http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=510
Hello Everyone,
If any of your are keeping track, this will be the first time in eight weeks that students have had a full week of classes, so don’t be surprised if kids (any maybe adults) are pooped this week.
Six items of note for this week:
• Staffing Survey – As I’ve done each year, attached is a survey regarding next year’s staffing plan and also what you would like to be doing next year and beyond. I’d like to hear from all staff, both classified and certified. All answers will be kept confidential. We will have a more in-depth discussions as a staff regarding next year’s staffing plan, but this is a place to start that will help me create some draft plans. You can reply to me via email or by returning a hardcopy to my mailbox (although I prefer email). Please return completed surveys to me by Tuesday, February 2nd.
• Around the World Yo-Yo Assembly Friday – This Friday is the “School is Cool Yo-Yo Assembly”. See the Zimbra calendar for your school’s times. If you’d like to see an outline of the assembly, you can find it on their website. The performer will tell the story of Yo the yo-yo, who decides to get a job. Each job deals with a school subject. Yo-yo tricks are demonstrated as the story progresses. This is the same assembly we had a few years ago. This is an optional assembly if you have other activities already planned for your class.
• Know Any Strong Girls Who Should be Recognized? – The “Stronger than You Know Award” is for girls ages 10-18, which is about 5th to 12th grade, who have:⁃ A Strong Sense of Self
⁃ A Strong Sense of Self Healthy Decision Making
⁃ Healthy Decision Making Achievement of Personal Goal
⁃ Achievement of Personal Goal Service to Others
⁃ Service to Others Taking on a Challenge or Overcoming Adversity
⁃ Taking on a Challenge or Overcoming AdversityNominations are due by February 25th. See the flyer for details. What a fantastic way to honor and recognize a young woman!
• Out of the Mouths of Babes – In this New York Times article, Sam Dillon reports on a study comparing student questionnaire data with calculations of their teachers’ test-score data. The researchers found that teachers whose students agreed with these statements had higher value-added scores.⁃ Our class stays busy and doesn’t waste time.
⁃ In this class, we learn to correct our mistakes.
⁃ My teacher has several good ways to explain each topic that we cover in this class.Conversely, teachers whose students agreed with this statement tended to make smaller test-score gains than other teachers.
⁃ We spend a lot of time in this class practicing for the state test.
Harvard professor Ron Ferguson, who developed the student questionnaire, commented, “Kids know effective teaching when they experience it. As a nation, we’ve wasted what students know about their own classroom experiences instead of using that knowledge to inform school reform efforts.”
• Is Rote Memorization a Bad Thing? – Here’s a couple of interesting articles, one from EdWeek and one from the ASCD Smartbrief (which actually links to another site) that came out last week questioning the commonly held belief that rote memorization is a bad thing. I agree with much of these articles and believe that “learning by heart” does have a place when it’s balanced with conceptual understanding.
• Yong Zhao on US Schools Catching Up or Leading the Way – Yong Zhao presented at the COSA Winter Conference two weeks ago. I would strongly encourage you to check out the YouTube link below (where he calls for creating students who are creative and innovative thinkers and not just good test takers) as well as the link to his website. You will find him engaging and his perspective thought provoking.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNpZ60IJ42o [/youtube]
Have an great week!
Allan