Yesterday was our district's first full staff development day devoted to introducing the Common Core. We're attacking writing first, since it can be woven into reading, math, and all content standards. There were about one hunderd twenty teachers in the room from our 60 elementary schools (just two per school) and...the excitement was palpable! We're framing our entry into the Core around what's possible when we celebrate and push our thinking through writing. It's sure to be an instructional journey for us all!
One key to avoiding being overwhelmed by the new Core is to view the standards through the lens of: "What do I already do in the classroom which helps my learners meet or approximate this standard?" Make a list...fill some Post-Its...jot in the margins...then step back and reflect on the good you already accomplish with students. The teachers in the room could point to many literacy strategies they use regularly which will support the Core and, with heavy sighs of relief, actually took a few minutes to celebrate themselves and their teaching/learning histories.
So, teachers, if you're new to the Common Core, treat yourself as you would your students. Start with the positives, look at what you already know and do and the learning results you achieve every day. Feel confidence and excitement as you reflect on your teaching/learning history. Then, you can delight in the fact that more learning is on the way as we roll up our sleeves and dig further into the business of helping children think, read, and write deeply. Enjoy!
One key to avoiding being overwhelmed by the new Core is to view the standards through the lens of: "What do I already do in the classroom which helps my learners meet or approximate this standard?" Make a list...fill some Post-Its...jot in the margins...then step back and reflect on the good you already accomplish with students. The teachers in the room could point to many literacy strategies they use regularly which will support the Core and, with heavy sighs of relief, actually took a few minutes to celebrate themselves and their teaching/learning histories.
So, teachers, if you're new to the Common Core, treat yourself as you would your students. Start with the positives, look at what you already know and do and the learning results you achieve every day. Feel confidence and excitement as you reflect on your teaching/learning history. Then, you can delight in the fact that more learning is on the way as we roll up our sleeves and dig further into the business of helping children think, read, and write deeply. Enjoy!
I really loved it yesterday and honestly I love the common core because it in-cooperates the things we are doing and gives us the freedom to use writing as a tool to teach writing and we really are required to combine reading with writing which I personally think one cannot go without the other. Today we wrote a persuasive piece and one little boy said "I really love writing now" he didn't put more than three words down at the beginning of the year, what a great moment.
ReplyDeleteSo great to read your blog. I look forward to following your writing.
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