Iowa ASCD and ISEA are collaborating to offer a hands-on day of learning.  Join us in learning with practitioners across the state and leave with information, ideas, tools, strategies and networking opportunities for implementation of the Iowa Core in your classroom.

• Teaching for Understanding - the Curriculum Strand:  What do all students need to learn, know, and be able to do?  How do we in our building/grade level connect our teaching with the students' learning expectations identified in the Core?
• Assessment for Learning - the Assessment Strand:  How do we know that students have learned?  How do we use assessments to assess and diagnose our students' progress in learning?  How do we adjust our instruction based on the results of the formative assessments as we implement the Core?
• Teaching for Learner Differences - Instruction Strand:  How do we plan and deliver instruction so that we meet the needs of all learners in our classroom?  How do we respond if students struggle or don't learn and how do we respond when students have already learned?  

• Online with a credit card:  https://regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1317768 
• Mail a check/purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith, Room 123, Drake University School of Education, 3206 University, Des Moines, Iowa 50311
• Email including attached purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith at bridget.arrasmith@drake.edu
• FAX purchase order with names of participants to Bridget A. Arrasmith at 515.271.2233. 

• Be demanding - align teaching with high expectations for learning.
• Be supportive - provide a nurturing learning environment.
• Be intentional - know why you are doing what you are doing. 

• Be Demanding - articulating and maintaining high expectations for learning
  
  1. Use standards to guide every learning opportunity
  2. Ensure students set personal learning objectives for each lesson
  3. Peel back the curtain and make performance expectations clear
  4. Measure understanding against high expectations

   

• Be Supportive - provide a nurturing learning environment
1. Engage student interest with every lesson
2. Interact meaningfully with every student
3. Use feedback to encourage effort
4. Create an oasis of safety and respect in the classroom   

• Be Intentional - Know why you are doing what you are doing
  1. Make the most of every minute
  2. Help students develop deep knowledge
  3. Coach students to mastery
  4. Help students do something with their learning

Related resources:

• Sample Chapters
• About the Authors
• Study Guide 

• FACT:  States developed the standards!  The nation's governors (NGA) and state education commissioners (CCSSO) spear-headed the development, working with educators, subject-matter experts, and researchers to write and review the standards.

• FACT:  Adoption of the Common Core is voluntary.  All states but Alaska, Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia have chosen to adopt (and often adapt, like Iowa did with the additional 15%).  Minnesota adopted the English language arts but not the math. 

• FACT:  The Common Core addresses only mathematics and English language arts standards. Standards for science, social studies and the arts are underway but they are not part of the CCSS.   

• FACT:  Students need more than reading and math proficiency to be fully prepared for college and careers.  Kids need a comprehensive education that includes learning opportunities in the arts, civics and government, foreign languages, geography, health education, history, physical education, and science.

Myth 5:  The Common Core standards are a national curriculum that dictates what and how every educator must teach.

• FACT:  The standards are not the curriculum.  They are the target for what students should know and be able to do.  

How many of you say to yourself, "When I get some time, I will read this book or that book?"  Sorry!  Hate to tell you but you will never find time to read those books to the fullest extent - not even when you retire.

1. Take no more/no less than 30 minutes to scan the book to get a sense of what is in it.  There are a variety of ways to scan the book.  Concentrate on one or two chapters or sections within a chapter.  Read just the first sentences of paragraphs.  The bottom line is that you develop a practice of skimming a book with enough understand that you can share with someone what content might be contained within that book.
2. For those paragraphs, sections, or chapters that include educational topics that may be of great interest to you for future reference (e.g., coaching, change processes, culture building, conflict resolution, collaborative time), take a 3x3 stickie note and insert at the top of the page with just enough of the post-it note appearing above the page where you can write the topic/words of interest to you.  If reading an e-book, master the "bookmark" and it will do the same thing!
3. When you have a future need to go back to gather information about the topic (e.g., mentoring teachers, formative assessment), you can quickly scan the books on your shelves with stickie notes (or bookmarks in your e-books) and determine immediately if they have a "section" on your topic.