Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Annotation, Literacy, and Close Reading Skills: Presented by M. Willis
Please click HERE for the literacy packet presented at Ms. Willis' PD on annotation, marking the text, and close reading from the first week of school.
Please click HERE for the close reading exemplar packet that accompanies this workshop.
Both handouts will be used in subsequent workshops throughout the year.
Ms. Willis is in Room 302 if you need any assistance!
Please click HERE for the close reading exemplar packet that accompanies this workshop.
Both handouts will be used in subsequent workshops throughout the year.
Ms. Willis is in Room 302 if you need any assistance!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
September 4, 2012: Workshop: Keystone Express
You will find much more information on this topic by clicking here to be taken to the PA Department of Education's Keystone Exams website.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Follow-Up: Ryan Givey's Workshop on On-Line Resources
Hello Teachers - I hope that you enjoyed the workshop that Ryan Givey presented today during Common Planning Time. Here are the resources/links that he covered:
Professional Development – Thursday, June 3, 2010
Website: rgivey.wikispaces.com
Email: rgivey@philasd.org
Free Online Resources:
Blabberize
- Add audio to make your images speak
Diigo
- Add highlights and notes to online text (Use Firefox)
Google Docs
- Create online, collaborative documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms and drawings that can be published as a webpage or embedded online
- www.google.com (create an account)
Google Earth
- View images of anywhere in the world, create placemarks and measure distances
- http://earth.google.com/
Google SketchUp
- Create three-dimensional objects, measure them and import them into Google Earth to place them anywhere in the world
- http://sketchup.google.com/download/gsu.html
Jeopardy Labs
- Online Jeopardy Templates
- www.jeopardylabs.com
Jing
- Create screencasts that can be stored online or downloaded
- www.jingproject.com
Poll Everywhere
- Design online polls and questions for a real-time response
- www.polleverywhere.com
Prezi
- Use an online canvas to create a presentation not constrained by slides
- www.prezi.com
Rubistar
- Create your own rubrics or search for others online
- Rubistar.4teachers.org
Tagxedo
- Create word art in specific shapes
Wordle
- Create word art emphasizing the themes of the text
Xtranormal
- Create your own online movie
- www.xtranormal .com
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Cool Stuff on the Internet: PD Workshop - June 1, 2010
Today we will explore the many education-related sources on the Internet.
Before we get started, please answer the following question in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post: When you think about how your teaching practices, how has the proliferation of the Internet influenced how you plan and execute your lessons?
Sites for setting up class websites:
www.blogger.com
www.wikispaces.com
www.pbworks.com
www.wordpress.com
http://www.edu20.org/
http://www.ning.com/
Sites for on-line gradebooks:
www.engrade.com
Government sites related to education & content areas:
www.ed.gov
www.nih.gov
www.loc.gov
http://stats.bls.gov/
http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.usdoj.gov/
www.whitehouse.gov
www.fbi.gov
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/
http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml
Teacher Support Sites:
http://www.readwritethink.org/
http://www.history.com/shows/classroom
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/math/
www.edutopia.org
http://thinkfinity.org/
http://www.newseum.org/
http://www.60secondscience.com/
http://school20.ning.com/
http://www.googlelittrips.org/
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/
Full Length Books:
http://books.google.com
http://www.gutenberg.org/
http://www.classicreader.com/
http://www.heinemann.com/
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/alltitles.htm
Cool Audio/Video Sites:
www.ted.com
http://www.freeaudio.org/
http://librivox.org/
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Education-and-Professional
http://xtranormal.com/
Promethean Board Stuff:
http://www.prometheanplanet.com/
http://www.clevelandschools.org/training/ABResources.html
http://www.amazingclassroom.com/promethean1.asp
Click HERE for a lengthy list of newspapers/magazines available on-line! Great for current events!
Please check out the class websites of your fellow colleagues:
http://ohsapenglish.blogspot.com
http://grobsplace.blogspot.com/
http://courtneyklumpp.blogspot.com
Your goal as a participant today is to contribute FIVE websites related to your content area and/or to teaching in general. You should copy and paste the links into a post in the COMMENTS section below.
Before we get started, please answer the following question in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post: When you think about how your teaching practices, how has the proliferation of the Internet influenced how you plan and execute your lessons?
