We will use the traditional Q1:A1 format tonight like always. Please use #APTeach in your response and respond to as many of our #APTeach friends as you would like!
My name is Andrew Sharos, former APUSH teacher, author of @All4sand5s and moderator of #APTeach chat running the first Wednesday of every month at 8PM CST. Welcome one and all! #APTeach
A1: Most of our work is focused around learning and practice for learning with few grades. Students are not penalized for trying and learning. #APTeach
A1: I set my class up as close to what a real college class is like as possible. I don't give "busy work" but focus on creating stamina and deep thought processing throughout the course, rather than overloading with a lot of homework. #APTeach
A1: Rigor is something all our classes need, AP or not. Its important to convey high expectations for students. According to this research, teachers sharing materials and teacher expectations of achievement move the needle the most. https://t.co/lBxfavGNGa#APTeach
Q1: A1 for my classroom I think it all comes down to buy in. My students know the work I’m giving them has a purpose and they know their end goal. Once you have the buy in, the students are willing to work at a higher rigor. #APTeach
Q1:A2 Id also like to add that my students know that I’m on their team. I’m only there to help them along the path. Not beat them down with extraneous work. #APTeach
A1: The relationships between the teacher and the student are important in developing rigor. My belief is that the rigor should be developed through the expectations of the teacher. When you combine the positive relationship with the expectation, your rigor will grow. #APTeach
A1- Get to know students, take time to help them, & HW is given at the beginning of the unit so they plan out their study time around their schedules. #APTeach
Q2:A1 I feel like teachers don’t make their expectations 100% clear from the get go. I feel like there’s a lot of beating around the bush at the beginning of the year so students become complacent. #APTeach
A2: The misconception is that rigor means you need to assign lots and lots of work. Rigor comes from the expectation of the quality of work you want to receive from your students. If I assign you work, there is a definite purpose behind it...no "busy" work. #APTeach
I have already conference while in progress, but hard to devote another 3 days to conferencing at the end. I'll score at school. They just won't get back right away. #APTeach
A2: Rigor has to have a purpose. When assigning homework, ask yourself why? Don't create a difficult experience for kids just to advertise that its "tough." Create rigor through relevant learning tasks and activities #APTeach
I would say in my experience as an AP student, and now an AP teacher, it's the amount of work given, hands down. AP doesn't mean MORE work, it means DEEPER work. It's struggling with content beyond surface level and looks at the why's and how's, not just what's. #APTeach
Q3:A1 I think it all goes back to being on the same team as your students and the students KNOWING you’re on their side. My students know I will do everything in my power to make them as prepared as possible for that test. #APTeach
A3: I have spent a fair amount of time building a positive classroom environment built on learning to get students to trust me. I tell them if they are willing to join me in the learning, I can get them were they need to be by May. #APTeach
A3: Relationships are EVERYTHING! The great "secret" to teaching is, "how can I get the students to do what I want them to do?"
The answer is staring you in the face x30 every period. Win the relationships first, then accomplish the goals second. #APTeach
A3: Ss perform based off the expectations we set. Low expectations = low performance. High expectations = high performance. We need to be their "balcony people", always supporting them and pushing them to do better. Show them failure is OKAY and how to learn from it! #APTeach
I always offer tutorials to help them succeed, letting them know that I am there for them not just academically, but also as a sounding board if they need. When Ss know we care about their whole being, they will push themselves to work harder since they don't feel alone. #APTeach
A3: Students are more inclined to attempt and complete things when they feel the teacher is in it with them. I have always felt the relationship is the most important part of teaching. If there is a positive relationship, the students will try what you ask of them. #APTeach
Question 4: Which do you prioritize as an educator trying to build relationships: Your relationships with individual students or the whole class culture that is curated by the teacher and students? Why?
#APTeach
Question 4: Which do you prioritize as an educator trying to build relationships: Your relationships with individual students or the whole class culture that is curated by the teacher and students? Why?
