What is Velcro Learning?
Velcro Learning is when knowledge and relevance come together to create learning. Teachers can use this type of learning to adapt their teaching to suit the needs of today’s learner. By incorporating visual learning, technology and multi-modal instruction into their daily classroom lesson planning, teachers can maintain active student engagement and foster learning communities where successful project based learning can take place.
What is whole-mind instruction?
Whole-mind instruction is the balance between teaching to the left (literal) side of the brain vs. teaching to the right (artistic) side of the brain. It is important because modern/technology savvy learners need lessons that demonstrate a balance of the two, whereas traditional instruction focuses mainly on instructing towards the left side of the brain/literal thinking.
How do I implement these strategies into my classroom?
Certain visual models of instruction (graphic organisers) can be used quite easily to implement whole- mind instruction that creates a bridge between knowledge and relevance. For instance, in my 8th grade English Language Arts classroom, I introduced the concentric circle visual organizer for our current novel, “A Separate Peace,” by John Knowles. In chapter one, I used a set of four circles: characters, setting, events, and conflict. Students were allowed to collaborate in partners or a triad to complete the information (knowledge that they had gained about the novel so far), to create thumbnail sketches of their details (visualize), then we followed up the cooperative group work with a whole class Socratic
For analysing a text for story elements:
For analysing a text for atmosphere:
Seminar on “How do our friendships impact our decisions?” (relevance).
It’s May and I have been working with all sorts of graphic organisers all year, conducting Socratic Seminars, and asking my students to elaborate and provide text support. This one simple organiser magically lifted barriers and my student responses were at a higher level of comprehension of the nuances of the novel and the complexities of the friendship and peer pressure between Phineas and Finny.