Welcome to our Final Session

Welcome to our Final SessionClassroom and Lab Management Part 2Spring, 2014

Let’s get started! If people are missing they can join in when they arrive.

This is a team activity. Each person will have a copy of the puzzle, but please

work on this collaboratively for four minutes.

All words deal with discipline and management concepts!

Teambuilder “Scrambler”

Let’s recap last week’s topic and look at your questions0 Liability – being

sued – who do you go to?

0 How can I deal with the students who do not participate and disrupt class?

Any KWL charts to turn in from week 1?

Objective:

Topic: Maximizing Instructional Time

Do: Discuss ways to use instructional time most effectively

L.O.T.: Understanding

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Maximizing Use of Instructional Time

Greet your students at the door!

0 Invite them to sit

0 Give any expectations for what you want them to get working on doing

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Time Management – over plan!!

It’s better to have more to do and not enough time to do it than to have students with extra time on their hands!

Kids “cook up trouble” when they are not constructively engaged

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Provide Concrete Deadlines

Be tight with the timeline for assignment completion!

Create a sense of urgency for students to complete the assigned task

Adjust as necessary

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Educational “Time Terms”

0 Instructional Time – 0Time used for actual instruction (excluding record

keeping, dealing with discipline, disruptions, etc.)

0Academic Learning Time, Time on Task, or Engaged Time– 0Time that the students are actually learning; they are

paying attention, receiving instruction, and are actively engaged in learning tasks(This involves emotional commitment on the student’s part to their learning)

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The typical high school student’s attention span is 8-14 minutes

Here’s what a class period looks like:

(Reference: Hartley J and Davies I “Note taking: A critical review” Programmed Learning and Educational technology, 1978,15, 207-224).

Educational “Time Terms” (continued)

0Golden rule of 15 minutes – Teachers should limit themselves to no more than 15 minutes at a time at the board, showing a PowerPoint, or lecturing

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Bell to Bell Instruction0Focuses on maximizing all available instructional time!0Does NOT mean that the teacher lectures from “bell to

bell”0Lessons should be chunked into different activities

involving as much student action as is appropriate for the objective!

0Students need to be given the opportunity to process all information that is provided in lectures, Power Points, videos, etc.

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FOR EVERY TEACHER ACTION THERE SHOULD BE A STUDENT ACTION!

Task:0Read through the Time-on-Task: A Strategy that Accelerates

Learning article, annotating as you wish

0On the cardstock provided, create a table and jot down a few key ideas about each of the steps related to effective student learning – Be sure to title your table!

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Explanation Modeling

Guided Practice Independent Practice

In order for you to be ABLE to use all class time, you must have clearly defined and

communicated expectations for

behavior

Classroom Non-negotiables

What will YOU not budge about??

Your classroom/lab expectations must be:

0Fair0Consistent0Respectful to students0Understood by your students0Workable/Realistic to execute

Now, independently on the handout provided write 3-5 “non-negotiables” for your class or lab. Be prepared to share and discuss!

Time for a break!

Creating Effective Grading and Student Grouping Policies

The handout provided, write down the categories that you enter into your gradebook

Objectives:Topic: Grading and grouping policies

Do: 0Examine effective ways to group students, and how to

independently assess group work0 Identify the categories and weights of headings in

grade records

L.O.T.: Understanding

4 ways to group students:

0 Randomly0 Teacher-selected0 By seat proximity0 Student-selected

Consider surveying your students’ attitudes prior to setting groups

Which of the following best describes your experience of group work?A. I like group work because my group helps me learn.B. I question the value of group work because in the past I've

ended up doing all the work.C. I have little or no experience working in groups.D. I have different experience of group work than the choices

above. (Please explain.)Those who check “B” can be put into a group of their own. They might find this to be the first time they are really challenged and satisfied by group work

What about grading group work?

0 Each student should be graded independently0 Students should understand the criteria prior to starting to

work on the project0 When grouping students the process used to determine who

works together should be matched to what the goals of the project are

0 When the teacher selects the group, “A” students work well with “C” students, and “B” students are helpful to “D” students

0 Consider having set groups that rotate if you use group work regularly (see handout)

Grading Must Reflect Mastery of Course Concepts

and Skills0When determining how much an assignment, project

or assessment would be worth, always think, “How critical is this to understanding what students need to know about ____________ “ (fill in your course)

0Be VERY cautious with “participation points” – if you use them, have how they can be earned/lost in writing and make sure they align with school policies

0 “Extra credit” for non- academic things (like turning in papers with parent signatures) should not be common, if used at all

The district has very general guidelines for grading

0Let’s look at the official MPS Administrative Regulation for grading secondary students (green)

0Ed Tech has prepared a variety of resources for gradebook help with the system we use within Synergy http://www.mpsaz.org/gradebook/secondary/secondarysupport2 (pink handout)

Grading:0 Policies need to be clearly communicated to students

in writing0 Use rubrics whenever appropriate to do so, and give

students the rubrics prior to the assignment or project

Rubrics created by other teachers are available and customizable if you search the web. A good website to use is Rubistar: www. http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

Let’s look at the writing rubrics that we are suggesting that PLCs use as an example that everyone should be able to relate to.

Stretch break with a task!

Please get a laptop and log on to the MPS website.

You can share a machine with one other person or do the activity independently.

If you have an iPad you are welcome to use it, but a smartphone would be too small for what we’re doing.

Send your written grading policies home for parent signatures

Let’s look at some examples… www.mpsaz.org

0 Go onto the MPS website and type in “Grading Policies” in the search box – Complete the table using at least three examples you view

Article: High School Grading Policies

Take a highlighter, identifying what you find most significant

Wrapping grades up…

Go back to your Gimme an A handout –

0 Add any categories you might have missed

0 Change any that aren’t working for you

0 Put percentages next to each for weight

Closure0On the “Week 3” portion of the

backside of your name tent, write one thing that you plan to do differently as a result of what we covered today. If there is nothing, write a summary describing why using instructional time wisely is critical!

If you are doing this for ADE credit, email Ann a suggested date and time for a visit following spring break. Also – don’t forget KWL charts about your students if you don’t have them in!