BASH Weekly #2
PLATO Coordinator Positions
Please see the all subject area posting on the hall wall outside Mr. Link's office.
Message from Let's Get Ready!
As this semester’s site directors for the Fordham branch of Let’s Get Ready!, we would like to formally introduce ourselves. Our names are Amanda and Nora, and we are both seniors at Fordham University, studying at the Rose Hill campus. We are currently in the process of recruiting high school students for the Fall 2011 session of LGR, and are reaching out to you today to ask if you would be able to help us spread the invitation and encourage interested students to apply to be a part of our program.
As you may already know, Let’s Get Ready! is a non-profit SAT preparatory program for high school juniors and seniors from various high schools around the Bronx. The program is composed of a number of Fordham University students who have volunteered to coach the high school students in either the Math or Verbal portions of the SAT, as well as help to guide them through the college process. Let’s Get Ready! also provides college tours, practice diagnostic tests, and college-related break-time activities such as Coach Panel and guest speakers. [Below] is a flyer that contains all the information needed to apply. Please feel free to share it with your students. We would also like to give you the direct link to the online application: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HCWG8JW If you or any of your students who may be interested have any questions about applying or would like to get more information about the program, please do not hesitate to e-mail us at fordham.lgr@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your support in the process of student recruitment, and we hope to hear from you soon! Sincerely, Amanda Donovan & Nora Walsh-Devries 
Strategies for Checking for UnderstandingIn this article in Principal Leadership, San Diego State University professors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey describe an all-too-common classroom scenario. The teacher asks, “Did everyone get that?” and, hearing no response, moves on to the next point. Unbeknownst to the teacher, many students are thinking, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m not about to let everyone know that I’m confused.” Fisher and Frey believe that “Checking for understanding is the link between teaching and learning and should be part of every lesson that teachers plan… [It needs to occur] at least every 5-10 minutes, if teachers want to maintain the rigor of the lesson and support student learning.” They suggest the following strategies:
- Response cards – The teacher asks a question and all students hold up colored answer cards (green for Yes and red for No), giving a sense of the level of mastery in the class and whether anything needs to be re-explained. - Clickers – Students respond to multiple-choice questions via wireless response devices, and when results have been displayed (without indication of which was the right answer), the teacher asks students to convince their neighbors, enlisting peer instruction before re-polling the question. See http://www.nassp.org/pl0911fisher for a video of this technique in action. Teachers often ask spontaneous follow-up questions after their initial probes to further check for understanding.
from the Marshall Memo #40 |
9/12/11
Skedula
The url for gradebook and entering discipline anecdotal reports for receipt by the Dean is www.skedula.com.
Datacation is working on having the Excel gradebook view online within a couple of days.
Promoting Student Engagement and Rigor in the Classroom
Active Participation- Consistently engaging every learner's mind to achieve the intended instructional target.
Two types
Examples: 1. I want each of you to think of an answer and practice saying it in your mind.....now everyone tell your partner. 2. Okay class, everyone, write the answer on your practice sheet. 3. I want all of you to get a picture in your mind of the structure of typical ethylene-based long-chain polymers. 4. Each of you must listen carefully so that no reasons are repeated....now everyone write all the reasons in your own words.  Level of Concern
T ime
E xpectations & Accountability M aterials P roximity Lower and raise depending on the configuration of your class. Examples:
9/13/11
Learning Walks
We will be conducting informal learning walks on Tuesday, September 13th. Please see the file below for information about their purpose and protocols.
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