HUMS staff blog update, October 20, 2019

ITEMS:  

1.  Meetings and preparation for learning community meeting.  

October 24 - LT/DH Meeting (Thurs) - updated

October 22 - Learning Communities

October 29 - Dept /ELO-X planning

November 

In November, we have 2 nights of Student Led Conferences in lieu of the November 27th - Parent Conferences. November 27th is a non-work day.

November 5- Dept/ELOX Planning

November 7 - Conferences (3:15 - 6:45)

November 12 - Shared Staff

November 13- Conferences (3:15 - 6:45)

November 14 - LT/DH Meeting (Thurs)

November 19 - TA/Exhibition Team 

November 26 - Faculty/LC

2. Learning Community Agenda

Click here for the LC agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16mFcefPFUt--MstLs1RpWQVcaBTJS7zUb7DvC5s1PN0/edit

3.  Duane will be out Wednesday beginning at 11:00 to Friday Morning for personal reasons.  Please see Hillary for any discipline referral issues.  

4.  Please note that our first assembly date will be changed due lack of needed prep time - more information to come,  We will update everyone on a new date.  

5. Increasing Student Participation in Class

            “In classrooms, labs, and libraries where student discussion is encouraged, many may be talking – but not all may be participating,” says education writer Carly Berwick in this School Library Journal article. “Students speak less for a multitude of reasons. They may be shy, introverted, or struggling to master a new language… All of those who are silent in a discussion-based classroom lose valuable opportunities to grow – and the class misses out on their insights.” Berwick shares several teaching strategies to counter over-sharers and too-talkative students and ensure more-equitable participation:

            • Assign intriguing, multidimensional projects. Assignments should have a “low floor” – they’re accessible to all students – and a “high ceiling” – they’re conceptually challenging and draw on multiple skills and abilities. 

            • Get students working in small groups before sharing with the whole class. Group work greatly increases the number of students talking, but groups can still be dominated by a few students. Teachers need to be explicit about the importance of equitable participation and periodically check in on each group’s process.

            • Model what productive classroom talk looks and sounds like. This might include suggested sentence stems (I think--- because---) to spur conversation and give students polite ways of redirecting unproductive tangents. It can also be helpful to videotape a group discussion and (with students’ permission) share it with the whole class.

            • Orchestrate productive groups. This might involve putting two strong personalities together, or having all the shy/quiet students in one group. 

            • Assign roles within groups. These might include a facilitator, timekeeper, summarizer, materials gatherer, and someone who encourages and ensures everyone’s contributions. 

            • Speak privately with blabbermouths. “I’m tough with the kids who love to speak without having something to say,” says Monica Edinger, a teacher/author in New York City. “I feel we so overvalue this sort of aimless talk.” 

            • Share valuable contributions. Make a point of recognizing (and getting students to recognize) ideas or questions from quiet or shy students or restating how their ideas can be helpful to the group. It’s sometimes effective to have students silently jot down ideas before sharing out. 

            • Use technology. Flipgrid, Seesaw, Google Docs, and video or audio recording can be a way to pause and reflect on how the process is going, as well as allowing students to capture their voice outside of class and share later.

“Something to Talk About” by Carly Berwick in School Library Journal, October 2019 (Vol. 65, #9, pp. 46-48), no e-link available

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