Today is a very sad Sunday in the teacher world. It signals the end of our summer vacation. Teachers report back tomorrow and students next Tuesday. We were going to do a classroom reveal, yet, we both have some finishing touches we need to make to our rooms and then we will share our classroom photos with you. So, today, since we return back to work tomorrow and we are thinking about the school year that lies in front of us we wanted to share at least one thing we are excited to try differently in our classrooms this year.
*****
What is Steph excited to try this year?
One of my favorite things about my job is the ability to restart each year. The summer was refreshing and I’m excited about the chance to hit the reset button, implement new ideas and use my reflections from last school year to improve this school year.
Beyond my super exciting new room setup (which we reveal soon), I’m really excited about my new classroom structure. This year (and beyond) is all about student choice and voice - I have a feeling I’m going to shock these kids on day 1!
I’m most excited to get kids creating their own learning portfolios on Google Sites this school year! Students will have the chance to design their sites and decide what content they post to show what they know! I cannot wait to see what they create. Beyond their daily learning, the assessments will be posted to their Google Sites. At the end of each unit, students will be required to complete the same assessment prompts and post their thoughts to their Google Site. Students will be required to create (then add on to) a Google MyMap by pinning most important locations of the unit with justifications. Students will also ‘grade’ America based on the principles listed in the Constitution’s Preamble. With these grades, they will be required to justify their answers. I’m really excited to push students to write, use evidence and truly think critically about history and present-day America.
This learning portfolio and assessment structure excite me because I think this will be a great way to give students voice in my classroom and choice - how they show their learning, how the design their site and how they ‘grade’ America and think about the history.
Whew! This is a tall order, but I am so energized to get started to see all of the amazing things my students are able to do! Technology in the classroom can really transform teaching and learning and I can’t wait to see it happen this year in #room242hwhs!
*****
What is Jess excited to try this year?
Two words: Flexible seating. I have finally took the dive and found tons of flexible seating options on Facebook Marketplace this summer or have had fantastic friends and family that have donated items to my classroom. I have always had pillows in my room that the students could lay around with, yet this year I have different height tables and the whole shebang. I have kept 8 “regular” desk options.
I am both nervous and excited to see how this goes as I am jumping in with both feet I feel like. Yet, removing the majority of the bulky desks has opened my room up a TON. Also, I wanted to make sure each student had a “home base” per say, to report to when needed.
I feel like giving students choice in their seating, as everyone learns differently, and flexibility will be very beneficial to my classroom environment and management of behaviors this year.
I am looking forward to seeing how the students react to the flexible seating and how this goes this year (obviously along with a bit of nervousness). Yet, all the research I have done over the summer points out that I am doing the right thing and this is super beneficial to my students and their learning.
*****
We truly hope you all have had a fantastic summer vacation. You were able to enjoy time with family and friends and reflect on the past school year to be more prepared for the school year that lies ahead of us. Good luck and best wishes on the 2018-2019 school year!
No comments:
Post a Comment