Years ago a colleague and I created the poster above. I hang that poster outside of my classroom to remind me and others what positive teaching and learning looks like. As I worked to plan the week ahead and peered into Twitter now and then for inspiration from my dynamic PLN now and then, I was reminded about what good teachers do to teach and learn well. Good teachers contribute a great deal of time and attention beyond the school day to reading, researching, planning, and preparing for positive teaching.
For example, this morning I spent a lot of time crafting the week's plans for me and others related to my wonderful grade-level of approximately 65 students. I used a planning document like the one below to organize the plans and then prep the materials:
- Coaching students to practice using an online math learning menu, working as a team, and creating, writing about, and discussing patterns.
- Introducing the story of the U.S. Constitution and The Declaration of Independence as we review our school handbook and our value and practice related to equity. This will help students connect new information related to U.S. History to information they know related to the values, practices, and rules of our school.
- Guiding, helping, responding to, and learning from the student teacher as she teaches a science and reading lesson.
- Preparing students for school assembly with the school principal.
- Preparing students for Sam Drazin's talk and attending the talk with students.
- Working with my grade-level team and naturalists and environmental educators at Audubon's Drumlin Farm to plan this year's standards-based watershed environmental study for students at a day-long professional learning day.
- Using my day off to tutor a family member and care for other relatives.
- Working on plans for the next week's teaching/learning agenda and plans.
Every week of school is a busy week--the better we plan and prep for the week's teaching with and for colleagues and students, the better the teaching occurs. As much as possible I try to stay a week ahead with plans and prep so that those I work with have lead time to make suggestions and let me know of changes and other important information. Lead time allows the plans to simmer and become richer, then the reflection at the end of the week lets me analyze how those plans went and use that analysis to positively impact the teaching and learning ahead.
What's your prep and planning process like? What strategies do you use that positively affect good teamwork, effective student learning, and parent/teacher communication? I'm curious.
