My Thoughts on Education

 How do you have your students turn in a paper for your class? A.  Paper Only B.  Digital Only C.  Digital and Paper If you ask students to print, where do your students print their papers? A.  Home B.  The Public Library C.  The School Library D.  Your Classroom I now want to ask some more questions that I've been pondering. If you have students print their work, who is the printout for?   Does printing out the paper do something for that student's learning?   Do you think printing shows some responsibility or something about the student?   Do you find it easier as the teacher to grade on paper instead of using rubrics in Canvas or posting comments and assigning a grade digitally?   Part of my job as TOSA is to help other teachers embrace and integrate some technology. I know for some small steps can be big and I am happy to be a thought partner and mentor in that process.  But as I think about somethi...

 As the 6 week grading period approached, I knew I needed to get caught up on my grading.  So much had gotten in the way: I have multiple leadership roles, I was out for different conferences, I took some time with my family.  None of these are an excuses, but they are the reality. I used my February break to attend  New Tech Network  Leadership Summit and found that it really focused me on what I need to do with the adults for Professional Development, but it also made me realize where I need to grow as a teacher.  We continued to talk about feedback and growth for Adult Learners and inside I felt the guilt. I have not been giving enough timely feedback to my students. If I want them to grow, I need to do more. After returning from summit, I got all caught up on grading and to my horror, I found I had a lot more students with D's and F's than I have ever had before.  Was it the time of year?  Is everyone in a slump?  Do some of them not real...

 I had that moment today, you know the one, the one that makes you feel like something is right.  While watching my Yearbook EIC (Editor in Chief) address the class I realized it has happened.  She stood with confidence in herself in front of the classroom, had already read through all the content of page spreads on her own and had a list of students she needed to meet with to give in person feedback beyond the notes listed in our shared google doc.  She had listed which students were coming up time and time again with incompletes and figured out what additional support they might need to get their work done. I watched her do what the best teachers do and what I ultimately hope to help more and more students and staff know how to- understand themselves and responsibilities well enough that they can predict and support the needs of those they are leading.  She did an amazing job and after, I pulled her aside and said, "You are here.  You get it.  Y...

What if students don't get to the  right  place in a discussion? What if there is silence and it is awkward? What if certain students dominate the conversation? What if students veer off track and aren't focused? No matter what you do in a discussion, there is an element of surprise.  There is a release of control on the part of the teacher. You aren't telling them what to say and in that way, the opportunities are really limitless.  This is exciting and also really scary.   My hope is that with a few adjustments to our practice, discussions can feel like that add to the classroom and enhance the experience, learning, and growth for students and teachers. Here is my set up for discussions. 1. Student-Generated Questions  Students create the questions and must only include Level 2 (Process) and 3 (Apply) Higher Level Thinking Questions.  Prior to the start of the discussion, Level 1 clarifying (Gather) questions may be asked.  I give...

 If you are not an avid Screencaster, I highly recommend it.  Screencasting allows you to make a video of what is on your computer screen and record your audio.  My favorite FREE Screencasting service is  Screencastify . It is a Chrome Extension.  If you want to be able to download your videos and have an unlimited amount to create, it might be worth the paid subscription. I have one and love, but most teachers would be fine with the free extension. Here is a step by step screencasting that will guide you through setting it up. Here is how I use screencasting most. 1.  ABSENT TEACHER LESSON PLAN I make a screencasting for my students and it is my lesson plan for the day. 2.  TEACHER TIPS - TOSA ANSWERS Sometimes a teacher will write me and ask a question and I will want to run over to their room to help them but it is impossible.  For those moments, I record a teacher tip and then send them the link.  Screencastify allows you to save to your ...

  Meaningful Finals When given two hours of time for a final, how do you want to spend it?  What are you hoping students will achieve?  What do you want to be the last impression/memories students have of your class?  After 17 years of teaching, my answer is that I do not want to spend those last two hours in a silent room never hearing my students speak and reflect. Instead, I give any kind of test, writing, or other assessment 1-2 weeks before finals.  This gives me time to grade it and give feedback and then during finals, I have my students give presentations with invited guests/panelists/interviewers.   Here's how I spent my 2 hours of finals: I have 27 9th graders in each of my English 9 classes.  They were in 6 groups. I organized my tables where two groups were in my classroom and one was in the open hallway just outside.  When students arrived they had 30 minutes to do a final practice and then guests arrived. I had gr...

Presentation Overview: Ever wish that when you ask your students to find work in google drive that they would know where it is?  Do you want to help your students (and even yourself) have a system for this workflow: how to organize, name, color code, and find things easily?  This presentation will be a walkthrough of this system you can use with your students. During Convocation, I gave the presentation to our staff.  I talked about how important it is to really help students organize themselves digitally.  I have found that the same students who have a messy backpack and crumpled papers, also have a messy google drive.  I have found it really powerful to share this with students. I see that the beginning of the process seems taxing, but once all their folders are set up, they have a system and they are less overwhelmed.  It is a practice that will help them beyond my class, it will help them for life. Steps to help your students get organized in Google Dri...