#wischat Archive
#wischat is a great way for Wisconsin educators to share teaching strategies, educational resources, and more.
Sunday April 24, 2016
8:00 PM EDT
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Welcome to the latest edition of . Tonight's topic is the fundamentals of high quality instruction. I hope that you'll join us.
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We will be following a Q1, Q2 ... A1, A2 format. Remember to include in all of your tweets.
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Please begin by introducing yourself and let us know where you are joining us from tonight.
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John Gunnell, middle school Principal from Baraboo, Wisconsin.
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Matt, 4th grade teacher Osseo Fairchild School District
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- Thanks for joining us tonight on
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Q1: Why are łearning targets important?
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A1 They give the students a purpose or goal to strive for. If I ever get lazy, students ask for them now. 😀
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A1: Łearning targets make the łearning goals explicit to students. They are important for teachers to frame the lesson.
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Hey haven't checked-in in a while!
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Q2: How do you "hook" students at the start of a lesson to ensure that they are engaged in łearning?
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A1: Learning targets/objectives let students know exactly what is going to happen and what is to be expected of them
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- thanks for joining us again, we are talking fundamentals of high quality instruction tonight on
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A2: The hook is making the łearning relevant to the lives students. Learning should be relevant, interesting and fun.
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A2 I struggle with this the most Trying 2 hook them when you are teaching so many different lessons a day is difficult.
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Q3: Engagement is kind of a buzz word. What does engagement look like/sound like? What is it not?
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A2: Start off with prior knowledge students can already relate to and build up to the new material
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- That can be a real challenge. It starts with building relationships with kids.
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A3 Engagement can be very noisy. Its students working in groups, having discussions, following a rubric, interacting with peers
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A3: actively working with the material vs glued to cell phone/"spacing out"/sitting passively
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A3: engagement occurs when kids are invested in the łearning. They seem to take it and run.
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A3 Its not sitting at a desk filling out a worksheet. Students don't have to be sitting at a desk working quietly to be engaged.
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Compliance & engagement are 2 very different things. Just because kids are quietly doing the work doesn't mean that they're engaged
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I love when a student asks me, "Can I go to the library and see if they have a book on ..." When working in a project
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Q4: How do you use formative assessment in your classroom to inform your instruction?
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- It means that they are starting to own the łearning.
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A4: constantly having conversations with students to see where they're at with their understanding
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A4: Formative assessment allows S's and T's to check the level of understanding + allows teachers to adjust instruction as needed.
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Q5: What are some of the essential skills that you want your students to practice every day?
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A4 Formative assessment is most valuable to me in Math. I see where mistakes are made and then adjust instruction to eliminate them
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A5: I want all students in my school to practice reading, writing, reflecting, problem solving and being polite every day.
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A5: I also want all students in my school to be creative, joyful and physically active every day.
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A5 Focus on improving every day. Not being afraid to fail.
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A5: We all need to place a greater emphasis on laughter, fun and happiness in our lives and the lives of all children.
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A5: Perseverance when things get tough. When students run into something they don't understand, how well do they handle it?
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Q6: How do you incorporate high level questioning strategies into your daily instruction?
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- Yes, very true. I have this conversation with parents on a regular basis. Your child is not a number.
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You are the best middle principal ever. I don't of any MS with recess.
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A6: Students tend to be asked tons of (generally low level) questions every day. They don't get to ask enough questions themselves.
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I recently ran across an article that states "Today's prisoners get more outside time than children."
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A6: Don't just ask for the answers, ask for the process. How did you get the answer? What's the error with this alt. answer? Etc...
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A6 I try to guide learning. Have students ask and answer questions. Facilitate discussions.
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Q7: Last question, in your opinion, what is the key to high quality instruction?
