TIME?!?!

Time....where does it go? It seems like it is moving past faster each day. So what can we do about it? As you can tell it has been years since I have posted. Is this lack of time or lack of interest? 

We know more time cannot be created, but organization and planning can make all the difference. Setting daily goals can ease the laundry list of tasks needed to be completed. Delegating and sharing the workload can help remove some of the requirements. Prioritizing necessities can alleviate the pressures. 

But most of all to make more time we need to decide what in our lives must be completed to accomplish our job or other responsibilities, but then stop. Time needs to be taken for our friends, our families, and ourselves. 

Giving Feedback and Encouragement

Feedback is crucial to learning. It is an important part of learning....adults and students alike. For some students it is the only time they hear anything positive all day. Feedback is to inspire someone to create an action plan to solve a problem and act upon it. There are many types of positive feedback models. Choose one that best fits your desired outcome. Please remember: 

Four Principals of Positive Feedback and Encouragement:

1. Contingent on appropriate behavior

2. Descriptive

3. Conveyed with enthusiasm

4. Contingent on effort

My personal choice of feedback is based on appropriate behavior or on the child’s effort towards the appropriate behavior. To be most effective,  it must be descriptive of the child’s desired behavior that is desired. For example, “Rachel and Sarah, thank you for following directions and pushing in your chairs! Can you help the others? Maybe Mike needs some help with his chair.”

Just start small. Try to give a few more than the day before. Begin with a reminder system for you. Maybe place rubber bands on your wrist and remove one when you give positive feedback or encouragement. A little goes a long way in the eyes of a child.

Being Purposeful….

We all went to college…we are all are certified….we all heard the same information on what is best practices and what makes good teaching.  We get side-tracked by things other than teaching.Many times the world around us gets the better of our attention.

It is our responsibility as professional educators to use what we have learned to better the education of the students we teach. And sometimes we need to be reminded.

Since time on instruction is precious, we need “to get the most bang for our buck.” When we are intentional and purposeful in planning instruction, students benefit. When we look back at our educational career in college as well as our professional development as a teacher, we all learned there are items in instruction that make a bigger impact than others. 

Some of the most important parts of the plan are:

What do I want my kids to learn? Do the students know what they are learning? If you asked a group of students at any point in the lesson what they are learning, would they be able to answer that questions?

 

Are the students able to answer questions about their learning? Many times the students can give teachers back the low level information that has been given, but can they answer the deeper questions? Are they able to apply what they have learned to new situations?

How do I know my students have mastered the learning? What type of assessment am I giving? Is it appropriate for what I have taught?

If as teachers we can keep these few things in mind, we will see our students progress and become more successful in their learning. 

Designing Purposefuland CoherentLeadership PreparationCurriculum:A Curriculum MappingGuide 

The Glass Wall...

Often it happens...out of nowhere....you hit the "wall". 

An invisible seemly insurmountable blockage where it seems nothing is going your way, your kids just aren't getting it and you working twice as hard as usual but getting nothing accomplished. For many people, it is hard to get around this. As you can tell by my last blog posting (November 2015). I have hit that wall.

Try as we might, it takes a lot of reflection and hard work to get yourself out of that place. Remember:

1. Why did you being this journey in the beginning?

2. What makes you smile during the day?

3. What new thing can you learn from your kids this week

If you are able to remind yourself of these things you just might be able to break through this wall or at least step over it. Hang in there...this too shall pass...jen

Goal Setting

"Many people feel as if they're adrift in the world. They work hard, but they don't seem to get anywhere worthwhile."...Mind Tools

One reason people feel unsatisfied or that they do not have a purpose is because they have not set a goal. By setting what you want to achieve your efforts can be focused on attaining those goals.  

Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation . It sets your focus, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.

Spend some time brainstorming  the things you want to accomplish. Each day we ask our students what their goal is for the year and for life. We, as teachers, should be able to answer the same questions.

As a district we set goals for our campus. We strategically set S.M.A.R.T goals to better our school. These are constantly reviewed and revised.  This method is perfect for personal goal setting as well. As we move into the T-TESS era in the State of Texas reflection and goal setting will become part of our daily lives. This process of goal setting will be beneficial to ourselves and our students, both on a personal and professional level. 

                                           

Differentiation:

Differentiation:

A standard of excellence means that each child makes at least a year’s growth in achievement no matter what their starting point for the school year.  That includes children that are way below or way above their actual grade level.

Why Differentiate?

• To maximize student’s potential, we have to attend to individual differences.
• Research shows students are more successful in school if we respond to readiness levels, interests,  and learning profiles.
• All students should show progress no matter what their level or where they begin.

What is Differentiation?

• Modifying the pace and level of instruction
• Incorporating flexible grouping    
• Varying the products of learning to reflect students’ best ways to learn

What to Differentiate?

Differentiating Content

• Using reading materials at varying readability levels
• Putting text materials on tape
• Using spelling or vocabulary lists at the readiness levels of the student
• Presenting ideas through auditory and visual means
• Using reading buddies
• Small group re-teaching of skills for struggling learners
• Extending the thinking or skills of advanced learners

Differentiating Process

• Developing personal agendas or task lists that include work for whole class and work that addresses individual needs
• Manipulatives or other supports for those who need them (different grouping methods, graphic organizers, maps, diagrams, charts, etc.)
• Varying length of time to complete a task

Differentiating Product

• Giving students options of how to express required learning
• Using rubrics that match and extend student’s varied skill levels
• Allowing students to work alone, in pairs or in small groups on their products
• Encouraging students to create their own product assignment that meets all required elements

Differentiating Environment

• The way in which students experience the classroom learning environment profoundly shapes how they experience learning.
• In positive classroom environments, students work together and collaborate.
• They display the characteristics of an effective team.
• They learn responsibility for themselves, for one another, and for class processes and routines. 

A Person's Actions

As we move through the world today, our social media presence is vital. Much of the time it is the way we make initial contact. Sometimes it is just a few words that get people’s attention or turn them away. Many of us have chosen a quote that defines who we are and what we stand for. And it makes an impression.

Then you hear or see something about that person that makes you questions their quote.

A careless face book post…

An inopportune instagram…

An unpleasant tweet...

In the world of social media, we are no longer alone. Our very move has the potential to be on display for the world to see. I say to all…be careful. What our Moms told us years ago is still true today…

actions speak louder than words.