As we all know, the last few days of school can be difficult as students and teachers alike are getting impatient for summer days! I am working hard this year to be sure each of these last days is used to its fullest intstructional potential by working with my co-teachers to plan final projects and by reminding my students to "finish well". Even with these things in mind, students are already checking out for the year! It is an age-old question that will forever haunt educators as long as we have a summer, but I am wondering...
What are some strategies you use to make your year-end meaningful for your students? What are some activities or other strategies you use to keep students focused and to keep your sanity? :-)
(Not that I'm counting, but there are only 6 school days after today...)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Top Five Learnings from the PLC Book Learning By Doing by the DuFours...
(In no particular order)
5. PLC refers to a way of thinking, a way of life, for an entire school, not just teams of teachers.
4. Teams within a PLC school must be backed by administration who must be on the same page as the district.
3. In order to be effective, PLCs need to dive into data to find patterns and answer the questions of "now what" in their curriculum.
2. In order to dive into data, PLC teams need to create and administer common assessments.
1. Above all the initiatives a school can engage in, the quality educator in a classroom is consistently the most effective resource in student achievement.
(In no particular order)
5. PLC refers to a way of thinking, a way of life, for an entire school, not just teams of teachers.
4. Teams within a PLC school must be backed by administration who must be on the same page as the district.
3. In order to be effective, PLCs need to dive into data to find patterns and answer the questions of "now what" in their curriculum.
2. In order to dive into data, PLC teams need to create and administer common assessments.
1. Above all the initiatives a school can engage in, the quality educator in a classroom is consistently the most effective resource in student achievement.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
I do love blogs.
I know I haven't posted too much on here but I've been stalking foodie and textile blogs to get new ideas for my classroom and help my mentee! Also, I've been digging into Pinterest for new ideas (which often link to more blogs!). It's lead to experimentations in my kitchen, a dining room table filled with crafts every weekend and new books on my bookshelves. :)
In any case, this blogging thing is something I'm going integrate into my teaching next fall. In the past, students have been required to complete one home cooking assignment a month. It was a pencil and paper type thing. Why am I still allowing such an archaic practice to occur when students can more readily track their culinary adventures on the internet? And, why limit their opportunity to explore to just family recipes or cookbooks at their house? Well, I decided - NO MORE! I've decided that next year I'm going to have all of my Baking & Pastry students blog at least one time a month and either post a link/comments to other blogs they follow on our site. This way, they can try new recipes and share their adventures with their classmates! They can more readily critique their experience and tell their classmates what was great and not so great! I'm going to have to connect with kara and other blogger people to see how this works in the classroom. I want it to be as successful as possible so talking with those folks first might provide me with insight I hadn't already thought of!
In any case, this blogging thing is something I'm going integrate into my teaching next fall. In the past, students have been required to complete one home cooking assignment a month. It was a pencil and paper type thing. Why am I still allowing such an archaic practice to occur when students can more readily track their culinary adventures on the internet? And, why limit their opportunity to explore to just family recipes or cookbooks at their house? Well, I decided - NO MORE! I've decided that next year I'm going to have all of my Baking & Pastry students blog at least one time a month and either post a link/comments to other blogs they follow on our site. This way, they can try new recipes and share their adventures with their classmates! They can more readily critique their experience and tell their classmates what was great and not so great! I'm going to have to connect with kara and other blogger people to see how this works in the classroom. I want it to be as successful as possible so talking with those folks first might provide me with insight I hadn't already thought of!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Testing.... So much testing
It is quarter 4 and as an eighth grade teacher, I am starting to feel the pressure of state testing. I can also see the exhaustion that is it causing to each of my students. Eighth graders are taking their math, science and reading MCA's all during quarter 4 and that doesn't even include the MAP tests for math and reading which they will also be taking during quarter 4. My students will have some sort of state test almost every week for the remainder of the school year. While state tests are very important to measure a students growth and comparison, I feel they cause many students shut down and not work to their full potential if they are overwhelmed with tests week after week. I would like to pose the question: How much testing is too much? Do students benefit from taking multiple State tests during a quarter?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
KWL: PLC Style
As a never-ending learner, I know that I often learn best when I am able to talk through the ideas and concepts I am attempting to understand. It is for this reason that I enjoy the opportunity each year to participate in a book study discussion group with a few colleagues. We just received our books yesterday and are planning out meeting times to delve into the wisdom of the DuFours on effective PLCs.
(K) Some of my notions and experiences with PLCs before reading:
* PLCs exist to create cohesive and effective learning situations for students
* Good PLCs use data to drive their discussions
* Good PLCs agree to and follow a set of norms
* PLCs allow teachers to collaborate rather than make things up on their own.
* Sometimes PLC discussions are tough because everybody has different ideas.
* It is important for everybody to be committed to the vision of a PLC or it is hard to work as one.
(W) Some things I hope to gain from this book study, or things I want to know:
* How does one effectively lead a PLC group?
* What are some things my PLC is not doing that could help us be more effective?
* What is the recommendation for number of people involved in a PLC?
* What are some strategies PLCs use to create curriculum together?
* How should/are PLCs held accountable?
(L) I am sure I will be learning many things as I read through this book and discuss it with others; I will post when I learn something new!
* Have you ever done a book study with your colleagues? What was the experience like?
* Have you read the DuFour book Learning By Doing before? What did you think?
* What are your thoughts/want-to-knows about PLCs?
(K) Some of my notions and experiences with PLCs before reading:
* PLCs exist to create cohesive and effective learning situations for students
* Good PLCs use data to drive their discussions
* Good PLCs agree to and follow a set of norms
* PLCs allow teachers to collaborate rather than make things up on their own.
