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
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
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).
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