Identifying+Similarities+&+Differences

**Identifying Similarities & Differences** The purpose of asking students to compare is to help the learner make connections and see patterns in thing being compared. It is a higher order thinking skill and it challenges them to link the topics/concepts together for a better understanding so that they relate to each other.
 * Read and Reflect:**
 * What is the purpose of asking students/teachers to compare? **

I give them two or three topics to compare and ask them to complete a graphic organizer. We go over it together in class discussions on the board. Sometime I have them work in groups to complete the graphic organizer.
 * What kinds of activities do I use to help students/teachers compare? **

I can think of a time that I asked students/teachers to compare, and I was pleased with the results. Why did it go well? If students have a good understanding of the concepts being compared they can complete the graphic organizer independently and we can have a good discussion on the topics. Students need to know how something is alike or not in order to compare. The use of graphic organizers helps them sort their ideas to make connections with the topics being compared.

Oftentimes working in groups to fill out graphic organizers only works if most of the students have a good working knowledge of what is being compared. This is true if they are working individually as well. Groups need to be assigned so that the students work well together. If students are not familiar with this type of lesson or how to compare then they must be taught to do this, so sometimes the first time doing a lesson might not go well.
 * I can think of a time that I asked students to compare, and I was not pleased with the results. Why did it not go well? **

Is modeling how to make comparison the best way to teach it?
 * What questions do I have about using comparing in my classroom? **

Classifying helps us organize and put many things into groups and then look at it as a group rather than individually.
 * What is the purpose of asking students to classify? **

I use charts for students to put things into groups, class discussion and I write on the board to model how to group things. I have student work in groups to complete this task.
 * What kinds of activities do I use to help students classify? **

Classifying together as a group seems to work better because I give cues and questions to guide them in the right direction. Also, putting students in small groups that work well together worked best.
 * I can think of a time that I asked students to classify, and I was pleased with the results. Why did it go well **<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">?

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">If students were not put into working groups that worked with each other, or if they had little background or knowledge of the items they were supposed to group it was difficult to complete the task on their own.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">I can think of a time that I asked students to classify, and I was not pleased with the results. Why did it not go well? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I am interested in knowing if anyone has any other ideas to help students with these higher order thinking skills.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What questions do I have about using classifying in my classroom? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Metaphors are used to give students a better understanding of the academic content you are teaching. It’s another way to connect concepts and ideas to enhance learning.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the purpose of asking students to create metaphors? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have not used creating metaphors with students very much. I need to work on this concept more.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What kinds of activities do I use to help students create metaphors? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I teach different subjects every year and they can change by the trimester. Teaching special education in a small district causes me to move around a lot. I would say learning is a stepping stone, teaching is a lifeboat, and lessons learned are an open book.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What metaphors apply to the content areas that I teach? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is one of my weakest areas. For teaching low cognitively impaired students what is the best way to have them create metaphors?
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What questions do I have about using metaphors in my classroom? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">It helps students think about the relationships of things in pairs.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the purpose of asking students to create analogie **<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">s?

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t teach analogies but I use them sometimes to explain a concept in relation to another concept.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What kinds of activities do I use to help students create analogies? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Least restrictive educational environment: No Child Left Behind <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Certificate of completion: Drop out rate – AYP Scores
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What analogies can I think of that apply to the content areas that I teach? **

<span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think it is important for students to see relationships between things. I need ways to use them more and ideas to teach this skill to students with low-level learning skills.
 * <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,serif; font-size: 12pt;">What questions do I have about using analogies in my classroom? **

I used the Gliffy and Text2mindmap sites. I like the mindmap site that teachers can use for free. I have an overhead projector hooked up to my computer so this is an easy tool to use with my students. The Gliffy site works the same way. I found it a little harder to navigate and use compared to the Think2mindemap site. I find it amazing that there are so many free useful sites available to us. Informing other teachers about these free sites is one of my goals as well as using them more often in my classroom. I will use Gliffy to model how to compare and contrast concepts using this online graphic organizer. My students will benefit from doing this type of activity together rather than doing it independently. This will be a way for me to model it and then move on to students doing it independently or in small groups.
 * Apply and Reflect:**



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