Garden of your mind

I couldn't help but think the themes we discussed during workshop week are well reflected in the video below. We talked about validating students' home culture and experience. We discussed strategies for increasing engagement by meeting the students where they're at. We emphasized achievement and the giving of feedback that requires students to think.   We introduced new instructional technology that will both increase communication (text101.com) and provide additional opportunities for students to access curriculum and enrich understanding.

I love the below notion of young people growing ideas in the garden of their mind. This auto-tune of our old friend Mr. Rogers puts our work into a context that's both fun and creative.  The people at PBS (old and new) did a fine and timely job articulating a great 20th century message, in a most entertaining 21st century way.

Watch the video...and turn it up. The more you listen, the catchier it becomes...in the garden of your mind...

                              

Interested in learning how to use google forms to quiz or survey students?

Watch this screencast from Highview's Jeremey Squires:

 

 For more videos on using Google Docs click here

remind101

Students love to communicate via text. Teachers are right to be uncomfortable about directly texting students from their personal phones. If only there were a web-based tool that would allow us to communicate with students via text --- to remind them of looming due dates or upcoming tests.

There is such a tool.  Introducing Remind101.com. 

Teachers can print directions and students can bring them home to parents so they might also receive important texts about upcoming assignments, projects or tests. 

Today's Agenda

Today's Agenda:
7:30 - 7:35 - Re-introduce new staff
7:35 - 7:45 - Intro Web 2.0 - Tina Tanner
7:45 - 8:20 - CLR Debrief - Reetz/Rosivach
8:25 - 8:40 - Communication Plan - Gengler/St. Martin
 8:40 - 8:55 - Grading Parameters - Clemson/Hieb
9:00 - 10:00 - Meet with departments - discuss communication plan/grading
10:00 - 10:30 - Back to IMC -- report out by department
10:30 - 11:00 - ISIIP Goals, Report forms, Narrative


Questions for the CLR Debrief:

1. What is your biggest take-away from yesterday?

2. Try to think of a time when a student demonstrated a culturally inappropriate behavior in your class.  How did you respond?  Were you a mood killer?  What could you have done differently to be more culturally and linguistically responsive?

     3.  How aware are you of your deficit monitor?

        1 - Not very aware - Doesn’t cross my mind

        2 - Moderately aware - If I stop to reflect I can see how deficit thinking is affecting

             me (at the end of the day I slap my forehead and say “duh”)

       3 - Always turned on - I can generally recognize when I am using a deficit mode of    

            thinking

4. What do you expect will be the greatest challenges for you as you try to  incorporate more culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices in your classroom?

Grading Non-Negotiable