TeacherTech

Brainstorming

 

This strategy can help students create organizational schemas, develop and create thoughts, and organize their general ideas. 

 

Mindomo

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Mindomo is a website that is very simple and useful for students to brainstorm their ideas. This website provides different categories (shown at right) that students could choose from and build appropriate smart maps by themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story Summary

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The story summary feature from Mindomo can help students to reduce confusion and condense the important information. Students can consolidate the important details into the concept map and analyze that information for future interpretations. Furthermore, students can use the concept map to illustrate the problem identified through the story summary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mind Mapping

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Mind mapping is a simple technique for drawing information in the form of diagrams instead of writing it in sentences. The diagrams, featured in Mindomo, always take the same basic format of a tree, with a single starting point in the middle that branches out and divides again and again. The tree is made up of words or short sentences connected by lines. The lines that connect the words are part of the meaning. 

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Brainstorming Toolbox

Students can choose the “Brainstorming toolbox” template to establish a method for developing new ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Problem Solving

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Problem solving  is an essential skill that can promote students to solve problems effectively and efficiently, such as defining the problem and implementing solutions.

 

Portland Proof

 

This website provides quizzes that support students in examining themselves and practicing skills.

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Example 1: Proof it

The image shown at right is an example of a word/sentence puzzle. This quiz consists of ten or more words which will appear on the screen. Each sentence contains exactly one mistake. Students need to find the mistake and click on it. If their selection is correct, the word will turn green and if their selection is incorrect, the word will turn red and a message will appear. A text box with a "Submit" button next to it will appear at the bottom of the game window when you make the appropriate correction in the sentence.

 

 

Example 2: Which word?

Each game consists of ten words with a word missing (represented by a blank line in the sentence). After the sentence appears, two words will appear on the screen. Students need to select the word which fits best with the context of the sentence and click on it to complete the sentence.

 

 

Additional source for problem solving:

• 7-12 Student Interactives (free version).

 

 

 

 

 

Synthesizing

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Synthesizing is a process that students will need to learn to identify what is important in the text and combine new information with their own knowledge.

 

Reporting - paraphrase, summary & synthesis

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Synthesizing is the most complex process for language learners. This website provides several exercises where learners can practice synthesizing. Students need to read the articles that are provided in the website and then synthesize the article and write down their findings. Once they finish writing, students can press the button “Answers” to check the right answers to those exercises.

 

 

Additional sources for synthesizing:

• Reading Keys- Online Practice Identifying the Main Idea (free version)

• Exam English (free version)

 

 

 

 

Summarizing

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This strategy can help students learn how to determine essential ideas and consolidate significant details.

 

Study Zone

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This website illustrates general ideas about summaries and also describes how to compose a good summary. Furthermore, the website provides some short stories that students can practice with to write their own summary by printing a copy of the story and completing a summary chart. Once they finish their summary chart, they can press the button “click here to check your answer” and the website will provide a sample summary for the learners to check.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creativity

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Creativity can be explained as the act of  generating or organizing ideas so that it can be used for problem solving, communication, or entertaining oneself or entertaining others. Creativity helps in perceiving the world in a new and unique way and it will also help to identify hidden patterns and generate solutions for problems.

 

Cool Tools for Schools

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Cooltoolsforschools is a wiki space for students to enhance their creativity. This website offers different categories such as thinking tools, games, simulators, classroom activities, animations, and creating your own games and activities.

A principal objective throughout the site is the enhancement of critical thinking skills.This website will help students to work independently and enhance their creativity through tasks and activities offered by the site.