 

A Puzzle Center

I incorporated a center with activities and instructions in numbered hanging file folders. I placed my hanging folders box on a table, labeled it as “Teacher, I’m done!”, and it was its own center. When students finished their assigned classwork, group work, or partner work, they could go to the table and choose an activity. Then, they would complete the activity at their desk or in a designated flexible work area within the classroom. Students had their own special folder for these activities as well as a coordinating numbered checklist. This helped them easily keep track of which activities they were working on or had completed. This center mainly contained enrichment activities like logic grid puzzles, brainteasers, sudoku, etc.

Content-Specific Centers

I also used my regular classroom centers, which I’d set up by content area (math, writing, reading, etc.), in a flexible way for early finishers. Yes, even in upper elementary! These centers were arranged strategically around the room to avoid crowding and gave students a choice of where they wanted to work. Students loved the movement and flexible work areas. I would put “Teacher, I’m done!” activities for students to choose from in these centers (separate from regular center activities). At times, I would give students checklists or choice boards if I wanted them to practice, reinforce, or be challenged in certain areas while continuing to offer them choice.

Digital Centers

You can take this idea and digitize it with any number of great digital tools by creating a “hub” or “portal” for your students to access with a variety of enrichment and extension options. A few tools that initially come to mind are Google Sites, Padlet, Wakelet, SeeSaw, and Google Classroom. If you know of other tools, add them in the comments section! You can also use QR codes to transport students to various online spaces, websites, videos, or activities. 

Mix and Match Digital and In-Person Centers

Mix digital and paper methods in a number of ways! Some activities can be online, while others are written or completed using manipulatives. Students love the variety of switching between the digital and the tactile, and as digital natives, they can do this seamlessly. For example, although my centers were based in the classroom, some activities were completed online or created using digital tools. The instructions for these online activities were in the classroom center or on a QR code in the classroom. This is definitely my preferred method!

Resources for Center Activities 

I am including a Wakelet collection with examples of activities I had in my centers that worked well. Most of these resources provide activities for multiple grade levels or can be adapted. 

Here are a few examples (included in the Wakelet) that students particularly enjoyed: 

  • Reading fluency practice using handheld timers and reading practice passages. They liked timing each other for three tries at a passage. They would record their WPM on a record sheet like this one. We based our method loosely off of 6 Minute Solution.
  • Reader’s theater! This was a HUGE hit. They loved reading scripts in groups of 2-3 students. This improved their intonation and expression when reading and motivated students who usually didn’t read. See this section in my Wakelet collection.
  • Partner reading “knee to knee” or “elbow to elbow.” My students loved grabbing a book and reading with a partner. Sometimes, they would record their reading with Flipgrid.
  • Independent author studies or research projects.
  • Written responses to journal prompts or creative writing. Sometimes, they would write a paragraph describing a painting, photograph, or piece of artwork, which was a very popular activity.
  • STEAM activities that included building or creating.
  • Creating new words and definitions in a “class dictionary” based on learned root words, prefixes, and suffixes. 
  • Partnered math card games or partnered math practice. 
  • Writing “how-to” instructions for science experiments or tasks we had completed in class; or getting a problem card and writing up a solution. 

I hope you’ve found these ideas and resources helpful. The key is to really set expectations and practice with students so that this becomes routine. Once you’ve set it up and practiced it, I hope it adds to your positive classroom environment and makes it even more comfortable, engaging, and active. If you’ve done this a different way, please leave a comment with your method. The best way to learn is from each other, so feel free to actively share with us.  

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choice boards
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Discovering Autumn-Themed Choice Boards

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

We know choice boards can be wonderful tools to incorporate and encourage student voice and choice into regular class activities. But choosing the right choices to share with students — well, it can be downright scary.

But fear not, educator. We’re collected some of the best Halloween and autumn-related choice boards, and tips to create them, so that you can make your next teaching choice an easy one.

Using Choice Boards

The concept is simple. With a board, students can choose from several different options for assignments or activities, in the classroom or asynchronously. 

Kasey Bell share tips and G Suite templates in her “Shake Up Learning” blog.

Learning menus (aka choice boards) are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities. Learning menus and choice boards can be created in a variety of styles and mediums. They’ve been around for a long time and originated in a static, paper format. But with digital tools, we can bring the menus to life with interactivity and creation. Menus can be a simple list, a tic-tac-toe or bingo-style game, or get as creative and intricate as you like. …

I have found that menus and choice boards tend to be more popular among elementary teachers, but I used them in my middle school classroom, and now I use them in professional learning workshops with adults. Any grade level can use learning menus!

“Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) with G Suite – FREE Templates” Kasey Bell. https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/interactive-learning-menus-choice-boards-using-google-docs/

In the “School and the City” blog, educator Kristen Yann outlines three reasons to integrate choice boards into your teaching.

Intrinsic Motivation

With choice boards, students are motivated to take on something they chose rather than something decided for them. “Students are more likely to internalize content if a learning activity is interesting to them or if they can make a connection to their own life,” Yaan writes.

Learning Styles

“Choice boards also cater to multiple learning styles, allowing students to explore content in ways that are exciting for them,” says Yann. “That’s empowerment!” 

Differentiation

You work to tailor your teaching to each student’s needs, and choice boards are a handy tool for that. “In order to maintain a growth mindset, I discourage students from choosing activities that will not help them grow academically,” Yann writes. “But ultimately, it’s their choice, and all of my boards are specifically designed, so I know that anything they choose is aligned to standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy.”

Selecting Boards

choice board

The Library Voice

As part of a series of monthly choice boards, The Library Voice from Shannon McClintock Miller, offers an October choice board, themed around fall holidays and this year’s election season. Choices for students include interactive storybooks, sing-alongs, coding activities, and lots more. Check it out here. 

For Younger Students

Gail Felix has a nice autumn choice board for younger elementary students in Google Docs. Make a copy of this and then you can change it to best fit your students.

Write Solutions

The Write Solutions blog, by Alicia Sullivan, includes math choice boards with fall themes for learning fractions and multiplication, in addition to useful tips on differentiation and assessment.

One way I build upon that is to sometimes provide students access to Answer Keys around my room. The answer key is designed to be self-checking and for student use. I place a sticky note over each answer. Once students have completed a problem, they find an “Answer Key Station” in the classroom and peek under just the sticky note they need. This instant feedback helps students to avoid making the same mistake across an entire assignment.

“Halloween Math Choice Boards” Alicia Sullivan. https://www.writesolutions.org/halloween-math-choice-boards/

Fall Reading Choice Boards

Educators looking for read-aloud activities should consider the choice boards shared by Hillary Kiser in her blog “Autumn Books and Choice Boards.” These activities relate to the books Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden and Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie.

Halloween Hyperdoc Template

You can also check this Google choice board template shared by educator Tonya Nugent. This template includes hyperlinks to coding activities, videos, a jigsaw activity, and even a few holiday-themed jokes to lighten the mood. Check out the template here.

More Choice Boards Ideas for Choosy Educators

Looking for more choice boards and tips on creating your own? Check out the links below and share your choice board ideas in the comments.

This blog was updated with new content on October 5, 2022.

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remote learning
Good TeachingOnline Tools and Apps

Putting a Spark in Remote Learning

by Candice Sheridan, Guest Author
written by Candice Sheridan, Guest Author

How do you get feedback from your students during remote learning? Whether collecting responses from an assignment or gauging student well being, it can be a struggle to “hear” when your students aren’t in front of you. But Adobe Spark can significantly help teachers receive feedback from students through a post, video, or page. 

I teach Graphic Design, and it’s been a challenge to find meaningful projects for my students to do remotely. I have used Adobe Spark Post and Adobe Spark Video at least once a week since shifting to online education. My students have been exceptionally creative and have reported they’re actually having fun and enjoying the projects. 

Making Remote Learning Effective

In this unprecedented time of online learning, it’s important for students to have access to equitable tools. Adobe Spark can fill that need. It’s not only a free, online program, it also comes in three, separate, free apps for iOS or Android devices. Adobe Spark can be used in any subject and at any grade level, elementary to secondary and beyond. Spark allows you to create a post (static or animated), a video (with collaboration capabilities), or a page (similar to a web page). 

If you’ve never used Adobe Spark, don’t be intimidated; the learning curve is shallow. Your students will adapt to this new program much like they do when they get a new cell phone. I’ve never heard of a student reading the directions to a new cell phone BEFORE they started using it. I’ve actually seen younger students have the easiest time using Adobe Spark for the first time.  

Adobe Spark offers ease-of-use, allowing students to spend more time having choice, using their own voice, and taking ownership with an authentic learning experience. Choice allows students to pick how they want to present the information to show evidence of learning. This can come in the form of a Spark Post or Spark Video. Spark allows students to select colors, fonts, icons, images, music, and design elements that can be unique to that student. Spark offers an authentic learning experience and helps make the learning meaningful. 

Using Adobe Spark

Using Adobe Spark during online learning promotes critical thinking and allows students to collaborate. Similar to a traditional classroom setting, students can work in teams or partners, just online instead. Student collaboration maximizes productivity and creativity by equally sharing the workload. 

The next time you create an assignment, try tossing in an Adobe Spark option. 

