Day 1: Goals for the School Year

I have wanted to build a habit with blogging for a long time... hoping this blogging challenge will get me there.

Create a More Student-Centered Classroom
I started off the year by removing my teacher desk and creating an iteration station at the center of the room. The iteration station is a place for students to come if they need help from me or from other students. It is a place to try something new and see if it works, rather than feel "stuck." Beyond this physical redesign, I want my lesson plans to become more student centered as well, progressing through developing a need to know, exploring and experimenting, and finally students making their own math understandings.

Develop Students' Communication Skills
Last year I feel like I developed a greater awareness of what conversation and communication ought to look like in the classroom. This year, I want to bring these ideas into my classroom by including specific prompts and structures in my lesson plans as well as posting sentence prompts and question prompts around the room. I want to teach and allow time for practice for students to talk with each other about their ideas, whether they are about math or something else that is important to them.

Develop Students' Questioning
Over my door, I have a poster that says "Have you asked a good question today?" I wish I could remember where I found that... I would love to cite it. I suppose Dan Meyer (math rockstar!) and 101questions brought to my attention the need for students to be asking and answering their own questions. I would like to focus on this more this year, developing a need to know so that students are seeking rather than receiving information and understanding.

Focus More on the Mathematical Practice Standards (CCSS)
I tend to focus on the content standards more than the practice standards. This year, I want to develop students' ideas about what the habits of mathematicians are. I have a WWMD? poster on my wall above the child-friendly mathematical practice posters. Yes, it's short for "What would mathematicians do?" Maybe it's cheesy, but... it's middle school! In the nine days of school we've had, I've done a better job than last year -- just have to keep it up.

Provide More Differentiation in My Classroom!
Whether it is through technology or other meaningful assignments, I want to improve in this area.

Continue to Build My Professional Learning Network
I have to say this has grown quite a bit in the last year as I have had a more regular presence on twitter and have gotten more involved in ed tech training.

Lastly, I have a goal to practice patience and kindness every day. We are off and running already with this school year -- hoping for lots of learning!