As we begin 2014, I would like to encourage you to re-engage your learners and yourself. This snowy, cold time is a GREAT time to Guide-Release-Engage-Assess-Teach.
Guide your learners with small groups of learning. Guided instruction that is specifically aligned to individual students’ needs and deeply aligned to the standards will garner more success for our learners.
Release the learning responsibility to your students. You have spent a considerable amount of time delivering the material, unleashing the standards, and providing the instruction. It is time to release some responsibility to the capable students whom you have developed. Provide them the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and share with their peers.
Engage, or re-engage, your students in the learning. Mid-year is a wonderful time to stop and re-establish the learning environment of the classroom. Can you recreate the excitement of September? Rekindle the desire to learn something new!
Assess your students to determine their mastery of the learning standards. Does their learning level align for end of year success? Are you ready for the district Common Assessments? Have you established other formative assessments to include in your teaching cycle? Do you have any performance assessments that need to be completed by the end of the semester?
Teach your students in a rigorous manner that prepares them for today’s learning and tomorrow’s challenges. Remember that we are enlisted with the challenge of preparing our students for College and Careers.
The links located to the right are a great way to get started or revisit some good ideas. Best of luck in 2014 and please contact the Curriculum Department with any questions or concerns that we can assist with!
