Are Students Learning?

In our last round of training on our new WA State evaluation system, Teacher/Principal Evaluation Project (TPEP), many of our small group discussions came back to the question of student learning (as it should!). I became fixated on one particular core idea from the CEL 1 Foundational Ideas Applied to Instructional Frameworks that read: “If …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/02/10/are-students-learning/

Inquiry in Science

In response to my questions on the Inquiry Dry Spell post I wrote Edna (@whatedsaid) posed some questions to get me thinking about inquiry in my Science classes. She wrote the following on her post, Response to the dry spell… Inquiry encourages students to be actively involved in and to take responsibility for their own …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/02/09/inquiry-in-science/

Adding Inquiry

Peg Board Assembly

I use Carolina’s STC/MS Energy, Machines, and Motion kit (EMM) with my 6th graders. The lessons in this kit are well structured to take advantage of how people learn by making sure every lesson starts by eliciting prior knowledge of students with questions that students investigate through different labs. The procedures are laid out, step …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/02/09/adding-inquiry/

Test Remediation

I have question about standardized test remediation courses. I know the answer to my question but I still have a strong, almost masochistic, desire to ask it. So let me start with the answer to my question. “You’re right, Al, and I agree with everything you say but (yes, I, Al, know there is a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/02/07/test-remediation/

Let Nature Take its Course

I’ll be the first to admit it, I don’t seem to have much of a green thumb. I have to work hard (see the growth mindset there) at successfully growing plants, especially from seeds, even though in nature they seem to grow just fine. Something about me meddling or maybe over thinking it. I also …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/02/04/let-nature-take-its-course/

Another Problem with Standardized Testing

Our 6th graders are tested once a year, usually in the Spring around April or May, on Reading and Math. Our 7th graders are tested once a year on Reading, Math and Writing. Our 8th graders are tested once a year on Reading, Math and Science. We get the results of those tests usually in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/01/30/another-problem-with-standardized-testing/

Dry Spell?

Cross-posted on Inquire Within. I wrote my first post for Inquire Within on Nov 29, 2010 and my last post was on Dec 5, 2011. I’ve gone two whole years without writing a post! Last school year, after many months of not writing a post for this blog, I asked Edna to keep me on …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/01/29/dry-spell/

Days 10, 11, 12, 13 WoW in Science #gbl

After having my 8th graders play World of Warcraft (WoW) during class for nine periods to level up their characters and live their stories, we spent another four periods in the computer lab bringing all our characters together to split into teams. Small groups of WoW characters had to get together and run to different …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/01/28/days-10-11-12-13-wow-in-science/

1st Semester Assessment

Peer and self assessment are both strategies used in Assessment for Learning (AfL). When it comes to assessment time, midterms and end of semester I survey all my students to get some insight into how they are learning, what they are learning, and if they need anything different from me. One thing I’ve learned over …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/01/27/1st-semester-assessment/

Sunshine Award Blogging Meme

I’ve caught glimpses of this thing going on in the blogosphere. I’ve seen other bloggers get tagged and have to write a post answering a bunch of questions, asking a bunch of questions and selecting others to tag to do the same thing. I’ve been enjoying just watching from the outside while secretly hoping I’d …

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Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2014/01/13/sunshine-award-blogging-meme/

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