This week was the first week of school for many of us. How did it go? Guskey, a leader in education, provides us insight that might help us. Here is some advice from him:
1) Students come into the year with their most uncertain view of themselves.
2) Give students meaningful success, and they will continue to see themselves as successful.
3) Successful momentum can build to a successful year. Better attendance, better behavior, etc.
4) The degree to which the parents can help build success at home that helps support the success at school will build positive results.
How did your first week go? How can you build on this?
TheMathProphet
I had a great experience setting up yearlong expectations in my AP Biology class. Plagued by low AP science homework completion rates in previous years, I opened class on the first day by telling the students the truth: AP Biology is an extremely difficult class, and requires a significant time commitment. Students who don't do the homework fail the class. The students signed a homework contract and got a calendar with homework assignments for every night for the first 6 weeks of school.
ReplyDeleteEach following class day during the first week, I came around with stickers or stamps for everyone who had finished their work. By Friday of the first week, every single student was on track with homework.
Now we'll have to cover how to study for an exam.
T..... I mean TheMathProphet,
ReplyDeleteGreat article, nice resource too. The idea that a student becomes a C or an A student in the first three weeks is bold. Is it fair to have the teacher purposefully make the first assessment easier or even the first two in order to motivate students?
Even differentiating assessments so that students see themselves as successful?
Is it possible to move forward with work in the first few weeks, yet only assess specific learning targets where success is more certain?
.... Congrats to Olivia for promoting success with her homework assignments.
Dylan Wiliams really emphasizes activating the student as a resource to their peers and taking charge of their own learner.
-- Embedded Formative Assessment:
http://www.amazon.com/Embedded-Formative-Assessment-Dylan-Wiliam/dp/193400930X
Please post your success for week two and how they related.
:)