Learning Together
Office of Instruction Newsletter - January 2022
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! We hope that each of you found time to relax and reenergize for 2022.
Earlier this week, the Board of Education welcomed recent graduates back to learn more about their experience as students in Gates Chili. There were a variety of questions asked of our postgraduates, however, when asked “what experiences stand out for you?” the overwhelming response from each alum was their student and staff relationships. They spoke in detail about our staff being role models and support systems for them as they navigated life and school. They explained how those relationships served as the foundation for developing the skills to succeed. As we continue to navigate these challenging times, please keep in mind the power of the relationships you establish with our students and how they can serve as the conduit to rigorous personal learning opportunities.
As our team proceeds with a focus on the GC Rigor Framework, we want to thank you for engaging with us in our most recent faculty meetings focused on Inquiry. We appreciate your energy as well as the ideas that you shared. The comments and information below will spark a new activity within your classroom or learning environment.
Moving forward, our plan is to provide professional learning opportunities that align with the components of rigor in hopes to provide additional opportunities to learn more and apply that knowledge in your own learning environment. Stay tuned for an asynchronous in-service relating to Inquiry.
Windows Into Our Work - Learning about Inquiry
Applying Our Learning
Here are some topics or ideas your colleagues shared. If you were going to have students explore these topics through inquiry, think about the documents you might give them to see, think and wonder about as they begin the learning for their unit.
- Snowstorms - use photos of snowstorms and bring in buckets of snow
- Types of Clouds
- Climate change - historic photos of deserts
- Styles of music - listen to different pieces and use hear, think, wonder
- Sports season - look at different attendance data
- Pushes and Pulls - explore cars, ramps, balls to create questions
- Perspectives on Chinese imperialism using primary sources
- Food Borne Illnesses - investigate and create public service announcements
- Housing inequity in Roman world
- Dangers and impacts of social media on youth
- Change makers unit - Students choose person to research
- Genetics unit - pictures of different families to spark questions
- The Crucible - How does someone become an outcast? Effects of labeling people
- Mesopotamia - how do the people impact the environment?
Continuing Our Learning
In ASCD's brief article, "How to Combine Rigor with Engagement", teachers are offered three ideas they may find useful:
1. Consider what professional work in your subject area looks like
2. Teach standards in the context of authentic investigations, not the other way around
3. Cultivate a classroom culture that normalizes risk taking
Check out this quick read for more details!