Tuesday, September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019

We're all coaches, in some way shape or form!
Whether we are coaching our students, our own children, or the teacher across the hall, we all wear the coaching hat (or shorts, LOL!) at one time or another. I think that's why Diana's Benner's post on the TCEA blog struck home with me. I hope you have a chance to read it here this week. It's a great list of reminders that when we're in coach-mode to listen, to build relationships, to share successes, and to realize that we don't have to have all the answers. I know I need to be reminded of that sometimes in the classroom, in the workroom, and in my own dining room! We all need coaching some days!

 Building Classroom Culture 
The graphic below is a great extension of Benner's post above. Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference. 

Digital Learning Spotlight: Flipgrid News
I'm a huge Flipgrid fan. I love its potential for formative assessment. I love its potential for giving our ELL's practice speaking into the computer. And I love its potential for use in station rotation models. Flipgrid is continually upping its game. If you are new to Flipgrid or looking for new ways to leverage this amazing tool, check out the Flipgrid blog. 

 ELL Spotlight: Cloze Passages
I had the opportunity to do a little exploring in Texas Gateway this week and was reminded of the power of the Cloze passage for formative assessment, especially when it comes to reinforcing vocabulary for our English Language Learners. (If you haven't explored Texas Gateway, it's an amazing free resource for Core and CTE instruction.) Below is a screenshot of a traditional Cloze passage. Imagine the power of this passage for our ELL's if each of the vocabulary words at the bottom of the passage was accompanied by a picture: teacher-generated or student-selected. Mediating the language with visuals improves content comprehension.
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,