Thursday, June 22, 2017

Outlining Summer Research: Teach Well

Outlining your summer study and research helps you to learn more, make the learning meaningful, and embed the learning into program change. I've outlined my study below: (Note the study list continues to be updated throughout the summer)

Focus: Building a sensitive, relationship-strong culturally proficient teaching/learning program

Coding and Swift Playground

 Tribe by Junger
I want to employ what I learn from this book in creating a strong grade-level, classroom and collegial team.

 NBPTS Green Book: What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do
Great guide to good teaching/learning that can be used as a lens to evaluate your teaching program and team efforts.

Empowered Educators
This book written by Linda Darling-Hammond and colleagues is the kind of book that will help me to advocate and forward more teacher-powered schools and practice, practice that is led by more distributive leadership models and modern day professional learning rather than old-time top-down factory models. I'm excited about reading this book and sharing the information.

 David Culberhouses eBooks
David has been doing extensive research related to transforming the ways we educate students. His research is vital to our efforts to vision-set for dignified, positive, impactful schools and teaching.

 What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do
I want to read and embed this important NBPTS information into my practice.

For White Teachers Who Teach in the Hood. . . by Chris Emdin
I read half of this book last summer, took a lot of notes, and embedded Emdin's ideas into our shared teaching program with good result. I'll read the rest of the book and look back on last summer's notes, and think about how we might embed Emdin's research, words, and experience into our revised orientation programs, start-of-the-year selfie project, and our efforts to build strong student-teacher relationships and a culturally proficient program.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Similar to Emdin's book, I hope to use Coates book to deepen my ability to build strong relationships with students and build a culturally proficient teaching/learning program with colleagues. I started this book without a clear focus, now I will reread with the focus of comparing my experience of growing up, education and living in the world with Ta-Nehisi Coates. I believe that perspective will make the book more useful and memorable to me.

 In the Heights by Quiara Alegria Hudes (Author), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Author)
Students will attend this play and I'll read up on it so that I can use what I learn to prepare students to have a full experience of the musical. This is also part of our efforts to build a more culturally proficient program.

 Integrating SEL and Academic Learning by Dacey, Criscitiello, Devlin
I co-authored this book with educational colleagues. We spent a lot of time looking at ways to embed SEL into academic lessons and came up with some great lesson plans which I plan to use in 2017-2018 to build a stronger learning team and program. As I read through the finished book, I'll decide where and when I'll teach each SEL skill/lesson. I'll also offer specific lessons to colleagues, lessons they may want to integrate into their teaching.

Redesigning Learning Spaces by Robert W. Dillon 
I plan to read this book and apply the learning to writing a grant to update and modernize the learning environment. I want the environment to be a more modern STEAM learning/teaching space. 

Thank you for Being Late by Thomas Friedman
I want to read this book as one way to develop my awareness for what the future holds for our students. I want our teaching/learning efforts to help students prepare for their futures, and this book will provide information to help me do that.

I have collected a number of other titles and articles to build this effort in the classroom too:

Focus: Engaging, Empowering Math Education

The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz
I look forward to reading this book and using what I learn to elevate my algebraic thinking, numerical expression, and patterns and relationships emphases with regard to teaching math.

YouCubed by Jo Boaler
I'm going to study the YouCubed site and apply specific learning exercises, research, videos, and activities in specific math teaching/learning units as one way to build greater meaning, engagement, and cultural proficiency to math teaching and learning.

Article/Course Collection
I've collected a number of articles and a course to study over the summer to empower the math program as well:

Focus: Reflect for Success and NBPTS 
I have decided to make my professional consultation focus reflection and NBPTS since I value the role that reflection plays in elevating the work we do as educators and I value the NBPTS standards, community and process. I will attend a conference this summer that focuses on reflection as part of obtaining National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification. I will likely collect titles, articles, and other information related to this topic throughout the summer as well. 
General
Math/STEAM
Cultural Proficiency/SEL/Growth Mindset






Posted by at