A. It all starts with relationship building. This has been such an important part of my educational process. Through readings such as “The Spiritual Dimensions of Leadership” by Paul D. Houston & Stephen L. Sokolo, and “Classroom Instruction that Works” by Marzano et. al, it’s eye opening how important these aspects of classroom and staff relationships are.
From day one of the school year, my "plan" includes many collaborative-classroom building activites. I am intentially going to implement activities that give my students an opportunity to work together and learn from each other. Throughout the year I am going to work diligently to incorperate relationship building as often as possible.
B. The 9 instructional strategies that really do work. It’s amazing to me how versatile Marzano’s 9 strategies are. I enjoy how fluid each strategy can be, and the benefits it produces. I plan to implement each of the strategies within my learning plans, as well as my UbD development and stage three documents.
C. You've got to have community building. Like relationship building, I can’t imagine a successful year without some sort of community building. It is such a human process, to feel connected and cared for. I continue to think back to our master’s class inaugural weekend and the fear and anxiety some of us felt. After a few community building activities, that fear and anxiety were gone, replaced with feelings of equality and respect. I’m convinced that before you can start to see any results academically in the classroom, you need to first set the tone with care for one another.
D. Poetry and its connection to improving fluency. This is a must have. For years, poetry has been a cornerstone for the written word and it just so happens it helps improve fluency. If you don’t agree, read my ROL. After doing the research and implementing many poetry related activities into the classroom, I will continue to incorporate this discipline into my classroom on a daily basis.
E. UbD: Every man's Everest. Yes, although the workload seemed like climbing a small Everest, it is attainable and when finished, the rewards you reap are greater than those you had to sow. I will hopefully be motivated to continue this planning concept. It truly does make an insurmountable difference.
Question 2/Week 2 (blog entry for ETL week 2): How have you planned to overtly “teach” with these “non-negotiables” in mind? What impact will these “non-negotiables” have on you as a teacher? …on your students? …on their learning? …on your classroom? …on our school and/or college?
As emphasized in my intentions stated above, I plan to overly "teach" these "non-negotiables" with a constant focus on three things. 1: My interactions: With students, teachers, parents both in school and out side of school. 2) With a upfront view of meaning: Asking myself questions of why and how during my planning practices. Why am I doing what I am doing? How does this relate to my kids? How will they relate this to their lives? 3) Intention: Using the practice of intention when I am planning and setting up my BIG IDEAS for the school year.
What questions or struggles do I still have?
My biggest fear right now, is that I will become distracted with all of the "small" things relative to teaching during the school year and will lose focus on what I find most important. I need to keep my eyes on the "prize" as one might say and continue to allow myself to be guided by what's best for my students and what's most important for my classroom.