Sites for setting up class websites:
www.blogger.com
www.wikispaces.com
www.pbworks.com
www.wordpress.com
http://www.edu20.org/
http://www.ning.com/
Sites for on-line gradebooks:
www.engrade.com
Government sites related to education & content areas:
www.ed.gov
www.nih.gov
www.loc.gov
http://stats.bls.gov/
http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.usdoj.gov/
www.whitehouse.gov
www.fbi.gov
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/
http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml
Teacher Support Sites:
http://www.readwritethink.org/
http://www.history.com/shows/classroom
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/math/
www.edutopia.org
http://thinkfinity.org/
http://www.newseum.org/
http://www.60secondscience.com/
http://school20.ning.com/
http://www.googlelittrips.org/
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/
Full Length Books:
http://books.google.com
http://www.gutenberg.org/
http://www.classicreader.com/
http://www.heinemann.com/
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/alltitles.htm
Cool Audio/Video Sites:
www.ted.com
http://www.freeaudio.org/
http://librivox.org/
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Education-and-Professional
http://xtranormal.com/
Promethean Board Stuff:
http://www.prometheanplanet.com/
http://www.clevelandschools.org/training/ABResources.html
http://www.amazingclassroom.com/promethean1.asp
Click HERE for a lengthy list of newspapers/magazines available on-line! Great for current events!
Please check out the class websites of your fellow colleagues:
http://ohsapenglish.blogspot.com
http://grobsplace.blogspot.com/
http://courtneyklumpp.blogspot.com
Your goal as a participant today is to contribute FIVE websites related to your content area and/or to teaching in general. You should copy and paste the links into a post in the COMMENTS section below.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Technology PD during Common Planning Time of 5/27/10
Staff:
To learn more about incorporating technology into the classroom, please visit the website of Mr. Ryan Givey (our SDP technology specialist) at http://rgivey.wikispaces.com/.
To learn more about incorporating technology into the classroom, please visit the website of Mr. Ryan Givey (our SDP technology specialist) at http://rgivey.wikispaces.com/.
PD Session: Teaching for the Senior Project
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Topic: Teaching for the Senior Project
Facilitator: Madelaine Kingsbury
Agenda:
· Review current requirements (suggestions for changes/additions)
· Review format (binder & on-line portfolio)
· Brainstorm: Vital skills needed for graduation that are missing
· Brainstorm: How to include more content areas in the project
§ Statistics, History, Social Implications
· How can we build research in lower grades and across content areas?
§ I-Search, Wikis, Collaboration, Presentations
· On-Line sources for research
· Concluding thoughts
Items for follow-up (from PD discussions):
1. How can special education students be better facilitated through the research process and have better access to technology?
2. Can we incorporate a community service component?
3. Con we incorporate mentoring, so that students have someone else to support them through the process besides their English teachers?
4. Does the school district have a recommended senior project format?
5. How can we incorporate a statistical analysis component into the project so that students are learning across the curriculum? How can math teachers be partners with English teachers?
6. How can we incorporate a career component into the project?
7. The portfolio introduction and the mission statement will be combined into one document. What will this now look like?
8. The Job Materials Self-Assessment and Research Paper Self-Assessments essays will be eliminated in order to devote more time to the teaching of the research paper and research process.
9. It was recommended that the reference/recommendation letters be eliminated from the project, as it is burdensome for teachers to write references that are (more often than not) inconsequential. What process, then, will be put into place for students who need references for colleges?
10. Ms. Mathis is willing to provide direct instruction to senior students on their PowerPoint presentations outside of traditional class time.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Student Notebook Survey/Inquiry For Staff on Tuesday 12/15/09
Hello OHS Staff -
The Distributed Leadership Team will roll out training in Penn Literacy Network classroom writing/reading strategies in January 2010. Toward that end, it will be mandatory for all students to maintain a notebook for all classes.
Would you please provide a short response below with your preference with the type of notebook you currently require in your classroom and how you assess the classwork/homework that students write in their notebooks? Alternatively, if you do not require students to maintain a notebook, what type would you prefer your students to use?
You may consider:
YOU DO NOT NEED TO SIGN IN WITH A GOOGLE ACCOUNT TO LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS.
The Distributed Leadership Team will roll out training in Penn Literacy Network classroom writing/reading strategies in January 2010. Toward that end, it will be mandatory for all students to maintain a notebook for all classes.
Would you please provide a short response below with your preference with the type of notebook you currently require in your classroom and how you assess the classwork/homework that students write in their notebooks? Alternatively, if you do not require students to maintain a notebook, what type would you prefer your students to use?
You may consider:
- sprial-bound notebooks
- marble/composition books
- three-ring binders
- pocket folders with paper
YOU DO NOT NEED TO SIGN IN WITH A GOOGLE ACCOUNT TO LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS.
Monday, May 25, 2009
PD for Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Objectives:
After this PD, teachers will be able to:
1. apply previous PD skills to plan for future lessons.
2. demonstrate how foldables and graphic organizers can be used in summative (final) assessment.
3. explain how student data can be collected from alternative assessments.
Introduction & Assignment:
We have previously focused on how foldables and graphic organizers can be used across the content areas to assess student learning through alternative methods.
