What we gained from the Showcase - #1

There were a lot of good projects and tons of info that could be  of benefit to teachers.  I am more concerned with my topic and have lots to do to get it as far as I want it to be so I will focus on that more in the future. 

I liked the positive classroom management piece and the technology is invaluable.  I hope to incorporate more as we progress by using youtube video to teach swimming strokes, certain sports skills, etc.  or for skills that can be used in say a cooking class.  

I have already started using the drop box with chrome so I can have it "open all files of this type" and that cuts down on wait time to see docs from students and they can not see others info to copy and paste so easily.  (Tried discuss but too many just copied some discussion from above.)

What we gained from PLC work.

2.  Several things that I learned about during our PLC work all revolved around persistence and
     consistency.  It is very easy to get frustrated and give up when trying any new technique, especially  
     when we don't get the results that we want or expect.  Giving up is always something that runs
     through our mind.  The key to being successful is being persistent and giving the technique time to    
     work.  Just because we have our heads wrapped around a concept doesn't mean that the students do.

Also, if we as teachers are continually changing our teaching format, and classroom structure, then our students are never able to get comfortable in the classroom.  They are continually struggling to find a foothold within our structure.  I think that it is very important that we maintain a certain degree of normalcy so that our students always have a point of reference, a place they can come back to and be successful.

Today we discussed the effectiveness of Cold Calling and No Opt Out.  Each is getting better using the techniques and more comfortable with it.   The kids are actually enjoying using it.  One modification we are using is having a student that answers correctly pick the next person to answer (once the question is posed). 
The No Opt Out is making students pay attention since they know they will have to answer it sooner or later.  Helps with engagement.

Today we discussed several different aspects of Teach like a Champion.  I experienced a very high degree of engagement by using the hook.  It really seemed to lead to a good deal of discussion, as well as the students putting in their own personal input into the class.  We will be determining which aspects to include in our presentation and working on really developing 3 or 4 of the different techniques presented in the book.

PLC Showcase

At the end of our semester of work, all PLCs will be showcasing their work at the Wyandotte High School PLC Showcase on Wednesday, December 12th in the Social Hall.  The showcase will be a public demonstration of our learning, collaboration, and results.  Each PLC will showcase work that reflects how your learning and collaboration has impacted student learning.  Each PLC is encouraged to be creative and innovative in their demonstration (student examples would be highly encouraged); however, please be sure the following are addressed through your presentation -
    PLC Focus

Collaborative Actions   

Summary of PLC Learning

Impact on Student Learning

Connections to Future Teaching and Learning

In addition, all staff will have an opportunity to visit each demonstration during the Showcase.  Many outside guests will also be in attendance.  

If your PLC requires any kind of additional resources, please submit any requests for those materials via the comment section to this blog entry by NOVEMBER 9th. You will receive these materials by or before your November 28th meeting, so you will have AT LEAST two weeks to work on organizing your demonstration.

10/17/12

Today we discussed the field guide, and it made a very good point that we can't master all the points of Teach Like A Champion, but we should be choosing the ones that best fit our situations and our personal skills.  Since both of us teach non-traditional classes, we tend to use a different set of models for instruction in our classrooms.  That's not to say that the standard ones don't work, they just aren't optimal for our settings.

MORE TLaC....the FIELD GUIDE

Today we reviewed how things are going. 

Then we read what Lemov has to say about the new book on TLaC ----  the Field Guide.

We were most intrigued by the following comments:

With this book teachers will be able to find and strengthen their signature skills. It’s true that no champion teacher is without weaknesses, even those who take our collective breath away. What champions have in common is a portfolio of five or six skills at which they excel. Of course the skills aren’t the same ones for every teacher—the combinations are as unique as the applications. But it’s these skills that drive much of their success. The lesson from this is: strengthen your strengths as much as your weaker areas, make your strengths exceptional, even while you broaden the range of areas where you have mastery.

AND

Given that there are 49 techniques I’m frequently asked, Where to start?

Every teacher and facilitator will approach this question differently. The way you move through the book and use it to enhance your teaching practice will be as individual as you are. Still, here are some initial thoughts:

If you wanted to begin with the two techniques that were most likely to revolutionize what I call “the culture of academic expectations” then I’d suggest you choose Cold Call and No Opt Out. But I realize not all teachers are looking for this kind of revolution as a starting point. In fact some of the best teachers argue that great classrooms rest on a culture of strong everyday routines that give teachers the power to teach efficiently and students the power to excel. These kinds of routines often free up astounding amounts of time for teaching. So, for many teachers starting with the techniques such as Entry Routine and Tight Transitions, in Section Five, numbers 28 through 35, makes a lot of sense. Another possible place to begin is with planning techniques such as Begin with the End and Double Plan.

I know my PE portfolio of skills will be different than science and different still than english, but similar to maybe band or home ec.