Volume 2; Issue 1

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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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

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