New Teacher Support & Development
Empowering and Motivating Every Student, Every Day!
Learning from Peers
Last week, I had the pleasure of accompanying Ms. Claudia Duran through a day of peer observations, visiting classrooms of teachers at her site, Gabilan, as well as of a teacher at Frank Ledesma. Commencing the day, Ms. Duran identified her two goals, which focused on which practices she would take notes. From each of the four teachers, she collected numerous practices, from which she determined those that she would implement in her instruction. Thank you, Ms. Garduno, Mr. Garcia, Ms. Jordan at Gabilan and Ms. Jimenez at Frank Ledesma, for providing wondrous opportunities for learning.
A Brain-Break
Ms. Garduno transitions between tasks with a brain-break. Students enjoyed singing and dancing along to the rhythmic Boomerang song. I noticed how the beat beckoned me to step spritely! When finished, students sat and were ready for the next lesson.
Checking for Understanding
Ms. Jordan uses whiteboards to check that students are learning. She applauded them, "100% of you have the correct answer!" She had already expressed to Ms. Duran and me, "I want my students to love fractions!"
How do you know the student has learned it?
During independent practice, a student exclaimed, "This is too easy!" Ah! Music to a teacher's ears . . . yes indeed! Ms. Jordan certainly agrees!
What am I taking away from the visits?
Ms. Duran highlights poignant elements she learned today relative to the goals she established in the morning before visiting the classrooms.
100% . . . Really?
What a sight to behold! Students in Ms. Jimenez's math class are confident to respond. Through her routine of providing students think time, opportunities to review notes, time to pair/share, and/or to confirm with each other, students know that they know! 100% were ready (dare I say "eager") to respond.
A Metacognitive Minute ~ So What?
The "So What?" ensures the day becomes more than just an event for gathering instructional practices to implement in her classroom. In a pensive mode, Ms. Duran deliberates over the question that digs deeply into her teacher-soul. "What have you learned about yourself today that you will want to remain mindful of as you seek to embed the practices you have selected?"
Percentages Made Fun ~ Part 1
After instruction and solving examples, Mr. Garcia added a fun dimension to the solving for percent. The aim (haha - a pun), he explained, was to toss the football into the pyramid of nine cups. Then, table teams would calculate the percentage of cups fallen in relation to the whole. Table teams would receive a point for the correct answer as well as a point for a team member who could explain the solution.
Percentages Made Fun ~ Part 2
What percentage of cups did Student A knock down? Busily, the students went to work setting up the problem on the whiteboard to first solve for the decimal answer and then to change it to a percentage.
The Solution ~ Part 3
This student has completed solving to the decimal answer, which she would next convert to the percent.
John Ekelund
New Teacher TOSA
Unlocking the Future Today!
Julia Turner
New Teacher Support & Development Coordinator