Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 7/5/19

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels:  E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Old Maps Online – find historical maps online (L:G;SA:SS)

Vynchronize – “The hot new video synchronization platform used to watch videos in realtime with friends!” (L:G;SA:A)

Plastics 101 – from National Geographic; “Once a completely natural product, much of today's plastic is man-made and largely dependent upon fossil fuels. From polymers to nurdles, learn how plastic is created and what we can do to slow the lasting repercussions this material will have on both our planet and our lives.” (L:G;SA:S)

Random Name Picker – from ClassTools; edit and add your own names (L:G;SA:A)

Measuring Worth –“It can be more difficult when the question is to determine the "historical" worth of something. The price, even deflated for inflation, is not enough. Was Andrew Carnegie richer than Bill Gates? Did Babe Ruth make more than LeBron James? Was the cost of a loaf of bread more then than now? These questions all depend on the context and the comparators on this web site enable users to make their own comparisons. We discuss these issues more in the essay Measures of Worth, which provides a methodology for deciding which measure of worth is appropriate for the subject at hand.” (L:H;SA:M,H)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Happy 4th of July

Today is a holiday in the USA to celebrate Independence Day. It is a day to be with family, have cookouts, relax, enjoy fireworks, and good music. If you live in the USA or you are an American somewhere else but are celebrating today, I hope you have a safe and happy holiday whatever you choose to do.

High-Leverage Practice 6: Assessment

I am going to discuss High-Leverage Practices as mentioned on the CEC website organized around four aspects of practice. I hope you will join in the conversation!

“HLP6 - Use student assessment data, analyze instructional practices, and make necessary adjustments that improve student outcomes.”

It is important to regularly assess students’ progress, so you know what accommodations or modifications need to be made.

These assessments do not have to be formal assessments and may also be observations, inventories, oral or written.

If we don’t regularly assess our students, they may become frustrated at working at a level that is too hard for them and stop working. It is better to find out that they are having difficulties and then either move to a level where they are successful and slowly introduce more difficult tasks rather than give them too many difficult tasks all at once.

By assessing the students often, you may be able to step in and use instructional strategies that can help them be more successful.

Depending on the age of the student, you can even share your assessment data with the student and brainstorm ways that can help the student improve. Sometimes students would love to give input on their own instruction but are never asked. I find the insight from the student can be extremely helpful. This also teaches the student to be a self-advocate and to tell others what they need. Just because a student struggles does not mean that the student is stupid. Many of their peers and even some adults tend to equate struggling with stupidity and do the student a major injustice!

When making adjustments, you might have to try several different strategies until you find one that works. That is why frequent assessment and communication with the student is so important.

How do you decide on what adjustments need to be made? Please share.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

High-Leverage Practice 5: Assessment

I am going to discuss High-Leverage Practices as mentioned on the CEC website organized around four aspects of practice. I hope you will join in the conversation!

“HLP5 - Interpret and communicate assessment information with stakeholders to collaboratively design and implement educational programs.”

As much as many people like to assess student’s strengths, weaknesses, and progress, it means nothing if we don’t use this information to design a program that will help the student be successful.

It is also very important to include all the stakeholders in designing this program.

Many people think of the stakeholders as just school personnel but we need to include everyone that is a stakeholder, even outside of the school.

The parents will have input that is very valuable to the program. They may have some goals that they would include in the program and by using the assessment information, it may be helpful to see if these goals are realistic or not. They may be goals that are realistic and the school personnel never thought about including. Parents will be able to discuss what has been done at home to address some issues and what strategies have worked or not worked at home.

The student is the most important stakeholder. I think it is important for a student to know as much as possible (depending on the student’s developmental age) about the assessment results. Asking the student what goals are important to him/her can help the student feel included in the process. This empowers the student and can help give motivation towards success. This collaboration might also help see whether the student has realistic goals or not and the team can help the student work out the steps that might be needed in order to reach this goal.

If there are any outside agencies that will be affected by the student’s educational program or if the program will be affected by these outside agencies, they need to be in on this collaboration. They have some other resources that are available to help the student succeed in the program.

I think it is also important for everyone to realize that the program is not written in stone and all stakeholders may have to meet many times to look at new assessments, modify some things in the program or even change the direction the student is going in. New assessments may show that the student is progressing slower or faster than expected.

Having this collaborative team including the student shows the student that he/she is not all alone in this process. There is a team hoping and encouraging the student’s success. This team will not give up on the student.

What other stakeholders should be included in this collaboration? Why? Please share.

Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash

Review of Yearly Goals – June 2019

June was a horrible month for me. The day my stepmom passed away, my dad was admitted to a hospice facility so we spent the month helping him with the transition. Since we were away and I was stressed out, my eating and weight was a disaster!

My yearly goals are:

1.     Lose 10 lbs. This seems to be my continuing goal each year and hopefully, this is the year that I reach it.

2.     Knit 12 squares on my national park blanket. (There are 60 squares in the pattern, and this is year 2 of the project.)

3.     Knit a sweater.  - complete

4.     Finish my Squishy Blanket (pattern: Bits and Bobs by Kay Jones).

5.     Learn how to use my sewing machine. - complete

6.     2019 Photo A Day Project – I participate in this every other year and I feel it helps me learn how to take better photos.

7.     Publish a book - This is a big one for me and I won’t believe it until the project is complete and I have a hard copy of the book in hand.

8.     Read 12 nonfiction books that are biographies or autobiographies.  If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Results: I’ve decided to color code my results. Red = bad, Green = Work in Progress, Strike through = completed.

1.     I’ve gained 2 lbs. since January 1.

2.     I knit 6 of my 12 squares so far. – no progress in June

3.     I finished my sweater on 2/20/19

4.     I finished my squishy blanket!

5.     Finished my skirt and top. 2/13/19

6.     I am continuing the photo a day project!

7.     My book was released on 3/19/19.

8.     I’ve read 11 biographies:

a.     The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

b.     High Calling: The Courageous Life and Faith of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband by Evelyn Husband.

c.     Miracles from Heaven by Christy Wilson Beam

d.     Harry: A Biography of a Prince by Angela Levin

e.     Robin by Dave Itzkoff

f.      In Pieces by Sally Field

g.     Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

h.     Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

i.      Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

j.      North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person

k.     Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

Are you working on yearly goals? How are you doing? Please share.

Photo by Vek Labs on Unsplash