Post on 25-Mar-2016
description
Have you ever thought of using the
OnMyCalendar "What's Up?" feature?
Why would you want to do that? Well, by
setting up your own "What's Up?" account,
you can add the assignment calendars of
your team members to keep an eye on the
amount of team homework assignments,
upcoming assessments, and such. It also
allows you to use this calendar feature we
are promoting as a school to our students
and parents. Give it a try:-)
Thank you to everyone for mak-
ing me feel so welcome this year!
I'm looking forward to assisting
your curricular areas towards
enhancing your instructional
technology approach to learning!
I plan to begin attending some of
your curricular meetings to see
how I can best help you. It's
wonderful to be back home at
Pinckneyville!
Instructional SpotlightInstructional SpotlightInstructional Spotlight Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is not just about assessment; it should also speak to the level of instruction being provided
within a classroom. Every AKS is written with a level of DOK in mind. Take time to analyze your curriculum regarding the
DOK Level prior to instruction. The level at which your standards are written is the minimal level at which it should be
instructed. Be mindful of the DOK level while you plan your lessons and have a plan to scaffold students to reach that
level of rigor.
DOK Level 1 references recalling fact, information, or procedure. It may look like students calculating the mean, median,
and mode given a list of numbers in math class. DOK Level 2
involves the use of information, conceptual knowledge,
and procedure s of two or more steps. Students in
the same math class may be asked to explain why
the mean and mode are different numbers.
DOK Level 3 requires reasoning, or the de-
velopment of a plan; it has greater com-
plexity and involves more than one cor-
rect response. In keeping with our math
scenario, students are presented with a situation
involving a number set that includes a significant
outlier; they must determine mean, median, and
mode and distinguish which of the three best repre-
sents a meaningful value and explain why. Finally,
DOK Level 4 requires investigation and time to pro-
cess multiple conditions of a task. Our same math stu-
dents must investigating declining home values within a
given zip code calculating mean, median, and mode home
sells to explain which of the three measures is most beneficial
to real estate agents, homebuyers, and city governments as well
as justify which measure is most reliable.
How does DOK impact your plans for instruction and assessment?
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EACHERSEACHERS ?? ?
W h a t t h e m e a n s t o m eW h a t t h e m e a n s t o m eW h a t t h e m e a n s t o m e
The IB program to me is about students making
real world connections to what they are learning
and to their own lives. These real world connec-
tions transcend classrooms and content areas
and spill out into students’ own communities.
I encourage students to look outside themselves and
their everyday bubbles to see what is going on in the world. Every
year my students participate in the Istanbul Art & Essay Contest
that is sponsored by the Istanbul Center—an organization in At-
lanta that advances appreciation for intercultural understanding.
Throughout the years, students have written about various top-
ics—world hunger, societal problems, the importance of knowing
your neighbor, the role of empathy, and the effect of the human
footprint. These topics challenge students to think beyond what
multiple choice answers are and write about the true meaning of
human relationships as they pertain to each other and the world
around them. Students have written about why it’s important to
go to a diverse school, for we are nothing at Pinckneyville if not
diverse. Students look back at me every day with different color
skin, but we are all learning together and learning from one an-
other.
The IB philosophy is grounded in community service and
giving back to the community. This teaches students to be more
service oriented instead of “me” oriented. Community Service
projects are not “another thing on your to do list.” They are oppor-
tunities for students to give back. Although they do not always
show it, students want to teach others and help one another. Com-
munity service teaches students to have empathy for one another,
considering different perspectives and opinions.
With IB, students have to dig deeper to find the solution
to the problem. Students have to think about their own writing and
their own thinking. Approaches to learning emphasizes that we
don’t all learn the same way. Students have to consider possibilities
from all sides—from all lenses. Students use data from charts, im-
portant quotations, and images to form an argument with coherent
reasoning in Document Based Writings. Students analyze how gen-
ocide affected communities socially and politically during our unit
on the Holocaust. Students determine which IB characteristic best
describes certain characters in literature and give evidence from
the text to support their rationale.
To me the IB philosophy teaches students to be more criti-
cal and not accept information at face value. We look at propagan-
da, persuasion techniques, and claims and counter claims. Students
can ask why and be curious about the world around them. Because
of the IB program at Pinckneyville, I have been able to give my stu-
dents many opportunities to expand and challenge their thinking.
However, my own thinking has been expanded and challenged as
well.
#IBbytheNUM
BERS
Ka
re
n W
ilso
n
Rita Pierson:
Every kid
needs a
champion
Geoffrey
Canada:
Our failing
schools.
Enough is
enough!
Diana
Laufenberg:
How to
learn? From
mistakes
T H E L I N E
Classroom LeadershipClassroom LeadershipClassroom Leadership
Classroom Management