Feedback,+Sharing,+&+Next+Steps

On this page we will share feedback on our work as teachers.


 * Feedback from Day 1 of the CFT New Teacher Workshop **

peer sharing interdisciplinary cross curriculum brainstorming learning methods like UbD, RAFT, organized agenda ||  || Wiki access || so far so good.. Meeting my expectations and professional and personal goals. ||
 * ~ What worked for me! ||~ What did not work for me! ||~ Things I would change ||~ Comments ||
 * Loved working with other people || I think everyone sharing their work can take too long and I become inattentive || Wish we would have spent more time on facilitating creativity. Maybe we can do more tomorrow. || Overall I thought it was a good day. ||
 * Good conversation around UbD, collaboration was good, I liked the beginning activities & approaches used for sharing. || NA || NA ||  ||
 * I liked working in groups, discussing issues and problem solving with each other. I liked discussing different lesson plan methods. || [[file:Understanding by Design Teaching Ellen Meier CTSC.pdf|Would have liked to have had more whole class discussion of the UbD lesson plan method before breaking into small groups.]] || Require us to work in different groups each day to get to know more people. || Really liked the 5-E methods. would be open to more discussion about this. ||
 * Group discussion and whole group discusssion || NA || NA || I am having a hard time coming up with what I don't like or would change, so I guess that is a good thing. ||
 * Meaningful discussions on grading, getting to know you activity, LP design template, RAFT, your personal stories of triumphs and struggles. || Discussion of LP, 4 peers input || Add in component about making LP more engaging/creative, more discussion on avoiding negativity in school environment. || Can't wait to check out the CFT. Nich Job. It is clear your are very knowledgeable about teaching. Looking forward to learning from you here at WMS. ||
 * Group lesson planning, Discussions instead of lecture. || NA || participants bring in examples of topics being presented. || Wish training was geared toward our current subject area or grade. ||
 * reviewing and discussing the UbD lesson planning || none || I was hoping to learn a little more about the Westminster culture. I may have misunderstood the purpose of the workshop, but I would like to spend more time learning about the way WMS does things. ||  ||
 * Splitting into science group, started to feel a small sense of belonging. Discussion was great. || Too much time on UbD . I feel like we could have moved on or included other lesson plan ideas like the 5-Es. || Can we do another "hi, my name is and I teach blah, blah, blah, tomorrow... I want to remember names. || Thanks for a great day! ||
 * Open discussion and sharing of ideas about teaching and lesson planning || ? || More specific ideas for teaching techniques || Great day--I feel myself gaining a much needed focus on getting ready for the upcoming year, especially lesson planning. ||
 * Discussions are good. Everyone has a perspective which I like to hear. || Too remedial for an experienced teacher || Maybe we could spend time grouped by experience levels. ||  ||
 * Being able to collaborate with colleagues in my same area so we can talk about what we are learning to our specific field. || A lot of information is redundant for me--so far it's not a lot of new information || more "doing on our part" less talking || Thanks for talking about how it is OK to be true to your own ideals and still work within the framework of this traditional school--it makes me feel more comfortable to do so ||
 * Open discussion about motivation, creating lesson plans that encourage creativity || Everything worked for me || I like working in cooperative groups, so I would like more of that... || I learned a lot in the first day. I look forward to learning more about day-to-day teaching strategies. ||
 * I liked assessing our curriculum according to subject || I want more social get-to-know-you time. .or maybe just switching table groups. || I would like for people to stand when they read their 50-word mini-sagas so I could see them. || I love the diversity in subject topics for us. ||
 * I liked discussing different ways to plan lessons. || The discussion on grading, didn't relate to creativity. || Maybe use more hands-on examples when talking about how to assess student work. || I liked hearing the different views on lesson planning, but I thought when we were talking about assessment there was some hesitation to come out and say whether assessment should take place. ||
 * The flexibility to connect ideas and conversations presented and different times, or on different topics to each other || I didn't particularly care for the article, as I am loathe to connect business ideology to education practice. || Maybe begin with the creativity discussion || This has been much more worthwhile that I thought. The varying perspectives is great. ||
 * Group collaboration
 * sharing teaching ideas and philosophies in a group setting. || some of the terminology in the UbD activity || A shift towards developing more PBL || I feel like the learning/teaching community of WMS is one of growing and learning daily ||
 * Group discussions, small and big || All is fine || give/project more questions, ideas, problems to reflect on. || Thank you for sharing the RAFT and 5 E lesson plan ideas and test corrections. ||


 * Feedback from Day 2 of the CFT New Teacher Workshop **

Conversations covered all three divisions of school life ||  ||   ||   || Megan's establishing norms conversation How the brain learns, helpful and fascinating Pacing and flexibility of topics/agenda Good amount of time per activity || Cold Room || Temperature More group activity || Addressing teacher burnout Establishing collegial support || Find more ways to get them to connect || Really liked the writing as a form of expressing understanding exercise. Great ideas from the group. || Would like more info on asking the right questions--went through that too fast, need examples.... ||  || Strategies for group activities and individual assessment of group projects ||
 * ~ What Worked For Me ||~ What Didn't Work For Me ||~ Things I would Change ||~ Topics to Cover ||
 * How the brain learns
 * The challenge of how to use writing in the curriculum generate lots of good ideas
 * I love hearing book titles for future reference || My mentor not being here was disappointing, but glad we have them. ||  || How to inspire students/engage them
 * Meeting mentors || We seemed to meander a bit || Stay focused || Effective assessments so we don't fall into the grading trap ||
 * The learning style inventories were fun and interesting, informative.
 * Ideas from everyone on every topic || Visuals and graphs on down time. It began to get slow and dragged. ||  ||   ||
 * Understanding how WMS parent communication works, difficult parent tips, activities to strengthen communication, sharing creative writing ideas in classroom, photo activity, and many books you shared. || Wish we had more time for questioning, good questions topic || confliction resolution, navigating school politics ||  ||
 * Loved the neuroscience information, super helpful! || Would have loved to delve more into socratic method, questioning ||  || PBL ||
 * I learned a lot from today's discussions. Participants have real and valuable contributions. || None ||  || Share tech in class ideas ||
 * I liked discussing how to work with parents || The PPT was a little boring, but I don't Iike PPT in general. || More hands-on activities, work more in groups. ||  ||
 * More hands-on activities that we could take to class || Nothing || Nothing || What was the best or one of the best activities or lessons and share it with everyone ||
 * I enjoyed the casual group discussions || Everything worked || Limit time spent on topics to allow us to touch on more things. || PBL, ways to implement it in the classroom ||
 * Discussion was helpful, enjoyed hearing other teachers resources || None || None || Teaching exceptional students both gifted and students with LD ||
 * Breaking into different groups || Too much focus on powerpoint || More variable group work || Technology in Education ||
 * Colleagues sharing things that worked, getting some WMS specific information || sometimes the sharing is too long, could find ways to shorten this || None || Good to meet mentor and principal ||
 * I liked the variety of topics we went through today. It felt like we accomplished quite a bit today. || None || None || Integration of technology into the classroom, more things like gamestorming as resources, maybe more people share ideas or things they do. ||
 * Great Day! I enjoyed the conversation and discussions today. || None || None || Classroom management procedures. ||


