Project framework

     I apologize for joining our blogging community late.  I have been working towards coming up with an idea for my project that would be worthwhile and added value to the students in my building.  After reviewing the Georgia Leader Keys and where the needs of my school coincide I have determined that I would work on intentionally increasing best practices of the special education teachers in my school. 

    I will work with my teachers to increase the usage of engaging activities in their class. As the teachers plan their lesson they will ask, how am I engaging students in rigorous and relevant work? After I have introduced the question to the teachers I will ask them to specifically implement an activity that will provide engagement. I will ask teachers to reflect on a daily lesson to ask themselves, how do I know what they know?  Through the reflection of this question I will guide them towards the use of more formative assessments to determine daily if ALL students are “getting” it.  These formative assessments will become part of their lesson plans and a way to provide gradual release to the students as the student take ownership in their learning.  I would like these guiding questions to become part of their internal dialog when planning lessons. Too often we enter classrooms where the teacher poses a probing question to the class and only a few raise their hand to answer the question.  That students gets the answer correct, the teacher moves on to the next concept or question never realizing that very few students have taken the opportunity to answer. Through increased use of activities that allow students to be engaged in rigorous and relevant work and frequently assessing what the students know I expect to see increased student achievement.