Teaching without Talking

Teaching without talking


One of my greatest faults as a teacher was I was for too long too reluctant to cede control to students. I taught by telling. What a great way to kill a student’s curiosity. Slowly, I started to discover ways to teach without talking and along the way I learned a couple of lessons. 


First the lessons. 

  1. Students need to have the appropriate background knowledge for the task, otherwise learning will not take place. I think this is often why project-based learning fails. 

  2. Students need to be taught to learn this way and it requires practice. Don’t expect it to work the first time. 

  3. When it all comes together, it’s one of the most amazing experiences for students. 


I think teaching without talking has some unique possibilities in the virtual classroom. Here are 3 of my favorites. 


Buzz Groups

In buzz groups, the teacher starts the lesson a question that leads into what is going to be taught for the day. The starting question may be conceptual, it may build upon prior knowledge, or it may require conjecture. Some examples:

  1. We’ve studied several ancient rulers, what are the traits that made them successful? What are traits of those who failed? 

  2. We’re going to be doing something new in Algebra II today. It’s going to require some new ways of thinking with some new skills. How would you solve this problem? 


Students can be given individual or shared questions before working in their buzz groups. Assign a note-taker to each group and check in with the notetaker before asking each group to contribute one idea (could be more) to the class. 


As a class use the generated list to create more conversation (buzz) to come to a common answer or procedure. From here, you can add to their work. 


Prove it

In prove it students are given the task of discovering and proving something.Use a starting question that evokes strong thoughts but can be answered with reason. Some questions might be: 

  1. What’s the best way to…

  2. This timeline shows the events that led up to World War II. Can you explain why World War II started? 

  3. Why was Starr Carter (The Hate You Give) slow to address the racism in her school?

  4. Would you recommend…


In each of these questions, students can support their claim with evidence. After posing the question, students (individually or in small groups) play the role of detective or attorney questioning the expert witness (you or selected students). However, students CANNOT ask the original question directly. 


Circle the Sage

After poling the class or using evidence from an assessment/check for understanding, the teacher identifies sages. An example of this might be in a math class, Angela, Katrina, Chris, and Anthony all got question 8 and 9 right, so they become the sages. The sages would each be in charge of a breakout room (normally, they would spread out in the classroom). The teacher than assigns the others students to a sages’ breakout room. The sage the explains what they know while the other students listen, ask questions, take notes, etc. Students could then return to the class and explain what they learned to a partner, retry the question (or a similar one), etc. The sages remain available to help. 


What are some ways that you teach without talking? 


Tasks/Important Information


Please update your gradebooks by the end of the day on Friday.


The information and the recording have the faculty meeting have been posted in Schoology.


Online Learning Sessions for Caregivers/Families

  • Managing Screen Time, Getting a Cell Phone, Cyberbullying, Social Media & More November 17 @ 7 p.m. | Designed for families with students in Grades K-8 
  • Social Media, Gaming & Mental Health November 19 @ 7 p.m. | Designed for families with students in Grades 6-12

2nd period teachers: Homerooms will start on Thursday, November 12 during 2nd period. The time spent during homeroom activities (less than 5 minutes) will NOT count against your "live/synchronous" time. This might be a good time for you to take attendance while your leadership student delivers information. We will be updating the spreadsheet with your class's Zoom link. Please let Sandra and Molly know if you have anything that needs to be communicated to the leadership student (ex: students will be working independently until, I will not be having class on Thursday, etc).


A ConnectEd was sent out on Friday with information on our Upcoming Town Hall, Apprenticeship Opportunities, Gradebook Updates and More. The entire ConnectEd is at the end.


https://bit.ly/WAHSannounce To request an announcement, calendar event, etc. 

 

https://bit.ly/TWCStuRec Together We Care Student Recognition So far we've recognized 10 students by calling their families and sharing with the students. The students' are also recognized on Monday's Warrior WOW and they receive some WAHS Swag! The power of celebration

Birthdays

November 9: Beth White
November 12: Erin Phillips 

Worth Your Time

PJ Caposey TEDx talk An educator/author who speaks of the power of what we do and some real talk about how we need to evolve with an interesting comparison between the medical field and education. Would love to hear your thoughts?

A letter to our teachers from a student about election week (a little late but worth the read)


ConnectEd


Town Hall

Western Albemarle High School is hosting a town hall on Thursday, November 12 from 6:00-7:00pm. We will have various faculty and staff members available to answer your questions. Please use this form to submit your questions in advance. This will enable us to maximize our time and ensure we can provide you with the best information. The town hall will be recorded and posted on our webpage. 

To access the town hall, please use Zoom. 

https://k12albemarle.zoom.us/j/96041125990?pwd=Q09VS25qNTl0N2ZrVmtiR1dEc1pQZz09

Meeting ID: 960 4112 5990

Passcode: WATownHall 

If you would like translation services, please let Assistant Principal Reed Gillespie know (rgillespie@k12albemarle.org or 434-823-8700). 


