No Bad DeadlinesBy Coleen ArmstrongTwenty-eight years into my teaching career, I finally saw the light. I decided to stop being a slave to the clock and the calendar, and I stopped insisting that my students march in similar lock step. I eliminated fixed due dates for themes, journals, and literature essay questions. A radical experiment, to be sure. I began with my seniors (the following fall, the change would extend to juniors as well), establishing a policy of full disclosure: I couldn’t possibly grade 100 papers in one night, I admitted, but I could certainly handle 25 or so. So why not pass along the energy saving to them? I recommended a target deadline, and then stated that if they needed more time, all they had to do was drop me a note explaining why and how soon I could expect to see a completed product. Then I established a date near the end of the grading period beyond which I could no longer accept anything. And then...I waited. |
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Let's Talk About Race (Con't)... |
Why the Most Intimidating Conversation Can Also Be the Most Empowering, Part IIBy Alex KajitaniAlex Kajitani continues his conversation with Kimberly Worthy, 2009 Washington, D.C., Teacher of the Year, about culture, race, and valuable lessons in the classroom. AK: Can you give us a few specific examples of how you incorporate culturally relevant curriculum into your daily lessons? KW: When I write my social studies lesson plans, I always keep in mind my own culturally rich, intellectually stimulating elementary and high school experiences. Therefore, I attempt to incorporate many of those aspects into my classroom environment and my lesson plans. As I write my lesson plans, designed for 90-minute blocks, I create three web organizers: one for the different learning styles, one for each core subject, and one for culture (or cultures). I want to make sure I include as many various learning styles as possible, so every culture’s learning style is included in my first web organizer. Research has shown that, in addition to Dr. Gardner’s eight intelligences, different groups from around the world acquire knowledge through different applications, different pedagogy and different methodologies. I make sure my lessons include all of these different epistemological styles to assure ALL of my students have a chance to be successful. |
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