Real World Hook
Instructional Openings
One way we bring authenticity to our lessons is by making explicit connections or real world hooks to what we're learning. What I particularly enjoyed about our persuasive writing unit is that we were able to identify real problems in our own school community and to think of solutions. It then brought about real change in our school, and in this case brought about getting more magazines into the classroom which was an identified need of our class.
Resources
Related Videos
A positive classroom culture promotes student engagement, efficiency, and academic growth. Culture influences how and why students learn and ties the students to the teacher on a personal level. Check out the video below to see how Mark’s culture impacts student achievement!
Students self-monitor their understanding by using the Fluid Mastery Rubric. They monitor their level of understanding of the lesson on a scale of 1 to 4 (1 being least mastered to 4 being most). Because my students are given the opportunity to reflect and self-monitor their level of understanding of the lesson, I get real-time data on which students need targeted interventions and supports.
Communicating and collaborating with both colleagues and students' families is crucial in a blended environment. This is especially true if a teacher is doing something that looks very different from other teachers at his school. Check out how Freddy communicates and collaborates with both her colleagues at school and his students' families and how his methods of communication and collaboration have evolved over time.