Today's PD will focus on the application of those strategies. Please review the upcoming week in your PST. If you did not bring your PST to this PD, click here to reach it at the School District's main site. You will need to scroll past the K-8 to reach the high school PSTs.
Brainstorm how you will use either a foldable or a graphic organizer (or both if you want to give your students options through choice). Review the videos of Ms. Agnew and Ms. Carlis in previous weeks' PDs for a refresher on how OHS teachers are already using these strategies.
Paper is available for you to create and experiment during this PD session. Converse with colleagues about what they are planning to do in the upcoming weeks.
Once you have created a plan for using a foldable/graphic organizer in your class over the next week, discuss with a colleague how you might use these strategies in summative assessment, i.e., as a part of your final exams.
Finally, discuss with your colleagues what types of data teachers can collect from foldables and graphic organizers. How can these strategies be used to inform and improve your instruction?
Sources to support your learning for this PD include:
1. Effectivesness of Foldables Versus Lecture/Worksheet
2. Tackling Math Vocabulary & Study Skills
3. Sources of Data in Alternative Assessment (From ERIC)
Post comments, questions, and concerns in the COMMENTS section below.
After this PD, teachers will be able to:
1. apply previous PD skills to plan for future lessons.
2. demonstrate how foldables and graphic organizers can be used in summative (final) assessment.
3. explain how student data can be collected from alternative assessments.
Introduction & Assignment:
We have previously focused on how foldables and graphic organizers can be used across the content areas to assess student learning through alternative methods.
Today's PD will focus on the application of those strategies. Please review the upcoming week in your PST. If you did not bring your PST to this PD, click here to reach it at the School District's main site. You will need to scroll past the K-8 to reach the high school PSTs.
Brainstorm how you will use either a foldable or a graphic organizer (or both if you want to give your students options through choice). Review the videos of Ms. Agnew and Ms. Carlis in previous weeks' PDs for a refresher on how OHS teachers are already using these strategies.
Paper is available for you to create and experiment during this PD session. Converse with colleagues about what they are planning to do in the upcoming weeks.
Once you have created a plan for using a foldable/graphic organizer in your class over the next week, discuss with a colleague how you might use these strategies in summative assessment, i.e., as a part of your final exams.
Finally, discuss with your colleagues what types of data teachers can collect from foldables and graphic organizers. How can these strategies be used to inform and improve your instruction?
Sources to support your learning for this PD include:
1. Effectivesness of Foldables Versus Lecture/Worksheet
2. Tackling Math Vocabulary & Study Skills
3. Sources of Data in Alternative Assessment (From ERIC)
Post comments, questions, and concerns in the COMMENTS section below.
Monday, May 18, 2009
PD for Tuesday, May 19, 2009
School District of Philadelphia Objectives:
After this professional development, teachers will be able to:
1. Create a framework for collaborative work.
2. Begin to develop common language to discuss assessment.
3. Introduce an overview of District-wide assessments for the 2009/10 academic year.
4. Use collaborative inquiry to create an action plan that supports the school plan based on “data wise” decision making.
PowerPoint Presentation:
5-19 Modified PPT
The handout discussing assessment types and purposes is located here. The Consultancy Protocol is located here. The video from ASCD on how to run a Consultancy Protocol is located here.
The handout discussing the constructive uses of assessments is located here.
The Data Wise Planning Sequence handout is located here.
The article from Educational Leadership entitled "The Collaborative Advantage" can be found here.
Please note that all materials herein belong to the School District of Philadelphia and/or ASCD.
After this professional development, teachers will be able to:
1. Create a framework for collaborative work.
2. Begin to develop common language to discuss assessment.
3. Introduce an overview of District-wide assessments for the 2009/10 academic year.
4. Use collaborative inquiry to create an action plan that supports the school plan based on “data wise” decision making.
PowerPoint Presentation:
5-19 Modified PPT
Publish at Scribd or explore others:
The handout discussing assessment types and purposes is located here. The Consultancy Protocol is located here. The video from ASCD on how to run a Consultancy Protocol is located here.
The handout discussing the constructive uses of assessments is located here.
The Data Wise Planning Sequence handout is located here.
The article from Educational Leadership entitled "The Collaborative Advantage" can be found here.
Please note that all materials herein belong to the School District of Philadelphia and/or ASCD.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Bonus PD Materials
Education Week is sponsoring a live chat on DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION on Friday, May 15, 2009, at 3 pm. From their site:
Education Week also has excellent webinars. Check out this one on Professional Learning Teams (from their site):
FEATURED CHATS
Chat Begins: Friday, May 15, 3 p.m. Eastern time
Sign up here to receive an e-mail reminder about this chat.
