Inspired Teacher                       December 22, 2008
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This week we highlight some of the best articles and activities included in the Inspired Teacher this year. This is a great issue to send to friends and family you'd like to get on the mailing list.
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Best of 2008:
Inspired Teacher Blog

Tell Me Something

Center for Inspired Teaching

Learning how to create safe spaces for students to share their thoughts and feelings can be a challenge when you have so much else to accomplish in a class period. But there are some simple things you can do to make great strides in that direction.

Click here to read the blog.
See Change
Center for Inspired Teaching

Watch this video of Patricia Wilkins as she describes a transformation in her Inspired Classroom.
Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
Becoming Inspired - A Refresher Course
What does it take to become an Inspired Teacher? First and foremost a hunger to learn. This summer we explored the Five Step Process experienced by teachers in our Inspired Teaching Institute. Click the links below to read newsletters on each step.

Step 1. Analyze and deepen my understanding of the ways I learn.

Step 2. Articulate and defend my philosophy of teaching and learning, including what I believe about children. Find room in my philosophy for an appreciation of children's natural curiosity and desire to learn.

Step 3. Make the connection to classroom practice. Develop new strategies to make sure my philosophy of teaching and learning matches what I do in the classroom.

Step 4. Build the skills of effective teachers, including listening, asking thoughtful questions, observing, and communicating effectively.

Step 5. Practice! Create and practice new strategies that will make my classroom an active place of learning fueled by students' ideas. Arm myself with research that shows children learn best when they engage in work that is important and challenging.
Best Of 2008 Activities (Part 1)
Broken Squares
This activity emulates real-life problem solving, and conflict resolution, as teams of 6 must work together to reconstruct broken squares. The bulk of the instructions and suggestions in this version of the activity come from Yale University. Inspired Teaching has added a few details based on our experience with the activity.

Chalk Talk
The Coalition of Essential Schools created this discussion protocol. It is "a silent way to reflect, generate ideas, check on learning, develop projects, or solve problems." You can use it for just about any discussion topic but it would be interesting to try when soliciting student feedback on your teaching.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Rubrics
Guide students through the process of creating their own rubrics using cookies as the items to be assessed. This activity can be adapted to any grade level. For lower elementary grades you may want to use pictograms to demonstrate the desired qualities in a chocolate chip cookie. For upper grades you may want to include a literacy activity at the end of the project where students describe the process they went through to create the rubrics, and explain why rubrics are useful as tools for assessment.
Grants and Funding for Teachers
You know how much you spend on supplies for your classroom? If you've got the time to fill out some applications, there just might be people and organizations out there who will buy that stuff for you. Check out these resources!