WHAT AM I DOING TO HELP KIDS ACHIEVE?
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE THERE?
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?
I know I haven't blogged in awhile. I think the above picture says it all. I will never pretend or assume to speak for everyone, but I think I can safely say there are more than a few tired teachers right now. However, as kids are taking exams, it provides me time to reflect on what I could do better. I always go back to Bob Marzanno's "Classrooms that Work" top ten list.
1. Identifying similarities and differences
2. Summarizing and note taking
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
4. Homework and practice
5. Nonlinguistic representations
6. Cooperative learning
7. Setting objectives and providing feedback
8. Generating and testing hypotheses
9. Cues, questions, and advance organizers
2. Summarizing and note taking
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
4. Homework and practice
5. Nonlinguistic representations
6. Cooperative learning
7. Setting objectives and providing feedback
8. Generating and testing hypotheses
9. Cues, questions, and advance organizers
So based on this list, here are some things I am going to try.
Setting goals..I do put them on the web site for each unit but I plan on getting two whiteboards (one for each class) and I will have the specific goals always posted in the room.
Recognition and Feedback...I am terrible at reviewing tests. Mary Palmer gave me a great idea. I plan to have two parts to every test. There will be a multiple choice section that will provide questions that are lower on Bloom's taxonomy and then there will be short answer questions that go much more into detail on the same topic. Students will get two scores. They will get one score on the multiple choice (basic information) and one on the higher order thinking questions. Hopefully, this will show them where they need to work to improve.
Also, I hope to develop a rubric that can be used on labs for writing conclusions. Students will use the same one on multiple labs. They will always be able to see how they did on the previous lab as they work on the next lab.
For cues, questions and advanced organizers, I plan to experiment with having students keep lab notebooks. Mary Palmer has been successful with this experience with her Freshman.
I also hope to do more formative assessment similar to what Paige Keely does. We will have more students who have taken the physical science course, and I will need to know where they are at before I figure out where to head.
Nonlinguistic Representations...definitely going to introduce the ideas I have learned on modeling and particulate matter. This is some of the best stuff I have seen in a LONG time.
I am sure there is more I could work on. I hope to make a few changes, and try to make them well. As far as "Teachers have it easy. They get to sit by the pool for three months..." yea...right. Just not seeing that. The good news is that I will be able to see my niece get married in Salt Lake City and I hope to catch a few Red's games. I will keep you posted...