Exploring Differentiated Instruction
About This Chat:
With student diversity growing dramatically and schools facing mounting pressure to boost achievement, differentiated instruction—the craft of accommodating and building on students’ individual learning needs—has gained increased attention in recent years. But it can be difficult to implement effectively, and interpretations of what it means for instruction can vary. In this chat, Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leading authority on differentiated instruction, will discuss the core principles of the practice and take your questions on using it in the classroom and as a strategy for whole-school improvement.
Guests:
Carol Ann Tomlinson is the William Clay Parrish Jr. professor in education and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginia. She is the author of many books, including The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners.
Anthony Rebora, managing editor at of teachermagazine.org and the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, will moderate this chat.
Related Story:
Sign up here to receive an e-mail reminder about this chat. At the time of the chat, you can enter it here.
Education Week also has excellent webinars. Check out this one on Professional Learning Teams (from their site):
 | |
Creating and Managing Powerful Professional Learning Teams | |
In this webinar, Anne Jolly and Nancy Fichtman Dana explain how to create the framework and establish ground rules for building successful professional learning teams. Together, they answer questions on how you can form powerful and productive professional learning teams at your school. | |
| Test Your System | |
| Help | |
| Download Real Player | |
 | |
 | |
Monday, May 11, 2009
PD for Tuesday, May 12, 2009
This week's PD will be facilitated by Ms. Alva Edwards, Success Academy Leader and OHS-Voyager Liaison. This week's topic will introduce Voyager's Vocabulary Development program and tie it back to previous week's PDs on alternative assessments (foldables and graphic organizers).
Materials for today's PD:
UPDATED Vocab Presentation
Materials for today's PD:
UPDATED Vocab Presentation
Monday, May 4, 2009
PD for Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Objectives:
After this professional development, teachers will be able to:
1. self-assess their own learning styles.
2. explain the rationale and benefits of graphic organizers.
3. craft a plan for using graphic organizers in their classrooms.
Introduction: We all know that differentiated instruction is the way to go if we are to meet the needs of our students as individuals and keep them engaged in high-interest and high-level activities. Our students learn and achieve success as a result of their inherent learning styles and our willingness to teach them in those modalities.
Let's step back for a moment though. Do you know your learning style? Click here to complete this Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire. This short inventory should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Write down your results for later on in this PD.
Graphic: From "One Size Does Not Fit All: Learning Style, Play, and On-line Interactives" by David Schaller - full article available by clicking here.
Graphic: From National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine - The Learning Pyramid!
Graphic Organizers - The Answer to the Quandry of Multiple Learning Styles Within One Classroom! Previous PDs have focused on alternative assessments as a cumulative assessment. Graphic organizers, when fully implemented into a classroom routine, can help students develop deeper vocabulary skills, process cause and effect, determine main idea and details, and learn abstract concepts. They can play an integral role in informal assessment as teachers check for understanding to confirm that students have learned what you have taught. Graphic organizers meet the learning styles of many students and, due to their "practice doing" factor, help them retain and connect information.
According to WriteDesignOnline:
"Graphic organizers are valuable instructional tools. Unlike many tools that just have one purpose, graphic organizers are flexible and endless in application. One common trait found among graphic organizers is that they show the order and completeness of a student's thought process - strengths and weaknesses of understanding become clearly evident. Many graphic organizers show different aspects of an issue/problem - in close and also the big picture. Since many graphic organizers use short words or phrases, they are ideal for many types of learners, including English Language Learners with intermediate proficiency. There are 5 main type of graphic organizers:
1. Star/web: Use to show definitions, attributes, examples, and brainstorming
2. Chart/Matrix: Use to show attributes, comparing and contrasting, and evaluating.
3. Tree/Map: Use to show classifications, pedigrees, analysis, structures, attributes, examples, and brainstorming.
4. Chain: Use to show processes, sequences, causes and effects, and chronology.
5. Sketch: Use to show physical structures, descriptions of places, spatial relationships, concrete objects, and visual images."
The most basic and frequently used organizers include Venn Diagrams, KWL Charts, and T Charts. The choices, however, are limitless! Websites abound with an abundance of graphic organizers. Try Eduplaces, which is underwritten by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Teachervision has readily available (and free) graphic organizers in all subject areas.
VIDEO: Our very own Leslie Carlis discusses how she uses graphic organizers in her classroom and shows examples - the proof, however, is in the words of her student who explains how graphic organizers have benefited his learning:
Takeaway - On your way out of the PD Room today, please take a graphic organizer which you can implement into your content area.
TASKS: Please answer the following questions by posting your thoughts about learning styles and graphic organizers in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post.
1. Provide a brief analysis of the Learning Styles Inventory you took at the beginning of this PD. Were you surprised by the results, or did you already know your learning style? Do you find that you teach according to your own learning style, or does your instruction cover all styles?
2. Were you familiar with graphic organizers before this PD? If so, which ones do you utilize in your classroom? How successful have you been in implementing them into your instruction?