* Sometimes PLC discussions are tough because everybody has different ideas.
* It is important for everybody to be committed to the vision of a PLC or it is hard to work as one.
(W) Some things I hope to gain from this book study, or things I want to know:
* How does one effectively lead a PLC group?
* What are some things my PLC is not doing that could help us be more effective?
* What is the recommendation for number of people involved in a PLC?
* What are some strategies PLCs use to create curriculum together?
* How should/are PLCs held accountable?
(L) I am sure I will be learning many things as I read through this book and discuss it with others; I will post when I learn something new!
* Have you ever done a book study with your colleagues? What was the experience like?
* Have you read the DuFour book Learning By Doing before? What did you think?
* What are your thoughts/want-to-knows about PLCs?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Standardized...
This will be quick.
During our PLC meeting today, we were considering the best way to assess our students on some non-fiction writing standards. As we discussed this, we realized that even within one standard, there were about fifty different vocabulary words, skills, etc. to which students (and teachers!) are held accountable. Since the new standards come in a smaller package, it seems as though any talk of deciding on your "power standards" and providing focus has completely disappeared. There are a lot of things our students need to know and quickly.
Do you ever feel like it is just too much??
Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of standards. I absolutely agree with standards-based teaching and assessment. There would indeed be chaos without it.
There are just some days when it feels like our students are asked to learn a lot in one year, and the task of teaching and assessing each standard we are given feels like attempting to do the impossible.
There. A quick snapshot of what I am currently pondering.
Any suggestions?
During our PLC meeting today, we were considering the best way to assess our students on some non-fiction writing standards. As we discussed this, we realized that even within one standard, there were about fifty different vocabulary words, skills, etc. to which students (and teachers!) are held accountable. Since the new standards come in a smaller package, it seems as though any talk of deciding on your "power standards" and providing focus has completely disappeared. There are a lot of things our students need to know and quickly.
Do you ever feel like it is just too much??
Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of standards. I absolutely agree with standards-based teaching and assessment. There would indeed be chaos without it.
There are just some days when it feels like our students are asked to learn a lot in one year, and the task of teaching and assessing each standard we are given feels like attempting to do the impossible.
There. A quick snapshot of what I am currently pondering.
Any suggestions?
- How do you find focus in the new standards within your department?
- What are some ways you have found to minimize the stress of assessing all standards?
- In what ways do you hold students and teachers accountable to your standards?
- Other ideas?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Reflective Rambling Autobiography...
Okay. It's been a while.
We have been writing memoirs with our students and it has been inspiring to watch our sixth graders realize they have a story to tell and to watch their eyes light up as they watch their stories be put into print. Some teachers have their students do a "rambling autobiography" to brainstorm some ideas for their memoirs; I have been out of the blogging world for a few months, so I thought I would get back in the swing of things with a "reflective rambling autobiography"...
I have been developing professionally by working on my final capstone project on co-teaching for my Master's degree. The literature review was one of the most difficult projects I have come across to date (and the reason I have been out of blogging world...), but I was fascinated to learn how my EL students acquire language and how to collaborate with another teacher to help facilitate this process. During second quarter, we added many sections of co-teaching and I found myself with a new co-teaching partner, so we have been working to blend our teaching styles into one classroom. I am learning a lot about leading a PLC and facilitating discussions so they are productive and meaningful for everyone in the department. We have completed many data protocol discussions this year, which have been eye-opening as we continue to struggle toward common assessments and grading practices. Along with my Master's, leading a PLC and co-teaching, or perhaps because of all this, I am learning a lot about myself as a teacher and have been forced to learn the importance of balance and of building good relationships with my colleagues. Side note: my colleagues are truly a blessing. This quarter, I am looking forward to a professional book club, new read alouds with my students, and heading to Seattle and Vancouver over spring break where I am excited to explore Pike's Place Market and do a zipline tour of the mountains of Canada.
Phew.
Now, you ramble...
*What are your thoughts on productive PLCs? What do they look like? What do they accomplish? What is awesome or difficult about them?
*How do you implement balance in your life as an educator?
*What do you appreciate most about your colleagues?
We have been writing memoirs with our students and it has been inspiring to watch our sixth graders realize they have a story to tell and to watch their eyes light up as they watch their stories be put into print. Some teachers have their students do a "rambling autobiography" to brainstorm some ideas for their memoirs; I have been out of the blogging world for a few months, so I thought I would get back in the swing of things with a "reflective rambling autobiography"...
I have been developing professionally by working on my final capstone project on co-teaching for my Master's degree. The literature review was one of the most difficult projects I have come across to date (and the reason I have been out of blogging world...), but I was fascinated to learn how my EL students acquire language and how to collaborate with another teacher to help facilitate this process. During second quarter, we added many sections of co-teaching and I found myself with a new co-teaching partner, so we have been working to blend our teaching styles into one classroom. I am learning a lot about leading a PLC and facilitating discussions so they are productive and meaningful for everyone in the department. We have completed many data protocol discussions this year, which have been eye-opening as we continue to struggle toward common assessments and grading practices. Along with my Master's, leading a PLC and co-teaching, or perhaps because of all this, I am learning a lot about myself as a teacher and have been forced to learn the importance of balance and of building good relationships with my colleagues. Side note: my colleagues are truly a blessing. This quarter, I am looking forward to a professional book club, new read alouds with my students, and heading to Seattle and Vancouver over spring break where I am excited to explore Pike's Place Market and do a zipline tour of the mountains of Canada.
Phew.
Now, you ramble...
*What are your thoughts on productive PLCs? What do they look like? What do they accomplish? What is awesome or difficult about them?
*How do you implement balance in your life as an educator?
*What do you appreciate most about your colleagues?
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