[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Feedback and Student Agency #9893

It is a sort of assessment, isn’t it? The students giving feedback must think about and articulate what skills and concepts we are working on and evaluate how their peers have met those benchmarks. I have used a self-assessment for this purpose and sometimes ask in reflections for students to write about a peer who stands out as meeting the skills we are looking at.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Feedback and Student Agency #9892

I have more students struggling to get up and present at the beginning of a semester than ever before. Presenting on video, starting with small group presentations and jigsawing groups has helped to ease students in. But I like your idea of presenting in front of smaller groups. It would help. Without seeing every speaker myself, I would have to figure out a way to assess, but it might be a creative solution. I do let students present just to me if they are severely nervous.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Feedback and Student Agency #9891

Peer feedback is the norm in my classroom. At the end of the semester, students do not even want to hear my feedback, they are all interested in what the audience saw and heard. It grows slowly throughout the semester. At first, students do not want to participate, but often we are on the same team rooting for each other.
Feedback can build student confidence. More opportunities for feedback can mean more time for relationship building. When it is all working feedback is involved in a two-way street that can give the teacher ideas for assignments that students want to do to grow. It can become collaborative.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Expanding Your Tech Toolbox #9888

I started using Nearpod this year.
I used the website for ideas and directions and some shortcuts.
It worked well for a senior English class. We walked through a unit on sonnets together. A colleague of mine used Nearpod to engage those of us in the audience at a conference and it was a hit. It worked well to collaborate anonymously.
A few weeks ago I used Nearpod for a lesson I taught at Purdue for in-coming teachers. It was engaging and interactive. It was good to have the feedback to lack at after the lesson.
We also used Menti and Flip. I need to be able to use them more quickly. Right now it just takes so much planning time to prepare for a short lesson.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Establishing Relationships #9711

Being able to choose instead of being told would really help to build self-efficacy. I would want to graph my growth to see myself improve little by little. With YouTube how-to videos, I would do so much research into strategies to help myself improve. I want to go back and take school all over again. I get it now. The conferencing you do must be effective in building rapport. In speech I have students reflect on each presentation and plan for what skill they want to work to improve on for the next speech.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Establishing Relationships #9710

I love a reason to go outside! I would be afraid of one of my teens pulling out a lighter. But those are probably anachronistic. I bet students are super excited to try and that you are allowing them even the potential of fire.
The empathy from students not being able to succeed, but doing it as a team has so many positive lessons to set the tone of growth for the year.
I will have to look up Bloom Balls. Sounds interesting and allows for lots of choice and collaboration.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Establishing Relationships #9696

I teach Speech Communication, so the very first unit is a speech introducing themselves to the class. But before that, we have lots of icebreakers to ease anxiety and build rapport with their audience for the semester. Many semesters the class becomes a tight team rooting for each other and helping each other complete outlines and design appealing slide presentations.
Recently, I found the activity called Pow and Wow from Trevor Muir. I did it when we returned from Spring Break, and at the end of weeks that seemed long and tedious. Students share one yucky thing, the pow in the gut. They also share one great thing. Some students decided we needed a meh, too. So whatever. They are sharing good, bad, and whatever.
Last week some of the pows included having a parent in the hospital losing a baseball game, a bad grade on a test, getting grounded, and Purdue not winning.
Some of the wows were planning for prom, having a PR on the track, and eating at Chipotle.
The list of mehs had students not liking the weather, and school lunch.
I always share mine, too. It is only fair. My pow was that my husband was working out of town all week. My wow was that I worked out every day. And my meh was the rainy day before.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Learning Communities and Engagement #9326

Your super organized classroom probably helps you to meet many of the types of engagement. You can know at a glance what is needed. Students can rely on you to have different activities each day.

Colleagues can help teachers explore new strategies.

[lwhitcombe]

in reply to: Learning Communities and Engagement #9325

New opportunities can be created by including student interests and input in assignment topics.

Together teachers can collaborate and share observations of shared students and plan to share expertise and insights for planning.

With diligent collaboration, teachers can share insight on students to help provide that student with the most effective interventions and implement lessons that will appeal to students.

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