AVReading

  I take comfort in the knowledge that there is not a “cure-all” to approaching reluctant or resisting students.  It allows me a measure of grace when that one tool I use doesn’t work all the time.   Some students respond to threats that you will call home, or to being removed from the classroom or written up.  However, that tool is largely ineffective if teachers rely solely on it or other similar punitive measures.  In some cases, they seem extreme in light of the relatively small offense that the student has committed, like talking out of turn, using foul language,  leaving a mess in the back of the classroom, showing up late, being “disrespectful”, refusing to put away the phone, or simply not doing their work. Without nuance to your approach, students begin to feel as though every offense is punishable by removal or detention.                  ...

 Fill out the following survey to list the best book you have read in the past year.   Today's presentation .

              Throughout grad school, I was a little surprised to learn that  assessing comprehension was actually much more difficult than I had ever known.  Prior to that, I thought we could ascertain a student’s level of understanding by simply asking them a few questions and having them respond in oral responses, written responses, or even in reading quizzes.  I discovered that each of these come with limitations, since we can not truly get into someone’s brain to see what it is they are thinking or understanding.  Each type of comprehension check requires a rather indirect expression of what the brain is experiencing.  In meaning making assessments that require writing, the assessment assumes that the student is capable of writing skills strong enough to confidently put words to the page expressing what it is they know or think.  This format favors those who have a gift for w...