Virtual School Dispatches

  Thank You I hope that each of you are able to take a step away from work on Wednesday. Over the past several months, you have answered emails at all hours of the day,  spent hours preparing lessons for new subjects and a new way of teaching. This is more than a job.   I greatly appreciate each of you. I know each of you are worried about your students and feel responsible for their learning and well-being. You continue to reach out to students and families. You remain positive and uplifting in the face of challenging situations. I am forever grateful to each of you. You have amazed me with your commitment and compassion. When we first came together in August, we chose   grace   as our one word. Author Max Lucado said,   Grace is the voice that calls us to change then gives us the power to pull it off. Your practice, persistence and passion have amazed me. I am grateful to each of for what you have provided each of our 375 children. With love and appreciat...

Feedback Is the Hinge Instructionally, we established a goal to respond to student needs by improving student engagement and student achievement. In shifting our focus from assessing students to assessment for student learning, we have been exploring 3 ways of encouraging student assessment: Self-assessment : students evaluate and/or use metacognitive strategies, seek information and ways to correct learning, and creating self-teaching and self-regulating situations. Peer learning : we recognize that learning should be a social process, we seek ways for students to clarify information and processing with peers. Teacher interactions:  teachers will provide opportunities for student interactions with content, learning intentions and other students; they will design re-teaching opportunities and provide opportunities for students to correct assignments and assessments. In   Feedback: The Hinge that Joins Teaching and Learning,  Jane Pollock asserts that feedback, especially ...