Hello Everyone! Back on track with the blog although I hope you have been using the book throughout your school year as the ideas within this book will help you be very successful with next years evaluation tool. Next years evaluation tool will concentrate on well made lesson plans, articulation of your purpose and can do statements, and the gradual release of responsibility. This month as I circulate into your classrooms, I'll be looking for that "I do, we do, you do" model found in chapter 3. In fact, I'm going to share it with a large part of our staff. So, for this entry, let's think about the model and please blog with your thoughts about the following key idea "a successful lesson is rarely marked by a teacher's getting a good intellectual workout at the front of the room. Push more and more of the cognitive work out to the students as soon as they are ready, with the understanding that the cognitive work must be on task, focused and productive.
Another key piece to this years evaluation as well as next years is our ability to measure our students understanding of a skill/concept. Gone are the days when we can write objectives as the students will understand ______. We now have to make those goals measurable. How will we know they understand? What will be your measure? A great way to measure is through exit slips. I would like everyone to post some exit slip ideas on the blog this week. I heard a great tip this week:
Take as old desk calendar and laminate one of the months with 30 days. You can cut off the name of the month as the only thing you really want are the numbered blocks. Assign each child a block. At the end of lessons, provide sticky notes and have each child put their answer in the box assigned to them. What a great way for a visual spot check as to who is on track and who needs to have a reteach moment.
Have a great week!
