It’s Never Just Another Visit
It’s Never Just Another Visit
Visiting schools is always a great opportunity to see the campus and facilities and my favorite, talk and meet the students. Another benefit to touring our schools is getting the opportunity to watch teachers’ instructional strategies. Often, I discover a new teaching method or idea. Then I love to share what I am seeing with other teachers. One of the best strategies for improving education is called “shared best practices”. Teachers and principals have known this for years. My recent visit to Homosassa Elementary (HES) provided me with a couple of new gems I want to share with you.
I was visiting HES on Monday (April 18th, 2011). It was a beautiful day outside; the kind of day as summer approaches that makes you feel like the last place you want to be is inside. However, when I walked into Mrs. Howard’s classroom the room was so inviting and ready for learning that you didn’t mind be inside at all. The lights were lowered because her students were engaged in her lesson. She was teaching reading from the “Story Town” reading series by the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, which is part of our elementary curriculum. This is the same series my own daughter has at her school on the other side of the county. Mrs. Howard was projecting the story up for the students and then the students were sharing out while the story audiobook played. At any point Mrs. Howard could stop the reading and review. If a student asked about a word or meaning, Mrs. Howard would click the beautiful interactive online book and the word or sentence would automatically read the story and/or properly pronounce a word. What is doubly exciting is that this book is also available online to available to parents, students and families at home. I will tell you having been a dad that has forgot his own daughter’s book at school it has come in handy many to be able to access the book on the computer at home at night. It also works on iPads, iPhones, Android phones and many other mobile devices. You will need your student’s login in password which you can get from your student’s teacher if you haven’t already received it. Then go to www.ThinkCentral.com and choose your subject area and then learn series. This is also available for some of our other subject area curriculums.
Before leaving HES I also stopped in to Mr. Crowley’s classroom where he was in the middle of teaching math class. I couldn’t help but look over and see the computers in his room each had different colored screen backgrounds. I loved this idea. Each computer station had a different unique color so that students could be assigned to the “Blue” computer and know which was that station. It also added a pleasant, inviting look to the technology.
If you know of a classroom or idea you would like for me to see or share, please let me know.
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