August Header
Inspired Teacher                           August 17, 2009
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An Inspired Teacher is an experimenter, a scientist, who embraces mistakes as valuable learning experiences, then refines her approach based on what she learns with each trial.
INSPIRED TEACHING
ALUMNI:

RSVP TODAY!!!


Join Center for Inspired Teaching and alumni from the past 14 years for the
4th annual
Inspired Teaching Alumni Conference

When:
August 21
3:00 - 7:00 pm
(networking, dinner, keynote speaker)
August 22
9:30 am - 2:00 pm
(breakfast, workshops, speakers, lunch)

Why:
Kick off the 2009-2010 school year right. Join fellow alumni for a two-day
celebration of the power of your profession.

Where:
THEARC
(free parking)
1901 Miss. Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20020

RSVP by 8/18/09 to Jenna Fournel 202.462.1956.
To subscribe
Join Our Mailing List
An Opportunity to Be Heard
The American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) is interviewing 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers as well as elementary and middle school principals from urban school districts.

Interview slots are available from August 10th to August 21st. The interviews will last about two hours.  We will ask you questions about assessments, teaching practices, and data use. We will provide parking, seventy-five
dollars for your help, and refreshments.  Interviews will take place on weekdays, evenings, and on weekends.

*Teachers of 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade students are needed to help improve surveys and to discuss issues in student assessment.

*Principals are also needed to help improve surveys and to discuss issues in student assessment.

AIR is a premier research institution specializing in education issues.  The interviews will be held at our offices in Georgetown.

If you have questions or are interested in participating, please call Ann-Marie at (202) 403-5356.  Interview spaces are limited; ***Call today!***
In This Issue
An Opportunity to Be Heard
Anticipating Multiple Routes
Strengthening Your Skeleton
Inspired Teacher Boot Camp
Step Three: Plan for Success

"We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. They will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check; we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."                 
 ~ President Barack Obama

You wouldn't expect to do very well on a long hike if you hadn't first learned about the trail. How much ground will you cover? How does it compare to other trails you've hiked? Where are the hills? Where are the valleys? This is the type of thinking we must do in order to prepare ourselves for the adventure of the school year. 

Curriculum and standards can seem like a mountain ahead of us.  But if you take some time to look at the topography in advance, you won't be climbing blindfolded. In addition, as an Inspired Teacher - you're part of a vast community of dedicated educators, which means you're not alone on this trip.

Your most helpful companions along the way are your students who bring their own ideas and experiences to guide the journey. You have much to teach them, but they are already experts on what they currently know and all the things they care about. If you listen carefully, they'll tell you when to slow down, when to speed up, and when to change direction.

This week's issue is about preparing for the road ahead by learning more about the curriculum, your students and the wisdom of others who have gone before you.
Anticipating Multiple Routes to Your Destination
When planning units and lessons, you might have a destination in mind, but if you don't plan for the various ways your students learn, you could easily lose them. As on that long hike, your destination and the top of the mountain can't be reached the same way by everyone. Hikers with physical challenges need a more even trail, those who love to climb can go straight up the rock face (with the proper tools), some need to take their time and pause for an energy bar as they go...

Inspired Teachers plan dynamic lessons that reach all learners. As you begin planning for the year ahead - try looking at your lessons within the framework of multiple intelligences. How can you teach each concept in 8 different ways? You may not use all 8 strategies, but any combination will enable you to reach a broader section of your students than a "one-size-fits-all" approach that really only fits a few.
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic (Building)
  • Verbal-Linquistic (Language arts)
  • Rhythmic-Musical (Music)
  • Intrapersonal (On my own)
  • Interpersonal (Working with others)
  • Visual-Spacial (Art)
  • Logical-Mathematical (Math)
  • Naturalistic (World around me)
For more on Howard Gardener's theory of Multiple Intelligences, click here.
Building Strength for the Journey
Last week, we suggested coming up with as many questions about your goal as you could think of--starting with an answer and then finding the questions to lead you there.  The websites we offer you this week are about backwards planning, differentiated instruction, and planning for inquiry.

In addition to browsing through these websites and storing some of your favorites, keep an eye out for listservs you would like to join.  A listserv is a free subscription to newsletters, such as Inspired Teaching's, where you can regularly receive news, events and advice from an organization.
 
ASCD's Educational Leadership article on backwards planning (while it directly discusses a high school class, the concept is directed towards educators of all grade levels)
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may08/vol65/num08/Put_Understanding_First.aspx
 
Differentiated Instruction 101 - on the basics of planning instruction for different learners
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/di_meeting.phtml
 
Planning for Inquiry: It's Not an Oxymoron! By Diane Parker- Chapter 2
http://www1.ncte.org/library/files/Store/Books/Sample/35600Chap02_x.pdf  

Thirteen Ed Online: Online teacher workshops on Cooperative Learning, Inquiry-Based Lessons, Assessment and more!
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/index.html


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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.