Assignments Matter

The North leadership team just finished reading, Assignments Matter-Making the connections that help students meet standards, by Eleanor Dougherty. I believe it is true that students can do no better than the assignments they are given. Quality assignments are the hallmark of effective instruction. How can we get our students to achieve to new levels? One way is through the PLC challenge!

We know that effective teaching sets high expectations. How do your assignments become the centerpieces for demanding and interesting learning experiences? Dougherty says the must-have features of an assignment include: a prompt, a product, and a rubric. Do your assignments pass this test?

In order to raise student achievement, we must raise our expectations. Dougherty says, "If you believe in equality of instruction, you will be tenacious in finding instructional practices and supports to ensure students engage in rigorous assignments that prepare them to participate in and contribute to a society that values ideas, literacy, and critical thinking." Keep pushing our students to take responsibility for their own learning as often as appropriate.

Teaching assignments that connect students to the world outside of school is one of our best weapons against the apathy and boredom many students feel when they are confined to a classroom, where learning may seem irrelevant and tiresome. Work together to meaningfully connect learning for students. The payoff for you as the teacher will be very rewarding and your students are apt to feel more inspired as learners.

Midwest Google Apps Summit

I just spent 2 days at the Midwest Google Apps Summit (#mwgs for our Twitter friends) with an amazing group of innovative educators! I was feeling pretty good the first day. I learned just enough new information to feel empowered and ready to do some damage. Day two, after the third session mid-day, I had hit the Google wall and was sitting in sessions with a glazed look that had overcome my mind and body and my head was swimming!

I have included the link below to the summit website with all the presentation topics. Let me warn you, you could spend months looking at all of this, but there are some outstanding resources that I wanted to share with you.

https://sites.google.com/site/gapsmidwestsummit/

I will end with a quote from Lou Holtz here, "If you are bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things- you don't have enough goals".  Burning Google desire...

Practice Perfect

I enjoyed reading Doug Lemov's first book so much, Teach Like a Champion, that I thought I would check out his book, Practice Perfect. Plus, how can you really pass up something that proclaims to give you 42 rules for getting better at getting better.

Doug talks a lot about what great teachers do in the classroom. Great teachers are obsessed with how efficiently they use time in the classroom. Great teachers ask questions that are artful and strategic. Great teachers listen, reflect, and discuss. What makes you a great teacher? Let me help you answer that...

The One World School House

If you have been following the social media loops, you will know that Salman Khan, has stirred up quite a bit of controversy with his new book, "The One World School House--Education Re-imagined".

This book is sure to make you think differently about the conventional way we go about education.

Khan says that active learning, owned learning, begins with giving each student the freedom to determine where and when the learning will occur. It's a case of one-size-fits-few. Isn't this our preference still, as adults?

What level of application and understanding should we expect from our students? Do we encourage our students to go farther and deeper in their learning? Does learning start and stop at the bell? If you give students the opportunity to learn deeply and to see the magic of the universe around them, almost everyone will be motivated.

I encourage all of you to focus on the connections and the continuity among concepts across all subjects. 

PLC challenge! Lessons aimed at interrelated concepts, would match the way our brains are actually wired, and would prepare our students to function in a complex world where good enough...no longer is.

Our world...and North HS...needs bold thinking and innovative approaches. I lean on you...for new ideas!

Have a great week Northstars! Innovate....challenge the status quo...and ask yourself...is what we are providing, the most high-quality education our students need and want?