Morning Meeting--The most influential 30 minutes of the day.

Morning Meeting!! 

Soo.. What is Morning Meeting you ask? Well let me tell you. Morning Meeting is something that I consider to be something that is very important in a classroom. It has many beneficial factors that I would love to tell you about! First off, Morning Meeting builds a classroom community. Morning meeting is also an opportunity to get to know each other. Among these two fantastic benefits you can also add less behavioral problems, students will know the schedule, acceptance of all children, empowering, and mostly importantly 100% OF STUDENTS FEEL SUCCESSFUL!! 

             

There are some components to Morning Meeting that I feel are extremely important to include... 

Class Creed- This is what you say everyday. Every single day. Talk about it so the students know what they are saying. 

Greeting- Every single child deserves to be said hello to. EVERY DAY!! 

Pledge- We live in a beautiful country. We need to teach our students that we need to be very grateful for the country that we have the OPPORTUNITY to live in. 

Memorization- Don't make this something that is hard or that is graded. Let each child know that you will not go on with out them. Everyone can go on their own pace and work together to succeed. 

Class Buisness- During this section you set goals, talk about the things that are good for you (vegetables). things that the students did well, praise them for their accomplishments (desserts). Lastly, things that need to be addressed like behavioral problems (medicine). 

Two Literacy Terms-Do this everyday this is a great OPPORTUNITY to teach students in a setting where they feel COMFORTABLE AND SUCCESSFUL.

One Quote-This can be funny, insightful, encouraging, or anything you want it to be! 

News or Current Event-The world is constantly changing around us. We need to keep students up to date with what is going on. Keep students aware of their surroundings. 

Sharing-This helps students to feel like everyone is there for them. Help all students to feel comfortable to share. One thing to remember is that this is NOT A THERAPY SESSION. Help students to share the positive, uplifting ideas that they have. 

I feel that Morning Meeting is a crucial thing for students. In class we had the opportunity to listen to a guest speaker named Sylvia Anderson. She has been doing morning meeting since she started teaching and has seen many benefits from it. My favorite story she shared was about a parent who called her principal and said my child is doing things at home that they have never done before like doing the dishes and making their bed with out being asked.. What is happening at school to make my child act this way? So the principal went to her and she responded with Morning Meeting. 

I want to implement Morning Meeting in my classroom so that I am able to make all my students feel 100% successful in school even if it is only for 30 minutes of the day. 

The Hallmarks of a Differentiated Classroom

The Hallmarks!

11. A strong link between assessment and instruction

      -The Teacher continually needs to be assessing student knowledge and understanding in both formal and informal ways. 

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22. Absolute clarity about what the teacher wants the student to know, understand and be able to do-about what is truly important to learn in this unit. 

      -Clarity is important, it allows teachers to focus on essential learning goals. 

33. Shared responsibility for the classroom is between teacher and students, in the goal of making it work for everyone. 

      -Students need to become a factor and a contribution to the efficiency and a sense of community. 

  4. Individual growth is emphasized as a central to classroom success

      -It is so important to help each child to achieve their personal best by helping them to set goals that are personally challenging. The teacher needs to support these goals 100%.

  5. A way up, usually through multiple and varied pathways, and never a way out. 

      -Teachers need to remember that they need to always "teach up" and never teach down. This is a great way to scaffold learning in a positive direction. 

  6. "Respectful" and engaging work for all students

      -In differentiation you need to make sure that all students are on their different pathways and having work that helps them to think at their highest level. 

  7. Proactive thinking and planning for different pathways. 

      -Differentiation is planning in advance for things a teacher is certain will affect different students in different ways. 

  

  8. Flexible grouping.

      -By doing flexible grouping, it allows students to balance needs and productivity with a wide range of purposes. 

  9. Flexible use of time, space, and materials.

     -The teacher needs to look for ways to arrange the classroom to helps students work in a variety of ways and formats. It is important to be willing to gather a variety of materials for students readiness levels. 

 
By implementing these hallmarks, anyone can become a teacher of differentiation. It just takes time, preparation and the willingness to want to help all students succeed at their own individual learning levels. 

How to be a RESPONSIVE Teacher!

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      There are 4 ways to be a responsive teacher.

o   Who we are teaching. You have to take into account each student that you are teaching, not every student is going to be the same. There are a variety of factors that shape students as learners. These factors include gender, culture, personal interests, backgrounds, experience, intelligence preferences, and abilities that make them unique. You have to work diligently to understand and honor both the individuality and commonalities that are represented in a classroom.

o   What we are teaching. Curriculum gives students the knowledge, understanding and skills they will need to use to move powerfully through life. Though the district’s curriculum is a great blue print to planning instruction, it is not the only tool that you can use to be a responsive teacher. You have to plan to work backward for some students to pick up key elements and also work forward to challenge and engage your students who are further ahead. You have to find space in the curriculum to extend to the varied interests of her students.

o   Where we teach. The learning environment that you have in your classroom can be the element that makes or breaks your students in becoming the best that they can be. There is a matter of caring that adds to each student’s ability to learn.  You have to make every single student feel welcome no matter their differences.

o   How you teach. You have to teach to the readiness level of the child. You have to have a goal that you will have flexible instruction. This means that you will teach to the whole class and in small groups when it is appropriate. The how we teach part Is known as differentiated instruction! 

    There is not a one size fits all when it comes to education and the classroom. You need to be able to teach to an individual student not just a whole class.

      

     You need to have a very positive learning environment for students to feel comfortable and for them to learn to the best of their ability.