Thursday, November 20, 2014

TISD Vertical Learning in Action

I Here is a quick run-down of all the adult learning that took place yesterday.  Thank you to all of our leaders and teachers for your hard work in learning from one another in vertical teams.


Reading PK - 2

TPS teachers (below left & right) had some awesome collaborative discussions about guided reading.  They identified where they felt confident in their abilities and identified a campus learning goal.  Their plan is to work and learn together for the 3rd 6 weeks to become more effective at using this best practice in their daily instruction.



Science and Social Studies




  • Social Studies teachers collaborated on the STAAR and EOC standards and developed plans to prepare all kids in every class for STAAR concepts that are aligned to non-STAAR tested courses.
  • Science teachers in 6-12 collaborated about the Biology EOC and 8th grade STAAR standards and how non-tested STAAR courses could provide a more solid foundation for concepts that students need for STAAR.
  • Science teachers in 3 and 5 reflected on their formative assessment data and made plans to reteach and intervene for students who are failing to learn.


CTE


 CTE teachers (right) worked together to identify the prerequisite skills that students need to possess as they decide what courses to choose this spring.  The teachers also worked to determine the best ways to align their courses toward certifications, dual credit courses and entry into the work force or a post-secondary school.  


HS Math, PE and Fine Arts

  • HS math teachers learned about Accelerated Math and how to use it to create prescriptive interventions for kids. 
  • Fine Arts teachers began the process of creating a vertically aligned curriculum that will prepare every student to walk into each  campus at grades 3, 6, and 9 with the music and art fundamentals needed to ultimately prepare them to be highly competitive in high school.
  • PE Teachers worked together to make a schedule and design physical education activities to prepare every kid to make gains and be successful on the Fitnessgram this spring.


Reading 3-5 & Math 3-8



TES Reading teachers at the right worked together to deepen their knowledge and expertise at small group instruction, while TES and TMS math teachers (below left and right) used their data from the 2nd 6 weeks formative assessment to drive their plans for instruction, intervention and extension in the 3rd 6 weeks. 












ELA (6-12)

Secondary ELA teachers had some great discussions as they deepened their knowledge about reading and writing.  6th, 7th, 11th, and 12th grade reading teachers (right) found commonalities in the fact that students lacked background knowledge to help them with inferencing, and they collaborated about strategies to integrate student discussion and technology tools such as PadletToday's Meet and Google Drive into their instruction.  Writing teachers at 4, 7, 9 and 10 (below) reflected on their students' writing on the 2nd 6 weeks assessments and developed targeted plans to address instructional and student deficits in the 3rd 6 weeks.



Counselors and Special Education


  • Counselors continued their work in developing a district wide RtI system and had discussions about how to communicate all of the changes for STAAR, STAAR-A and new accommodations to teachers.  
  • Special Education teachers reviewed the latest updates to STAAR A and the accommodations. They also looked at the needs of students receiving special education and 504 services to determine how they could begin to incorporate these new supports into their daily instruction.

3rd Week of November

DOK - Building Independence

Why is Trust Crucial in Creating Independent Learners? (CLICK HERE)
 via Mindshift (click here)

5 Ways to Collect Digital Exit Tickets - This article gives teachers proven strategies to assess what kids know before they walk out of the door.


Collaboration


In collaboration meetings there are always discussions surrounding the topic of how we know if kids are learning, and how we help them move forward.  The slide to the right shows what tons of research says is helping kids learn.

  1. Accuracy requires the tasks that we give kids to be tied directly to the student expectations (TEKS) that we expect all kids to master.
  2. Descriptive feedback is more or less how educators provide specific information to help students know exactly what they need to do next in their learning to be better.
  3. Student involvement means that students own the process.  If students are not involved in the learning process, then how can expect them to be an active participant in closing their own gaps.
As you collaborate with your colleagues, share your ideas of how your are incorporating Accuracy, Descriptive Feedback, and Student Involvement into your learning tasks and assessments.



TIP (Tech Integration Pic) of the Week

#BYOD to Coach Eppler's class
Do you want to integrate technology with only 1 device????
Plickers.com is a cool app to integrate technology in your classroom with only 1 device.  Go to their website to see how you can use QR Cards as a formative assessment in your daily instruction.

Cell Phone Learning - Students in Scott Eppler's World History class are using their cell phones to do their work. In the pic to the right, Coach Eppler's QR Code takes students to a website that includes video, information and interactive games to help students further explore the Roman Empire.




Gaming in the Classroom - Heather Haley has her students using 2nd Grade Learning Games to solidify their knowledge.  Watch this video of one of her students reinforcing his knowledge of synonyms.



