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Monday, April 29, 2019

Iowa Ed Chat

Iowa Ed Chat with Pernille Rip, creator of Global Read Aloud.  Well worth the watch!  She reflects on teaching literacy and her teaching. 

Friday, February 22, 2019

Book Challenge

Day 7
of a 7 day book cover challenge. No comments, no justifications, just covers. I challenge

Monday, February 18, 2019

Book Challenge

I was challenged to post 7 books I love: no explanations, no reviews, just the covers.  Here are 4 of them so far.  More to come. 



Thursday, August 16, 2018

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Instructional Coaching


The Innovator's Mindset

                                          My takeaways
-"Change is an opportunity to do something amazing."
-"We forget that our responsibility isn't solely to teach memorization of the mechanics of a task but to spark a curiosity that empowers students to learn on their own.  To wonder. To explore.  To become leaders.  We forget that if students leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them."

Defining Innovation:
-Something new and better
-Innovation can come from either "invention" (something totally new) or "iteration" (A change of something that already exists)
-Way of thinking- a way of considering concepts, processes, and potential outcomes
-Technology can be crucial in the development of innovative organizations, but innovation is less about tools like computers, tables, social media, and the Internet, and more about how we use those things.
-Starts with a question: "What is best for this learner?"
-Think about how what we're teaching will impact his/ her future "In our world today, what is a student more likely going to need to be able to write: an essay or a blog post?"
-Questioning what we do and why we do it is essential for innovation.

-Critical Questions for the Innovative Educator: Would I want to be a learner in my own classroom?  What is best for this student?  What is this student's passion?  What are some ways we can create a true learning community?  How did this work for our students?

-"Learning is creation, not consumption.  Knowledge is not something a learner absorbs, but something a learner creates.  Learning happens when a learner integrates new knowledge and skill into his or her existing structure of self.  Learning is literally a matter of creating new meanings, new neural networks, and new patterns of electro/ chemical interactions within one's total brain/ body system."

-"Engaging students means getting kids excited about our content, interests, and curricula."  "Empowering students means giving kids the knowledge and skills to pursue their passions, interests, and future."

-"We need to teach kids to respectfully ask questions and empower them to challenge the ideas of others to help all move forward, not to challenge simply for the safe of it."

-"Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion."