From the Ground Up

From the Ground Up Building Investment and Engagement into Every Lesson Jeff Astor – Simon Technology HS 1.11.2014

Agenda and Today’s Goals Goal 1 Goal 2 A PD Classic! Identify the overall change you’d like to see in your students’ actions as it relates to their daily effort and investment in working towards the big goal. Choose at least one investment strategy category and one lesson component-specific strategy you use in your classroom and describe your strategy. For an upcoming lesson, plan exactly how and when you will introduce and use that strategy in the lesson. List the response that you expect to see from your students. Goal 3

Strategies for Reinforcing Effort • When students get frustrated, often times they give up! • Let’s keep them in the game! Turn the frustrations into success stories! • Investing students in working hard toward a goal is not something that happens once a week or month – it can happen every day! Think about particular students and what improvements you want to see from them.

Strategies for Reinforcing Effort • Identify the overall change you’d like to see in your students’ actions as it relates to their daily effort and investment in working towards the big goal. • What specifically will students say and do in a lesson that will show that their investment is increasing? • “Mister, this makes sense to me. I get this.” • “Mr. Astor, this chemistry is so interesting. I’ll never forget standard 5e.” • “This class is already over? It always goes by so fast.” • “This is so culturally relevant!” Who knows if it will sound like any of this, but make sure you can identify what investment looks/sounds/feels like!

In Every Lesson! Up Your Game! Look at the list of Strategies for Reinforcing Effort and share your best practices! Investment Strategy Category Component-Specific Strategy • Choose a General Category and contribute your best strategy for increasing investment. • Describe what you do as a teacher • Describe what student actions result from this strategy. • Pick a content-specific or lesson component-specific strategy you use and contribute to the list. • Describe what you do as a teacher • Describe what student actions result from this strategy.

Class Meeting: General Investment Platform • Weekly and Year Long Goal Creation • Update progress and assess completion to promote celebration of small and large victories. • Shout outs • Student input and new agenda items proposed by students. • Identify week-long itinerary • Discuss future plans, field trips, projects, etc. Goal Setting: Student Voice: Reiterate Agenda:

Promote Investment Mid-Lesson Easy to Integrate Strategies • Happy Stress Balls! • Simple, but easy tool • Offers student praise with a little joy factor • The Coveted Massage Chair • Massages while you work? • Elevated class role and automatic peer tutor responsibility • Lab Technician Roles: • Students wear the lab coat of honor • Be in charge of lab TA responsibilities

The Message? Pick a few and own them!

Finale – Some Follow Through Make it yours At the end of each day, use the reflection tool to check off if you implemented the strategy, note students’ reactions, and reflect on how to make the strategy better the next day. Optional – ask a colleague or mentor to observe your strategies and give you feedback. Optional Follow-Up: At the end of each day (or week), email or call your CMA to share the progress you’ve made and the change you have seen in your students.

Thanks for your time and effort! • Feel free to contact me with feedback or questions: • Jastor@laalliance.org

From the Ground Up