Week Ending November 15, 2019

Digging In To The Wrap Up...

So, why do we have a closing in the Workshop Model?

As we write our agendas on those white boards, reflect on your CLOSING.  Does it serve as a way to gauge student learning?  Does it tell you where you need to re-teach, or revisit skills?  AND, does it inform your GROUPINGS?  

Man, that's a LOT!  It IS, but it CAN change the way you do business in the classroom!  Consider this- how many times do you tell yourself, "I want to push the kids to extend the learning, but I have to spend so much time reviewing COLOR THEORY!"*  Or, "If only I had more time with these 5 to be able to bring them up to speed in recorder basics, they would be ROCK STARS!"*

*If this sounds anything like your inner voice, then adopting strategic small group planning is a great way to plan...  What does this mean?

You can go about this by doing the following things...

1. Teach/present (tier 1) the mini-lesson.
2. Prior to the work period (and this work period can last more than one class period- could span over days), group students homogeneously according to need.
3. Let students know they will be rotating through stations to do different tasks (could be an individual station, a collab station, a tech station- up to you- but should all adhere to the standard addressed.
4. Establish the expectations at each station (should be an output or criteria for success at each).
5. Set the timer.
6. GO!

THE KEY

WAIT FOR IT...

Now, the KEY... is to have DIFFERENTIATED work to do with each group as they come to you (this is what we call teacher led or small group station) that is based on what you saw in the last assessment/closing.

Here is a BlendSpace Presentation to view that shows examples of how this works- in reading, art and music!  BLENDSPACE ON SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION

The next step, my COURAGEOUS LEADERS- SEE BELOW!

1. So, now- think about our PD time together last week on closings.  And think about this strategy.  Try using an assessment, from either a closing, or a rubric assessment, or how kids did on the last task AS THE DATA TO GROUP KIDS.  
2. Design a lesson (that could span one or more periods) that rotates kids through stations.
3. While in small group instruction with each group- the GOAL is to PUSH THEIR THINKING, and support GROWTH, tailored to their needs.
4. Take a few pics and feel free to share with me!  I want to hear from you!

I know I have said this before, but this kind of teaching and planning is SOOOOOO much like a GROUP SPIN CLASS.  In these classes, there are a wide variety of physical abilities, but everyone's GOTTA GET THEIR SWEAT ON!  How do they do that?  They adjust the tension on the bike, just to their perceived exertion rate.  And that's EXACTLY what small group work does for OUR KIDS!

Thank you!!

Jackie