You made it to June!! School's out (or going to be out soon) so let's keep it simple.Before you take a well deserved break take 5 minutes, and use the graphic to guide your reflection on the following: 1. In what ways and areas of blended, personalized learning did my practice evolve this past school year? What am I proud of? 2. How were my students impacted by my changing professional practice in blended, personalized learning? 3. What key areas do I want to focus on for next year? (You don't have to do anything right now- just get it out of your head!)  Put your reflection away for a couple of weeks- it will be there when you are ready. Now it's time to take an all important break, decrease your stress levels, relax and renew! Research even supports it! Taking A Break From Work (And Why You Need It)
 We don’t have to be convinced that one size does not fit all. With advancements in technology, access to free, open educational resources, and digital content and apps, why are we still left feeling like giving students choice is a daunting, impossible task? Is it the workload? Possible impact on classroom management or grading? Maybe it’s a feeling that we have to give choices everywhere or not at all? At connectingEd, we are all about baby steps. Instructionally, the use of choice is ONE way to optimize learning opportunities for students, and there are many ways to start. Once you start, keep going! Overview: Study the Continuum of Choice by Bray and McClaskey. The further to the right this progression gets, the more we educators dig our heels in, right? Probably for the reasons mentioned above. But what if we baby-stepped our way through this continuum and allowed ourselves time to evolve over several years? Reflect using these guiding questions. Don’t rush it.
 Get started! Explore the recommended resource below.  Don't Forget!!
1. Take a step and stay there a while. Practice, reflect, share with colleagues, and try again. 2. Students will not automatically KNOW how to handle choice. You will have to institute practice time with
Check out the "How I'll Show What I Know" resource below. Here are a few ideas to consider:
 We know from our own experiences that when learning is purposeful, we are engaged and motivated to make meaning of content, ideas, and topics to understand and accomplish a goal! In personalized learning, learning and application occur in a purposeful, real-world context connected to students’ lives. One of the biggest struggles teachers share is creating a context for learning content and skills connected to the real world. This month we’d like to introduce an adapted version of a graphic organizer from the great Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (Understanding by Design). The What’s My Point graphic organizer is a fantastic thinking tool to help you get at the heart of what and why the content of your unit is so important to learn and how it is connected to the real world. Overview: Use the What’s My Point graphic organizer to think through your units. If the questions seem a bit redundant, that’s because they are. The more you consider your content’s significance and connection to the real world, the more likely you will land on the real reason the content is important to learn. When you know “your point,” you can work to frame learning in this meaningful context. (See image below for examples) Link to What’s My Point (just click) Don't Forget!! 1. Take baby steps. To practice, it might make it feel more manageable to try this with a lesson first. Then start with one unit. After that, it's ok to evolve one unit at a time. 2. Collaboration is key. Try this with a colleague. Teaching the same subject and grade is helpful but not necessary. The main goal is to have a thought partner in the process. Join in the conversation. Post a comment:
The image below shows the evolution of four units using What’s My Point. The first two columns show the teacher’s original point of teaching the unit. The last two columns show the teacher’s shift in thinking after completing What’s My Point.   Keeping our embedded assessment strategies engaging and effective is an ongoing process. This month let's look at a great check-in strategy, Battling the Boss. It works really well in a personalized classroom where students are working at their own pace. Students love it and it provides evidence of learning so both you and your student know if they are ready to move on.
Overview: Students reflect and decide when they are ready to "Battle the Boss" - they then engage in a verbal, written &/or digital task that provides evidence of understanding around the learning focus. The teacher and student then decide the best next steps in learning. It is a great way to check for understanding and check in with students moving at their own pace. Link to Battling the Boss Resource (just click): Includes video example and explanation Don't Forget!! 1. Modify the strategy to fit your situation-grade level, content area, student need, etc. Make it work for YOUR classroom! 2. Make the Battling the Boss challenge questions reflect the depth of thinking that is appropriate for your learning goal. Join in the conversation...post a comment:
What is Happening?...Corona Conversations (and Challenges)
Looking for a simple, interesting, authentic way to engage students over remote learning days? Use your innovation and creativity to expand on the ideas below to create a 1-2 week learning unit surrounding the topic of the Coronavirus. Everyone’s lives are being affected, these unit topics will help students gain understanding about what is happening and why. Unit topics have been created for different grades, but could easily be modified for additional grades based on student population and interests. We encourage you to work with a team of teachers and pull in multi-disciplinary perspectives. If you need support just use http://www.connectinged.com/contact-us.html to get a message to us! Get Started:
K-5 Theme: One Thing Leads To Another Possible Big Ideas/Essential Questions
Possible Unit Understandings
Possible Standards Grade Kindergarten
6-8 Theme: Safety VS Freedom Possible Big Idea/Essential Question
Possible Unit Understandings
Possible Standards
9-12 Pandemic or Media Frenzy? Why? Possible Big Ideas/Essential Questions
Possible Unit Understandings
Possible standards
 Check out the Schoology Connect Webpage for all of the details!
Who Should Attend? Educators and administrators in Ohio or neighboring states who are currently using Schoology or who are considering adopting Schoology for their district or school. When & Where Thurs. June 20th, 2019 | 7:30am - 4:00pm ET Berlin High School 3140 Berlin Station Road Delaware, OH 43015 Contact Gary Herman at gary.herman@putnamcountyesc.org for more information.   |
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