Today I had to be taken out of the classroom. I was not looking forward to another wasted day of professional development, BUT I was wrong! We had a workshop with America's Choice (a government program) and the ideas that came out of it were super. I feel like I can make immediate changes in my classroom that will be effective.
We talked a lot about different options. The first thing that was super helpful was vocabulary. I have been having a SUPER hard time with this because I am never sure if I should have them memorize things, write things down, work in groups, etc. But these were nice ideas. For one, I think I am going to start using music and poems every time we do a lesson. I think having the kids pick out as many pieces of figurative language as possible from one piece will help with some healthy competition and application.
Sometimes I feel bad assignming vocabulary homework as definitions...but at the same time, if they don't know the definition how can they define it? It's been a problem. BUT, either way, the tips I got today were super helpful!
Second, we talked about stations. This was helpful because I do always have students who finish work early, and by having stations set up around the room will avoid disruptions because some people are done first. I think I am going to work on this for the week, and then work it into my incentive plan (like if they complete a station, then they get some stickers, etc.). Hopefully this will help! Yay!
I am excited to get back into the swing of things tomorrow. Hopefully these are effective in the classroom, not just at the meeting. Hope everyone is doing well! :)
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