When the bell rings for class, what are your students doing? Are they immediately engaged in a setting where they drive the learning environment? Do they wait for the adult in the room to squeeze the knowledge deep down into their brains and wait to be directed by the teacher?
Ryan Krohn came to visit us on Friday and we peeked into classrooms from 9-9:20 just to see this very thing. In a 30 second check, the classroom would get 1 point if students were up and working together or up and doing something hands on. The classroom would get no point if the students were sitting and listening to the teacher talk. North scored a 1 out of 23 for that snapshot.
Do we have a sense of urgency here? Think about the importance of having one shot to create that hook for your students and to get them immediately interested in the learning.
Kickoffs! Like bell work (sounds boring)...kickoffs (Go Badgers!) are the first order of business in every classroom, every period. They consist of a 3-7 minute, instant mini-lesson that focuses directly on areas of need according to our school data. What if students knew in every class, to look for the kick-off as soon as they enter every classroom at the beginning of each period? What if students controlled what this looked like instead of the teacher? Students immediately conducting student-led kickoffs.
Would kick-offs get us into the playoffs at Waukesha North?
Think about how we can make all our students winners! Take a step back...and allow our students to help us....move the dial.
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