Becky's Bulletin
5-12 Happenings this Week
What's UP?
- Last week of FAST testing! Window closes on the 12th. Thanks for your patience!
- EdCamp Iowa- Feb. 13th; a day of problem solving, discussions, and technology. If anyone is wanting to go let me know! :)
- I will be gone most of the week next week- if you need to get a hold of me send me an email!
Fractions & Kick-it Division Style
Maps with Mr. Hadley
Pay-outs & Budgeting in Sophomore English
Strategy of the Week- The Question Formation Technique
The QFT process is student-initiated with the teachers as facilitators. This allows students to produce, improve, and strategize on how to use their questions.
1. Once you have selected a standard to focus on-- Choose a focus: using a prompt, visual aid, or a statement to get the student's attention and stimulate questions. (Make sure it's not a questions and does not reveal teacher bias)
2. Students produce questions: ask as many questions as you can, don't stop to discuss, judge, or answer them.
3. Students improve their questions: look at the difference between your open and close-ended questions. Then change the close-ended questions to open-ended.
4. Students prioritize their questions: using your best judgement look at what is most important, what questions would yield class discussion, or presentations, essays, demonstrations, and create guidelines to help them.
5. Next Steps by using these prioritized questions to guide instruction. This can be done before instruction- like in a Socrative Seminar, during instruction- like in homework or practice, and after instruction- like in reviews, essays, tests, or final projects.
6. Students reflect on their learning: both teachers and students reflect on the process and what they have learned.
Here are some resources to this technique:
Experiencing the QFT
Resources to enhance student engagement-
- EdTech toolkit- the "mother-load" of technology resources to help with instruction and engage learners. (239 resources to be exact! Definitely worth checking out!)
- Student Engagement Resource Roundup- here is a list of articles, videos, and strategies to get students engaged and excited to learn.
- Engagement Strategies tools and resources to help engage students at all levels.
- 8 Google Resources to Spark Inquiry-Based Learning- great resources from an amazing lady that I've gotten to know through Second Chance Reading! She has awesome blog posts and so many awesome ideas to get students engaged.
Want to try something new? Do you have questions or just want to chat?
Miss Kjellsen