After thinking a bit....

I didn't have time to do this earlier.....

First of all, if the following constructive criticism is dismissed as negativity or not being a team player, then why am I writing this.....?  If a program can't take constructive criticism, how can it move forward?

My comments are specific to the showcase.....I felt it was a hurried affair, slapped together in a way that felt like it was something we had to do to show we did something as opposed to having the chance to really communicate about our findings.  Who had time to work on it?  Was that honestly a thing to expect me to produce?

It felt like a school science fair, not a professional endeavor.  When a group of people walk around with a sheet to fill out, the listening quotient plummets....the task is to fill out the sheet.

I WATCHED people do this, nodding, writing notes, moving on.  I also know I'm really GOOD at listening, and I was not engaged b/c it was such a superficial setting.  If I'm interested in something I want time to talk about it, and if it's something I did work at and would like to explain, I don't want people nodding and passively listening and being enthusiastic about how great I am.

I don't understand the purpose of the showcase other than some perverted means of proving (to whom?) that we did something.

"Look what I made in my PLC." 

I know that's sarcastic, but I really don't care.  This was kind of a slap to my professional face. 

In all honesty it feels like it was a sideways attempt to get people to stay in the building at meetings they were supposed to be in anyway.....put us on the spot to prove we did something.

If someone isn't going to a meeting, go talk to them about it, don't make me slap together a display that no one really thinks about.

I do stuff, all day, every day.  A lot of us do.  If I've done some interesting work, create a time when people who are curious about it can sit down and have an earnest discussion.  Content areas shouldn't be sidelined as a result.

And here's another aspect of this....I'm honest about how I feel, I think criticism is healthy, but I know I'm also comfortable being forthright where most people aren't.  There are a lot of teachers who won't say anything b/c they see the cheer-leading, and they think they have to be super positive or they'll get in trouble.  So while everyone is dutifully posting on the blog, I don't think anything useful is gained by reading what people think you want to hear.


And that's how I feel about the showcase.

We liked the chance to give some feedback on what to do with the abundance of information we received.  For beginning ESL students, we think the mini-interviews were a good idea.  We would like to learn more about Quizlet - but not enough time to experiment with all the new ideas.

At the end of a semester, when we are working to wrap up our classes, the showcase took up key time we could have used on our classroom work.  It felt too much like a science fair and not a professional level of engagement.  It appeared the showcase was for district to see what we have been discussing, but little time for staff to take away and implement.

If we were able to spend more time working on things that interested us, rather than showing what we find, the learning would be more practical.

We need more time to utilize the various strategies, implement them and see if they work.  We would like to include time to meet with our content PLCs again.  This time was very useful.

Carlson, McGinty, Postlewait, Simpson, and Simons

Showcase Supplies??

I don't see a request for any supplies for the Showcase.  If something comes up, please see Mr. Rivera by November 30th.

Here is a a website to practice paragraph corrections among other grammar items.  It would be good for bell work. http://www.englishmaven.org/Articulate/Beginning%20Paragraph%20Correction%201%20-%20Quizmaker%20output/quiz.html

PLC Showcase

At the end of our semester of work, all PLCs will be showcasing their work at the Wyandotte High School PLC Showcase on Wednesday, December 12th in the Social Hall.  The showcase will be a public demonstration of our learning, collaboration, and results.  Each PLC will showcase work that reflects how your learning and collaboration has impacted student learning.  Each PLC is encouraged to be creative and innovative in their demonstration (student examples would be highly encouraged); however, please be sure the following are addressed through your presentation -
    PLC Focus

Collaborative Actions   

Summary of PLC Learning

Impact on Student Learning

Connections to Future Teaching and Learning

In addition, all staff will have an opportunity to visit each demonstration during the Showcase.  Many outside guests will also be in attendance.  

If your PLC requires any kind of additional resources, please submit any requests for those materials via the comment section to this blog entry by NOVEMBER 9th. You will receive these materials by or before your November 28th meeting, so you will have AT LEAST two weeks to work on organizing your demonstration.

I brought some writing samples today from my students and asked for ideas on how to continue with helping the students learn to write.  Mary gave me some great suggestions, and the idea of working from a picture that the student draws of the event that they are describing.  I will try her suggestions with my students.

Beginning to look at where we are with what kind of writing happens in the classroom and how often.

What audience there is for the writing.

What are 3 biggest problems with student writing.


Then - identify places where we can try specific strategies (from ttms.org pdf on Writing Strategies), try them out, what were the results.


Then - build a recommended model to increase opportunities for writing/strategies for types of writing based on what's worked so far.