As a new school year approaches, it’s a great time to think
about school and classroom culture. Too
often our traditional cultures and environments can be contradictory. We say we
want our students to be able to problem-solve and think at high levels; yet, our
focus remains on lower level questions, lower level assessments, such as multiple choice and true-false tests, and standardized tests.
So, what are the critical issues we need to
address to create a culture where our students are empowered to think and
problem-solve? What strategies do we need to implement to ensure our students will
be successful this year?
Let me hear from you!
Below is a link to one of my favorite blogs. It's a great resource relevant to this topic!
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2012/08/the_effect_of_affect_1.html
Below is a link to one of my favorite blogs. It's a great resource relevant to this topic!
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2012/08/the_effect_of_affect_1.html
There is no single issue more important or significant to school and student success than the culture of the school building. High expectations for staff and student performance are critical to a culture that promotes and encourages excellence from all members of the culture. If we have the same expectations and practices this year that we employed in the previous school year, it would be silly to believe we would get results that differed from years past. School Culture is a product of all members of the school, but most importantly it is established and maintained by strong leadership with a clear vision and focus for the building or district. A great culture does not just happen, it is an intentional outcome of specific actions taken by the leadership and the members.
ReplyDeleteLarry, Your comments and your leadership expertise is valued! I am counting on your contribution as an empowering school leader to this conversation.
DeleteEffective questioning strategies are one of the most important means of empowering our students to think, problem solve, and thus be successful. Many teachers fail to force "all" students to process a question or problem, formulate an answer, and then be prepared to either provide the initial response or to contribute to the discussion. It is easier to accept a call out or an eager volunteer than it is to demand critical thinking from every student for every posed question. The questioning protocol and expectation for every student to be actively engaged in thinking should be one of the very first initiatives established at the beginning of the school year. Mary Anne has a great one page description of effective questioning strategies. Perhaps she will provide a link for all of us to access her expertise.
ReplyDelete