#Whatsup Wildcats - Classroom Edition

Stories. We all have them. We all like to hear them. Some of us like to read them. And in today's society, we ALL love to see them. Capturing the pulse of a high school is no easy feat. Sharing it with the world in an engaging way....even harder. While the purpose of this blog is to share the awesome things happening at Neuquqa Valley High School, I recently started to consider how we could reach a bigger audience: the students. Whether they admit it or not, students are curious about what is happening around the building. They are also excited to share what they are doing, learning, and feeling with others. How do they typically do this? Yes, you're right.....social media. Specifically, Snapchat and Instagram. They spend half of their day snapping pictures and videos of themselves while spending the other half looking at what others are sharing. In our collaborative, digital world, we all love to see others' stories, and social media makes this easy and fun. In Febr...

Sometimes, our students need opportunities to be creative and do something different in class. Yes, we all know this and work tirelessly to differentiate instruction to engage our students, but I am hoping some of the examples below will spark an idea or motivate you to try something new and creative in your class. During my classroom observations this week, I witnessed a few different activities that asked the students to apply what they were learning or going to learn to some sort of creative activity. Each class had the same result: student energy and engagement. Here is a snapshot of this fun in the classroom: It was first period on Monday, but the students in Mr. Farrar's MATH class were still up to the challenge of trying something new. Mr. Farrar asked the students to use Adobe Spark to create a poster connected to their current unit while starting the class with a good 'ol fashioned carousel activity. Students worked in groups and moved around the room to complete var...

Before this week, I never noticed how much of our instruction centers on life skills that will help our students lead strong, healthy, motivated, and proud lives. Yes, the content does creep in, and most times, it is our lesson's main event, but if you really pay attention to the commentary provided by our teachers as they teach this content and facilitate student learning, it is pretty cool how much of what we say teaches a valuable lesson for the future.  After a few weeks off, I was excited to continue observing my students this week. And let me tell you, I left each class feeling excited about what I observed and eager to debrief with my students. As mentioned above, each class I visited moved beyond the content; instead, I witnessed instruction, advice, support, collaboration, critical thinking, student creation, implementation of various strategies, and development of student skills that are not only essential for the classroom but also for real-life and future experiences...

Watching students learn is fascinating. While I am a teacher and feel like I constantly facilitate and monitor learning, I didn't truly see and appreciate the process as much as I have this semester as I have focused on student learning during my classroom observations. While the month of February is always a difficult time to stay motivated, various classroom situations energized me this week and provided a much-needed reminder of the importance of the work we do. Here's the breakdown... I found joy and energy in watching students find happiness when they figured things out in class.  In every class I visited this week, students were critically thinking and creating. Every class. And I would also argue that a majority of students were fully engaged in their work. As I watched them work either individually, collaboratively, or with their teachers, it was really awesome to see how they worked through various activities and how they asked questions, persevered through challe...

As teachers, our 45 minute class periods fly by as we attempt to get through all of the learning targets and activities planned for the day. Our students, on the other hand, using a different tune when it comes to the passage of time throughout the day. While their day is very busy, they constantly complain that it "feels like the school day is never going to end" and that the "class periods are dragging." I always consider it an #EDUwin when one of my students tells me our class period flew by. That means they were engaged in the content and not thinking about when they get to leave. #whatsup This week, my classroom observations all shared similarities that created an engaging learning environment for the students. I would argue that every teacher had an #EDUwin during his or her class period as students were on task, invested, and motivated to complete various tasks. The class periods flew by, and students walked out the door with energy and new insights. Why, y...

With the addition of the Chromebook, one would think that students waste less time on the organization and management of paperwork. During my classroom observations this week, I noticed more than ever how much "stuff" students have with them on a daily basis - on their desks, in their backpacks, folded in books, in their notebooks, in purses, in pockets, folded in their Chromebooks, and so on. Their stuff  is everywhere. There is no one at fault for this, as the students travel to 6 different classes throughout the day and in most cases, are involved in an activity or sport after school that provides even more stuff  for them to keep and organize. As I discussed in my post last week, our students' typical day is action packed and full of content, assignments, and activities. If you really sit back and watch the students manage the stuff  that they bring with them from place to place throughout this typical day, it is amazing to see how students differ when it comes t...

Wow. Seeing my students in different learning environments this week has opened my eyes to a sophomore student's typical day at our high school. I must say, I am blown away by their daily schedules and the amount of content they learn each day. While I know they take 6 other classes throughout the day besides my English class, until you actually sit in some of these classes, it is hard to imagine what they are actually doing on a daily basis. This week, I had the opportunity to visit the following classes: AP Human, Chemistry, Health, and Creative Writing II. While the plan was to observe just one student, I was excited to see that each class I visited included more than one of my students. With this, I was able to touch base with multiple students later in the day about what they were learning in their classes. This opened up the chance for me to connect with more of my students and truly invest in their learning - not just in my class - and to learn more about them. As I sat ...