This week’s Learning the Loo edition is about getting started with Flipgrid, a video response website:
All past editions are in this doc here.
– Laura Wheeler (Teacher @ Ridgemont High School, OCDSB; Ottawa, ON)
Yesterday, my students were working on their independent practice problems on solving similar triangles on Khan Academy. As I reflected at the end of class, it was so obvious to me how important it is to have a seat free at each group’s desks so that I can sit with them to help them one-on-one. And while that seems obvious, I’m sure I’m not the only one that lets myself be lured into the temptation of sitting at my teacher desk while students work & saying “come over to me if you have any questions!” meanwhile I can shoot off an email or two that need sending. And of course a couple of students will come over to ask me something. But so many others will not leave their seat. Might not even get any work done at all & I won’t notice. Some just can’t get started because they have no idea where to start. So they’ll make it look like they’re working, but at the end of 75 minutes they haven’t done a single practice problem.
Each group has either 4 desks or 3 desk + a stool.
Even on independent practice days, I have students sit in “visibly random groups” by giving out playing cards as they enter class. New partners, new seat every day.
So yesterday as my students started on their practice problems, I moved from group to group, helping students that asked for help. I also sat down to work through a question together with students that hadn’t even started yet (not because they’re being oppositional – but they just don’t know where to start!). Here’s a short video with my reflection on that 4th seat at each group:
Or you can view the video here also.
How do you make sure your quiet, reluctant learners get the same one-on-one help from you as those that self-advocate a little louder?
– Laura Wheeler (Teacher @ Ridgemont High School, OCDSB; Ottawa, ON)
I learned about a great tool this past weekend at the Ontario Summit; Adobe Spark video. A huge shoutout to Rushton Hurley for the introduction to this tool. It’s a super fast & easy way to combine photos, videos & text and narrate over top of it to create a seamless professional looking video.
I tried my hand and created one about the 3 Act Math lesson style made popular by Dan Meyer. Give it a watch & let me know what you think:
Update 2018.01.12: I made a sketchnote about 3 Act Math & listed some sites to explore the topic further & you can find it all here.
– Laura Wheeler (Teacher @ Ridgemont High School, OCDSB; Ottawa, ON)
BYOD = Bring Your Own Device
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is in the process of implementing a BYOD policy in their classrooms board-wide. You can read more about it here.
And many teachers are still unsure of how to integrate student’s own devices into the daily classroom experience; often nervous about what that will mean for their classroom management. As part of a BYOD PD initiative I am taking part in, we are creating some videos with tips for teachers on how to implement BYOD initiatives.
Here is my first attempt:
What do you think?
– Laura Wheeler (Teacher @ Ridgemont High School, OCDSB; Ottawa, ON)
Wheeler's thoughts on teaching 