From the Top of this Peak

Hiking is one of my most favorite things to do with my family, and we have been fortunate to cover miles and miles of mountain trails together. I love the allure of the trail, the challenge of the climb, and the view from the top. Instead of rushing to the top only to return again to the bottom, we spend some time at the peak reflecting on the journey, enjoying a picnic, and looking out at all of the mountains that we plan to climb in the future. We take photographs to document the journey, and we savor each moment... amazed by the beauty of nature and proud of our accomplishments.

This final stretch of the school year is much like the time spent at the top of a mountain, offering a unique perspective. From the top of this peak, we can look back at the trail that has been forged and ahead to the new challenges that await. In this moment, we must take the time to celebrate all that we have achieved during our journey and enjoy the time that remains with our students. Our final Guided Math PD session for this school year was organized with this metaphor in mind. 

At the Top of this Peak 

If we think of the school year as mountain hike, the top of this peak is pretty spectacular! I am so PROUD of the change that a Guided Math approach to instruction has inspired at Powdersville Elementary. Teachers are using ongoing formative assessment to pull small groups and to differentiate instruction & assignments. They are working together to plan for meaningful and appropriate tasks for each group. Students are using technology for creation & collaboration, along with accessing content, receiving immediate feedback, and practicing fluency. So many teachers have commented on the relationships that this approach has allowed them to build with students, and as students begin to finish MAP testing, teachers are excited to see the growth that has resulted from a focus on individual student needs. I know this is just the first of many peaks for all of us as we continue on our journey!

To get a feel for how teachers are currently feeling about Guided Math and themselves as learners, I used PollEverywhere for Google Slides to embed questions throughout our discussion. In addition to providing useful feedback during the session, this also allowed me to showcase a new tool for formative assessment in the classroom and the variety of question types available! I loved that teachers were able to go to my PollEv.com site and the questions automatically changed as I went through the Slides.

The Path Behind Us

Looking back down the path we forged this school year, I am excited to see that where we once had teachers selecting 1, 2, or 3 to rate their comfort with implementing Guided Math, nearly all selected 3 or 4 in this session! We looked back at the milestones on our journey and the challenges we faced together deciding that allowing the neediest students to face productive struggle is still difficult.

Knowing that we have a group of teachers who will join our Guided Math journey next school year, I asked the teachers to provide advice for those just getting started...

The Journey Ahead

One of the most exciting things about the view from the top of a mountain is checking out all of the peaks that you plan to climb in the future! Looking ahead to next school year, we decided that our monthly meetings together have been a source of support throughout the process of implementing Guided Math instruction, so we will plan to continue and to add those who are new to teaching Math to our sessions together.

The goals shared during this session will be very helpful as I plan for our time together next year!

April 2017 Updates

Happy Spring! In addition to the hard earned break ahead of us and the start of testing, April is also the month to celebrate Poetry Month, National School Library Month, and Earth Day. Please take a look at the Thinglink below for a variety of useful resources and suggestions. Don't hesitate to Book Me or reach out via email if I can help you in any way.

March 2017 Updates

March is Women's History Month! We also celebrate Music in Our Schools Month, National Nutrition Month, St. Patrick's Day, and the First Day of Spring this month. Check out the Thinglink below for this month's Tech Tip Calendar, upcoming PD dates, and other useful resources! Please don't hesitate to Book Me if you are in need of support or ideas in the weeks ahead. 

App Speed Dating

For our after school Digital Playground at Concrete Primary, I wanted to try something a little bit different this month. Since our session was scheduled for the day after Valentines Day, the iTeachers and I thought it would be fun to try out App Speed Dating! To get everyone ready for our session, I sent out the invitation on the right along with a brief description via email. In the email, I asked that everyone bring along their favorite new app or techie instructional idea to share with their colleagues.

Before the start of the session, I arranged the tables and chairs in a large U-shape, with everyone matched up with the person sitting across the table. I also put out some Conversation Starters and chocolates in the middle of each table. As I was getting everything ready, I knew that this was either going to be a great session or a total flop...

I love the way our Padlet Wall warm-up turned out...

