I love using technology as a tool. However, there are so many cool apps out there, one can get lost in the sea of animations or lose hours and hours trying to figure out how to manage it all.
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Implementing Balanced Mathematics and Balanced Literacy well makes it very difficult to have a balanced life. There are so many systems and details to teach, learn, and organize...not to mention time to create meaningful, integrated units of study where students can use technology as a tool and time to weave in meaningful times to confer with students after you expeditiously analyze student work. Just thinking about it, makes me exhausted. Here are a few lessons I've learned to try to keep balance in my life while still embracing the shifts and continuing to do what I know is good for kids.
1. Start with the big picture. Look at the standards and map out the year. Then chunk into units of studies, taking into account school traditions and holidays. As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up some place else." The big picture will guide you to your year end destination and help you adjust when "life happens" - a field trip, assembly, changes in the schedule that require you to be flexible. Click below for a sample FREEBIE of Math Map. 2. Take time to get to know the uniqueness of your students. Some students may calculate fast, but have difficulty understanding concepts in depth. Others may take a long time, but demonstrate deep understanding when given the opportunity. Get to know their interests and weave their real life into your instruction. You will be amazed at the engagement of students when they know you care and they find their real life woven into their studies. (Below check out my CGI sets that are now EDITABLE so you can personalize for your class!) 3. Take time to enjoy a break. As teachers, we are used to working through recess and lunch (with perhaps just a run to the restroom). We don't take breaks. We work before and after school and then take work home. This is our norm. While i am guilty of all of the above, I try to make sure even if I take a bag of work home, I will take a break. It's usually a workout (a walk on the beach, zumba, yoga, a hour on the eliptical) and meal with my family....before I break out my pile of work. Sometimes, I intentionally leave my laptop at work so I can really take an evening off. Other times its just a 3 minute stop on my way home....where I park my car and watch the sunset. Regardless, a break, however small or big, will keep you fresh. 4. Plan big and small. Once I know my destination and my students, I task analyze/break down objectives, steps and procedures from year to month to week to day to lesson. While I find myself facilitating instruction more and more, this still requires me to know what comes next, so that I can scaffold my questions to guide students to their "Aha!" moment and determine teaching points and next steps. Click below FREEBIE weekly reading workshop plan and guided reading lesson plan 5. Use technology as a tool one step at a time. We've all been there, we see a cool app and want to implement it right away. But, we need to first evaluate, what is its purpose and how does it enhance learning? I start with a simple project then build over the course of the year. Educreations is one my favorites that students can grow with throughout the year and use in a variety of content areas. (Come back next week to learn more) Back in the 90's I was blessed with the opportunity to meet Dr. Sandra Kaplan of USC. Since that time, I've had her Depth and Complexity icons up in my room. They are posted up high where I can see them and are my personal anchor charts. Throughout the years, they have facilitated many "teachable moments" ...developing students to think like a disciplinarian through
DEPTH * language of the discipline * essential details * patterns * rules/organization * unanswered questions * big ideas * trends * ethics COMPLEXITY * changes over time * multiple perspectives * across disciplines With all of the shifts in the Common Core, I find myself referring to the depth and complexity icons often. Outcome - a revision of my reading bookmarks and a new CGI set with Unpacking incorporating Depth and Complexity. Click on the images below to find out more. |
About MeI have spent the last 30 years in education as a teacher (kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd, 7th), curriculum specialist, technology consultant, instructional coach, and parent. Simply put, I teach. Categories
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