PLC's and Pyramid of Interventions

What do we do when students don't respond?  What happens when our normal day to day instruction doesn't produce the results we were hoping?  As educators, we are faced with the fact that students (and adults in my opinion) learn differently and at different rates.  At times, this can create a divide in our classrooms which makes it difficult to meet the needs of all students.  So what do we do and where do we go?  In the PLC model, we consult with our colleagues and plan for when students don't respond.  Collaboration and intervention together are a very powerful tool.  This book highlights the use of the PLC model to provide intervention to students who may struggle with learning concepts and may need a bit more help in the classroom.  PLC's and implementing the pyramid of interventions has huge implications for positive change in schools centered around student learning and growth.  This book is a great read for anyone looking at either or both.

New Year

For those of you who have followed my blog, you know that I typically celebrate new year with the start of the school year.  I think most educators do.  However, this year I decided to celebrate New Year on the first day back to school at Williamsburg.  It has been a great start to the year, but change is never easy.  My resolution, let's make 2012 our year.  We started our year off with a breakfast celebration in the lounge and toasting teachers with sparkling cider and orange juice.  It was a great way to say welcome back and let's have a great year.  I am looking forward to the rest of this year, but eagerly anticipate our next full year together - to which the planning really starts this spring!!!

Working with Michael Rettig!

Both today and tomorrow I have the pleasure of working with Michael Rettig - the block scheduling master.  I thought reading his material was phenomenal, but working with him in a room is even better.  As we get ready to be one of the pilots for block scheduling, we couldn't be in better hands.  Want to know more about him and his work?  Check out him out here.

Vocabulary Instruction!

Did you know that kids who "read a lot" learn about 8 words per day.  Kids who "do not read a lot" learn about 2.  While 2 and 8 don't seem like huge numbers, take that over the course of a month and now you have 60 words vs 240 words.  While it is not a new concept or idea, direct vocabulary instruction has gained a lot of attention over the recent years by education researchers and practitioners.  So the question becomes - how do we take what we know and translate that into learning for ALL students?  In this book, Beck and McKeown provide some very easy vocabulary instruction activities that can be done across all content areas.  We know that the adolescent mind is in high gear most of the time, but one of its struggles is to make meaning and connections in its world.  Therefore, teaching vocabulary across all content areas can help our students make those connections.  Who says that only the Math teacher can teach about tessellations?  My money is usually with the Art teacher.  But thing about what a powerful combination it would be if both were teaching the same concept and vocabulary!  Powerful!

Busy Start

So I realized this weekend that it has been a long time since my last entry.  That is directly correlated to the business in the new job!  Williamsburg Middle School has kept me very busy.  We have already had 1 parent outreach off campus, a PTA meeting, Back to School Night, and right on our heels are student led conferences.  Needless to say, things are busy.  This past week I have been engaging in wonderful conversations with the teachers about their Professional Development Plan goals.  It is always great to sit down and talk about researching aspects of pedagogy to improve student achievement.  I am looking forward to seeing all of our plans come alive.  Perhaps we can take a breath at Thanksgiving.