Classroom Examples

  • Sophomore English: Tasked with a reflective writing once they finish reading Romeo and Juliet, consider assigning an Adobe Spark Video where the students add images and voiceovers to create a reflective piece.
  • Kindergarten: Start with a “What do you want to be when you grow up?” writing prompt. Instead of writing it on a pre-printed form, have students use an iPad to create a video about their future career.
  • Third-grade science: Students create flash cards explaining the workings of the solar system, and they can create an Adobe Spark Video or Page using text and images, then share it with other students, past and future.
  • Career Investigation: Students create an advertisement for a new product. They could use an Adobe Spark Post or Page to create the ad using a desktop computer, Chromebook, iPad, or cell phone.
  • Eighth-grade history: Students need to show understanding of the Civil War. They could use Adobe Spark Video to show their understanding of the narrative of the conflict. 

Sparking Energy

Remote learning is causing all students and teachers to step outside their comfort zones. Adobe Spark can bring energy back into education. Traditional classroom lessons can get an added jolt of newness and excitement. When you feel like adding something different to your curriculum or when you want to give your students a break from the norm, adding an Adobe Spark project to your lesson will surely ignite a spark in student learning. 

Adobe Spark Resources

Previous TechNotes blogs about Adobe Spark:

Main photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash. All other images are original and created by Candice Sheridan.

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active learning
Educational TrendsGood Teaching

Making Your Classroom an Active Learning Environment

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

According to Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, educators fail when they focus too much on lectures and don’t measure the quality of teaching. His solution to this problem is to incorporate active learning methods to improve education slowly.

In one of his case studies, Wieman let students attend lectures and then gave them a pop quiz right at the start of the next class. Student performance was abysmal. A few weeks later, the results deteriorated further.  The students only retained a minimal amount of what was taught during the lectures.

The solution to this problem means a radical change to the traditional methods of teaching. If you are planning to up the ante when it comes to teaching this next year, here are some of the essentials that you should consider to move away from lectures and incorporate active learning in your classroom.

Active Learning Methods to Replace Long Lectures

Active learning is a teaching approach that has a student-centric mindset. In this approach, the teacher wants the students to take something that interests them and probe into it.

  • One of the most effective active learning methods is to divide a problem into sub-problems and assign it to several small groups within a class. Occasionally, the teacher should bring the main group back together and also guide them in the right direction.
  • Another active learning method is the One-Minute Paper or The Muddiest Point Paper in which the students are given the opportunity to write down the most important points from the day’s session or the least-clear point (muddiest). The responses can be later addressed in the next class or through online groups.
  • A very popular active learning method is brainstorming. Students are encouraged to generate ideas on a certain topic or a particular category. The ideas they pitch are written on a blackboard and all of the ideas, however improbable they may seem, must be noted.

Active learning is not just about handing over responsibilities to the student. It involves a great deal of effort from the teacher’s side as well. The teacher must not only know the content, but also know how to create interactive experiments and challenging scenarios.

Building a Dynamic Study Environment through Gadgets

Laptops are not the biggest source of distraction in a class. Boredom and irrelevance are. Good teaching can benefit from well-placed tech when it is used to promote active learning. Students tend to stay attentive to topics that grab their attention. Exercising their curiosity has an impact beyond the classroom itself.

  • Most existing classrooms have a specific set of hardware that the students and teachers are expected to comply with. This creates a lot of cable clutter, confusion, and difficulty for maintenance. But incorporating a device like Airtame into the classroom removes the necessity for cables when it comes to presentations and seminars and eases the maintenance overhead on IT admins. It also opens up the entire classrooms to learn collaboratively by allowing every student and teacher to mirror the contents from their device to the monitor independently.
  • Students nowadays don’t just want to learn about something, but they want to feel the context. This is where some of the most popular gadgets and technologies come into play. Virtual reality headsets can prove to be a boon for teachers as they allow students to virtually experience what is being taught. Whether it is learning about the solar system, different parts of a car, or historical monuments, these headsets can elevate the learning experience to a whole new level.

Hands-on Learning Is Crucial

Knowing concepts, but failing to understand where to use them, renders the knowledge useless. This is a very relevant statement in today’s world. Students are often only taught the high-level outline of concepts. They aren’t always encouraged to move deeper into the subject.

Hands-on learning through robotics, 3D printers, and more are proven to be better for the students in terms of retention capacity, problem-solving capability, and better engagement. What technology or strategies are you planning to implement next semester to bring more active learning into the classroom? There’s no time like the present to start planning for how to transform your teaching next fall.

This is a sponsored blog by  Luke Richardson. Luke is the Brand Director at Airtame. He’s motivated by the advancements in ed tech, and he’s an advocate for student-centered learning.

 

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