Week 6: Community of Involvement

 Celebrate Success! 

Homecoming Edition- Staff SPIRIT:

 Pursue High Standards! 

 Authentic Learning at Valley (click the name to see details):  

ANNIE PACKER- Physical Education is offering a new fitness track focusing on accessibility and practicality for students. 

CALLIE KANE discusses use of a simple set of colored sticks to arrange seats, create groups, and facilitate student discussion:

 Find a Way-  Exhaust Your Resources! 

Thinking about projects? Here are some options:

1. Editable Project Rubric: from Unsatisfactory to Distinguished in categories regarding Concepts, Habits of Mind, Craftsmanship, and more; adjustable for point inclusion; adapt to suit your needs!
2. Mid-Project Rubric Review (video): Geometry class uses Collaborative Group Work, Writing to Learn, and Questioning to get students to see where they are and where they want to go. "They're not going to get a mid-project rubric review from a college professor, so if they don't keep themselves on track, nobody's going to do it for them."
3. Edutopia's "Project-Based Learning" page: numerous sources, videos, and discussion links

Strokes for Old Dogs & a Few New Tricks

Merriam-Webster defines BELIEF as "a feeling of being sure that someone or something exists or that something is true." For those educators who have gone more than a few laps around the track, the belief that "you can't teach old dogs new tricks" or the idea that connection and effectiveness with kids declines over the years has been well implied. As it turns out, this may not be the case. A Brown University study shows TEACHER EXPERIENCE IMPROVES JOB PERFORMANCE, including improved test scores (reading and math) and attendance.

National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research

GRATUITOUS SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT PLUG: the study also connects "with a small but growing body of research suggesting that high-quality coaching and professional development can improve teacher effectiveness." I guess it makes sense to pass along a few ideas, then, eh?

1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IDEA:        "The Learning Walk"

2. STUDENT UNDERSTANDING "Collaborative Learning Builds Deeper Understanding"

"The Science and Practice of Creativity"

* "Creativity isn't about music and art; it is an attitude to life, one that everybody needs" 

(qtd. in Diane Cardiergue's edutopia.org article, above).

3.  CLASSROOM CRAFT

* "27 Ways to Assess Prior Knowledge"

** "The Qualitative Formative Assessment Toolkit"

*** "4 Easy Tips & Tricks for Creating Visually Engaging Rubrics"

"The function of a rubric is to make information that is 

valuable to student success approachable and digestible...should achieve simplicity

... present only relevant information... The less visual noise a page contains, 

the clearer the information becomes and the easier it is to retain. 

Remember, less is always more!”

-Cait Camarata