Friday, December 18, 2009

Spring 2010 - Strategies for Differentiating Instruction





Expectations:

1st Session: (face to face)
Participants need to have the first assigned reading completed BEFORE the first face-to-face session. During the first face-to-face session, participants will post their responses to the first set of questions on the blog.

2nd Session: (by blog)
1) By the meeting date, participants must have posted at least 2 comments that specifically address fellow partipcipants' posts in the previous session. For example, Suzy Q answered a posted question in Session 1 in which she described a project she's doing in her classroom. By the 2nd session, I will post a comment in Session 1 that directly addresses the project Suzy Q is doing.
2) By the meeting date, participants must post their responses to the Session 2 questions.

3rd Session: (by blog)
1) By the meeting date, participants must have posted at least 2 comments that specifically address fellow partipcipants' posts in the previous session.
2) By the meeting date, participants must post their responses to the Session 3 questions.

4th Session: (face to face)
1) Prior to the face to face meeting, participants must have posted at least 2 comments that specifically address fellow partipcipants' posts in the previous session.
2) Prior to the face to face meeting, participants must post their responses to the Session 4 questions.
3) In the face to face meeting we will discuss the book as a whole.



Instructions:



  • Click on "comments" below the post to which you want to respond.

  • Type your comment into the box. If you write a lot, you can use the light gray bar to scroll up and down within the comment box.

  • When you finish typing your comment, click on the little black arrow beside "Select profile…"

  • Choose "Name/URL" which is near the bottom of your choices.

  • In the box under "Name:" type in what you want to be known as in our book study. You can use your first name and last initial or last name and first initial – something that lets us know who you are. (For example, I'd probably call myself LBreedlove or LynetteB.) Leave the URL box blank and click on "Continue".

  • You'll notice that whatever you typed in replaced "Select profile…"

  • Now click on "Post Comment".

  • Another box will pop up for a word verification. This step prevents spam from being posted by computers on blogs. Just the word, or combination of letters, that you are given in the box. Then click "Finish". If you didn't quite get the word/letter right, it will give you a different word.

  • It might take a minute or two, but then your comment will be posted. You'll know your comment is posted because you'll get a notice saying it was, and the comment will appear on the page, just below the post.

Not an educator in SBISD? Grab a copy of the book and join our discussion!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Session 4 - Question 3

Chapter 14 is in a Q & A format. What are you thoughts about this approach? Which questions caught your attention most?

Session 4 - Question 2

What was an "a-ha" for you in Chapter 13?

Session 4 - Question 1

From your reading of chapter 12, what needs to be included in a "classroom that works?" How will you (or do you) use these ideas in your own classroom?

Monday, November 9, 2009

Session 3 - Question 3

How can we, as educators, support and encourage the whole learning of a gifted child? (Site page numbers with examples.)

Session 3 - Question 2

What was an “A-Ha” moment or a reinforcement of your teaching style while reading this section (Ch. 7 - 11)? (Don't forget to give us the page number to reference.)

Session 3 - Question 1

Select one of the flow conditions and explain why you think this condition is important when enhancing motivation. Site examples with page numbers or give personal experiences to support your selection.

DEADLINE EXTENDED to NOVEMBER 20

Due to the delay in posting the Session 3 questions, responses will not be due until November 20th.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Session 2 - Question 3

Why should educators be concerned about "Social Reasons for Loss of Motivation"? What is most signficant about this chapter?

Session 2 - Question 2

Imagine you are on the agenda to present at your next faculty meeting on "School Reasons for Loss of Motivation." What will you include and why?

Session 2 - Question 1

This section focused on reasons for "loss of motivation." What did you find most significant?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Session 1 - Question 3

What "a-ha's" did you experience reading this section? If you didn't have an "a-ha" what about an "oh yeah, I knew that"?

Session 1 - Question 2

Select one of the following quotes and offer your opinion along with supportive evidence from the text: (don't forget to include page numbers)

  • “If we provide able learners with a curriculum too easily mastered, we run the risk of undermining and demotivating them, setting the stage for boredom, disappointment, and underachievement. We also rob society of the opportunity to profit from what these creative, innovative, clear-thinking children could accomplish if we set their minds free.” (pg. 8)
  • “We speak comfortably about elite athletes in our schools. If the purpose of school is education, why are we so uncomfortable with the concept of elite students?” (pg. 15)
  • “Parents and schools must provide all students with equal opportunity but not with equal treatment.” (pg. 15)
  • “In constructivist classrooms, students don’t sit passively soaking up data and theories. Instead, they breathe life into their own learning.” (pg. 43)

Session 1 - Question 1

What are some issues educators face in meeting the special educational needs of gifted students? Give examples and don't forget to site page numbers to guide others to your references.

Fall 2009 GT Book Study - A Love for Learning

SBISD educators are participating in a GT Book Study by blog on A Love for Learning: Motivation and the Gifted Child by Carol Strip Whitney, Ph.D. with Gretchen Hirsch.

The first and final sessions are face-to-face meetings. After hosting a couple of these, we've found an initial face-to-face is highly beneficial in helping participants get acclimated to a blog environment. The middle 2 sessions are by blog. For every session, questions will be posted on this blog.


