How does failure rate in our success? 

Famous Failures 

Lately, it seems like the new buzz word is...failure. However, it's not used in the negative since of the word, but actually in a way that you can be built up from the experience of having done so.  With many years of teaching under my belt, I can readily admit that there have been times when I have felt that I have failed to give my students what they want or what they need. What I didn't originally realize until lately is that these failures gave me the motivation to do better for my students the next time.   Check out the link below to learn about others who have gone on to succeed through their failures.

Adding Tech to Daily 5

Adding Tech to Daily 5

As a primary teacher for 23 years, I felt like I discovered a gold mine two years ago when I found Daily 5 and began to implement The Sisters strategies in my classroom.  Motivation to read exploded in my 1-2 combo class and I was finally able to meet with those guided reading groups in a way that allowed me to get home in time to still see my family before they closed their eyes at night.  If you don’t know about Daily 5, PLEASE put it #1 on your To Do list.  Just go to amazon right now and order the book!  The best opportunity is to then attend one of their conferences which was the best PD of my life...but sign up now, they fill up fast.

Integrating technology into our students learning is high on everyone’s priority list.  In my kindergarten classroom last year I was able to use technology to help my Daily 5 routine become more fluid and effective.  Here are some ideas:

1. Use Movenote to create Wordwork practice. Students can easily access this using a QR code.
2. Listen to Reading using Storyline Online, then reflect on that reading using Google Docs.
3. If students don’t have a partner for Read to Someone, they can read to the video camera then watch themselves to improve their fluency and accuracy.
4. Use an art app like Asus Artist to rainbow write words.

You can check out my classroom blog Roosevelt SuperKinders to see examples of it in action.

Professional Learner or Leaner

     As I surf the web looking for project based learning, STEM projects or technology rich lessons that are happening in classrooms around the country, I find that I am so excited about what is going on in classrooms from coast to coast!  It makes me proud to be a teacher and motivates me to want to do more for my students, my school and more importantly my professional self.  One article I came across highlights the difference between Professional Learners not Leaners.  This article is great at defining the difference between a learner and a leaner.  What I hope others will glean from this article would be the difference between the two.  Check out the full article and infographic to see where you fall on the Learner or Leaner scale.

Teacherpreneurs

Here is a great article about how already great teachers can expand their expertise so more students can benefit!! The teachers featured are leading the way from their classroom.  They don't profess to know it all, and work alongside their peers and students to find out answers. These teachers focus on creating projects that are meaningful to students lives. Click on the link to see if you are already a teaceherpreneur or to go about seeing how to become one!


Teacherpreneurs on Edutopia