Blog - Page 3 of 3 - Teacher's Planning Partner

Master Teachers are Present in the Moment

June 30, 2015 by Instructor

During lunch my coworkers and I share snippets of celebrity autobiographies which can be quite entertaining. One celebrity described her mother’s excessive lifestyle; another star described a mind-blowing epiphany she had while making toast – entertaining, indeed.

Reading teacher biographies can also be entertaining but there is an added bonus of learning what master teachers do to ensure their students’ success. Many teacher autobiographies feature idealistic teachers determined to make a difference in challenging schools filled with students who are overwhelmed with the struggles of poverty. There isn’t anything these super teachers aren’t willing to do to connect with their students such as taking the coolest field trips, chugging carton after carton of milk just to elicit an answer from reluctant students, or demonstrating military trained round house kicks that would put Chuck Norris to shame.

Their determination inspires me; however, many of these star teachers are single, and soon after they perform teaching miracles, they write books and leave their teaching careers in the dust.

What about us teachers who are in it for the long haul, who want to achieve amazing results with our students, but would still like some personal time to hold hands with someone we love? There is at least one phenomenal teacher who has shown immense dedication to his students, authored books, and has continued to teach – while married – Rafe Esquith.

Rafe pours his passion into his teaching, and he describes how he does this in his book, Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire . My favorite message gleaned from this book is to be truly present when working with students. The title of this book was inspired by an incident where Rafe was so intent on helping one of his students understand a science concept that when his hair got too close to a Bunsen burner, it caught on fire. Rafe was so intent on proving to his student that he would not give up on her, that he did not notice his flaming hair. Another student alerted him to his follicle fire.

I love this reminder of the importance of giving students your full attention. When I coach my students while they are struggling to learn new concepts, I will be present when they share their ideas with me. This action always helps me build strong relationships with my students. If that doesn’t work, I can try to impress them with my smooth Jazzercise moves.

What the Anti-Education Legislation Do They Think They’re Doing?

June 16, 2015 by Instructor

Have they lost their minds? Anti-education legislators in Wisconsin got together at 1:30 in the morning and decided it would be a good idea to “relax” the certification requirements for teachers. If you want to teach music, no high school degree is needed. (Provision slipped into budget dilutes teacher license rules or What the heck is going on with Wisconsin public education? ) As long as administrators “feel” you have relevant experience, you’re in. Now they aren’t getting crazy or anything; you do need a bachelor’s degree in “something” if you want to teach English or math, but pedagogy…meh.

Educators trying to covey the importance of education without an education…how’s that supposed to work? Clearly these “representatives” (sorry for the excessive use of sarcasm quotes) feel contempt for our training in education. Which leads me to the question: Does our education coursework make us better teachers?

One of my dearest friends, who taught Spanish for years, believed her students were not successfully learning Spanish. She speaks Spanish fluently and had even studied in Spain, so this was not a lack of content knowledge. She took additional coursework on teaching foreign languages. She credits this coursework with revolutionizing her teaching and saving her career. This class, combined with experience and years of education training, have helped her to become a wonderful teacher.

Education students often joked that many college classes were just hoops they needed to jump through to become teachers. Yes, I resented writing the meticulous lesson plans that Dr. Olson required. Yet, I have to thank Dr. Olson because I’ve internalized those parts of a lesson plan and still use what I learned from him as I teach today.

Did your pedagogy classes help shape your teaching? What helps you be a successful teacher? Or… maybe the anti-education league is right. You’ve taken a girls’- night -out art class; maybe that’s all you need to teach art.

Make the Best Lasting Impression on Your Students

June 9, 2015 by Instructor

Don’t get me wrong, I love celebrations as much as the next gal, and I do believe celebrations help build community, but too often students expect the last few days of school to be a series of picnics, games, and socializing.

Why not offer students more than a cooler full of Fudgsicles® at the end of the year. The end of the school year is like the mother of all lesson closures. Close the year by reminding your students of the skills, knowledge, and curiosity they’ve acquired.

My students have just checked the last Common Core Standard to be mastered on the Teacher’s Planning Partner posters.

On the last day of school, I traditionally cement the learning with a review game.

Rules of game:

Divide class into two teams.
Each team sends a team representative to the front of the room.
Pose a question that is either Common Core related or a bite of wisdom such as…Good writers blank (show) not tell.
The team rep who answers the question first earns a point for her team. The teams are not allowed to talk while the reps are answering the question. (This is a huge bonus.)
Each team will continue to send a new rep until every student has a turn or all questions have been answered. Timing for this game is flexible. You can make it as short or as long as you need. My students love this game and have never gotten restless.

The winning team gets to do a touchdown celebration dance. I’d let my students Lambeau Leap, as we live in Wisconsin, but the landing could be dicey.

End your year with a learning celebration, and you will have reinforced a culture of learning, and you don’t even need to pick up any sticky wrappers.

Three Reasons Common Core Can Rock

May 18, 2015 by Instructor

Chances are you want to take the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), stuff them in a crate, and ship them far, far away. It is true that CCSS carries some nasty testing baggage, and there are a few kinks to work out, but there are definite advantages to keeping the CCSS. This is a good thing as most states plan to keep them for a while, and states that have discussed doing away with them have not taken serious steps to do so. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/04/22/traction-limited-in-rolling-back-common-core.html

Reason #1: Students from any state can enter your classroom mid-year and instantly be at ease and familiar with the learning language and expectations. No longer do you need to worry about that student who needs intensive intervention to get caught up because he just moved from a state that has the rigor of a cotton ball. (That would be nearly any state but yours.)

Reason #2: You now have access to the best lessons in the country. Because the standards have been well…standardized, teachers across the country are offering up their best lesson plans. There is a smorgasbord of CCSS lesson options, and all you have to do is go surfing. Education sites such as Edutopia zeroed in on what teachers need. There is a wealth of CCSS teaching ideas broken down by grade and subject. Your professional learning community is no longer limited to your building. You can now access lessons for a skill from anywhere in the world.

Reason #3: The skills your students need to know have been determined. There may be a few adjustments made to improve the flow of learning expectations, but again, this is no longer on your overfilled plate. These parameters free you to get creative with how you want to teach and what materials you will use. You don’t have to spin your wheels trying to decide what you want to teach, and if you use the Teacher’s Planning Partner plan book, you don’t have to decide when to teach what. (We did the work for you.) You and your students know what the end goal is. If your students need to present their claims and findings in their research, they are free to decide how that might look. Do they want to create a Public Service Announcement? Do they want to write a poem that includes their findings? Let their freak flag fly.