The Instructional Edge
What's up with WSR TLC program
Mentoring & Induction #WhyITeach
Sarah Cooper & Lindy Mick
Lindy: I teach because I believe in the value of education
Spheros with 4th Grade
Jeannie Coughlin and Instructional Coach Sarah Lalk help students acquire the skills to program the robotic ball, Sphero, to navigate student-created mazes. These problem solving and programming skills will be used later on in science during a unit on waves. (listen to the dialogue at :52 seconds)
Food Anyone? Gamifiying Science Issues
Teacher Renee Borglum says:
"I had always kind of looked down my nose at gamification. I thought I taught interesting enough material and had enough tools up my sleeve that I didn't need to bribe kids to learn. Then I got my 8th-hour Science Issues class. All of my excitement, great lessons, and tools for engagement fell on deaf ears. I hit a wall and didn't know what else to try.
Allison met with me and suggested turning my last unit into a game. At this point, I was willing to try anything so we came up with a game for my food unit. It was modeled after the show Cutthroat Kitchen so that every assignment helped or sabotaged their cookies they would bake during finals. I had a lot of fun watching them react to their standings on the leaderboard and reminding them that each assignment could be the difference between a mixer or a spoon, chocolate chips or none and so on.
While I can't say it miraculously made my class awesome, I did have most kids turn in every assignment and some of my typically not engaged students made more of an effort.
Trevor Byram was adamant that his cookies were going to be the best and redid several assignments to get the ingredients he wanted. He was thrilled when he won! Allison really helped me to think outside the box and try something I never would have done on my own.
#WhyITeach
Megan Slessor & Kelsey Bies
Kelsey: to make a POSITIVE difference in the life of a child who needs it
Professional Development Showcase 1/16
Bev Anderson
Coding in Math/Science
K-8 Guidance Folks
K-8 Guidance - Student Engagement
Stacy Skinner
K-8 Music Teachers
Julie Costello & Angie Wessel
Digital Choice Boards
1-8 Art Folks
Choice Based
Elementary Coding
Mindfulness in Students
WSR Teachers Takeaways from the mindfulness SERG session.
- "Mindfulness is therapeutic. It can help a person reduce stress, deal with negative thoughts. Developing mindfulness can help a person achieve their goals."
- "Grit is not JUST resilience. Its like resilience plus passion plus effort over the long term."
- "We all have pain, we choose to suffer."
- "I thought the video on mindfulness was awesome. I would love to investigate into lessons to give my students to learn this. I see with the students in Residential that they struggle with so much negativity. To have some ideas to help them realize they have it in them to go far would be great. I am going to start with the close your eyes and take a breath right away."
- "We need to help kids become more conscious of mindfulness."
- "I had a great "aha" moment during the PD. I realized that in working with students with behavioral disorders that I have always included Mindfulness into my daily skills lessons and "teachable moments" with my students throughout my whole career. I was given a term for what I had already been doing and feel excited to move forward now that I have research, data, and a term to enrich my teaching strategies for my students' progress."
- "Be in the present moment."
#WhyITeach
Jennifer Reiter & Deb Wadding
Deb: to help all the students learn they CAN LEARN
K-12 Special Ed Meeting Jan. 18th
#WhyITeach
Jason Milke & Kelly Egan
Kelly: because I love learning and to be a part of something bigger
More January 18th PD
K-8 PE Peeps
Ashley Petersen
Lindsay Schaapveld
Noel McMillin & Bev Anderson
Kari Staack & Allison Rasmussen
#WhyITeach
Nick Willenborg & Clayton Werkman
Clayton: to be a positive role model
Visitors from Dike-New Hartford
K-4 PD Day - January 18
Book Club on the Book Whisperer
High School Tech Cadre takes a look at Authentic Intellectual Work
SR Third Grade
Shell Rock 3rd Grade - Mrs. Riewerts and Mrs. Pierce
SR Third Grade
Mrs. Erhardt's Third Grade
-connected with a classroom in Michigan
Mystery Skype with Third Grades
Coaching Residency
Looking to try something new? Check out a Coaching Residency.
What is it? Click HERE!
High School Spanish PBL
Summary: As part of a 5 week unit of study that was based on service and civic-oriented Spanish vocabulary, students were asked to create a product to help Spanish Speaking families and community organizations communicate better. Students were required to locate and engage a community partner (business, school, service, etc..) who was in need of their final product.
Project Driving Question: How do we help Spanish-speaking families transition to an English speaking community? How do we as a class provide informational services (school, community, businesses, etc....) to the largely Spanish-speaking populations (students, families) within the W-SR school district, in order to ease the transition into English-speaking culture.?
Student Feedback from Spanish PBL
~Jacob Norton, 11th grade
Final Project: