In this lesson, students start by thinking about "trends" in general and then narrow their focus into looking at trends in the periodic table. These additions to the Classroom Clips playlist on our Powerful Teaching and Learning channel come from a 10th grade science lesson delivered by Steve Cornell and his students in Lahaina, Hawaii.
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As a first-year teacher, I thought entry tasks had one primary purpose: to keep the students quiet and occupied long enough for me to take attendance. During my first two years of teaching, I tended to assign a lot of simple, skills-based activities as entry tasks. I was an English teacher, so my students typically had grammar or vocabulary exercises during the first five minutes of class. However, as I observed other teachers through my STAR training and grew stronger in my own instructional practices, I began to look for ways to raise the level of thinking and application in my lessons. As my lessons began to demand more from my students, so too, did my entry tasks. Although I still started one or two lessons a week with skills-based practice (there is always a place for that!), I began to focus more on activities that asked my students to think critically and to make connections from the moment the bell rang. Here were three of my favorite entry tasks.
We asked a handful of teachers a simple question: "Why are you a teacher?" This is a collection of their responses. Interested in adding more purpose to your instruction?
 When I first entered this job I had no idea what to expect from observations. I have held teaching jobs before and I am fairly comfortable at the front of the room, but observing was something else. Becoming this stealthy person who sits, invisible, at the side of the classroom and writes down what is going on is a lot harder than it sounds. Do not get me wrong. I love doing it. I love being able to see places in Washington I never knew existed before. I love watching enthusiastic teachers do what they were born to do. I love seeing students really engage and be part of their own education. But, there are sure some awkward times when you are trying to be an anonymous, invisible, fly-on-the-wall observer as well as many moments that make it very special.
The newest additions to the Classroom Clips playlist on our Powerful Teaching and Learning channel come from a 7th grade math lesson delivered by Breck Ivy in Highline, Washington. Students work in groups and pairs while learning how to analyze and organize data through stem and leaf plots. We read about it all the time – students of lower socioeconomic status (SES) do not perform as well academically as those from higher SES. SES refers to the mix of economic, educational, and social factors that encompass the differences in economic wealth (such as educational opportunity and attainment), social status, and the ability to control aspects of one’s life. Both laboratory and societal research point to early enriched environments as essential to success. They also show that stress, which is often found in households of low SES, can adversely affect cognitive function. Given the wealth of information on the cycle of reduced opportunities for enriched experiences and stress effects on cognitive development, a seemingly basic question would be, “Can we change this cycle? And, if so, how?”
We are in the process of applying for a grant provided by Chase. Through Mission Main Street Grants, Chase is awarding grants of $250K to 12 small businesses. You can help, simply by voting for us on Facebook. A critical area of American education that must improve is the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. The BERC Group has developed a great deal of expertise in this area by observing 35,000 classrooms and by video recording over 100 classroom lessons. This grant would provide us the opportunity to create a on-demand classroom observation video library for administrators and teachers. We have the capacity to sustain the system long-term, once developed. Please help us reach our goal of 250 Facebook votes by 12pm on November 15th. Thank you for your support! How to Vote1. Go to: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/search 2. Click Connect with Facebook 
3. Search for "the berc group" or "98021" 
4. Click VOTE NOW 
The newest addition to the Classroom Clips playlist on our Powerful Teaching and Learning channel come from an 11th grade science lesson delivered by Richard Salboro in Waianae, Hawai'i. Richard demonstrates how the oobleck bounces when placed on top of a speaker playing music and has his class explore "what do you think is happening to cause the 'oobleck' to dance?" We cannot expect to improve student achievement without addressing the issue of poverty head on, and this work has to include families and communities. In Washington State, 46.1% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. In many school districts, this percentage is much higher. Poverty can impede children's ability to learn and can contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Poverty also can contribute to poor health and mental health. Risks are greatest for children who experience poverty when they are young and/or experience deep and persistent poverty. Research suggests family engagement promotes a range of benefits for students, including improved school readiness, higher student achievement, better social skills and behavior, and increased likelihood of high school graduation. Involving parents, integrating the teaching of social and academic skills, and creating continuity among settings that a child negotiates on a daily basis are all crucial for launching a successful academic career. Our goal has to be to work with families to enhance their children's education and ability to learn, working around the barriers poverty might present. One clear way to navigate around these barriers is to focus on families as partners.
We just added three new clips to the Classroom Clips playlist on our Powerful Teaching and Learning channel. |
