Hello, Everyone:
As professional educators, I know that you are constantly seeking ways of providing engaging lessons for our students. However, you are also challenged and encouraged (especially during this time of the year) to find ways to keep yourself motivated. Please do not allow yourself to become bogged down by complaining, but to find ways of refreshing yourself in thinking about why you are here. I would like to think that we are all here to change lives; the art of educating young minds is difficult to master. Yet, in spite of standardized tests, additional professional learning, personal obligations, lesson planning, and wayward students—you have managed to look beyond the present and look at the long-term goal—being a teacher leader in an effort for us to make Adequate Yearly Progress!
Here are a few “Pearls of Wisdom” from some notable people about staying motivated.
On Motivation:
Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means. Albert Einstein
Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself. Paul Bryant (Sorry, Auburn Tigers) :)
Six essential qualities are the key to success: sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity. William Menningner
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together. Vesta Kelly
Some people think they are concentrating when they're merely worrying. Bobby Jones (The Atlanta Braves retired coach—he will be missed!)
So many fail because they don't get started; they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin. W. Clement Stone
Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities. Anonymous :)
Stay Encouraged,
Kim :)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Making Student Learning Central to Teaching!
This excerpt was taken from SEDL, formerly known as the Southwest Educational Development Library.
Making Student Learning Central to Teaching
Every dedicated teacher is concerned about student learning. However, the day-to-day pressures of teaching, much of the dialogue about educational ills and improvements, and professional training tend to push attention toward what teachers do rather than toward what students learn. We see that it is critically important to make student learning the central focus of instructional decision making. This involves a thoughtful examination of the process of learning. Carol, a seventh grade teacher, wrote in her journal,
"It still amazes me when you think you have taught a concept so well and still a couple of kids bomb a test. Is it that they are just bad test-takers? That they don't seek assistance when they have no clue? That they are not developmentally ready to grasp the concept? That I am not really teaching what I think I am teaching? That they need more practice to really learn the concept? It could be all of the above. It depends on the student and the situation. Seeing their work and making them talk about their work and their understanding of the concept gives the teacher vital information as to what next step should be. . . . Teaching the same thing [over again] in the same way will not necessarily produce successful learning. I must target the specific problem."
Carol has begun to question the relationship between her teaching and her students' learning. However, teachers' views of how children learn often go unexamined. As Bruce Pirie, an English teacher and author, says,
For most of us, our teaching has been formed by a few influential teachers from our own schooling, a handful of respected colleagues, readings from books or journals, and the push and pull of classroom realities. From this, we assemble a practice that keeps us going, but which has not always been scrutinized in its assumptions or challenged for inconsistencies. (1997, p. 6)
Most of us focus primarily on the methods of practice and pay less attention to the foundations and directions. Examined or not, those ideas that constitute the foundations (such as views of how children learn and the purposes of schooling) impact our decisions about instructional practice.
Making Student Learning Central to Teaching
Every dedicated teacher is concerned about student learning. However, the day-to-day pressures of teaching, much of the dialogue about educational ills and improvements, and professional training tend to push attention toward what teachers do rather than toward what students learn. We see that it is critically important to make student learning the central focus of instructional decision making. This involves a thoughtful examination of the process of learning. Carol, a seventh grade teacher, wrote in her journal,
"It still amazes me when you think you have taught a concept so well and still a couple of kids bomb a test. Is it that they are just bad test-takers? That they don't seek assistance when they have no clue? That they are not developmentally ready to grasp the concept? That I am not really teaching what I think I am teaching? That they need more practice to really learn the concept? It could be all of the above. It depends on the student and the situation. Seeing their work and making them talk about their work and their understanding of the concept gives the teacher vital information as to what next step should be. . . . Teaching the same thing [over again] in the same way will not necessarily produce successful learning. I must target the specific problem."
Carol has begun to question the relationship between her teaching and her students' learning. However, teachers' views of how children learn often go unexamined. As Bruce Pirie, an English teacher and author, says,
For most of us, our teaching has been formed by a few influential teachers from our own schooling, a handful of respected colleagues, readings from books or journals, and the push and pull of classroom realities. From this, we assemble a practice that keeps us going, but which has not always been scrutinized in its assumptions or challenged for inconsistencies. (1997, p. 6)
Most of us focus primarily on the methods of practice and pay less attention to the foundations and directions. Examined or not, those ideas that constitute the foundations (such as views of how children learn and the purposes of schooling) impact our decisions about instructional practice.
