Month: September 2014

Day 20: Curating Student Work @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

Day 20: Curating Student Work @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

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Day 20 How do you curate student work–or help them do it themselves? Hmmmm… I am not sure what this question is asking. How do I “curate” student work? I have to look up that word. noun 1. Chiefly British. a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector orvicar. 2. any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest. verb (used with object), curated, curating. 3.to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit): to curate a photography show. 4. to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content: I guess it must be definition 3… to take charge of. How do …

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Day 19: Student Reflection @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

Day 19: Student Reflection @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

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Name three powerful __________ students can reflect on their learning, then discuss closely the one you use most often. It seems that this prompt is missing a word, so I’m filling in the blank with: “ways” 1. Reflection through writing: The simplest and, I think, best method I use for reflection is to simply have …

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Day 18: A Metaphor For Teaching @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

Day 18: A Metaphor For Teaching @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

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Create a metaphor/simile/analogy that describes your teaching philosophy. For example, a “teacher is a ________…” This is a bit more challenging. A teacher is a rock in the rising current of stupidity trying to slow down the flow. A teacher is the catcher in the rye, keeping kids from falling off the edge. A teacher …

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Day 17: Challenging Education Issue @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

Day 17: Challenging Education Issue @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

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What do you think is the most challenging issue in education today? The battle for classroom time vs. standards seems to be the war we are waging. How much testing is too much testing? My biggest issue with education is the lack of professional courtesy given to teachers. We are professionals. We should be the …

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Day 16: Superpower @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

Day 16: Superpower @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

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This one is easy. If I had one superpower in the classroom it would be mind reading. I would be able to tell which students were actually paying attention and getting it… I could teach to their interests by knowing what those interests are. Of course, this power would come with the awfulness of constantly …

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Day 15: 3 strengths @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

Day 15: 3 strengths @teachthought #reflectiveteacher

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I am way behind, so I’m blitzing to remain reflective. I read a story in the Atlantic about how American teachers spend way more hours teaching and grading than teachers in other countries. So we are frantic and burned out… 3 Strengths: 1. Passion for the subjects I teach. 2. Open to new ideas. 3. …

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Day 13: Tech Ed Tools #reflectiveteaching @TeachThought

Day 13: Tech Ed Tools #reflectiveteaching @TeachThought

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Name the top edtech tools that you use on a consistent basis in the classroom, and rank them in terms of their perceived (by you) effectiveness. When I look at this list, I am overwhelmed. I guess I should just list some technology I use in my classroom. 1. Turnitin.com: This started out as a …

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Day 12: 5 Year Changes #reflectiveteaching @TeachThought

Day 12: 5 Year Changes #reflectiveteaching @TeachThought

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How do you envision your teaching changing over the next five years? I like how this is asking about “my” teaching rather than teaching in general. I envision continuing my push for authentic assessment and getting kids to ENJOY learning. My biggest issue with education today is that we burn kids out. Students are stressed out …

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Day 11: Favorite part of the school day #reflectiveteacher @TeachThought

Day 11: Favorite part of the school day #reflectiveteacher @TeachThought

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What is your favorite part of the school day and why? The easy and obvious answer is the end of the day, but honestly, I love the mornings before school starts. I am usually at my desk an hour early. I love the quiet of my office space before students and other teachers arrive. I …

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Day 10: Sharing Random Things #reflectiveteaching @TeachThought

Day 10: Sharing Random Things #reflectiveteaching @TeachThought

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Day 10 Share five random facts about yourself. 1. Youngest son of 7 children. 2. Parents are immigrants from Latvia. 3. Wanted to be an actor or writer. 4. Loves collecting vinyl. 5. Has very vivid dreams. Share four things from your bucket list. 1. Get a bucket list. 2. Take my kids to Latvia. …

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