I said I'd complete the challenge, so I'm not going to skip what I've missed, but will try to make up for it now. Since I punked out the past few days, I will try to keep it short, for all of our benefit :)
Day 19 | Name three powerful ways students can reflect on their learning, then discuss closely the one you use most often.
One of the most important ways for someone to reflect on their learning would be to evaluate why they had to do something in the first place. What was the objective? Are you able to answer it completely with evidence to support your claim? You received a 2/5 on the formative - what resources do you need to go back to in order to correct your mistakes?
Be honest with your reflection(s). You truly know whether or not you've put forth the best effort possible at that moment. If you didn't, fix it. Ask for help. Review. Reorganize. Take advantage of opportunities to correct your mistake(s) if you are given that chance. Don't be satisfied with, "I just didn't get it."
There are a number of "tools" out there that are beginning to make formative checks easier to complete. Make sure to discuss them to make sure there is a clear understanding for their purpose.
Not too sure if that counts for different ways to reflect, but it's all I got at the moment. I really liked the rubric that Kirsten implemented within her standards-based grading. It truly forces students to be honest with their reflection.
Day 20 | How do you curate student work -- or help them do it themselves?
Personally, I feel like I have stuff all over the place sometimes. My piles of paper are almost obsolete at this point, but they've just turned into lists within Drive. I think Doctopus helps me to stay a little more organized currently. I'm able to look at student work in one place instead of having to fish for it. I have to remember to use it more often actually. I have folders set up for each class within my email, so as things come in (even from Drive) I throw them into the appropriate folder right away.
Last year I tried having the students use Padlet to host Content Statements from Economics. For each CS they had to upload an example (or more) that was evidence for that particular statement. I liked the idea, but I don't think the students grasped it too well. I still would like to try something like that this year; maybe with Padlet, Tackk, or something else.
I think it's important to have students have some type of "portfolio" to show their work and how all of those examples work together (if that makes sense).
Day 21 | Do you have other hobbies/interests that you bring into your classroom teaching? Explain.
I have always loved to run. Usually (and I don't this year as I'm looking around) I have a Pre poster hanging on the wall. My desktop background cycles through Runners' World backgrounds. I love to watch 60-minutes and TED Talks; when applicable (or because I just think it's a nice life lesson!) I show different clips in class. I enjoy listening to a wide variety of music, but especially stay close to music from my teenage years. In Economics class I always mentioned going to a Stone Temple Pilots concert as my example for something that was inelastic - I never thought I'd get to see them live in concert, so when they got back together and were touring in 2008, I didn't care how much those tickets were, I was going. I have pictures of my kids all over the place and talk about my immediate and extended family all the time. Some people think that's getting too personal, but it's just who I am. Whenever I can, I try to interject little personal things into what I am talking about because it feels more relatable to me, and hopefully, to my students as well. My funny man face always hanging or propped somewhere in the room. Why? It typically elicits a laugh, followed by what is that and why do you have it? It made you laugh!
Not sure if this was the intention with this posted question, but it's what I got. :)
Day 22 | What does your PLN look like, and what does it do for your teaching?
My PLN starting forming about a year ago now. Well formally anyways. I've always had a few people I converse with regularly in regard to teaching styles and trying new things. I had not heard of a PLN before using Twitter last year. My face-to-face people that are part of what I consider my PLN are social studies, science, english, foreign language, and math people. They don't have to be within my content area necessarily; everyone teaching all kinds of things has valuable methods of madness that I love to hear about.
My PLN has now extended into the virtual world with Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. I would like to get to a point with the virtuals where I feel like I am giving as much as I'm taking, but I don't think I'm there yet. My lovely excuse called time creeps in frequently and I neglect to follow up on really cool ideas or collaborations. I am hopeful that things will settle down (finally) a little bit after this year with my content so I am able to do more of that.
What it does for my teaching? Revitalizes my teaching. I get excited all over again about teaching something that I've taught dozens of times. And if I can do that for someone else? I'm in.
Day 23 | Write about one way you "meaningfully" involve the community in the learning in your classroom. If you don't yet do so, discuss one way you could get started.
When I taught Economics, we (the Econ teachers at my building) would have different speakers come in from the Business network set up with the District. I thought it was important for the students to see some of those folks that work within their community and vice versa. It was a nice change of pace to hear someone else discuss an important concept with the students besides me.
With history? I think another set of teachers has some veterans in to speak, but I'm not sure.
I think a way to get started is through being a part of the digital world. There are parents of students who work in the community. If they are exposed to what we are doing within the classroom, hopefully they speak about their child's experience at work to get the word out a little bit. I have some interesting ideas for different projects this year and think it would be neat for some exposure outside of our four walls.
Now let's see if I can keep up the next 7 or so days...
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