WAHS Wisdom

Using Student Teams I'm amazed by your adaptability and the learning opportunities that have been created for our students. It's no surprise that our parents and students are using phrases like, "much better than I thought it was going to be," "been a good experience," and "I've been impressed watching over my kids' shoulders."  One of the questions I've posed in conversations with many of you is, "What has been most helpful?" and "How are you helping your creating opportunities for student connection?" Many mentioned learning teams and cohorts.  Why teams?  They allow students to build connections and relationships. Students support each other's academic growth by asking questions and offering help. It frees me up to be more strategic with how I use my time.  They can be used flexibly and organically. One week it may simply be contact groups where they ask each other for help when needed, but for some classes th...

Text Rendering Text rendering is an instructional strategy that maximizes live learning time by incorporating individual responsibility, collaborative work and reading. Prior to class, students are assigned a reading to complete individually. They will render the text during class. This protocol can be used for all sorts of readings from introductions of topics, reviews or a deep dive. It works well with both fiction and non-fiction reading.  Individually and prior to live class: Students read and identify an important sentence, phrase, and word. They can answer "Why did you find this significant?" Have students record their words and insights on to a teacher-shared document. On this same document, share the learning intentions and the steps to the protocol to ensure clarity.  During the live meeting: Teacher provides directions and students are placed into groups. The first scribe is assigned.  Round 1: Students shares their sentences and explain why they chose it. ...