 * Feedback from Day 3 of the New Teachers Workshop **


 * ~ What worked for me ||~ What did not work for me ||~ Things I would change ||~ Takeaways from the workshop ||
 * Great discussions, good group of people who were intelligent and interesting and brought a multitude of perspectives. || More doing on our part. Large group discussions get a little long and lose focus after a while ||  || Everyone has experienced that authentic assessments prove to be motivating, engaging, and a viable way to assess kids. This is something I am always trying to improve upon and develop further in my curriculum and it was great to hear everyone's ideas. ||
 * ||  || Consider building in time for teacher sharing. Say 5 minute windows to share a favorite tool or technique. || Classroom communities are built intentionally. LIked this activity. Chance to meet and share with colleagues was wonderful. ||
 * ||  || Make it one day longer || Classroom community about new and old ideas mixed with an open minded ability to share and build off of them. There is strength in group to find it in self. ||
 * Great workshop ||  ||   || Classroom environment is so important. It will set the tone for the entire year. Allowing student input and feedback will give students a sense of ownership and pride in their work. ||
 * Getting to know others was awesome. It was great when people had opportunities to share their experiences. I also like the affinity mapping. || Differentiation is needed. It was good in some discussions to have a mix of experiences but it seemed that the majority of people had more experience and could have been pushed to work on curriculum development or more relevant items that would have practical application now. ||  || It was good to cover so many items. It got me thinking about all there is to do and organize. I would have liked built in work time. ||
 * Group sharing & collaboration || Spending too long on grading when department policies are not yet known. || More focus on group collaboration and presentation || Creating communities in the classroom. I love that. Melding learning and teaching styles. ||
 * Discussion was helpful and activities were good || It was difficult not to have anyone in my subject area. || Split groups up into veteran and new teachers. Only offer to Westminster teachers so that culture and expectations are addressed. || Got new resources. Learned about creativity and assessment ||
 * Today was really a great day. All activities are useful and can be used in a variety of ways in my subject. || None || More structured time on grading and where Westminster is going with this as a school. || Thank you for working so hard on preparing for this workshop. The Wiki is great. I found it rather practical which is great. Thinking map and teaching creatively are valuable. ||
 * The workshop and group work or discussions today were great. || Got a bit burnt out with the assessment video. || Not sure. Honestly, right now I am considering all I will take away from this, or how much more worthwhile it has been compared to what I expected. || Teaching outside the box was interesting and thought-provoking. ||
 * I really enjoyed the entire 3 days. It was a great crash course in what to expect next year. || None || None || I loved the activity on building a community in the classroom. It made me think outside the box. It showed me the importance of community in a different way. I also enjoyed the discussion on assessment. I am definitely taking away a better understanding of formative and summative assessments. ||
 * Lots of variety in activities, presentations and videos. || would have liked to tour the CFT || Not much, a great workshop, best I have ever been to. || Creativity is multi-faceted and vital in all aspects of teaching, especially in creation of the classroom community and in lesson planning, writing assignments and grading. I learned that many dedicated teachers will be working with me. Assessment is crucial. ||
 * I learned a lot from watching videos, especially of teachers interacting in the classroom. || I do not learn so much from workshop participants sharing stories. || I did not see the value in the classroom community metaphor. This does not directly help me to be a better teacher. || Overall, if I was a true, new teacher, this workshop would have been overwhelming. As a 10+ years teacher, I was a little disappointed that I will not be taking any practical ideas directly back to the classroom (a little too theoretical). ||
 * Thinking is not limited to academics. Thinking is a process, free flowing, fluid that leads to an end result-which may or may not be concrete or productive. It's the process not the product. ||  || Wish there were more outside teachers in the mix. || The teacher is a lifelong learner too. Our role is guide and facilitator. The students' needs guide the journey. There is no one right answer. Resources are endless. Every method has elements that benefit learners. Be flexible. have an interchangeable arsenal. Dependent on day. ||
 * Technology ideas for immediate use in class. || Discussion on grading was a bit frustrating. || Build in more grade-level or content-specific grouping & discussions || I am overwhelmed. there is so much more that I want to get better at but I fear if I do then I will be burned out by November. Am I out of my league here at Westminster. ||
 * I liked hearing the different opinions on different topics like grading, assessment, because it gave me a lot to think about as I prepare. I also liked hearing different methods and ideas on creativity. I enjoyed the videos also. || The lecture parts were a little heavy. ||  || I will take away the networking opportunities. As I have never taught before it was valuable for me to be able to ask a lot of questions. Throw out different ideas in order to gauge feedback. ||
 * Liked all the group work. Loved the community metaphor work. || didn't like thinking map wasn't as interesting to me as I think our maps all looked a little different, the content was essentially the same. || Would love the WMS teachers to get together for coffee in the a month or two to reconnect. || Two takeaways, Connecting with other teachers on a regular basis is essential. For personal and professional growth. Not just same subject matter, not just some grade levels. Some is the best ideas I heard came from teachers of different subjects and level from me.

Don't be afraid of technology, stay on top of technology, stay open to new technology and make room for it in your curriculum. ||
 * ||  ||   || This experience was amazing. I cannot express how valuable it has been to brainstorm ideas like bringing creativity into the classroom, talking to parents, and formative assessments. I will apply things I have learned. Would love to look at example innovative teacher blogs, syllabus, and or creative classrooms. ||