Friday, March 1, 2013

Friday, 4th hour, Library conference table

Sarah D, Sarah Z, Jay S, Paul B, Jim L, Jack

reflections on parent/teacher conferences--

  • why do we do them the way we do them? 
  • why don't we require students to attend? 
    • "while it's not required, we encourage you to attend conferences with your student."
  • what about running through the schedule again later in the year--opportunities to check in with the whole group of parents again
    • and then individual meetings after
  • skype parent/teacher conferences?
  • have appointments for conferences

if we really DO get wireless, could we get rid of some of our computer labs?

deadlines

  • as a part of character development, not as a part of curriculum
    • if there isn't a late grade, so it's not about the grade, the reasons to get the work in on time are more genuine
      • only genuine in the context of having a genuine and real concern for what you're doing.
      • wouldn't have forced leverage to make students do stuff--the teaching/content itself would need to be the engaging motivator.
  • grades are about compliance, not engagement
    • engagement is difficult to measure, but you do know it when you see it
  • a big part of education IS compliance--we train people to be compliant
    • how much DOES our world really want free thinkers?
    • what we want to do and what we're told to do is not what we actually do? 
    • tension between need for compliance and need for freedom
      • can manage this by thinking about curriculum as a scaffold that requires students to make choices to fill it out
    • some maybe don't work as hard because you take out the carrot and stick
      • but they lose out on things that really matter
    • schooling: starts with a compliance act. You MUST go to school.
  • who's talking in the classroom? who has the most air time? 

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