CPUMS
Week of May 15
Quotation: Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future...John F. Kennedy
Ending the Year in a Postive Note
Edutopia has become my favorite website. Sign up for their weekly emails. This information is excerpted from an article in Edutopia. Here's how we can stay sane and end the year with a bang.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Rather than counting down the days, start a list of your most successful uses of technology this school year. Celebrate your growth and make either a pencil and paper list (I'm picturing one of those papers under a magnet on your fridge or tacked to your corkboard), a blog post or Facebook note listing at least 5 things that you have done better this year (try tagging a few colleagues or teacher friends in your Facebook post to get a nice conversation going), a few new things you have tried or changes you have made in your classroom because of technology. This could be as simple as creating a filter in your email inbox, trying out a new Web 2.0 tool, starting a blog or using email to correspond with parents.
Encourage Student Reflection
Have your students reflect on their own use of technology and have them brainstorm ideas for next year. Let them offer up ideas for how technology could have been implemented in a lesson or project or have them list their favorite ways that the class has used technology this year.
Practice a Positive Mindset
When you walk into the staff lounge, do so with a smile and find something positive to share with your colleagues about this year. Try to pull a happy memory out of them of a successful lesson or bright moment in their year. Both of you will return to your students feeling refreshed.
Ten Strategies for Creating a Classroom Culture of High Expectations-Strategy 9
The next few weeks I am going to share an article with you on creating a culture of learning. The article was written by Myra Cloer Reynolds of SREB.
Strategy Nine Establish grading practices that communicate high expectations and decrease frustration.
This strategy is a direct result of our move to standards-based grading and learning
One of the most misused, misunderstood and mistrusted issues in public schooling is how we have communicated student achievement and progress to our publics. Grades must communicate to parents, students, and teachers exactly what students know and are able to do. Grades must also communicate what quality work looks like. Therefore, we need to show students what good work is — whether in mathematics, music, English or auto mechanics. They need scoring guides that clearly delineate what the expectations are for earning top grades .... Finally, the culture of assessment needs to reflect that every student is capable of — and expected to — produce acceptable work. Sub-standard work will not be accepted (Not Yet!) as final until it is at least minimally acceptable. This type of grading embraces the conviction that all students can and will learn. It decreases frustration and shifts the responsibility for grades earned from the teacher’s red pen to the student’s choices and degree of effort.
Calendar
Monday 5/15/17
- Field trip with 8th grade
- Work with Pope
- Grade level task meetings
Tuesday, 5/16/17
- Reading strategy bank development with Barbara Lette at primary AM
- Work with teachers and students
Wednesday, 5/17/17
- Data teams 7:30
- RCD work with Ellen, Mr. Winterhof, and Mr. Libolt
- Work with teachers and students
- Blended Learning at GWAEA-Mary, Sharri, and Sharon
- No grade Level team learning meetings
- Retirement Reception-HS
- Working with students and staff
- IC meeting-PM
- Meeting with Susan O'Dell 3:30
- If you would like to see my Google calendar search my name while in Google Calendar.