3. What one new strategy did you learn today? How will you implement it into your classroom over the next week?
4. After reviewing the PDs on foldables, choice boards, and tiered assignments, were you able to implement any of these strategies in your class?
Posting Instructions: PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIREFOX! IF YOU ARE IN INTERNET EXPLORER, CLOSE OUT AND OPEN UP THE FIREFOX BROWSER!
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below (there should be a number in front of the word "comment" - this means that other teachers have already responded). A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
After this professional development, teachers will be able to:
1. self-assess their own learning styles.
2. explain the rationale and benefits of graphic organizers.
3. craft a plan for using graphic organizers in their classrooms.
Introduction: We all know that differentiated instruction is the way to go if we are to meet the needs of our students as individuals and keep them engaged in high-interest and high-level activities. Our students learn and achieve success as a result of their inherent learning styles and our willingness to teach them in those modalities.
Let's step back for a moment though. Do you know your learning style? Click here to complete this Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire. This short inventory should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Write down your results for later on in this PD.
Graphic: From "One Size Does Not Fit All: Learning Style, Play, and On-line Interactives" by David Schaller - full article available by clicking here.
Graphic: From National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine - The Learning Pyramid!
Graphic Organizers - The Answer to the Quandry of Multiple Learning Styles Within One Classroom! Previous PDs have focused on alternative assessments as a cumulative assessment. Graphic organizers, when fully implemented into a classroom routine, can help students develop deeper vocabulary skills, process cause and effect, determine main idea and details, and learn abstract concepts. They can play an integral role in informal assessment as teachers check for understanding to confirm that students have learned what you have taught. Graphic organizers meet the learning styles of many students and, due to their "practice doing" factor, help them retain and connect information.
According to WriteDesignOnline:
"Graphic organizers are valuable instructional tools. Unlike many tools that just have one purpose, graphic organizers are flexible and endless in application. One common trait found among graphic organizers is that they show the order and completeness of a student's thought process - strengths and weaknesses of understanding become clearly evident. Many graphic organizers show different aspects of an issue/problem - in close and also the big picture. Since many graphic organizers use short words or phrases, they are ideal for many types of learners, including English Language Learners with intermediate proficiency. There are 5 main type of graphic organizers:
1. Star/web: Use to show definitions, attributes, examples, and brainstorming
2. Chart/Matrix: Use to show attributes, comparing and contrasting, and evaluating.
3. Tree/Map: Use to show classifications, pedigrees, analysis, structures, attributes, examples, and brainstorming.
4. Chain: Use to show processes, sequences, causes and effects, and chronology.
5. Sketch: Use to show physical structures, descriptions of places, spatial relationships, concrete objects, and visual images."
The most basic and frequently used organizers include Venn Diagrams, KWL Charts, and T Charts. The choices, however, are limitless! Websites abound with an abundance of graphic organizers. Try Eduplaces, which is underwritten by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Teachervision has readily available (and free) graphic organizers in all subject areas.
VIDEO: Our very own Leslie Carlis discusses how she uses graphic organizers in her classroom and shows examples - the proof, however, is in the words of her student who explains how graphic organizers have benefited his learning:
Takeaway - On your way out of the PD Room today, please take a graphic organizer which you can implement into your content area.
TASKS: Please answer the following questions by posting your thoughts about learning styles and graphic organizers in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post.
1. Provide a brief analysis of the Learning Styles Inventory you took at the beginning of this PD. Were you surprised by the results, or did you already know your learning style? Do you find that you teach according to your own learning style, or does your instruction cover all styles?
2. Were you familiar with graphic organizers before this PD? If so, which ones do you utilize in your classroom? How successful have you been in implementing them into your instruction?
3. What one new strategy did you learn today? How will you implement it into your classroom over the next week?
4. After reviewing the PDs on foldables, choice boards, and tiered assignments, were you able to implement any of these strategies in your class?
Posting Instructions: PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIREFOX! IF YOU ARE IN INTERNET EXPLORER, CLOSE OUT AND OPEN UP THE FIREFOX BROWSER!
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below (there should be a number in front of the word "comment" - this means that other teachers have already responded). A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
Monday, April 27, 2009
PD for Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Objectives:
After this PD, teachers will be able to:
1. build upon their knowledge of differentiated instruction from last week's PD.
2. distinguish between choice board and tiered assignment as a differentiation strategy.
3. incorporate a choice board or tiered assignment into their upcoming lesson plans.
Introduction: Imagine you are having lunch at your favorite restaurant. A full lunch comes with a soup, salad, sandwich, dessert, and drink... but you're not in the mood for all that food! A smaller meal would suffice. You CHOOSE just a soup and salad, and you are completely satisfied and full.
