Reading reaction

Reading reaction 1
Dive Deep into Your Own Professional Learning
Learning can be an exhilarating experience, especially when we engage in it
willingly. I recognize that teachers are asked to participate in a lot of professional
development that doesn't feel helpful, meaningful, or relevant. I, too, have sat through
many of those sessions. One of the ways I've dealt with that is to seek out
opportunities to learn that I can self-select into, or that I direct. Find those for
yourself, seek them out, immerse yourself in your own learning about instruction, or
an area of your content, or a new curriculum, or whatever you might be drawn to
within your professional field.

During my "best year ever" I conducted my own inquiry (action research) project in
my classroom. I was fortunate to be guided by an expert coach in this area, and
although it was an "extra" thing to do, it was what kept me going that year. Through
using inquiry strategies, I learned so much about my students and what they needed in
order to learn. I found ways to quickly meet those needs and seeing my practice
change and my students learn, was thrilling.

There are many ways outside of mandated PD that teachers can develop the skills and
knowledge of teaching. Online courses offer ways to develop knowledge of our
content, or to refine skills. Local colleges might also offer courses or workshops.
Even a simple practice like keeping a professional journal throughout the year can
yield deep learning. Identify some area of your profession to explore, start asking
around and looking on-line for ways to do so, and then dive in.

Enjoy Your Work
This is the most challenging suggestion I'm going to make. "Enjoying" your work is
really about where you place your attention. One of my favorite books is Buddha's
Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson.
I highly recommend this book for all educators. It's got some suggestions that might
really help us transform our schools and our experiences in them.

In this book, Hanson explains how our brains are wired to cling onto negative
experiences and remember them above others, and how our attention slides away
from positive experiences. "Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and
Teflon for positive ones," (p. 41) writes Hanson. If you want to have the "best year
ever," you're going to have to deal with your brain, to re-train it actually, because
what we need to do is make our wild and amazing brains refocus on the positive, on
what's working, and on what we enjoy in our work.

Try this: For four weeks, keep a daily log of what you enjoy about your work. At the
end of the day list moments that you enjoyed or that felt good or rewarding -- even
those that were short and quick. Perhaps you'll note something like, "When students
were selecting books for silent reading, I noticed Marquisha offered Eduardo a novel
she'd just finished saying that she thought he'd like it. I've never heard her talk about a
book she likes." The trick is to train our brains to notice every moment that feels
positive in some way -- we need to wake it up to those daily experiences that we
aren't good at noticing.

Keep that daily log for a month and see what happens; see if you don't start enjoying
your work more.

Connect with Others
We all know how important this is, so this year I challenge you to deepen your
connections with students, their parents, and colleagues. Memories from my "best
year ever" include taking students to an art gallery on the weekend and then eating
burritos with them afterwards and talking about the Egyptian artifacts we'd just seen,
learning how to make Mien food from Anthony's father during a fundraising activity,
and playing board games with colleagues during our end of year retreat. The
memories of celebration, collaboration, deep conversation, and connection come
rushing back. I was a part of a multi-layered community that buoyed me through a
challenging year. I returned to work in that community for six years because of these
connections.

This year broaden and deepen your connections with others. Who would you like to
know better? Identify a few folks, find a way to spend some time with them, and then
listen. Ask questions that invite conversation to really learn about who they are, what
their passions and commitments are, and where yours and theirs intersect.

When we connect with our students and their families better, we are more effective at
meeting their needs. When we connect with our colleagues better, we can more
effectively collaborate with them to serve children, and we can get personal and
professional support.

To a great extent, your best year ever is within reach. I'm not going to deny that our
education system is a difficult place these days. The amount of change is dizzying:
threats of performance pay, school closure, and so on have created a hostile climate
for teachers. We need to identify what is within our spheres of control, and then do
everything we can to maximize that space.

We can take charge of a slice of our own learning, focus on what's going well and
what we enjoy, and we can connect with others. Go forth into a fantastic year. Please
share with us in the comment section below your plans for doing this.










Reading reaction 2

The universal excogitation for learning (UDL) principle provide
a blueprint for design a programme that addresses the diverse
needs of all scholar . The author provides an overview of UDL,
link to course of study planning , and practical proficiency that
guide general and special education teachers in planning and
implementing curriculum, using the planning for all learners
(PAL) procedures. PAL is a 4-step physical process for
designing and implementing a curriculum (goals, methods,
fabric , and assessments) that is accessible and effective for all
learners. In this article, the author focuses on high schooling
social studies message with a goal of supporting all students
understanding of the content by bringing together principles of
UDL, the PAL process, and enquiry -based reading material
inclusion strategies.



