Saturday, December 27, 2014

Here's a great article on setting goals - similar to those teachers set at the team meetings. Enjoy. Courtesy of ASCD SmartBrief.

The Big Fresh Newsletter from Choice Literacy
December 27, 2014 - Issue #413


Happiness of Pursuit
  
When a great adventure is offered, you don't refuse it.
                                                 Amelia Earhart
 
I've been enjoying the book Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life by Chris Guillebeau, about the joy that comes in life from quests. Guillebeau set out to visit every country in the world, and he accomplished his goal while he was still in his mid-30s. He isn't a wealthy guy, and the book chronicles nights spent sleeping on airport floors in third-world countries and the deep anxiety of visiting unsafe countries where westerners weren't welcome. He also shares other stories of ordinary people with extraordinary quests.
The quests can often involve travel. My two sisters are on a quest to bike in each of the 50 states together. Guillebeau writes movingly of a woman with a terminal cancer diagnosis who set out to view more species of birds across the world than anyone had ever seen. But a quest doesn't have to take you far from home -- one of the questers in Guillebeau's book set out to cook an authentic meal from every cuisine in the world, all within the confines of her suburban Colorado home.
The book reminded me that kids aren't only natural-born questioners -- they also love quests. Childhood reading provides a kind of scaffold for the bigger quests children might face down the road. All around us there are children who are right now memorizing dozens of stats for their favorite baseball or hockey team. When I was nine, I fulfilled my quest of reading a whole wall of children's books about the presidents at the town library (just because it was there, I guess).
Maybe we shouldn't be too concerned when a child is on a quest to read every book in a series (even when there are 47 of them), or a book that is far over their reading level because it is a favorite of friends. A quest isn't just an item on a bucket list -- it's something that requires planning, sacrifice, and often a bit of risk.  And aren't those all elements of reading beyond your comfort zone, with goals or texts that are a little bit daunting?
I am not on a quest at the moment, but I want to find one. I'm using the questions Guillebeau provides as a starting point for finding one:
What excites you?
What bothers you?
If you could do anything at all without regard to time or money, what would it be?
I am taking my time finding a quest -- or maybe I'm letting one find me.
This week we look at goals. Plus more as always -- enjoy!
 
Brenda Power
Founder, Choice Literacy

 

 
Free for All

 
[For sneak peeks at our upcoming features, quotes and extra links,  follow Choice Literacy on Twitter: @ChoiceLiteracy or Facebook:
 
 
Here are two features from the archives on goals for teachers and students: 
 
Katie Doherty considers goals for book clubs in Assessing Learning During Student-Led Book Clubs:
 
 
 
Ruth Ayres writes about being kind to yourself and realistic in On Perfection and Goals:
 
 
 
Make goals in your classroom SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) by using this advice from Maurice Elias at Edutopia
 
 

Lead Literacy is our subscription site designed especially for literacy coaches and school leaders. You can sample content at this link:
 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Here is a great article on how to use video when supporting teachers in learning and applying new resesarch. Enjoy courtesy of Tch.


Director's Cut — Recorded Webinar: Research-Based Practices for Using Video
Watch the video
Teaching Channel Teams
Using Video for Professional Learning: Research-Based Strategies

Dear Darlene,

We recently held a webinar featuring Miriam Sherin, Professor of Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, and Jamie Lomax, Director of Title I for Tulsa Public Schools.

You can now view a beautifully edited version of the webinar recording on our website. In this version, you won't have to sit through unnecessary explanations of how to use a webinar platform. We take you right into the content you’re interested in seeing.

Click here to watch the video and download the presentation slides.

Jim Knight
Miriam’s presentation details research-based strategies for using video that have been shown to create lasting results in improving teacher practice. Our video-enabled platform, Teaching Channel Teams, provides interactive tools to support these strategies including a mobile app for easily capturing and sharing classroom video.

Michelle Rooks
Jamie’s presentation describes how Tulsa Public Schools is using Teams to put these strategies into action to provide equitable instruction for all students and scale the effectiveness of coaching and PLC programs.

And, while you are visiting our website, check out the other valuable content resources!

Sincerely,
Teaching Channel Teams
MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE
testimonials Hear more stories like Michelle's
Watch videos of educators describing how they are using Teams to bring the power of video to their professional learning programs.
 
Experts Hear from the experts
Watch videos of experts discussing the research on the use of video for professional learning.
 
classroom And learn about:
Effectiveness studies
Structuring the use of video for success
Protocols for effective collaboration around video
Tips and tools
And much more!
Teaching Channel Teams
Professional Development for Common Core State Standards
Watch Teams in Action!