National Apprenticeship Week

Would you like to be paid to learn? Consider the apprenticeship model. Next week is National Apprenticeship Week, and ACPS is partnering with model local employers (including UVA) to explain how apprenticeship work, what apprentices learn, and how to apply. Participants will be paired up with a mentor to help them navigate the next steps of their career exploration. See this flyer for the schedule, click on the flyer to register for the sessions next week. Contact Ms. Bertrand, WAHS career specialist at cbertrand@k12albemarle.org for help or questions.


Grade Reports

Our goal is to communicate accurate information about student achievement while also providing flexibility as students adjust to working in a virtual environment. The final grade for all courses will be the cumulative grade for the class over entire duration of the course. For most courses the duration is from September 8 to January 29. Our teachers will ensure that their grades are up-to-date by the end of November 13, so that you will have a clear understanding of student achievement. Based on each teacher's grading and late work policy, it may be possible for students to continue to submit assignments and work with teachers to demonstrate their learning. November 13 will serve as a checkpoint for teachers, students and families. 


Zoom Classes: Cameras On 

We strongly encourage our students to have their videos on for class. While this is not a requirement, our teachers notice increased engagement with other students and with the course content when cameras are on. We understand that having an interactive video conferencing program on is a change to our personal surroundings but our teachers have taken precautions to ensure students’ privacy needs are met. We understand that there are valid reasons for students not to have their cameras on, but we ask that you help us create a better learning environment for all by encouraging your child to have the video on during class time. 


Online Learning Family Resources

In an effort to honor our promise to provide resources and training for you, this is our November edition of important technology resources for you.  The topics for this month include: PowerSchool, Schoology, Device Maintenance, and Online Learning.  This presentation can be viewed slide by slide or you can navigate through it by clicking the hot buttons (example: hitting TOPICS will take you back to the original screen). We welcome and appreciate your partnership with us. Also, bookmark November 17th and 19th for Countywide Digital Citizenship Webinars.  Thanks in advance for sharing your comments and concerns as we do what is best for students and also for you.


Athletics

WAHS sports teams have the option to conduct out of season workouts from November 9 thru December 5.  Winter sports can offer workouts up to two days per week while fall and spring sports will be allowed to meet once a week.

Note that these workouts are:

  • Optional: teams are not required to conduct workouts
  • Voluntary: students are not required to attend workouts. Attendance will NOT imact the student's ability to make a team. 
  • Following Stage 3 Reopening of Atheltics/Activities Plan  (CLICK HERE for the document). 

Also, a reminder that an athlete must have a VHSL physical form on file in the athletics office before participating in a practice.  The physical form is available at https://wahswarriors.com/sites/wahs.rschoolteams.com/files/files/Private_User/sheon/VHSL%20Physical%20Form_0.pdf .

Below is the current schedule and contact for sports that plan to conduct practices (if a sport is not listed they are not conducting practices):

Baseball (Skip Hudgins, shudgins@k12albemarle.org) :  One day a week TBD based upon weather, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet at the Baseball Field

Girls Basketball (Kris Wright, kris@thesabre.com) :  Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:00pm -6:30pm , Meet at the Main Gym

Boys Basketball (Darren Maynard, dmaynard@k12albemarle.org) :  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00pm -6:30pm , Meet at the Main Gym

Field Hockey (Mia Fields, mfields@k12albemarle.org) :  Tuesdays, 8:00am-9:00am, Meet at the Stadium

Football (Ed Redmond, eredmond@k12albemarle.org) :  Mondays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet at the Stadium

Boys Lacrosse (Mario Washington, wahslax4@gmail.com) :  Tuesdays, 6:00pm-7:00pm, Meet at the Stadium

Girls Lacrosse (John Warner, jmwarner@comcast.net) :  Thursdays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet at the Stadium

Swimming (Dan Bledsoe, dbledsoe@k12albemarle.org) :  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet at Crozet Pool

Track

  • Boys Long Distance Runners (Lindy Bain, lbainxc@gmail.com) :  Mondays thru Thursdays, 7am-8:30am, Meet at the Main Gym Entrance
  • Pole Vaulters (Kevin Matheny, kmatheny@k12albemarle.org) : Mondays and Wednesdays, 7am-8:30am, Meet at the Main Gym.  Fridays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet at the Stadium
  • Sprinters and Jumpers (Marie Whitten, mwhitten1@gmail.com) : Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet at the Stadium

Volleyball (Julie Radlinski, julieann.berkley@gmail.com) :  Fridays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet in the Main Gym

Wrestling (Adam Mulcahy, amulcahy@k12albemarle.org) :  Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Meet in the Wrestling Room

Please contact the WAHS Athletics Office at sheon@k12albemarle.org and gfletcher@k12albemarle.org if you have any questions.


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