Excellence in Education: Thinking Prompts
Thinking prompts are designed to promote and prompt thinking and dialogue. Thinking prompts can be used at the beginning of class to prime the brain for the day’s learning.
Thinking prompts vary in length. Thinking prompts can include video clips, short readings (articles, short stories, poems, etc.), visual arts (photographs, advertisements, paintings, etc.), and metaphors.
Why Use Thinking Prompts
When used with fidelity, thinking prompts engage all students. They prompt discourse and conversation by engaging students through reflection, creating opportunities for dialogue and allow all students to equally comment on. For example, after sharing a photograph, the opportunity exists for every student to comment equally and the teacher should strive to take a back seat during this process.
Effective thinking prompts help students make connections which in turn increases motivation as students are better able to understand not just what they are learning but why they are learning. They can also provide students with background knowledge which is integral to learning (one of the strongest indicators of how well students will learn new information).
By engaging students in conversation around a visual or other thinking prompt, we authentically engage students.
According to Jim Knight, effective thinking prompts are:
Provocative: The prompt inspires conversation and deeper thinking.
Complex: They promote different ideas, emotions and thoughts and can be seen from many different perspectives.
Personally relevant: When taken personally, students are going to be more invested in the learning that is about to occur.
Concise: Shorter clips keep students engaged and leave more time for thinking and learning.
Positive: Thinking prompts can set the mood for a class and can have an impact on the culture of the classroom.
Knight’s Six Suggestions for Sharing Thinking Prompts
- Establish respectful norms for classroom dialogue.
- Use the right kind, type, and level of question.
- Listen empathetically.
- Encourage students by offering authentic praise and paraphrase when unclear.
- Suggest connections between various ideas offered by students.
- Keep the dialogue session short so that all students remain engaged.
Excellence in Education: CRT Quote
Don’t focus on achievement; focus on getting your kids excited about learning. ~Pedro Noguera
Tasks, Important Information, Upcoming Events
Mustang Morning. This week our sophomore seminars are meeting during Mustang Morning. Please remember that students should have passes when they are in the hallways during Mustang Morning (and at other times too). We’re trying hard to make sure students are signing up and using Mustang Morning for advancement. If you have students in the hallway, please remember that you are responsible for them and they should be provided a pass.
This Friday will be an extended 1st block for PSAT Pre-test Administration. Details will follow.
Friday is a B-Day. No Mustang Morning or clubs.
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Thursday 10/17 , both from 4:30-7:00.
October 16: PSAT / CWRA Tests (3rd and 4th periods will meet)
Diabetes training
If you are going on a field trip with a student who has diabetes, a chaperone on the field trip is REQUIRED to be diabetes trained. Training is a combination of online (4-5 hours) and includes a one time hand-on portion. The latter is being offered from 4:15-5:15 on October 21 at Center 1/Seminole Place. You will not be able to go on a field trip if you have a diabetic student and no diabetic-trained chaperones. List of students attending field trips should be provided to Ms. Tomlin 3 weeks prior to the field trip. For a helpful field trip checklist, click here. See Ms. Tomlin for more information.
Once an employee completes the training and passes a test at the end, he/she will be issued a certificate of completion that counts as being trained. Recertification credit will be granted.
ACPS AVID is hosting a Fall Workshop on October 22-23. If you are interested in attending this workshop, please click on the link below and submit your names in the attached Form.
To be considered AVID trained and receive recertification points participants must attend both days (there are 5 topics discussed).
For those deciding to attend, please request your subs early. If you are unable to attend this workshop there is a second workshop in February. The February workshop is the same as October.
October 31: End of Quarter; 10th grade field trip to Career Expo (will miss Mustang Morning and 2nd period)
Field Trips
French Tours: Through October 11
Job Shadowing: October 8 @ PVCC
October 31: 10th grade Career Expo (all 10th graders)
October 31-November 3: Theater Trip/Competition
Birthdays
October 12: Paula Loving
Shout Outs
Mike Schafer inspired this week’s Excellence in Education for how he used John Gast’s American Progress/Spirit of the Frontier painting in his ST US/VA History. It was great to see a lively conversation and the ahh-has when students developed a greater understanding of the painting as it related to the time period. When one student referenced Manifest Destiny, I thought to myself, “mission accomplished.”
Useful Information
Seeking volunteers? ACPS is attempting to expand volunteer outreach and help teachers find volunteers. Here’s a form that takes a minute to complete.
Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm
Want something included on the Monticello Outlook Calendar, the Monticello website, in the PowerSchool Daily Bulletin, schoolwide Schoology accounts, or the student newsletter (viewed by parents, students and staff)? Please use this link https://goo.gl/forms/bIjfJLKokWPcEHx33
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