Secondary 7-12 Focus on Instruction
October 2020
IC Corner
Most high school staff and students have probably noticed Sam[antha]. Melanie Adams's health science classes use Sam to practice patient care, but during his/her downtime, Sam hangs out in the window. I'll never forget the first time I noticed this thing - I was passing out badging system posters, and most teachers weren't in their rooms at the time so I was just popping in and out. I went into Ms. Adams's room and didn't bother to turn on a light because I was just going to drop it on her desk quickly and leave. Going in was fine. Coming back out of the dark room and seeing a human figure lying in a hospital bed staring at me was a whole other matter and, needless to say, I was started out of my fog really quickly! I was so caught up in my stress and being busy I hadn't even noticed Sam yet, and I'm pretty sure I got a couple extra gray hairs that day.
Lately, though, I've seen Sam sitting up in his/her chair. Yay Sam! You're getting better!
Sam's not the only one. I've also noticed that staff at the junior high and high school are overall calmer. It's looking like school again instead of a chaotic mess. It always seems calmer in the second six weeks in a normal year, but I think it's more pronounced this year. I'm super excited for how far so many have come to get to this state of relative normalcy though! I don't think there's a single person who has come away from this without having learned a new skill, and that is awesome.
This period of relative calm is a good time to learn a new skill. I challenge everyone to pick one new thing to learn or practice. Use lots of videos in class? Learn EdPuzzle. Use lots of slideshows? Learn Peardeck or maybe Nearpod. Struggling to control a class? Reinforce or introduce a procedure. Master that skill or resource, and add it to your toolbox for good, so that the next time we have difficultly that one thing is one fewer thing you have to worry about. Just like Sam is destined to return to that hospital bed, we'll almost certainly have another rough patch before the year is over. It happens even in "normal" years! But using these periods of calm to grow ensures that we will weather the next rough patch a little easier.
Focus on a Strategy
I've discussed teacher clarity before, and I honestly just can't stop making connections to and thinking about it. With an effect size of 0.76, it's one of the most effective teacher-based influences on student success studied by John Hattie and the visible learning community. The Visible Learning Metax database has all of the researched influences if you're into that kind of thing!
Teacher clarity is organized and intentional teaching that focuses on transparency in the learning processes. It's being forthright with students and telling them, "Here's what we're learning today, here's how we're going to learn it, and here's how you'll know you've learned it." Essentially, it's providing students with the, "Why?" while also giving students some ownership of the learning process. Clarity is probably more important now than it's ever been - with so much new stuff going on in the classroom, it's easy for both teachers and students to miss the purpose of being there in the first place.
I'm not going to go super in-depth about teacher clarity in this newsletter, but if you're interested in learning more don't hesitate to reach out. You can also consult these resources:
- What does Teacher Clarity look like? (Corwin's trying to sell a book here, but the video has a good breakdown)
- Visible Learning's Teacher Clarity research
- Teacher Clarity: Finding the 'Why' by Phil Stubbs in EdTech Digest (I really enjoyed this for a more in-depth look)
- Teacher Clarity: A Potent Yet Misunderstood Teaching Strategy by Shaun Killian in Evidence-Based Teaching (includes a great step-by-step guide)
Focus on a Resource
And yes, the content links to Google Classroom.
Here are some resources to help get you started with Discovery Education:
- Discovery Education's YouTube channel
- 5 Ways to Support Remote and Hybrid Learning from Discovery Education (this is also just a good general "get started" article)
- Discovery Education's help center
- 100 Ways, 100 Days: Maximizing Your Use of Discovery Education (tons of useful ideas in this one)
WISD Badging
Make sure you're getting credit for the things you're already doing! Visit the curriculum site for information about the badging program or to apply for a badge.
Keep an eye out in the coming weeks, though. Mrs. Hebert is going to be spearheading an effort to renovate the badging system to make it easier to use and access, and I am very excited to see the changes she's got in mind, as well as thankful for the help!
TEKS Resource System
Also, don't forget about Implementing TEKS Resource System! These documents practically write rigorous and aligned lessons for you!
Region 7 ESC Courses
- Anchor Chart Madness: Build and Create Interactive Charts (10/19/20, 3:30-4:30pm, 6-12 ELAR)
- How to Create Quality Assessments (10/20/20, 8:30am-3:30pm, all subjects)
- Level up Videos with EdPuzzle (10/22/20, 3:30-4:30pm, all subjects)
- Building Background: Connecting the Pieces and Making Them Stick (10/27/20, 9:00am-12:00pm, all subjects)
- Level Up PearDeck (10/28/20, 3:30-4:30pm, all subjects)
- Level Up Screencasts (10/29/20, 3:30-4:30pm, all subjects)
- Improving Classroom Discussions (11/2/20, 8:30am-3:30pm, all subjects)
Haley Avery
Email: hbavery@westwoodisd.net
Website: www.westwoodisd.net
Location: HS Rm 151, JH Rm 212
Phone: (903) 480-0336
Twitter: @haleybavery