Monday Moment:
Well, here it goes. My first entry to a weekly blog. I am very nervous about starting something like this because I am not a good writer nor am I good and keeping up with this type of work. I have had a constant battle between my head and my heart - my head says it is a bad idea but my heart believes it is time to move into the 21st Century!
George Couros sends a challenge to all of us to take time to be reflective, so I want to try to accept that challenge. I do believe in being reflective. John Dewey says, "We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." I believe in this fast paced world we live in that it is crucial to take to look at where we have been and where we are heading. It is also important to make sure we provide time to our students to be reflective on the information they have gained and make connections to their learning.
There are many benefits to taking time to reflect on life. I have found it to help me learn from my mistakes (boy, are there a lot of those!), find ways to help others, provide me time to put a stressful day into a different perspective and sometimes taking time to reflect can help me think of some pretty good ideas!! I think being reflective by nature also just helps us all be happier. Reflection for me can come everyday by reading a devotional, staying an extra few minutes in the shower, or walking to the barn through our beautiful Hoosier National Forest.
So, in the weeks ahead, I hope all of you can find time to reflect. Reflect on your relationships at home and school, your community, your own teaching practices, and your spiritual wellness. Make a commitment to reflect a little bit each day - just 5-10 minutes of quiet time. George Couros says that without looking back it is impossible to move forward. I believe these are good words to live by.
Promising Practices:
Calling all Formative Assessment Ideas!!!! We know that formative assessments are ways to offer activities that provide teachers and students with information about their factual, conceptual and procedural understandings of a topic. They allow teachers to continuously gather information about student thinking and learning in order to make data-informed decisions, monitor the pace of instruction, identify misconceptions and common errors and engage students!
On Monday, you will receive a folder in your mailbox with a couple of formative assessment ideas. Each week, I will add ideas to your mailbox so you can add to the folder and the options you have to gather information about student learning. Keep this folder and keep adding to the ideas of ways you can find a higher level of engagement with your students and learn more about their thought processes in the classroom. I challenge each and every one of you to try at least one of these activities twice a week! I look forward hearing more about your experiences with Formative Assessment Classroom Techniques (FACT)!
Announcements:
- November 2nd - Early College High School Visit (CELL will be here to evaluate our dual credit program)
- November 2nd - Discussion Meeting 7:20
- November 6th - United Way Youth Day of Caring
Have a Great Week! Wanted to share this video with the teachers I LOVE! (Click Here for video)
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