Our students function in the same manner. By providing CHOICE, we are able to differentiate our instruction and provide them with self-directed learning opportunities. When students feel like they have options in their educations, they are more likely to buy into the work.
We can provide students with more choices via choice boards and/or tiered assignments.
What are choice boards?
A CHOICE BOARD offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A choice board could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study. In order to create a choice board:
1. Identify the most important elements of a lesson or unit.
2. Create a required assignment or project that reflects the minimum understanding you expect all students to achieve.
3. Create negotiables which expand upon the minimum understands. These negotiables often require students to go beyond the basic levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
4. Create a final optional section that requires students the opportunity for enrichment. The optional section often reflects activities that students can use for extra credit.
(Original posting credit here.)
A plethora of choice board templates for nearly every subject area is located at Dare to Differentiate.
Ms. Kingsbury allows her students to choose assignments based on their skills and interests, and samples of that can be seen here, here, and here.
What are tiered assignments?
Tiered instruction is a means of teaching one concept and meeting the different learning needs in a group. It can be an assignment, lesson, or strategy. Tasks and/or resources vary according to learning profile, readiness, and interest. A Best Practices breakdown of tiered assignments, from process through assessment, is available here.
How can teachers easily design a choice board or tiered assignment?
Content grids make the design of differentiated assignments simple. Click here to view a content grid. Ms. Sundeen and Ms. Kane are the OHS resident experts on content grids, so feel free to leave a question for them in the COMMENTS section below if their immediate use is not clear to you.
Finally, please peruse this PowerPoint on the subject of differentiated instruction by David Dillard (and slightly modified to fit our PD's time constraints and topic focus) by clicking here.
TASKS - Please answer the following questions by posting your thoughts about choice boards and tiered assignments in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post.
1. Choose an assignment that you gave this year that was not 100% successful. Using the content grid as a guideline, make at least one change in the assignment to address one of the boxes in the content grid. (For instance, changing the process to address learning profile obstacles). Post a summary of the original assignment and the change you would make.
2. If you would like to comment on the articles, as well, feel free to do so.
3. After reviewing the PD on foldables, were you able to implement this strategy in your class?
Posting Instructions: PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIREFOX! IF YOU ARE IN INTERNET EXPLORER, CLOSE OUT AND OPEN UP THE FIREFOX BROWSER!
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below. A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
After this PD, teachers will be able to:
1. build upon their knowledge of differentiated instruction from last week's PD.
2. distinguish between choice board and tiered assignment as a differentiation strategy.
3. incorporate a choice board or tiered assignment into their upcoming lesson plans.
Introduction: Imagine you are having lunch at your favorite restaurant. A full lunch comes with a soup, salad, sandwich, dessert, and drink... but you're not in the mood for all that food! A smaller meal would suffice. You CHOOSE just a soup and salad, and you are completely satisfied and full.
Our students function in the same manner. By providing CHOICE, we are able to differentiate our instruction and provide them with self-directed learning opportunities. When students feel like they have options in their educations, they are more likely to buy into the work.
We can provide students with more choices via choice boards and/or tiered assignments.
What are choice boards?
A CHOICE BOARD offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A choice board could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study. In order to create a choice board:
1. Identify the most important elements of a lesson or unit.
2. Create a required assignment or project that reflects the minimum understanding you expect all students to achieve.
3. Create negotiables which expand upon the minimum understands. These negotiables often require students to go beyond the basic levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
4. Create a final optional section that requires students the opportunity for enrichment. The optional section often reflects activities that students can use for extra credit.
(Original posting credit here.)
A plethora of choice board templates for nearly every subject area is located at Dare to Differentiate.
Ms. Kingsbury allows her students to choose assignments based on their skills and interests, and samples of that can be seen here, here, and here.
What are tiered assignments?
Tiered instruction is a means of teaching one concept and meeting the different learning needs in a group. It can be an assignment, lesson, or strategy. Tasks and/or resources vary according to learning profile, readiness, and interest. A Best Practices breakdown of tiered assignments, from process through assessment, is available here.
How can teachers easily design a choice board or tiered assignment?
Content grids make the design of differentiated assignments simple. Click here to view a content grid. Ms. Sundeen and Ms. Kane are the OHS resident experts on content grids, so feel free to leave a question for them in the COMMENTS section below if their immediate use is not clear to you.
Finally, please peruse this PowerPoint on the subject of differentiated instruction by David Dillard (and slightly modified to fit our PD's time constraints and topic focus) by clicking here.
TASKS - Please answer the following questions by posting your thoughts about choice boards and tiered assignments in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post.
1. Choose an assignment that you gave this year that was not 100% successful. Using the content grid as a guideline, make at least one change in the assignment to address one of the boxes in the content grid. (For instance, changing the process to address learning profile obstacles). Post a summary of the original assignment and the change you would make.
2. If you would like to comment on the articles, as well, feel free to do so.
3. After reviewing the PD on foldables, were you able to implement this strategy in your class?
Posting Instructions: PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIREFOX! IF YOU ARE IN INTERNET EXPLORER, CLOSE OUT AND OPEN UP THE FIREFOX BROWSER!
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below. A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
Friday, April 17, 2009
PD for Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Objectives:
After this professional development, teachers will be able to:
1. define the term foldable and give a rationale for using this instructional technique.
2. understand how to create a foldable.
3. brainstorm applications for using foldables in his/her classroom.
Introduction:
This week we will continue to build upon last week's professional development on alternative assessment. Last week we learned about a multitude of alternative assessment strategies. This week we will focus on a technique called FOLDABLES, an old-school technique useful to our current mandate to focus on differentiated instruction and alternative assessment.
What is a foldable, and why should you use it in your classroom?
Foldables are 3-D paper constructions that allow learners to record and process new words and concepts in a hands-on and kinesthetic way.
Among the many reasons to use foldables in your classroom:
Teachers use foldables to enhance the study of words in their classroom. After learners have been introduced to a concept, the teacher facilitates the construction and application of this three-dimensional organizer. As with all strategies, the creation process must be modeled.
(The above section was compiled from http://wrhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/wordpop/WordPOP/Foldables.html).
What does a foldable look like?
Many, many foldables can be found here. The types and uses are limited only by a teacher's imagination. Templates for a dozen types of foldables can be found here.
MORE ABOUT FOLDABLES - STARRING OUR VERY OWN MS. AGNEW!
Here are a few image samples:
.JPG)
This teacher in the video below makes a complex pop-up foldable with his students:
Amazon carries a wide range of education books about foldables - click here, here, or here, to see samples of available publications.
Your facilitator also has available a wide range of foldables for you to view. At the end of this PD, you will be guided through a demonstration of how to make a foldable.
Tasks: Please answer the following questions by posting your thoughts about foldables in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post.
1. What are your initial thoughts on the concept of foldables in the classroom?
2. Of the foldable samples that you saw on-line and in-person, which one looks the most useful to your content and why?
3. In your opinion, are foldables and technology compatible? Why or why not?
4. When you think about the content you have taught in the past month, how could your students have used a foldable to learn?
Posting Instructions: PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIREFOX! IF YOU ARE IN INTERNET EXPLORER, CLOSE OUT AND OPEN UP THE FIREFOX BROWSER!
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below. A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
EXIT SURVEY: Please click here to complete the exit survey for this PD. Thank you for your feedback!
After this professional development, teachers will be able to:
1. define the term foldable and give a rationale for using this instructional technique.
2. understand how to create a foldable.
3. brainstorm applications for using foldables in his/her classroom.
Introduction:
This week we will continue to build upon last week's professional development on alternative assessment. Last week we learned about a multitude of alternative assessment strategies. This week we will focus on a technique called FOLDABLES, an old-school technique useful to our current mandate to focus on differentiated instruction and alternative assessment.
What is a foldable, and why should you use it in your classroom?
Foldables are 3-D paper constructions that allow learners to record and process new words and concepts in a hands-on and kinesthetic way.
Among the many reasons to use foldables in your classroom:
- Learners retain more concepts due to the process of creation and manipulation.
- Learners enjoy working with new words and concepts.
- Teacher has a tangible product to show evidence of word work.
Teachers use foldables to enhance the study of words in their classroom. After learners have been introduced to a concept, the teacher facilitates the construction and application of this three-dimensional organizer. As with all strategies, the creation process must be modeled.
(The above section was compiled from http://wrhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/wordpop/WordPOP/Foldables.html).
What does a foldable look like?
Many, many foldables can be found here. The types and uses are limited only by a teacher's imagination. Templates for a dozen types of foldables can be found here.
MORE ABOUT FOLDABLES - STARRING OUR VERY OWN MS. AGNEW!
Here are a few image samples:
.JPG)
This teacher in the video below makes a complex pop-up foldable with his students:
Amazon carries a wide range of education books about foldables - click here, here, or here, to see samples of available publications.
Your facilitator also has available a wide range of foldables for you to view. At the end of this PD, you will be guided through a demonstration of how to make a foldable.
Tasks: Please answer the following questions by posting your thoughts about foldables in the COMMENTS section at the bottom of this post.
1. What are your initial thoughts on the concept of foldables in the classroom?
2. Of the foldable samples that you saw on-line and in-person, which one looks the most useful to your content and why?
3. In your opinion, are foldables and technology compatible? Why or why not?
4. When you think about the content you have taught in the past month, how could your students have used a foldable to learn?
Posting Instructions: PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIREFOX! IF YOU ARE IN INTERNET EXPLORER, CLOSE OUT AND OPEN UP THE FIREFOX BROWSER!