The teachers brought excellent ideas to share, and it was awesome to see teachers teaching other teachers about the tools and apps that they love! Miss Joan made some amazing snack mix for us to enjoy while sharing, and based on the feedback form I'm happy to report that the afternoon was a success!

Ts @CPSCrickets were teaching one another during today's App & Idea Speed Dating Session #asd1 #supercrickets #lifelonglearners pic.twitter.com/PVunoUiXvX

— Jessica D. Preisig (@PreisigJessica) February 16, 2017

Enjoyed today's App & Idea Speed Dating Session with Ts @CPSCrickets #asd1 #supercrickets #roomfullofawesomeideas pic.twitter.com/juV42zZCVP

— Jessica D. Preisig (@PreisigJessica) February 16, 2017

February Updates

Check out the Thinglink below for helpful tech tips, PD schedules, and a link to Book Me!



It's hard to believe that we have already made it into the 3rd Quarter! Time has a funny way of flying by and moving in slow motion all at once. In addition to our usual collaborative planning sessions and professional development, I'm also looking forward to working with 8th graders on Sun Tour projects, learning more about Apple Classroom, hosting a fun Digital Playground session at Concrete Primary, and leading a BreakoutEDU session at Powdersville Elementary's Literacy Night this month. There are still some slots available on my calendar, so don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything at all! I am so fortunate to work with an amazing group of teachers who love teaching and work hard to meet the diverse needs of our students. #lovemyteachers

Perhaps we will get a little bit of snow before Spring arrives, so that I can go skiing with my boys! ;)

Assessment in Guided Math

For many teachers the word "assessment" is synonymous with "testing," but Lanney Sammons writes, "Assessment is more than testing - it is evaluating students' progress, their understandings and misconceptions, their ability to solve problems and think critically, and their ability to apply their knowledge to new situations." In the guided math classroom, formative assessment drives instruction daily and helps teachers to know how to meet the diverse needs of students.

During our training this month, I asked teachers to post responses to the question in the AnswerGarden shown below. One of the teachers commented that the change to using a Guided Math approach has made ongoing assessment more essential and easier than ever! Students are no longer passive consumers of knowledge, but they are engaged learners receiving ongoing and regular feedback about their work and progress.

Tools for Assessment

One of the most important and powerful tools that we are using for formative assessment at Powdersville Elementary is Seesaw. This app allows teachers to share resources and links with students, and it allows students to create and to post station work with images, screenshots, and audio. This work can be reviewed by the teacher and shared with parents. Because our school recently began to a Seesaw for Schools Pilot, I took some time during this session to discuss some of the great features that teachers can now access, including Skills View. I'm excited to see how teachers can use this feature to document student learning and progress!

January's session ended with a quick look at some of the technology tools that teachers are using for formative assessment in the Guided Math classroom (see Slide 8). I encouraged teachers to look at the homework mode in Quizizz for an interactive station task that provides students with immediate feedback. (One group of teachers even found a Quizizz that they could use the following day!) Several of the teachers are also excited to begin using Classkick for exit tickets.

I am so excited about the work that my teachers are doing, and it makes me feel good to know that our students are benefiting from the collaboration and professional growth of their teachers. Being able to provide resources and serve as a support for this dedicated group of teachers makes me proud and excited to be a small part of something amazing!

January 2017 Updates

Welcome back! I hope that everyone found some time for fun and for relaxation over the break.

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and focus on our goals for the weeks and months ahead. In addition to losing the extra pounds gained over the break, my goals for 2017 include eating out less often, maintaining and radiating a positive outlook, and appreciating the beauty and happiness found in everyday things.

Please take just a moment to explore the information and resources collected on the Thinglink below. Don't hesitate to contact me or to reserve an appointment slot on my Book Me Calendar if I can help you in any way in the days and weeks ahead!

Infopics

An infopic combines an image and words in order to convey a message. This is a great option for quotes, definitions, or tidbits of information. Check out this post by Tony Vincent for more information.

The infopic on the right was created using WordSwag, which I picked up using Apps Gone Free over the break. Free options that students can use to create infopics include Typorama, Adobe Spark Post, and Canva.