Reading reaction 3

This particular tilt of instruction characteristics appears in an
excellent Word of God that is all but alien in the states, Learning
to Teach in Higher Education, by noted scholar Paul Ramsden.
In the case of what makes precept effective, he writes, a
great mint is known about the characteristics of effective
university teaching. It is undoubtedly a complicated matter;
there is no indication of one best way, but our apprehension of
its essential nature is both broad and deep. (p. 88-89). He
organizes that essential knowledge into these six principles,
unique for the way he relates them to students experiences







Reading reaction 4
Breeding in many school day s is simply failing. While many mainstream
drawing card in world education need more financing for their failed
programs, their explanations for their bankruptcy to Edward Teach our
children rings hollow . More regime programs, more social engineering,
more welfare, licensing of parent , more self-esteem therapy , more
computers - all these \"solutions\" put the blame on families and society
and funding for the failure of public education. These excuses are
exposed by the sterling achiever of those few schooltime where a
different glide slope is taken. \"If the child hasn\'t learned, the teacher
hasn\'t Edward Teach .\" That\'s the philosophy behind Direct Teaching ,
an educational technique that challenge the mantra of modern bureaucrats
and appearance that even the most disadvantaged children can excel, if
only shoal will teach them. And the grounds for the success of Direct
Statement is much more than anecdotal: major long-term subject area
provide powerful evidence of its success, and disturbing evidence for the
futility of the more popular techniques that dominate our schools. The
term \"Direct Instruction\" refers to a rigorously developed, highly
scripted method for teaching that is fast-paced and provides constant
interaction between students and the teacher. Two of my children have
experienced it and loved it at Appleton\'s Classical Schooltime (a charter
school - and public school - in WI that my wife founded, working with
many other parents and a great school board). They were able to
participate far more than before and learned more than ever before. It was
introduced in 1968, based on the work of Siegfried Engelmann, currently
a professor at the University of Oregon and Director of the Tie-up for
Direct Instruction. Dr. Engelmann used it to help inner-city children learn
and excel, but it has proven successful for children regardless of
economic point . Many studies paint the same story: Direct Instruction
works, providing rapid gains, gains that











Reading reaction 5
Barbara Walvoord and Virginia Anderson identify the multiple roles that
score serve: as an rating of scholar oeuvre ; as a means of communication
to educatee , parents, graduate shoal , professional schools, and hereafter
employers about a scholar s carrying into action in college and potential
for further success ; as a source of motivation to student for continued
erudition and improvement; as a means of organizing a object lesson , a
unit, or a semester in that gradation mark transitions in a course and bring
closure to it. Additionally, scaling provides educatee with feedback on
their own scholarship , clarifying for them what they understand, what
they preceptor t understand, and where they can improve. Leveling also
provides feedback to instructor on their scholarly person learning,
entropy that can inform future precept decisions. Why is grading often a
challenge? Because mark are used as valuation of student employment ,
its important that gradation accurately reflect the quality of student work
and that student work is graded fairly. Scoring with accuracy and
blondness can take a lot of time, which is often in shortstop provision for
college teacher . Students who arent satisfied with their grades can
sometimes protest their grades in ways that cause head ache for teacher .
Also, some teacher find that their scholar focussing or even their own
focus on assigning numbers to student work gets in the way of promoting
actual learning. Given all that grades do and represent, its no surprise
that they are a source of anxiety for students and that grading is often a
stressful process for instructor . Incorporating the strategies below will
not eliminate the stress of grading for instructors, but it will decrease that
stress and brand the process of grading seem less arbitrary to
instructors and students alike.
















