my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist

A simple strategy for extending learning!

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We are fortunate to have learning specialists who support our crew in Wylie ISD. This strategy came through and I thought it was a GREAT way to not only extend learning but to PUSH those high achievers!

Heather Buckley, our advanced academics learning specialist, shared that Chris White taught her about his “Math Masters”.  While the kids are practicing on some mixed practice they get to become a “Math Master” by showing work and strategies. Once you get crowned the math master, you get to walk around to look at each classmate’s work to find the new math master.

I love this because it doesn’t focus on only getting a problem correct or incorrect but the effort that is being put into getting the correct answer. The kids took such pride in being picked as a “Math Master” in his room. Regardless of what you have planned out for this week, this could be an easy thing to implement to motivate your students to show their thinking.

A great way to extend this as a closure to your class period or even a conversation to have while lining up to transition to lunch would be to have a few of the “Math Masters” share some of the strategies they saw being used. Let’s get the kids talking about the work they are doing!

 

I love easy, I love pushing, and I love it when people share! Do you have a strategy like this one that you use? Share with us! The smartest person in the room is the room!

 

 

Masteringly &

Planning an Open House? Make it a night to remember!

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Here’s what we shared with our team this year in planning for our open house.

More exciting…we have coupled our time with families on the same night as a home football and are hosting a “pirate picnic”…a time for us to come together, eat at the stadium, and then go cheer on our feeder pattern high school, those Wylie High School Pirates!! I’m so excited to have all of our Wolves there, to see what they have to look forward too! parents will bring their own food, so our campus just gets to hang out and enjoy some Friday night lights!

 

edcampDallas hosted by Wylie ISD! October 25, 2014

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We have another opportunity to participate in an edcamp this month! EdcampDallas is being held October 25th, 2014 at Wylie East High School.
The tweetup, an opportunity to see and meet some virtual connections, will be held Friday night at 6pm at Houlihans.

Why should you give up a Saturday to go to an edcamp?

10. You are passionate about what you do and see the benefit in always modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner.
9. You know how tight your budget is AND how tight our budget is! Why pay to go away when you can have the best for free?
8. Differentiation is important to you and your development as well!
7. You agree that your favorite part of any staff development is talking with your peers, those who are in the trenches with you! Their perspective can give you support and strength.
6. You know that you bring something to the table. Your skills and expertise in what YOU do has value! (Think about hosting an session!)
5. There’s no pressure! Love it or hate it, you’ve invested no $$ to make you feel guilty about switching sessions during the day!
4. Meeting new friends and creating (or extending?) your PLN makes your heart happy!
3. Walking away with free, applicable tools for your classroom is a undeniable perk.
2. Edcamps are ALL inclusive. You get a breakfast, free sessions, door prizes, GREAT PD, and it’s all free. All you have to do is show up!
1. And the number one reason why YOU should come to edcampDallas at WEHS??

edcamps are EMPOWERING. It allows the true voices of the classroom to have a say in what is being done, in how it is being done, and in ways to IMPROVE what is being done. Take charge!

Take a chance! Come to edcampDallas! You won’t regret it! There are already almost 400 people from all around the STATE committed to attending!
edcampR,
Amber

Initiate change? Of course you can! #R10tech

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I had the opportunity  today to present at the Region 10 technology conference. As always, I come away amazed at the work of the Region X team. This conference has evolved over the years into a must attend the event for the Region X area. From session flow to strategic sessions, to participant size to the addition this year of FOOD TRUCKS…they are doing it right!

 

The conversations today with educators from around the area was so refilling. I appreciate so much the passion behind what they are all doing. Some are in district level positions, some are campus administrators, and some are classroom teachers. What I’ve found is that those who are willing to miss a day and all that entails are the ones willing to have the conversations that are going to initiate change.

I said in my presentation today that if you think you need a title to be a leader, then you may not yet be ready for that responsibility.  Anyone can make a difference…after all, even the biggest wave started out as just a breeze!

Classroom teachers can make change happen by adopting genius hour, by becoming connected to other learners, to challenging the status quo. Differentiate…get creative, turn the power to choose how they  learn over to your students. Not completely, oh naysayers of mine, but even just a lesson a week can start a wave….its ok not to do what you’ve always done. 

Building leaders can make changes by modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner, by allowing teachers to TRY new things, and to feel comfortable in FAILing if that’s what happens.  Encourage conferences, encourage learning, be the LEAD learner not just by title, but in action.

District support staff can initiate change by offering support, encouraging new ideas, by asking different questions. Offer to be in classrooms, or do more research on an idea…help a teacher make connections with innovators in the area at hand.  There’s no need to recreate the wheel if some other awesome educator has tried it  before.

Edupeeps in district level positions can initiate change by being willing to be transparent in their own learning, to open up and be flexible in what good ol’traditional teaching has to look like. Get to an edcamp, attend a national conference…let yourself break free from the educational silo you may find yourself in.

We all have the power to make change…we just have to be willing to “be more dog”.

 

Educator proud,

Amber

Take it up a notch…just a notch! Easy lesson upgrades…

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How can you easily take an assignment you’ve already got in your lesson plans and kick it up notch? Here are some easy ideas for those who need a spark to kick it up a notch!

 

  1. Pick three – five students to ask to create a lesson on what you’re learning about, instead of completing your assessment. Let them choose the grading scale, manner of delivery. Allow them then to pick three – five students to share it with, while you’re going over what you had planned to assess with the rest of the class.
  2. Vocabulary Expert: Let students choose vocabulary words from the lesson you’re about to teach that they feel they know so well they could teach them. Match partners and allow them ten minutes to teach what they know. (What better way to start a lesson then with students feeling successful?)
  3. Let Ss create their own assessment. One of our amazing teachers let her students do this as a cumulative activity and she was blown away with how well they did. She then let them exchange their assesments to keep the lesson going. Check out their question formats!
  4. Take the five different activities you were going to do for the week and turn them into centers. Upper grades should be scaffolded this way as well! This is a GREAT way to make sure that differentiation occurs in your classroom. If students are broken up into “centers”, it will be more difficult for each student to know what others are doing. You can work remediation lessons into the students who need it, and allow your higher performing students to work on extension skills/concepts.
  5. Turn whatever activity you’re working on into a classroom jigsaw activity. Give groups of students the different questions to answer separately and then come back together as a group to debrief.
  6. Think flexible learning spaces and environments. How can you mix it up, even just for a class period? Let Ss move around, go into the hall, computer lab, library…an opportunity for your “rock stars” to get a change of (s)pace!
  7. Recognize that lower level types of questions only have one answer, but higher level questions can have several “right” answers. Watch this video and evaluate the power of the “correct” answer.

 

 

 

Lesson upgradeN,

Amber