Excellence in Education: New KWL Chart
The K-W-L Chart has seemingly been around forever. It needed updating. As educators, we must realize that we are more than just disseminators of information. We’re way past the times when we teach content just in case the student might need it someday (that’s what the Internet is for). As Dave Burgess says in Teach Like a Pirate, “Teaching is no longer about relaying the content standard...it’s about transforming lives.”
We must strive to individualize learning; to give students a reason to learn. Inquiry-based learning, including PBL, great lessons require students to see urgency to what they are learning. In such an environment, students will be excited to come to school so they can discover and create. In such an environment, students--not the teacher--are at the center of their learning.
The new adaptation to the K-W-L Chart reflects this philosophy by adding
H-How will we find the answer? Student think about resources that are available to them, perhaps with some provided by the teacher.
A-Action What Action will I (the student) take? In other words, how will students apply what they’ve learned.
Q-Questions What new questions do you have? Providing students with the opportunity to reflect on what they’ve learned, have they met the objective, and what new questions have arisen is critical to the learning process.
The new K-W-H-L-A-Q focuses on the inquiry-process. We must continue to give students reasons to learn and ensure their involvement in the the learning process.
Shout Outs:
I spent Saturday morning at EdCamp Northern Virginia and attended three sessions: Student Portfolios, Makerspaces and Individualized Learning. While it wasn’t my intention, I spent significant portions of time discussing and sharing all the great work that is being done here at Monticello. We must never lose sight of all the great work we do and how we are at the forefront of innovative student learning.
Belatedly, ENCORE! ENCORE! "Necessary Trouble," a one act play by Courtney Grooms was in the top six at the Virginia Theatre Association Conference. Courtney was also honored with an award for Best Original Production. The Monticello Theatre Tech team also won second place in the Tech Olympics.
Need to Knows:
Portfolio Assistance If you have a student who needs assistance setting up his/her portfolio, click here
Technology / Website Permission Request Form http://go.shr.lc/1HovEA6 Please use this form to request use of a website that requires student log-in if the site is not already on the approved list. DART approved list
Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm Please be sure to have announcements cued and ready to go at 8:55 every morning.
Announcement Request: http://tinyurl.com/requestannouncement
Calendar and Memo Items
A-B-A-B-A Week
November 17: Student Improv Show with some fellow educators also making fools of themselves participating
Birthdays
Zarkpa Quaye (custodial): November 17
Worth Your Time
Honoring the “Otherness” of Our Students by Starr Sackstein (Embracing)
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