Faculty News, April 8, 2013

Autrey Mill Faculty News    

April 8, 2013

“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.”

-Mikhail Baryshnikov

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

 

THEY ARE READY!! – I know this is an anxious time with the lovely CRCT testing, but I also know that you have all done an outstanding job teaching the curriculum and making learning engaging for our students.  They will do well thanks to your hard work and collaborative planning.  Here we go!

 

TTCT FIGURAL Training Sessions July 9-10, 2013 – For those interested in learning how to score the TTCT. Once you pass the course, and Fulton’s inter-rater reliability exercise, Fulton will pay you $6 per test to score for us.  Fulton does not have any funds to cover the costs of the training.  Each participant pays for it on your own.  When you score, you tell us how many tests you can score in one week.  You can realistically pay off the price of the course in one school year. For more information and to view the schedule, visit: http://www.coe.uga.edu/torrance/training-opportunities/at-uga-ttct-figural/

PRIDE will not meet this Friday, April 12^th due to the CRCT.  We will resume PRIDE on Friday, April 19^th with silent reading.

Great Article on Student Engagement:  Robert Marzano on Student Engagement

(Originally Titled “Ask Yourself: Are Students Engaged?”)

            In this Educational Leadership article, author/consultant/researcher Robert Marzano has four questions on maximizing engagement:

            • Do I provide a safe, caring, and energetic environment? Without this, engagement will be minimal. The key is clear classroom rules (periodically revisited), evidence that the teacher likes students and appreciates their efforts, a high energy level, and getting students up out of their seats on a regular basis.

            • Do I make things interesting? Marzano distinguishes between triggered interest (a teacher captures students’ attention by singing) and maintained interest (a teacher asks an intriguing question and hooks students’ interest for much longer). Teachers can also maintain academic interest with games like Jeopardy, cold-calling (students don’t know when they will be asked to participate), and setting up debates on controversial topics.

            • Do I demonstrate why the content is important to students’ lives? Many kids will be more interested in polynomials upon learning that they are used to compute NFL quarterback ratings. A teacher’s genuine enthusiasm for a topic can also capture students’ interest – plus a story about how the teacher came to love it.

            • Do I help students see the role of effort? If students don’t think they can be successful in the classroom, they won’t engage. The best way to handle this is explicitly teaching the growth mindset – the belief that individual effort is what matters – including teaching about the changes that take place in the brain when people learn.

“Ask Yourself: Are Students Engaged?” by Robert Marzano in Educational Leadership, March 2013 (Vol. 70, #6, p. 81-82), www.ascd.org

Where is Livingston?

Natalie Smith says, “Barbara Paulson is the person I want to pass Livingston to this week. Barbara is one of the most caring professionals I know whose genuineness is evident immediately upon meeting her, and extending this authenticity to the classroom is part of  what makes her such a great teacher.

 Barbara works with some challenging students in a likewise challenging classroom environment as well, but does not deter her from meeting the needs in creative ways for each of her students. She has a natural ability in which she provides rapport in a humorous way with her students, that is refreshing and engaging, and is so appreciated by them. Often seeking new ideas and best practices, her willingness to work cooperatively with other teachers to learn and implement new and meaningful strategies in her classes is a testament to her dedication to her students.  She is such a hard worker in everything she does, in spending tireless hours in researching best resources to provide for individual needs for her students, or meticulous efforts in all that comes with her responsibilities in SEC.

Her selfless and humble nature is something to be admired, as she’s always there for someone to help in any way possible, thinks the best of others, flexible with anything asked of her, and never complains regardless of the task.  She is incredibly patient, kind, and gracious professionally and personally to all who know and work with her.  And one of the best qualities of Barb is her sense of humor with any of the day to day challenges as a teacher; Her ability to laugh always shines through difficulties and leaves others uplifted and laughing as well. 

She is truly an unsung hero that deserves to be recognized for all that she does as an SEC educator, her creative efforts to provide the best instruction for her students, and her consistent positive attitude  no matter what that is so admirable to others that have the pleasure of working with her.”

 

Happy Birthday

Matt McNamara         April 11