Monday Musings

from The Kravis Center 

Monday, February 11, 2019 

Dear Colleagues,

 

If you're anything like me, this mid-winter period which graces us with occasional hints of spring, blue sky, birds chirping, and temps topping out at 50 degrees, only to be brought crashing back 24 hours later to 40 mile hour winds and the reality of winter, can leave you reeling.

 

But all hope is not lost! Open Classroom Week is back! There is no better way to break out of the doldrums of the long winter months than by leaving the confines of our classrooms and offices to venture out into the beautiful mid-winter weather (yes, how quickly I am now willing to embrace it) to discover what our colleagues are up to in their classrooms. This edition of Monday Musings contains articles related to the pedagogy (with one exception below) that we may witness this week. If you would like, bring with you this graphic organizer to remember what you observe. Hopefully you will find time to catch up with colleagues over lunch or dinner, or at our follow up gathering after OCW (date TBD) to talk further about what you have observed.

 

On a rather unrelated note, Helicopter Parenting Works (NyTimes, Op-Ed) generated a lot of discussion between my husband and me this weekend. The author often equates a "helicopter" parent to an "authoritative" parent; however as an educator, my definitions of the two styles are vastly different. The article also forces us to consider not only the access to "authoritative" parenting, but also the data being used to conclude that "authoritative" parents are most successful. Enjoy.

 

I look forward to crossing paths as we visit each others classes and to many enriching conversations about teaching and learning. Have a great Monday!

 

Sara, on behalf of The Kravis Center

 

 

Pedagogy 

 

Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness

 

Stability is a shut off switch for your brain. A Yale study has just confirmed that if we are not outside of our comfort zones, we are not learning.

 

This Edutopia link highlights several articles on formative assessments. Take your pick!

 

Professional Growth Opportunities

 

This is amazing - an entire conference dedicated to formative assessments. Formative Assessment Conference with Dylan Wiliam, Tom Guskey, Susan Brookhart and Jay McTighe (Understanding by Design). What an array of experts! Become the LC expert!


February 21 Thursday morning PD Opportunities:


Lena Sadowitz will continue discussions in The Kravis Center about helping our students to learn and incorporate effective study strategies. How might we model these strategies in our classrooms? Can teachers of freshman and sophomores incorporate the same strategies as juniors and seniors? How do we teach effective note-taking? Lena looks forward to helping you tackle some challenging questions.


Scott and Jen will continue to work with faculty who are interested in bringing their classes to the Phi. Whether you are trying to generate ideas or have an idea in mind, they look forward to collaborating with you. This session will take place in the PHI.

 

 

Kravis Center portal page

 

Please fill out this form for suggestions for Thursday morning PD opps.

 

 

 Follow us on Twitter!