This is the first time that we have taught a series of classes like this and we would really appreciate any feedback that you can give us-good and bad. Please let us know:
- what things you liked,
- what things you didn't like,
- any changes or suggestions you have for us to improve the class, if it is taught again
- the one biggest thing that you will remember or take with you from any of the 5 classes
Remember that this blog will remain here for you. Please check in with us every once in awhile and share your celebrations and ideas. Post questions and respond to the questions of others when you can. You also have our email addresses if you have a specific question that you would like for Linda or I to answer for you. So please feel free to let us know if we can help you in anyway. As I tell my kids: once a student of mine, always a student of mine-all you have to do is ask if you ever need anything!
Thanks again for a great class experience and we wish you all the best of luck for the rest of the school year!
First I want to say THANK YOU! Each class was a wealth of useful information and strategies, all of which I can easily bring into my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think remembering to have students repeat and speak in sentences are the two biggest things I take away (besides the fact that kindergartners CAN learn and use the parts of speech with their proper titles). Using complete sentences and repeating chorally are simple yet effective (& important) strategies for all students. It is amazing what you learn from the students by just listening to them repeat.
The classes were well paced and each activity you had for us was meaningful and helped in my understanding of the concepts. I looked forward to the class each week(and will actually miss it next week).
Don't change a thing!
And PLEASE teach it again-this information needs to get out there to more teachers. :)
I LOVED these classes! What I really liked was that I could come into work the next day and implement these strategies right away! I loved the handouts and especially being able to see the work that your kids have done! I was really impressed by your students knowledge of these tough topics!
ReplyDeleteI wish that we could have had a more clear understanding of how to actually implement this in our classes, starting from the beginning. I liked being able to just pop in a lesson here and there but I am looking forward to implementing all of these strategies right from the beginning of the school year next year...but I am still not sure on how to do that!
I hope that you can teach these classes again so that more teachers and students can benefit from these great strategies! Maybe even a 2nd series of classes for those of us who have already taken the first ones :)
THANK YOU!
What I liked: the instructors
ReplyDeleteWhat I didn't like: not clear about the expectations of the teachers in our class
Suggestions: I would like a syllabus the first night of class listing what would be covered in class each week and what we were expected to bring to class. Ex: weren't we asked to bring in samples of what we tried in our classroom to share? Next time...mix up our group so we could work with other teachers at other schools. G.Klees
What I'll take with me: vocabulary frames, vertical sentences
Thank you very much to Jennifer and Linda for teaching this class. It was really inspiring to me. It reminds me of something my SEI teacher said. "What is good for ELL students is good for all students."
ReplyDeleteHICEP offers creative and fun activities for all students to get involved. I think this concept is a hidden gem and should be taught to EVERYONE in the district. There are some great ideas here and anything that I took back to class the kids REALLY ENJOYED. Hurray. Learning can be fun.
Don't change anything about the class. I like how there was one or two concepts presented per session. It was perfect for those of us who have already worked a whole day.It was right at my realm of proximal development.
I got the most bang for my buck from the vertical sentences. I have been trying to get the students to use more interesting words in their stories by doing my own "Write to". It was not until I wrote, "I went to the park. It was fun." and had THEM change some of the words that they truly understood the objective. After doing that exercise twice, kids are writing better stories. I see them changing words in their work to make it more interesting.
The only negative is that I see I need to order lots more paper.
Thanks for everything. It was fun for me and my students will benefit from what I have learned. I appreciate you.