Among other things, his post has prompted me to think about using space better. As a start, I'll probably try using this method to make the desk usable throughout the whole year. I also have to look at student desk placement. Finally, Spencer reminded me I need to purge more stuff even though I purged a few drawers last spring.
I'm also going to write up specific checklists. I did several after reading The Checklist Manifesto, but I didn't use them last year and got swamped by mundane activities.
I'm also going to spend a full day going over last year's screw-ups, blow-ups, and oops moments. As a human being, those moments are legion, so I'll limit the number to about 20. I am going to write out plans to avoid having those elements reoccur. If necessary, I'll go shopping.
For example, I have students email some essays; I use the comments feature to write comments as I grade them, and then I email them back. I had two corrected sets on a flash drive that died. I don't want to repeat that experience, so I bought a portable hard drive that should be more stable. It's a bit more cumbersome, but it worked well at debate camp.
On a philosophical level, I want to do some things to implement what I learned when I read Susan Cain's Quiet during the summer. Stephen Hurley sums up the book here and here. I have little to add. Hurley also posts Cain's TED Talk: She has three action steps that at the 16:43 mark.
I need to spend time developing methods that will make my room an introvert safe zone for students.
2 comments:
Thank you. This has been some excellent material and advice before school starts.
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