Give your Kids' Brains a Break - Thank you to April Dygert for finding GoNoodle.com.  This is a great tool to give your kids quick physical activity.  Physical activity stimulates the brain which helps kids learn better.

What technology are you using that is enhancing your instruction?  Share your learning because you have a strategy that someone in Tatum ISD needs to help kids learn!






Tweet of the Week

Teachers and principals who collaborate will improve schools only when they are relentlessly focused on student learning. -


Thursday, November 13, 2014

2nd Week of November

TPS STEM Lab
From empty room to #MakerSpace in 2 Weeks
Great job for Veronica Wilkerson

Growth Mindset

The gap between successful and unsuccessful people is the not so much talent as it is how they think. Watch this video from John Maxwell to learn more about growth mindset.


Early Release Staff Assignments (click here)

The assignments for this early release schedule have been modified some.  Please review the assignments, and remember that teams will meet from 2 - 4 p.m.


A Great 

Conversation Strategy for your Classroom

The Teaching Channel is a great resource for new ideas to enhance learning.  Here is a great 2 Minute video to illustrate how kids can have deep and structured academic conversations in the classroom on a daily basis.  CLICK HERE

Academic discourse is a proven strategy to get kids to think at DOK Level 3 or 4.  Listen to the teacher's explanation of the 4 Ls that students must use in academic discourse.  Also pay attention to how the teacher is using observation and note-taking to determine which students are learning.  I thought it was a cool idea to gather important information about your students' learning.


TIP (Tech Integration Pic) 

of the Week

 Cristi Jones, TPS computer lab teacher, uses engaging lessons that teach K-2 Technology TEKS. Below are a few things our students learned during the 2nd six weeks.

First and Second Grade
Cristi Jones helping a student


Digital Citizenship
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/pause-think-online

Cyber-bullying
www.coolschoolgames.com

The second six weeks they also went on a virtual field trip of the first Thanksgiving http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/ and toured the Mayflower.

Kindergarten

They carved a pumpkin and typed a sentence using sight words. " I can see the...". They have learned how to save their work to dropbox!



Blog Post of the Week

Infographic - 6 Instructional Strategies that Stick


NEW TAB at the TOP

Check out Edshelf.  It is a tech tool that you can use to find the perfect tech tool to meet any instructional need.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

1st Week of November

DOK - Growth Mindset


Tweet of the Week MAMS_PrincipalNov 01, 5:11am via Twitter for iPhone
Great reflection questions to end the week and help your planning 
Do you have a growth mindset?  Learning is about growing through failure not success.  To find out, I encourage you to read Bill Ferriter's blog below and watch the video at the end.  I rarely say that something is unbelievably amazing, but this concise post (which was unbelievably amazing) fixed my mind on what is most important.  It is the growth not the result that determines if we are learning.  If we can condition ourselves first to become fixated on the growth we are making in our craft as opposed to being fixated on meeting a specific level of mastery, then I am confident that we will be more successful at conditioning our kids to develop the same mindset.  After all, learning is about growth not mastery.





STAAR Updates



Evelyn C. is creating a Google Slide
presentation with her classmate who is working on the
same project from another computer.
#TechCollaboration
Here are some links of interest when it comes to STAAR and who can take what test.
  • Click on the Testing Calendar tab at the top of this blog to find out when we are taking which test.
  • Click on CIA Resources tab at the top to open a Google Doc.  After that, click on the tab at the bottom called STAAR.  It has all the resources that I have found to help you all understand the new changes.
    • Writing changes
    • STAAR A
    • Accommodations
    • Math Changes


TIP (Tech Integration Pic) of the Week

By:  Cindy Haston
Several THS teachers are preparing students for college level online learning by utilizing THS Moodle learning management system.  This is the same platform used by Kilgore College and similar to Blackboard and others used by virtually every major college and university.  THS teachers Wendy Fleming, Melody Ojeda, Trey Miller, Wanda Risner  and Brian Price have been leading the way.   Vilia Payne and Robert Galloway have also discovered the benefits to their students of having anytime access to course material and are quickly getting on board, especially in courses such as Pharmacy Tech and Dual Credit US History.  Currently 75% of THS students are taking advantage of round-the-clock access to course content using Moodle for at least one of their classes.

Blog of the Week

Teaching Between the Desks via @ASCD

Encouraging Intrinsic Motivation in your Students via @edudemic


Leah Moake is teaching her kids
about sequencing by making pancakes.
#RealWorldApplication
Kelly Sorenson's students are "liking"
character selfies created by their peers.
Students had to identify character traits and
draw an illustration. #Relevance


WATCH THIS POWERFUL TED VIDEO