Group items tagged

So why don't students view their mistakes as a valuable asset? Well, students don't think about their mistakes rationally -- they think about them emotionally. Mistakes make students feel stupid. "Stupid" is just that: a feeling. Specifically, it's the feeling of shame, and our natural response is to avoid its source. If we say something embarrassing, we hide our face. If we get a bad grade, we hide the test away. Unsurprisingly, that's the worst move to make if you ever want to get better. Academic success does not come from how smart or motivated students are. It comes from how they feel about their mistakes.

Changing your students' perspective on mistakes is the greatest gift you can give yourself as a teacher.

Further, Lily didn't stop with remediation with this group; instead, she chose to frontload the next body system, the skeletal system

She didn't engage the group in inquiry-based instruction practices that day, however. The Rhodes group made flash cards, listing such questions as, "What are the two main structures that make up the central nervous system?" and "What are the functions of the spinal cord?" Although this is a more traditional practice, in this group flash cards had a different feeling. The students chatted with one another while making the cards. They asked Lily to clarify concepts so the information on the cards would be easily understood and to quiz them using the cards. "Great job!" she would say. "You missed three. Practice with the cards a little more, and you'll have it!" Not every student in the room needed to work with flash cards. These students, however, benefited from the practice.

Four Lessons Learned

How can we transfer these practices into other classrooms?

Second, teachers must use pre-assessments to make decisions; we must become what Carol Ann Tomlinson called "assessment junkies."

Third, we can apply this lesson structure to any content

Could teachers do this every day? Sure. Do they need to do it every day? No. Teachers could start with one or two lessons per unit;

Each lesson does take some additional planning

Just start small, and go on from there.

Step 4: Don't Accept Chaos

Step 5: Fill in the Gaps

Step 6: Repeat

3. Lesson Planning

4. Creating

5. Collaborate 

6. Showcase 

7. Portfolios 

Integrating technology is an ongoing project. You are never finished. The key is to keep on learning.

It doesn't make for tidy one-period lesson plans.

More preparation is required at the beginning.

Technically, you don’t "gain" more class time.

4. Watch the Clock

If you've been talking for 15 minutes and you're still not done, 90 percent of the time you probably won't make things any clearer by talking for even longer.

5. Watch Yourself Teach

Video your direct instruction and then watch it.