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Monday we have in-service.  It is not something I look forward to, but our district has made steps over the past few years to make changes to in-service days.  I remember when I began teaching 18 years ago I would sit and get in lectures and in-services devised to “provide me with information necessary to teach.”   I was often not engaged and did not always take much away from the day.  Monday we will spend time working in our grade level teams to structure lessons aligned to our standards and create a list of materials we need to implement new ELA standards next school year.  I will be engaged in a small group discussion and using technology to find and create lessons while reading and reviewing the standards.  This will enable me to strengthen my understanding of the standards I teach and allow open honest communication with peers.

Classroom management is imperative to classroom learning.  Setting up an environment in which students want to be there, want to learn, and want to participate are keys to success.  What is your classroom like?  Do you expect your students to sit and get in in-service style of the 1990’s or do they get to use standards to discuss and create projects?  What do your students get to do in the day?

Independence —Do your students get to work on something they find meaningful and make decisions about their learning?  Each activity in our classrooms is tied to objectives and standards.  There are many opportunities and ways to offer choices to students so they can use their own personal interests and strengths in your classroom. Technology allows students to receive information through auditory input or visual input.  Project Based Learning allows students to work on real world situations.   Allowing students to participate in the process of learning will engage them and allow the objectives and standards to take on meaning. 

Questions—Do your students get to think? We spend a large part of the day asking and answering questions as educators.  It is important to be certain these questions are meaningful and moving learning forward by using higher-level questioning.  Reflect questions back at students to allow them to think creativity and problem solve on their own.  Make sure you are asking students to synthesize information and answer questions that are not quickly found on a search engine.  Thinking is hard work, allow your students the opportunity to struggle and fail and learn from their questions.

Creativity–Do your students get to create? Students must be responsible for meeting standards and classroom objectives, but do they get do use their creativity to express what they know?  Asking higher level questions and pushing students to analyze and evaluate materials will allow thinking.  If students can use vocabulary words to create a game, if they can draw a new book jacket and write a synopsis of the book they reading then your students are expressing knowledge through creativity.  There are many ways students can create in the classroom which allows them to express themselves and get excited about their learning.  Student lead learning invites students to have an interest in learning.

This time of year students are thinking beyond the classroom.  Snow days, spring, and many other things pull their attention away from learning goals.  Keep you students engaged by looking at your classroom management.  Monday I am excited to have time to work on a project with fellow educators to create lessons I can use in my classroom.  The in-service day will be spent engaged; I will learn more about my standards.   I will look at new teaching ideas and this will have a positive impact on my teaching.  What do your kids get to do during the day that sets them up to come to school excited and ready to be engaged in their learning?  Try something on this list and watch the learning happen.

Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading...

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