Connected Learning
Applying our learning to the classroom
Student Self Assessment
Tiffany Walker has learned how important it is to spend time reviewing expectations and tying this to the purpose of what they are learning (the WHY). Ms. Walker created a bulletin board about having a Growth Mindset based on what we have learned from Carol Dweck videos and materials. Ms. Walker is teaching the students how to self-assess their learning targets before a test. This helps them know where they are with skills being learned, and helps them identify what they still need to practice. Although this is new for Ms. Walker & her students, she is already noticing benefits in doing this with her students!
What our book study is teaching us about self-assessment
"Student-engaged assessment involves students in understanding and investing in their own growth. It changes the primary role of assessment from evaluating and ranking students to motivating them to learn. It empowers students with the understanding of where they need to go as learners and how to get there. It builds the independence, critical thinking skills, perseverance, and self-reflective understanding students need for college and careers and that is required by the Common Core State Standards. And, because student-engaged assessment practices demand reflection, collaboration, and responsibility, they shepherd students toward becoming positive citizens and human beings." Leaders of Their Own Learning, pp 4-5
Teacher Protocols that "...help me THINK." -from the mouth of babes
How teachers are using what they learned about Think Time in their own classrooms!
Coach Earnest practices formative assessment to check his students' progress toward understanding the learning target. He uses equity sticks to first provide think time and then call on a student by picking a number from his cup. This technique encourages all students to think about the question, even if they are not the student chosen to respond. He also does a great job of not allowing students to opt out -- when a student did not know the answer he used a couple of different strategies:
- Selecting another number, having them respond, and then going back to the 1st student to have them repeat the correct response
- Asking the student if they would like to "phone a friend" to get help answering the question
Equity Sticks for Think Time 1 & Formative Assessment
Think Time posters: Visual aid for teachers & students
Sentence starters promote Think Time 2 responses
How 8th grade science classes promote group work
Ms. Bragwell and Ms. Newton's classes built roller coasters for their force and motion unit. While this is a fun activity, it also shows that they have learned the value of building student self-management through group work. Their materials were well organized, clear directions were provided, and they allowed students to work together. Although they had students working in groups, the teachers were very active - circulating through the groups, asking and answering questions to provide structure, support and focus. All of this ties directly to what our book studies with Ron Berger's materials have taught us:
Key components in our learning about Group Work:
Key components in our learning about Group Work:
- Giving Clear Directions: Delivering clear directions allows students to follow with accuracy and focus
- Volume and Movement in the Classroom: Productive buzz and movement are essential parts of learning but require structure and monitoring
- Group Work and Group Discussion: Structures, protocols, modeling, and guidance build students' collaboration and discussion skills
Tying learning to real world events
Ms. Hollis' students learned more about the September 11, 2001 tragedy and then wrote letters to survivors. This helped them understand how to write in a way that evokes emotion in the reader.
Florence Middle School
Email: jaedwards@florencek12.org
Website: http://www.florencek12.org/FMS/index.html
Location: 1603 Appleby Boulevard, Florence, AL, United States
Phone: 256-768-3100
Facebook: www.facebook.com/florencemiddleschoolfalcons/
Twitter: @jillae0823