How to Access the Learning Village!
Here are the directions for a portal account to access Learning Village.
If you have users who need to setup an a portal account to access Learning Village / Portal, have them contact the Helpdesk for assistance by emailing dticket@doe.k12.ga.us or by calling 1-800-869-1011, (or) user's may follow these instructions to create a Portal account themselves:
1) Click on the following link: https://portal.doe.k12.ga.us/RequestNewUserWizard.aspx
2) Once the account is Setup, the user will receive an email to Certify the Account Request (the Certification Request will appear in the User Email Inbox). The user must Certificate the Request by clicking on the Certification Link.
3) It is highly recommended user contact their assigned district Security Officer in their assigned district to assure it is properly approved in a timely manner.
Thank you,
Vidrine Jones
Technology Management Customer Support Center
Georgia Department of Education
If you have users who need to setup an a portal account to access Learning Village / Portal, have them contact the Helpdesk for assistance by emailing dticket@doe.k12.ga.us or by calling 1-800-869-1011, (or) user's may follow these instructions to create a Portal account themselves:
1) Click on the following link: https://portal.doe.k12.ga.us/RequestNewUserWizard.aspx
2) Once the account is Setup, the user will receive an email to Certify the Account Request (the Certification Request will appear in the User Email Inbox). The user must Certificate the Request by clicking on the Certification Link.
3) It is highly recommended user contact their assigned district Security Officer in their assigned district to assure it is properly approved in a timely manner.
Thank you,
Vidrine Jones
Technology Management Customer Support Center
Georgia Department of Education
Friday, December 10, 2010
Stay Motivated!
Hello, Everyone:
As professional educators, I know that you are constantly seeking ways of providing engaging lessons for our students. However, you are also challenged and encouraged (especially during this time of the year) to find ways to keep yourself motivated. Please do not allow yourself to become bogged down by complaining, but to find ways of refreshing yourself in thinking about why you are here. I would like to think that we are all here to change lives; the art of educating young minds is difficult to master. Yet, in spite of standardized tests, additional professional learning, personal obligations, lesson planning, and wayward students—you have managed to look beyond the present and look at the long-term goal—being a teacher leader in an effort for us to make Adequate Yearly Progress!
Here are a few “Pearls of Wisdom” from some notable people about staying motivated. We only have one more week…
On Motivation:
Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means. Albert Einstein
Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself. Paul Bryant (Sorry, Auburn Tigers-smile!)
Six essential qualities are the key to success: sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity. William Menningner
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together. Vesta Kelly
Some people think they are concentrating when they're merely worrying. Bobby Jones (The Atlanta Braves retired coach—he will be missed!)
So many fail because they don't get started; they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin. W. Clement Stone
Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities. Anonymous
Stay Encouraged,
Kim
As professional educators, I know that you are constantly seeking ways of providing engaging lessons for our students. However, you are also challenged and encouraged (especially during this time of the year) to find ways to keep yourself motivated. Please do not allow yourself to become bogged down by complaining, but to find ways of refreshing yourself in thinking about why you are here. I would like to think that we are all here to change lives; the art of educating young minds is difficult to master. Yet, in spite of standardized tests, additional professional learning, personal obligations, lesson planning, and wayward students—you have managed to look beyond the present and look at the long-term goal—being a teacher leader in an effort for us to make Adequate Yearly Progress!
Here are a few “Pearls of Wisdom” from some notable people about staying motivated. We only have one more week…
On Motivation:
Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means. Albert Einstein
Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself. Paul Bryant (Sorry, Auburn Tigers-smile!)
Six essential qualities are the key to success: sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity. William Menningner
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together. Vesta Kelly
Some people think they are concentrating when they're merely worrying. Bobby Jones (The Atlanta Braves retired coach—he will be missed!)
So many fail because they don't get started; they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin. W. Clement Stone
Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities. Anonymous
Stay Encouraged,
Kim
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