As a district, we thought a lot about this last year. Our list includes discourse--teacher to student and student to teacher just isn't good enough. There needs to be evidence that students are encouraged (and allowed) to engage one another in educational discourse. There needs to be evidence of KIDS--I know that sounds silly, but the classroom needs to feel like kids live there--work there--learn there. Anchor charts, student work should outweigh any commercial charts. When space allows for it, we want to see places for whole group, small group and and one to one instruction, along with instruction within those groupings. Remember when Allington asked questions like "Who do you know that is a good reader?" in Classrooms that Work--I would look very closely at answers to those questions. In a great classroom, different gifts are honored and the answers ought to be telling. I would tell this reporter to look at the checklist that Kohn presents in the back of this book, The Schools Our Children Deserve.
Lori On 11/29/07 10:40 PM, "Bill IVEY" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi! > > I know on and off over the past year, we've had a number of discussions > over how teaching in general and middle schools in particular are > presented in the news, and I've sensed a fair amount of frustration from a > number of us (including myself). So... > > There's a website that came through in today's PEN NewsBlast about what > journalists should look for in a classroom; they interviewed a number of > teachers and videotaped their response to the prompt "What would you look > for in a classroom as proof of great teaching?" Before I give you all the > link (tomorrow or Sunday), how would *you* answer the question?! > > Take care, > Bill Ivey > Stoneleigh-Burnham School > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive -- Lori Jackson District Literacy Coach & Mentor Todd County School District Box 87 Mission SD 57555 http:www.tcsdk12.org ph. 605.856.2211 Literacies for All Summer Institute July 17-20. 2008 Tucson, Arizona _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
