Thursday, June 20, 2019

High-Leverage Practice 1: Collaborate


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!

“HLP1- Collaborate with professionals to increase student success.”

Having open lines of communication with other teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff is important to my student’s success.

Many times, I have come up with my best ideas while waiting for the copy machine and sharing ideas with other teachers. I usually ask someone what their class is working on and then discuss how I might adapt that lesson for my students. It is amazing ideas what other teachers can come up with. Usually, if it is a topic or subject that they enjoy, others are more than willing to give suggestions for my class.

When I work with my paraprofessionals, I make sure that I ask for their input. Many times my paraprofessionals can look at something from a different point of view and can help me try to find different ways to help my students. Since they have different backgrounds and experiences, their input can be very valuable.

Collaborating with the support staff has also been very helpful with motivating my students. At one school, the janitor took an interest in my students and would ask them about their day and their work. When they were angry or discouraged, he was able to talk with them and give them some good advice. Sometimes just an encouraging word showed my students that he cared. During report card time, he really bragged on the kids who got good grades and encouraged others to do better. When the students got a good grade on a test, they would request to show it to the janitor.

The library staff was a great group to collaborate with. If I went to them about a topic that I was teaching, they would suggest resources that might enhance my lesson. The library staff was such a great resource for me to improve my lesson.

How have you collaborated with other professionals to help your students be successful in your class? Please share.

Photo by Kaleidico on Unsplash



No comments: