Best Practice Bulletin
Celebrating the WONDERFUL learning happening in our schools!
Riverside Elementary School's Featured Class
Teacher(s): Mrs. Nancy Bivona
Grade: 1st Grade
Teaching Practice: Differentiation and Explicit Instruction
Summary: Mrs. Bivona knows that every learner develops at their own pace and that students need to be met at their readiness levels to build essential skills. When visiting Mrs. Bivona's first grade class, she thinks aloud and models learning for her students through explicit teaching strategies. Her methods are intentional and every minute of instruction has a purpose for learning. Additionally, Mrs. Bivona is bi-lingual so she provides additional support for her English language learners. Her classroom provides a calm, safe space for all students. Students even learn and reflect during transition times which really moves them along in learning.
FUN is never in "Jeopardy" in Mrs. Bivona's Class.
Always ready with a warm smile and a warm heart!
Leaning in to learning!
Riverside Middle School's Featured Class
Teacher: Mrs. Christine Bilo
Grade: 8th Math
Teaching Practice: Questioning Techniques and Mathematical Discourse
Summary: In 8th grade Math, when the students ask questions, they get answered with a question. Mrs. Bilo uses innovative questioning techniques to build student problem solving and thinking strategies. When a student gives an answer, Mrs. Bilo always asks, "How do you know?" This type of reasoning has developed math thinkers that explain mathematical thinking and engage in mathematical discourse. This class has many "WONDER-full" moments!
Ready for Learning!
Mrs. Bilo ready for reasoning!
Riddle me this?
Riverside High School's Featured Class
Teacher: Mrs. Jennifer Hunter
Content: Pre-Calculus, Math Essentials and Algebra II
Teaching Practice: Social Emotional Learning Practices
Summary: When it comes to connecting to students, Mrs. Hunter is plugged in! During a character lesson students collaboratively listed "struggles" to high school life which included a variety of time management challenges, social issues and other stress inducing moments. The class then used the list to work in groups to come up with two actions that could help solve the issue and two actions that would make the issue worse. Students charted and shared their responses. Then they wrote an anonymous words of encouragement note to a classmate. The lesson ended with Mrs. Hunter offering her school email for students to title an email #thestruggleisreal and share any concerns that she could help them through. She offered an open line of communication for students to reach out if they ever needed support. This math teacher is 100 percent committed to WHOLE-hearted practices.