Curriculum Contemplations
YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP FOR CURRICULAR HAPPENINGS FOR APRIL
Eight Things Great Teachers Do Differently
Teaching is one of the most important professions in society and touches every aspect, of every community in the world in some way.
I (Samantha Twiselton) was recently lucky enough to attend the Varkey Foundation’s Global Education and Teaching Forum in Dubai, which culminated in the announcement of the US$1m Global Teacher Prize, which was won by Andria Zafirakou, who teaches art and textiles in north London.
The ten shortlisted teachers from across the globe were announced in a video from Bill Gates and they are all outstanding individuals making a significant difference to the lives of their students and their communities – some of which are in very challenging contexts.
To witness teaching excellence celebrated on such a global platform was really encouraging, inspiring and humbling. But it also got me thinking, is it possible to pinpoint what makes a great teacher?
Here are eight traits that I (Samantha Twiselton) believe help to make the best teachers:
MATHEMATICAL MUSINGS
Join the CRR (Center for Recruitment & Retention) Listserv
CRR maintains a voluntary contact list for educators who wish to be informed about events that may be of value.
To be included in this contact list, complete the form at this link. Be sure to scroll down to the last item, then click on the submit button.
Would You Rather...? Choose a Path. Justify It.
Check out http://www.wouldyourathermath.com/
How I Use "Between Two Numbers"
It has become one of our regular warm-up routines. (We do visual patterns and math talks, too. Duh.) Before Fawn launched the site, she was just referring to this routine with her kiddos as a “tidbit.”
Take tidbit #5, for example. Fawn asks three questions on Google Form, the first two are identical.
Question 1 is asking for a guess, an estimate, a gut check, a what-do-you-think.
SCIENTIFIC SOLILOQUIES
AZ Science Standards Draft - Open for Public Comment
Here is a link to the standards.
Here is a link to a presentation on the history/process/etc.
Here is a link to the AzSELA meeting notes. this may help with public comments and sending your own correspondence to the SBOE.
Here is a link to submit your comments to the State Board of Education.
Interactive & Digital Notebooks in the Science Classroom
Hey Science Teachers - Make It Fun
COMMUNAL CONVERSATIONS
ELL ESSENTIALS: How many different types of subjects can you practice with your students?
TECH TOOLS YOU CAN USE: Insertlearning
With this tool, you can basically take any page on the Internet and turn it into a lesson. Suppose you find a great article from The Guardian that you’d like students to read, but you’d also like to ask them a few questions about it, add a bit of commentary of your own, and insert a related video. With InsertLearning, you can do all of that right on the article.
InsertLearning, formerly called DocentEDU, is an extension you add to your Chrome browser. Once it’s there, turning any web page into a lesson can be done in minutes. You start with a web page of any kind, then highlight text, add notes, and embed your own questions—either multiple-choice or open-ended—that students answer right on the page. You can also embed other content like YouTube videos, ThingLink images, flashcards from Quizlet, mind maps from Coggle, even videos you record straight from your webcam.
Once an InsertLearning lesson is created, you assign it to classes of students with a special code or through Google Classroom, and student responses are sent to a teacher dashboard, where you can grade them right inside the app. You can also share lessons with other teachers, so they can copy and edit them for their own use.
I think we’re getting beyond the point where we count on one platform to do everything for us. Instead, teachers are probably better off using different tools depending on what best fits the learning goals at any given time. A tool like InsertLearning would be a fantastic addition to your collection of resources for creating engaging, dynamic lessons.
PARENT PARTNERSHIPS: How to Help Your Child Prepare for Standardized Tests
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: Ms. Kristine Nesslinger
TEACHING & LEARNING DEPARTMENT
Tammi Baushka - Literacy Program Specialist
Rebecca Ridge - Literacy Program Specialist
Julia Lindberg - LAD Program Specialist
Kristel Foster - LAD Program Specialist
Maggie Hackett - Math & Science Coordinator
Frank McCormick - Instructional Technology Coordinator
Email: maggieh@susd12.org
Website: susd12.org
Location: 2238 East Ginter Road, Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone: (520)545-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/SunnysideUSD
Twitter: @SunnysideUSD