First Day Reflections, Using Images/Pictures to Start Class

Excellence in Education: First Day Reflections

In talking to many of you, I heard 50 minutes seemed to be the perfect amount of time to get what you wanted to accomplish done. What was also interesting was the different approaches that were taken.

Some teachers used the opportunity to simply cover the syllabus, class rules and class procedures

Others did getting to know you activities

Others gave pre-assessment tests. A note from author Thomas Guskey on pre-assessments via twitter, “But formal pre-assessments start the learning unit with a failure experience for most students. This needs to be done very carefully!” Truthfully, I never had really given that much thought and by no means is he saying that we shouldn’t pre-assess.

No matter what was being done in the classroom, what I most enjoyed observing was your enthusiasm and active engagement with your students. For example, instead of sitting behind your desk or on your computers, you took the opportunities to walk around, monitor student progress, ask students questions, provide extra help, and get to know the students!

Excellence in Education: Using Images/Pictures to Start Class

Last term, I saw several teachers begin instruction with pictures or images. The pictures ranged from political cartoons focused on the day’s topic to picture with thought bubbles to works of architecture. This simple technique primed the students’ brains for the upcoming lesson by requiring them to decipher/decode information, to process and combine old and new information, and, most importantly, it engages the students. The pictures and student answers were then used to spark small group or whole class discussions.

Here’s an example:

Teacher displays several pictures of the Palace of Versailles with a writing prompt something akin to, “In your opinion, what  does this architectural work tell us about France’s political, social and economic structure in the late 1600s?” Or have students imagine themselves as French citizens during the 1600s and write from the different perspectives and then discuss, "How did the class divisions influence how the Palace of Versailles was perceived by French citizens?” 

Administrative Notes

Please update your class rosters and emergency lesson plans by January 15.

Term 2 Open House: January 15 (7pm)

Faculty Meeting: January 21 (afternoon) and January 22 (morning)

Positive Referral Link: http://goo.gl/s0KXRB Please take the opportunity to nominate and recognize a student from one of your first term classes!

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

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

Please evaluate me https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_WBILQxqyJI0CJgc285RbbAXVI24UnQuJI96Ie_oWEs/viewform : If you could complete this by January 19, that would give me the opportunity to create my term 2 goals. 

Some upcoming—way down the road—dates:

February 3: Flex Begins

April 30: Honor Breakfast (Top Decile)

May 17: Scholarship Banquet

May 18: Senior Picnic

May 26/27: Probable Senior Exams

What I’m Reading

John Hattie, who’s book Visible Learning, is a must read believes “that teachers and school leaders who develop these ways of thinking are more likely to have major impacts on student learning.” Here’s a great little video discussing his eight mind frames for teachers.

Poor, Hispanic school focuses on test prep, sees huge gains. But can it be replicated? from the Washington Post

Edweek: Differentiation Doesn’t Work (Although I think you know where I stand on this)

Thought for the Week

“Fair isn’t the everybody getting the same thing, fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful.”