Writing Workshop Model
Teaching students to become strong, confident writers requires time for them to grapple with new skills and reflect on how these skills are applied. Lessons are structured with a mini-lesson (~15 minutes) followed by a larger portion of the lesson for students to apply skills in small groups or individually before closing the lesson together as a class by reflecting on learning with others. This is a model I like to use often within a unit as a way of meeting with small groups of students with similar needs and to make dedicated 1-1 time to provide meaningful and targeted feedback to students. |
Choice-Based Independent Reading
Giving students time in class to read independently is important not only to build reading stamina but to craft their own identity. It is important to carve out protected time for choice-based reading during Language Arts classes to build a love for reading and conference with students to guide them toward genres and topics that appeal to them as individuals. |
Collaboration with co-teachers and team members to meet individual student needs.
Everyone brings something to the table and we all have a common goal: support our students. Though I am pursuing a classroom teacher position I will always have faith in the co-teaching model and know the importance of following the complete cycle of co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing to best meet the needs of students. Utilizing a variety of co-teaching models can also be advantageous for providing small-group instruction, faster delivery of personalized feedback, and also allows students to see adults collaborating and modeling together. |
Transdisciplinary Curriculum
After working closely with integrated Humanities teachers the last four years I have seen the benefit of building units that tie in standards from English Language Arts and Social Studies so students can utilize skills to dive more deeply into content. Grade 6 units would begin with foundational skills and build up to a second semester that was spent examining global issues (through the Sustainable Development Goals), perspectives of the humans living through these issues, and possible solutions for these issues. |
The Third Teacher
A student's learning environment and a teacher's teaching environment both have certain essential needs that should always be addressed. However, the Third Teacher dives deeper into making the most out of teaching spaces and utilizing them to teachers' and students' advantages. In my experience I have found the classrooms with plenty of space, some variety of flexible seating, and a print-rich environment lead to greater success with students. The Third Teacher is a resource I discovered briefly during my graduate work and an area that I would like to dive deeper into in the near future. |
All graphics belong to Canva.
Photograph belongs to Elizabeth Eckenrode
Photograph belongs to Elizabeth Eckenrode