Session #2

It seems as though the talking and the planning are coming to an end, and the 'doing' is beginning. I was a bit relieved that we were actually able to produce something tangible on Thursday and to me that means that we are ready to implement some of our ideas. Personally, once the Learning Centres are up and running I will have a better idea of where I am headed. Our packages and manipulatives are looking good and I think my students will enjoy them. I also worry about the idea of a locally developed class working in a somewhat independent centre. They seem to really stuggle with anything that is self-directed. Perhaps this is something to keep in mind when I prepare the instructions - they should be clear, simple and easy to understand. Next step - final touches on manipulatives and lesson plans. Hopefully this can be in place for the week of Dec.12th.

What's next??
We will once again meet tomorrow to continue to develop and explore the TTLP. By utilizing a variety of learning strategies, we hope to reach students with greater success. For example, implementing strategies such as Choice Boards and Group Centers may increase the overall interest and effort of the learners. My goal is to establish a Unit in Math that will engage students through a variety of learning strategies and activities.

How do we measure our success?
Students will be participating in a pre-survey before the unit of study and post-survey at the conclusion of the Unit. We hope with the data we can come to a conclusion on the success of the TTLP.

Here is a Link to the Pre-survey
https://docs.google.com/a/wecdsb.on.ca/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dFNPZHZNRjJzYkZrMHNzOTJrdUdoTkE6MQ#gid=0

Reinforcing Differentiated Instruction

Thus far we've explored numerous DI strategies at all levels of assessment (anectodal, formative, and summative). Ultimately, this exploration will lead to the most effective approaches in reaching the middle-learner. As discussed in our first session, the characteristics of the middle-learner vary from student to student. Thus, it is necessary to provide multiple learning strategies throughout a unit of study. Currently the goal is two-fold, in that we not only want to raise the level of evaluation for our middle-learners, but also increase their engagment to learn. In my opinion the engagement to learn is more important to secure continued success throughout a given course, and thus will be the focus that I will stress throughout our TLLP sessions.

J. Castagna

Our next session is coming up...

I just wanted to quickly post our goals for our next meeting on Thursday, Nov 17 in the morning.

Purchase all material needed.
Make charts to be laminated at CEC.
Set up a budget.
Solidify our lesson ideas to be posted on the blog and google site.

I am excited to get the project underway in our classrooms.