Once upon a time my reading block consisted of me talking for thirty minutes, students working on guided practice for 15 minutes and independent practice for another 15 minutes. Followed by an hour of guided reading groups. I thought I was doing a good job because I was keeping students engaged with me. I was afraid that if I let students go and practice too early then they wouldn’t know what they were supposed to do or gasp they might have … [Read more...] about Up Level Your Teaching With One Simple Tool
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Use Data to Determine Types of Small Group Instruction
In my last blog post we tackled how to use data to inform one type of small group reading instruction called guided reading. In this blog post I want to talk about how that same data can be used to drive reading conferences or strategy groups. Conferring Defined: Conferring is a chance to huddle up with students and have intentional conversations about what they are reading, how it’s going and how to move them forward. This gives … [Read more...] about Use Data to Determine Types of Small Group Instruction
Use Data to Drive Instruction: In The Reading Classroom
Can I tell you a secret? You will not treat all the data you collect in your classroom the same. You may have district benchmarks, end of unit assessments, reading inventories and more to conduct, but the reality is you only have so much time in your day to analyze and do something with the data you collect. Although you may look at all that data and take it into consideration you do have to prioritize which data is going to carry the most … [Read more...] about Use Data to Drive Instruction: In The Reading Classroom
Teacher Self Reflection: Go From Surviving To Thriving With A Reflective Practice
Over the years there has been one thing that has taken me from surviving to thriving in the land of teaching and that has been having a habit of reflection. Now, there is a fine line between reflection and nit picking perfectionism. Reflection leads to change and growth, perfectionism leaves you feeling like you’re never enough. It’s important to know the difference. The cornerstone for any change or growth that happens in your classroom will … [Read more...] about Teacher Self Reflection: Go From Surviving To Thriving With A Reflective Practice
