The I&L Scoop
#WeAreNavasota
Growth: Grow Time for Yourself to Re-Energize.
Are you passionate, hard-working and motivated? According to Dr. Tchiki Davis (2017), you are more likely to burnout. Being ambitious, focused, and almost obsessive about our work seems great, but what tends to happen for this type of worker is we start to struggle setting aside time to not work, and often neglect eating right, exercise, engaging in hobbies, or seeing friends and family. Davis (2017) suggests organizing your time by scheduling health and happiness activities. As an educator, you mean A LOT to MANY people. Your time is often not yours. You make a difference and impact the world in a positive way. Remember to take care of yourself during stressful times. Dr. Hanson (2017) suggested taking care of yourself by doing these essential things: get enough sleep, eat right, exercise regularly, avoid health hazards, and have regular checkups. DuNeen (2012) shared 25 things that successful teachers have, which includes having a sense of purpose, never stopping learning, and having a sense of humor. Check out the other tips from DuNeen (2012), along with the full articles from Dr. Davis and Dr. Hanson at the links below. Remember, you are a SUPER STAR, and if teaching was easy, every one would do it. We are here to serve you. If you need assistance, reach out and let us know!
Davis, T. (2017). Risk factors for burnout and how to overcome them. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/click-here-happiness/201710/4-risk-factors-burnout-and-how-overcome-them
DuNeen, J. (2012). 25 things successful teachers do differently. TeacherThought. https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/25-things-successful-teachers-do-differently/
Hanson, R. (2017). Are you taking care of yourself? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-wise-brain/201710/are-you-taking-care-yourself
Your Month at a Glance
November 1-30
Nov 2: I&L Instructional Support Day (come and go at Central)
Nov 2: Early Voting at High Point
Nov 3: Mrs. Moreland at Brule for Instructional Technology
Nov 6-8: Texas Assessment Conference
Nov 7: Election Day for School Bond
Nov 10: End of Progress Reports
Nov 11: Veteran's Day
Nov 13: Mrs. Moreland at High Point for Instructional Technology
Nov 14: Progress Reports go home
Nov 14: Education Foundation Dinner & Fundraiser
Nov 14: Mrs. Moreland at Webb for Instructional Technology
Nov 16: History Fair
Nov 20-24: Thanksgiving Holidays
Nov 28: Mrs. Moreland at Jr. High for Instructional Technology
Nov 30: Mrs. Moreland at High School for Instructional Technology
APPY MAIL
If you are interested in receiving an email, approximately once a week, with iOS apps that are FREE for a limited time you can sign up to be part of our Appy Mail group. These are educational apps that are grouped by levels and subject areas. Over the years, I have seen apps that cost as much as $99 go free for a few days.
Remember that anytime you download an app, it is yours. So if you delete it for now, it will not cost you anything to redownload for later use. If you see an app that you think your students or you might could use later go ahead and download it.
It is as easy as 1, 2, 3 to join the group!
1
2
3
Nix the Tricks!
A few months ago I stumbled across an amazing book, Nix the Tricks. It was written by a community of teachers who shared the tricks their students showed up to their classes with that got in the way of truly understanding math. So often we teach students a “trick” rather than allowing them to develop rich conceptual understanding. Math is beautiful and makes sense; we do not need any magic or tricks.
One example from the book is the trick “Does McDonald’s Sell Cheeseburgers?” (also known as Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother). I think this trick makes the process of division more confusing for students. Nix the Tricks also suggests a “fix” for every “trick.”
Here is the fix for teaching long division problems.
After teaching division concretely with base-10 blocks, add color, and use place value to make the process of recording division transparent.What are your thoughts about this fix?
If you want your students to learn math with conceptual understanding, you may want to look up your favorite trick at www.nixthetricks.com and see the fix.
You may have used some of these tricks: Keep Change Flip, Dr. Pepper, FOIL, Butterfly Method, Same-Change-Change, Two Negatives Make a Positive, or the Alligator Eats the Bigger Number. Let’s nix the tricks and help our students understand that Math Makes Sense.
District Assessments
Tier 2 and Tier 3: Breaking it Down
What is the difference between Tier 2 and Tier 3 support with the RTI process? If you need clarification, no worries!
TIER 2:
Tier 2 is meant to provide a limited, but targeted, support system for students who struggle to meet grade-level performance standards. The goal of Tier 2 is to remediate academic skill deficits with the idea that in doing so, students will be successful in the Tier 1 program without support.
TIER 3:
At Tier 3, efforts focus on the needs of individual students who are experiencing significant problems in academic, social, and/or behavioral domains. Thus, the process at this level is more intensive and individualized than it is at other levels. Tier 3 services are designed to address the needs of students who are experiencing significant problems and/or are unresponsive to Tier 1 and Tier 2 efforts.
You can find the above information and more at RTI Action Network's website: http://www.rtinetwork.org/
Teacher Tip: Building Relationships with Students
Click this link for a 2 minute video where Mr. Brian Van Dyck shares how he models a passion for learning by showing interest in his students.
Link: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teacher-student-relationship