• Resources

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/31/2011
    1. What newspapers or magazines are available for classroom use?
    2. What is a testlet?
    3. Does the high school English Department use a textbook?
    Comments (0)

  • Monitoring Progress

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/31/2011
    1. What is the grading policy?
    2. What quick informal assessments can I use to check whether or not a skill needs to be revisited?
    3. Are there specific methods for ongoing monitoring of student progress that the district prefers or encourages?
    4. What is the value of frequent quizzes?
    5. How do we make monitoring progress meaningful?
    6. How can we use formative assessments more often without students expecting a grade?
    7. How can a teacher ensure that he/she revisits objectives throughout the year?
    Comments (0)

  • Differentiation

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/31/2011
    1. How difficult is it to differentiate instruction for a large class?
    2. How does one effectively assess a student's learning style?
    3. What strategies does the district recommend for differentiation?
    4. Is there a way to get volunteers/aides in the classroom?
    5. How do we keep kids from feeling resentful about being tracked into lower groups?
    Comments (0)

  • Communication

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/31/2011
    1. What are some tried and true ways to establish communication with parents?
    2. What strategies work best for keeping parents informed?
    3. In what ways can we make parents directly accountable for student performance?
    4. How do we balance being both timely and thorough in our feedback?
    Comments (0)

  • Reflective teaching

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/31/2011
    1. How often are teachers observed or assessed by other faculty during the year?
    2. Are beginning teachers in the district encouraged to keep journals?
    3. How do we make time for reflection?
    4. How can I reflect on my practice in a productive way from year to year?
    5. Could administrators provide notebooks or better yet a specific time for teachers to get together and reflect?
    Comments (0)

  • Instruction

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/25/2011
    1. Does the high school encourage the use of "do now" or "quick write" activities as daily openers?
    2. What are general teaching strategies that can be used to engage students in the English classroom?
    3. What are critical thinking activities?
    4. How do we make learning fun and still maintain rigor?
    5. What is the most effective way to emphasize objectives in a lesson?
    Comments (0)

  • Curriculum Knowledge

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/25/2011
    1. How do we know which parts of the state mandated curriculum to emphasize as the most important objectives?
    2. Who determines what the most important objectives are?
    3. How often is the curriculum reviewed and revised?
    Comments (0)

  • Planning

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/25/2011
    1. Are teachers encouraged to work together to come up with prioritization of curriculum objectives?
    2. How can we use the 10-20 minute time frame to the best advantage?
    3. What sort of lesson plan format is used?
    4. How can we implement spiral planning without being repetitive?
    5. What methods are used to develop a strong closer for a lesson?
    Comments (0)

  • Student needs

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/17/2011
    How important is it to involve something like current events in the classroom?
     
    Does the district offer professional development/education opportunities for teachers to further their knowledge of child development?
    Comments (0)

  • High Expectations

    Posted by Gail Heinemeyer at 8/17/2011
    How do we dictate expectations?
    What makes them high and how do we set those expectations with no knowledge of student achievement?
    Does laying out consequences for actions hinder the process of creating a positive classroom environment?
    How can I consistently hold students accountable for work and maintain a positive environment?
    Comments (0)

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Last Modified on August 31, 2011