Requirements:
  • Participants are to respond to all posted questions by commenting on them.

  • Participants are to comment on at least 2 other people's responses for each session.

  • Make sure you claim your responses! Don't post anonymously because you can't get credit that way!

  • For this to be a rich professional development experience, you need to check the blog periodically. What have others said about your comments? What are your thoughts on theirs? Read comments and respond to them!

Schedule:

  • Session 1 (f2f) responses done during the session on September 29, Chapters 1 – 2
  • Session 2 responses due by October 20, Chapters 3 – 6
  • Session 3 responses due by November 10, Chapters 7 – 11
  • Session 4 (f2f) responses due before the December 1 meeting, Chapters 12 – 15

Not an educator in SBISD? Grab a copy of the book and join our discussion!

Friday, April 17, 2009

April-May Blog Book Study

For those seven who are joining the GT Book Study (we only had 7 books left), here are the schedule and requirements.

Participants are to respond to the questions by commenting on them. In addition, participants must comment on at least 3 other people's responses for each session. One comment must be about a posting by a previous participant - a posting dated before April. One comment must be in response to a current participant's posting (dated in April or later). In no way are you limted to only 3 comments and your question responses!

Make sure you claim your responses! Don't post anonymously because you can't get credit that way! For this to be a rich professional development experience, you need to check the blog periodically. What have others said about your comments? What are your thoughts on theirs? Read comments and respond to them!

Here's the schedule:
April 20 1st blog post due regarding Chapters 1 – 4 (Session 1, Questions 1-3)
May 4 2nd blog post due regarding Chapters 5 – 7 (Session 2, Questions 1-4)
May 18 3rd blog post due regarding Chapters 8 – 11 (Session 3, Questions 1-3)
May 26 face to face meeting 3:30-4:30 Chapters 12 – 13

Not an educator in SBISD? Grab a copy of the book and join our discussion!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Session 3 - Question 3

This is the last session for our book study to blog as we will come together on Monday, 20 April, from 4:00pm – 5:00pm in room 275 to discuss the last chapters of our book. What has been your experience blogging? Would you encourage others to participate in this type of an on-line book study? Why or Why not?

Session 3 - Question 2

What were some personal “A-ha” moments while reading Chapters 9, 10, & 11? Give your reasoning, the page number(s), and examples to back-up your thoughts.

Session 3 - Question 1

The author defined persistence in numerous ways in Chapter 8. Site a quote or an example that had the most meaning for you and explain how it will affect your working with gifted students. (Don't forget to give page numbers.)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Session 2 - Question 4

A book study should help you generate new ideas for working with your students. Your reading might provide you positive reinforcement for things you've tried or help explain why things you're doing work. Your reading might help you tweak things or give you entirely new ideas to try. Based on your reading of chapters 5- 7, what things will you be tweaking or trying out for the first time? (Please give us page numbers so we can re-read those sections and think about how those passages have affected us.)

Session 2 - Question 3

Chapter 6 emphasizes the importance of humor in the classroom. How has humor added to your classroom environment?

Session 2 - Question 2

What ideas do you have about helping gifted students differentiate between paying attention to detail and being perfectionists?

Session 2 - Question 1

One of the themes discussed in chapter 7 was utilizing untapped resources. What are some of your “not so obvious” resources?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Session 1 - Question 3

How might we, as a district, improve our practices to best meet the intellectual and emotional lives of gifted children? Reflect upon your own practices. What have you done well? What will you do differently? Please relate your reflection to what you've read. (Don't forget to give us some page numbers so we can look back.)

Session 1 - Question 2

You may have related the stories regarding asynchrony in Chapter 4 to your own experiences. What is needed in the gifted teacher’s “toolbox” to accommodate this characteristic of gifted students? What are your stories about gifted students' asynchrony?

Session 1 - Question 1

In Chapter 2, the authors discuss the many, varied projects Tamara's students have done in their independent studies. They describe an amazing experience for students. Have you facilitated this type of experience in your classroom?
  • If so, how did it go? How did you overcome your nervousness about giving students this type of freedom and the feeling of chaos in your room?
  • If not, what barriers keep you from doing it? How can you overcome those barriers?

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Intelligent Life in the Classroom







Spring 2009 GT Book Study

SBISD educators are participating in a spring GT Book Study on Intelligent Life in the Classroom: Smart Kids & Their Teachers. The first 3 "sessions" are by blog with a final face-to-face meeting. For each session, questions will be posted on this blog. Participants are to respond to the questions by commenting on them. In addition, participants must comment on at least 2 other people's responses for each session. Make sure you claim your responses! Don't post anonymously because you can't get credit that way!

For this to be a rich professional development experience, you need to check the blog periodically. What have others said about your comments? What are your thoughts on theirs? Read comments and respond to them!

Here's the schedule:
  • Session 1 responses due by January 26 regarding Chapters 1 – 4
  • Session 2 responses due by February 23 regarding Chapters 5 – 7
  • Session 3 responses due by March 23 regarding Chapters 8 – 11
  • Session 4 f2f meeting on April 20 regarding Chapters 12 – 13
Not an educator in SBISD? Grab a copy of the book and join our discussion!