Reading reaction 6
Direction to Assess Scholarly person Learning During Class Its
important to have evidence of educatee scholarship during division as
well as through assigning , and examination . These short student
engagement activity will provide this evidence. Many take quintet
minutes or less to complete. Brainstorming Stride : ace . Present an open-
ended interrogation for scholarly person to discuss or solve. . Students
can piece of work individually, in couple or small groups, or as a socio-
economic class (or compounding of these). leash . Have scholar share
theme with class, making notation s on the gameplank . quadruplet .
Challenge their responses or have other pupil challenge the responses on
the board. At the end, correct any misconceptions, note opposing points
of aspect , and summarize main points. Value: promotes critical and
creative thinking and resource Concept Mathematical function Steps :
single . Provide students with a list of terms relative to their course work
(either from the previous class, last several classes or most Holocene
epoch lecture segment). Terms may be provided as a list or given out as a
stack of cards. Ask students to create a meaningful pattern with these
terms (i.e. food webhow are different organisms linked, cardiovascular
organisation blood flow, etc.). There may be one right answer or the
concepts may promote creative geographic expedition of the topic.If
fourth dimension allows, ask one group to share concept map with the
whole class. Or alternatively, ask groups to explain their pattern to
another group in the class. Value: promotes integration of ideas, provides
immediate feedback about student understanding, Decision Making
Steps: 1. Provide students with problem that they need to work on for
example Imagine you are the director of the antibiotic discovery whole
in a major pharmaceutical companionship and you are asks for a five-year
programme to develop new antibiotics. You are told that the plan will be
funded only if you can convince your handler that you will be able to
develop the five new drugs with entirely new modes of natural action .
Can you do it? What is y









Reading reaction 7
Informal judgement (also called authentic or alternative) allow teacher s
to track the ongoing advance of their students regularly and often. While
standardized trial measure students at a particular point in the
twelvemonth , ongoing appraisal provide continual snapshots of where
students are throughout the school year. By using informal judgment s,
teachers can target students\' specific problem sphere , adapt instruction,
and intervene earlier rather than later. Ongoing appraisal s are particularly
important for English language language learners (Ell ). Standardized
exam in English do not usually reflect ELLs\' true content knowledge or
abilities. Yet informal assessments can provide a more well-rounded ikon
of their skills, abilities, and ongoing progress . Today \'s No Child
Leftfield Behind legislation requires that meticulous records be kept on
the progress of ELLs. Having these records will make it easier when head
of computer programme placement, special services, and grading arise.
There are two commonly used informal method acting : performance-
based assessment and portfolio assessment. Both methods utilize typical
classroom activities to measure progress toward curricular goals and
objective lens . These activities can be monitored and recorded by teacher
observation and student self-assessment.


Reading reaction 8
A variety of electronic tools (e.g., figurer s, mobile devices, internet
admittance , interactive white add-in ) can help educators deliver
scholarship materials and support learning in otherwise traditional
schoolroom . Enhancing instruction entails incorporating technology into
instruction, rather than simply devising it available to scholarly person
(Cheung 2012). Various plan of attack can enhance instruction.
Computer-assisted instruction plan , for example, deliver instruction at
each bookman s assessed level, supplementing teacher instruction but
relying primarily on computer/student interaction. Computer-managed
learning platform assess students, assign materials, account tests, and
chart progression . Comprehensive models combine computer-assisted
instruction with non-computer activities.







Reading reaction 9
Professional person maturation generally refers to ongoing scholarship
chance available to teachers and other educational activity personnel
through their shoal s and districts. Effective professional development is
often seen as vital to shoal success and teacher expiation , but it has also
been criticized for its cost, often vaguely determined destination , and for
the lack of data on resulting teacher and school improvement that
characterizes many efforts. With schools today facing an array of
complex challengesfrom working with an increasingly diverse
population of pupil , to integration new technology in the schoolroom , to
meeting rigorous faculty member standards and end observers continue
to stress the need for teachers to be able to enhance and build on their
instructional knowledge








Reading reaction 10
Dr Joe Spence, Master of Dulwich College When I first became a
Headmaster I naturally found myself reflecting on the big dubiousness :
what brand a trade good ness school time time house prison term ? A
passage entered my header in 2002, almost fully formed, and, although I
am always outdoors to new ideas and changing the accent of what I say in
this regard, it hasnt needed to be redrafted for this article : A good school
is always a competitive yet compassionate community. It is consistent in
its treatment of all pupils. It fling a broad and challenging curriculum to
stimulate intellect and public peculiarity among its pupils. It is a school in
which there is ease of communication, between all its elements. It has the
confidence both to change through time (responding to external and self-
critique ) and to celebrate its successes. My main full stop , therefore, is
that a good school can be either a sidereal day school or a embarkment
school, or a day and boarding school; it can be a faith school or secular in
its mind-set ; it can be a co-educational or a single-sex school. What sort
of school you choose for your youngster will owe most to personal
circumstances and personal impression and prejudices, but good
schooling tend to portion a few defining features, how