Teachers get the summer off to relax and sit by the pool, right? Anyone who actually believes that must not know any teachers personally! This summer has flown by for me. It started with a week long professional development at the County Regional Center. This was followed by the Carnegie Leaning National Math Institute (where I met Thuc-Khanh!!!), another conference in Seattle, and a 3 day workshop specifically designed for Algebra 1 teachers. Needless to say I've been professionally developed this summer!
The most important thing to do after any PD is to reflect on how you can use what you learned in your own classroom. Reflecting on this summer I know I learned a lot! The most powerful PD I had was the Carnegie Learning National Math Institute. Talk about addressing my needs. I was able to attend sessions that specifically met my needs because they have experience with the same things I struggle with in my own classroom. I was able to attend sessions on pacing, using data, and learned about program updates. Even more fun was meeting people from around the country and sharing ideas about works and what we've tried that didn't work in our classrooms.
There's no possible way I could implement everything I've learned this summer (after all, I'm not super woman!) So following all of that PD I've decided to set a few goals for myself for this school year. The first is to find new ways to group my students and to keep the groups on task. I'm also going to work on pacing... more specifically timing my lessons (more on that to come). Those two things should keep me busy, but I'm also going to try out some new questioning techniques along with way.
What are your goals for this school year?
A blog written BY teachers FOR other teachers. Learn more about the Carnegie Learning curricula: best practices, pacing, classroom management, and more!
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Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer(s), and do not represent those of Carnegie Learning, Inc.
4 comments:
Grouping and pacing are also some of my top goals this year. Last year I got rid of the individual student desks and replaced them with bigger rectangular tables that seat 4-6 people. I had good intentions but I am ashamed to admit that it was all a facade. Probably more direct teaching took place and not enough cooperative learning where students collaborated with one another. That should change this year!
It is hard to let go of the direct teaching model. It's how we were taught and it is easier to do. Using Carnegie makes it easier to do grouping based on the way lessons are arranged, but I also have to keep telling myself to let the students do the work. The more you do it the easier it gets.
I love your blog! I am so encouraged to know that my son Samuel has a teacher clearly committed to learning, testing new ideas, and journaling about her experiences. I teach technical writing at TAMU in the chemical engineering department and am using the blog as a medium for helping students develop their professional voices. I can't wait to learn more about how your school year is going. Keep us posted!
Thank you so much for the encouragement! It’s so nice to know that parents are also interested in reading this blog. Once I get into a routine, I hope to post at least twice a week. I’ve been dying to post since yesterday, the first day of school. But it’s been kind of hectic! Yes, please keep checking back.
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