#APTeach
Q4:A1 it definitely can be a bad thing. If the student don’t see the true purpose of the assignment and see that it’s meant to strengthen their knowledge and prepare them for that end game, then they might as well have not done the assignment at all. #APTeach
Question 4: Which do you prioritize as an educator trying to build relationships: Your relationships with individual students or the whole class culture that is curated by the teacher and students? Why?
#APTeach
A4: I start with whole class, since at the beginning of the year, we're all trying to learn about each other. I like to think I do what Miss Frizzle does, creating a class environment where Ss are willing to "take chances, get messy, and make mistakes." #APTeach
Question 4: Which do you prioritize as an educator trying to build relationships: Your relationships with individual students or the whole class culture that is curated by the teacher and students? Why?
#APTeach
A4: Chicken or egg. I think I start with the class as a whole. Once the class starts buying into the system and the teacher, we can start to work on each student individually. #APTeach
A4: Whole group, class climate/culture comes first and the individual relationships are cultivated along the way. Why? Because the team mentality usually helps foster the one on one. #APTeach
A4: i ran into my kindergarten teacher a few years ago at the bank. She said, “Well, John Hatch, I’m so glad to see you! How have you been” Focus on individuals and the class culture will follow. #APTeach
A4: It starts with the relationship with the whole class. On the first day of class, I tell them that I will be their favorite teacher and this will be their favorite class. Once I've "proven" myself, I extend the relationship to the individual students. Never fails. #APTeach
Q4:A1 You could have an amazing relationship with each one of your students individually but if you don’t have the class bonded as a whole, everything could crumble #APTeach
A1: You build relationships with your kids and explain the workload and make sure you’re available if they have questions/concerns. I use Remind, Twitter, and Canvas #APTeach
A3: Students are more likely to take a journey with someone they trust, so relationships make taking risks a whole lot easier—especially once they realize we’re all on the same side—theirs! #APTeach
Q4:A1 You could have an amazing relationship with each one of your students individually but if you don’t have the class bonded as a whole, everything could crumble #APTeach
A4 I try to build a culture of being in this together and that as a class they will need to rely on each other to help find success! Their relationships as a collective from the beginning then build with students as we go as we learn about each other #APTeach
Q5:A1 it doesn’t have to be more difficult. Establishing those high expectations 100% feed into the culture. High expectations with no student support will be failed expectations. #APTeach
Sometimesit is harder. Students are competing for GPA. Our school is getting rid of it soon but many want to be number one and right. I work on culture but this can get in the way #APTeach
A5: I don't think so because I believe they are cut from the same cloth...at least for me they are. As I provide these lessons that seem difficult, I am reiterating the whole time how I believe they can do this. Both grow at the same time. #APTeach
A5: I don't feel it's any harder than a non-AP class. I think the only key difference is that AP Ss generally already know the value of the course, they need to know the value that Ts place in them.
A2: Teachers who fail to remember that they’re not the only AP class a student has can create issues. We can create rigor without overdoing stress in their kids #APTeach
A5 it can be. As you try to challenge students out of their comfortable place, even those you have a good relationship with can just see you as “hard” #APTeach
A5: OMG, yes!!! It’s so hard for students not to take failure and criticism personally—especially if it’s their first AP class and they’ve ALWAYS made straight As. They HATE me right now, but I know high expectations are what they need—& I know most will come around. #APTeach
Question 6:
Students are just hitting their first major "wall" in AP. How do you help them push through this wall and continue on the their AP journey with you and their classmates? #APTeach
A5/2 it is easy for us to see growth through the rigor but freshmen esp. can lose sight of the growth because of rigor . This is why we never stop trying to build good relationships #APTeach
I do some of both, whole class culture is definitely important! However, I naturally (as an introvert) gravitate toward one-on-one or small group interactions to build relationships. That is where I feel like I can do my best relationship building #APTeach
Question 4: Which do you prioritize as an educator trying to build relationships: Your relationships with individual students or the whole class culture that is curated by the teacher and students? Why?
#APTeach
A6: How about a day off? Give them a day to work on their homework? Let them do some test corrections? Watch a movie clip on topic? It is important to keep them fresh, like a "bye" week in the NFL :)
#APTeach