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below. A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
EXIT SURVEY: Please click here to complete the exit survey for this PD. Thank you for your feedback!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
PD for Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Objectives:
After this professional development, staff will be able to:
a. reflect on current assessment practices.
b. reflect on current use of technology in assessing student learning.
c. create an alternative assessment for their students to be used before the end of the school year.
Introduction:
It is not uncommon to hear a teacher say, "I taught it, but they didn't learn it." IT can be anything - a literary term, a geometry proof, photosynthesis, causes for war, sketching a face, a new basketball play.
Oftentimes, the problem is not in the teaching but in the assessing. How do we effectively assess that a student learned what we taught? For many, assessment involves pencil and paper, but in today's world of technology, differentiated instruction, and multiple intelligences, this form of assessment is no longer sufficient. Not all students can demonstrate their understanding in this traditional way.
As we have differentiated our instruction in the classroom, so must we differentiate our assessments of student learning.
This can be done through alternative assessment.
What Is Alternative Assessment?
Teaching Today offers these thoughts on alternative assessment here. ERIC Digests offers various ways to provide alternative assessment in the classroom here. Emerging Technologies provides specific examples of alternative assessment here.
Why Should We Provide Alternative Assessments, and How Can We Do It?
Professor Jon Mueller at North Central College provides the rationale for why we should provide our students with alternative assessments here. He also provides a flow-chart on how to create alternative assessments here. A collection of assessment strategies is provided here. An excellent description and discussion of tiered assessment is located here.
Here is a video providing examples of alternative assessment in math, which can be transferred to other content areas:
TASKS: After reading the articles on alternative assessment, please post a reflection in the COMMENTS section below addressing the following questions:
1. In what ways do you (or could you) use technology to assess students' learning?
2. Which article did you read, and what ideas were the most interesting/useful/applicable/practical?
3. Thinking about what you have taught over the year, which alternative assessment could have better enhanced your knowledge about student learning?
4. Which alternative assessment method will you try in your classroom before the end of the year and why?
Posting instructions:
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below. A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
3. Your attendance at this PD session will be credited once you make a COMMENT on the site.
FEEDBACK, PLEASE! A quick feedback form will be available for you to complete after you finish this PD. We appreciate your honest assessment of this workshop and format. Thanks!
After this professional development, staff will be able to:
a. reflect on current assessment practices.
b. reflect on current use of technology in assessing student learning.
c. create an alternative assessment for their students to be used before the end of the school year.
Introduction:
It is not uncommon to hear a teacher say, "I taught it, but they didn't learn it." IT can be anything - a literary term, a geometry proof, photosynthesis, causes for war, sketching a face, a new basketball play.
Oftentimes, the problem is not in the teaching but in the assessing. How do we effectively assess that a student learned what we taught? For many, assessment involves pencil and paper, but in today's world of technology, differentiated instruction, and multiple intelligences, this form of assessment is no longer sufficient. Not all students can demonstrate their understanding in this traditional way.
As we have differentiated our instruction in the classroom, so must we differentiate our assessments of student learning.
This can be done through alternative assessment.
What Is Alternative Assessment?
Teaching Today offers these thoughts on alternative assessment here. ERIC Digests offers various ways to provide alternative assessment in the classroom here. Emerging Technologies provides specific examples of alternative assessment here.
Why Should We Provide Alternative Assessments, and How Can We Do It?
Professor Jon Mueller at North Central College provides the rationale for why we should provide our students with alternative assessments here. He also provides a flow-chart on how to create alternative assessments here. A collection of assessment strategies is provided here. An excellent description and discussion of tiered assessment is located here.
Here is a video providing examples of alternative assessment in math, which can be transferred to other content areas:
TASKS: After reading the articles on alternative assessment, please post a reflection in the COMMENTS section below addressing the following questions:
1. In what ways do you (or could you) use technology to assess students' learning?
2. Which article did you read, and what ideas were the most interesting/useful/applicable/practical?
3. Thinking about what you have taught over the year, which alternative assessment could have better enhanced your knowledge about student learning?
4. Which alternative assessment method will you try in your classroom before the end of the year and why?
Posting instructions:
1. Click on the word COMMENT immediately below. A text box marked "Leave Your Comment" will pop up. Please type your answers to the above questions in this box. Scroll down to "Choose Your Identity." Select NAME/URL. Type your last name into the NAME box (do NOT type anything in the URL box). Finally, click PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT.
2. Go back to the OHS PD website at http://ohspd.blogspot.com. Push the F5 button on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Your comment should appear.
3. Your attendance at this PD session will be credited once you make a COMMENT on the site.
FEEDBACK, PLEASE! A quick feedback form will be available for you to complete after you finish this PD. We appreciate your honest assessment of this workshop and format. Thanks!
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