End-of-year cleanup!

Well, for me, testing is over. Four students have not yet finished state tests, but they will continue in the computer lab with our school secretary. Results are mixed: In general, students either excelled, or...did not. You will see how your own child did in the summer. I am 100% pleased with 100% of my students, however. I feel they each gave their best. These are great people I work with.

With the end of testing, I can get back to math and reading and writing. However, I don't plan to go back to the same ol'... It is Spring, and we need a fresh take on education. Every Spring I look to my next year, and try out new ways (or retry old ways) of leading the classroom. What I learn from my Spring students I will bring to my Fall students - and it will be a HUGE class, so this research is truly important!

What I will experiment with:

• Seating that varies by day.
• Increased use of flexible groups for differentiated instruction in all things.
• Increased one-to-one conferring with students.
• Focused  use of computers (and, more generally, decreased use of our chromebooks)
• Selective use of media (videos) to support learning, critical thinking, and community-building
• Increased use of outside, unstructured time to foster positive peer relationships

And, I'm mothballing Crossroads and taking down some pages on my blog. 

Spring Cleaning, indeed!