Pre-Conferences and Thinglink

Excellence in Education: Pre-Conferencing

I’ve seen several teachers use “pre-conferencing” in a variety of ways. It’s simple and can be used to address behavioral or academic concerns. It’s a simple, yet effective, intervention.

It all begins with greeting students as they enter the classroom. It’s important that this is part of your normal routine so that the student doesn’t feel singled-out. Sometimes a handshake or another way of bringing the student close is helpful.

A couple of ways pre-conferencing can be used:

Offer a quick reflection of yesterday’s class and a reminder about what your behavioral expectations are. Example: Tyler, I appreciated your eagerness to participate in yesterday’s conversation. It’s important that we respect everyone’s opinion. Today we’re going to have another discussion, so be sure to respect everyone’s opinions. How are you going to make that happen?

For a student who struggles academically and has trouble completing class work, it may go something like this: Rachel, today we’re going to be working individually in our workbooks. I’m going to ask you to come to the board and show how you do question 5. I’ll check-in with you to make sure that you are good to go.

In both cases, the teacher establishes clear student expectations in a non-threatening manner; one that also shows that the teacher supports and believes in the students.

Ideas for the Classroom: Thinglink

A couple of years ago, I talked about Thinglink as a tool with seemingly countless uses. What is it?

A simple way of embellishing static images with pop-up descriptions or links

Tags can be added to Wikipedia, YouTube, SoundCloud, etc and countless other sites

How can it be used?

• Create an interactive report
• Interactive maps
• Add text, audio, weblinks, video to Wordle
• Portfolios
• Flipping the classroom 

Some examples:

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs http://www.thinglink.com/scene/572818717990191104
• Thinglink example for teachers and librarians https://www.thinglink.com/scene/269449954164998146

One I created:

• Operation Overlord http://www.thinglink.com/scene/367109172933689346

Administrative Notes 

Positive Referral Link: http://goo.gl/s0KXRB

Work Order Request Form: http://goo.gl/H7hFwK

Comment Box: http://goo.gl/forms/KAHNoGf5D2

What I’m Reading

Ramsey Musallam: 3 rules to spark learning

The Problem with Tests that Aren’t Standardized Honestly, I’m not sure what to make out of this Alfie Kohn piece in the Washington Post

A Teacher Loves His Job—and is so Frustrated He May Walk Away

The story of Lauren Hill, a dying basketball player and her first game Warning: you may not want to watch the video with anyone around (I cried).