The Educators' Scoop

Tips, Tools and Resources for All Educators

2.20.24 Self Care Strategy

February: Be a Learner

Around midyear, you may have the bandwidth to reflect on how you learn and to return to your beginner's mind, because learning is a path to growth and resilience.

If we see challenges as opportunities to learning, if we engage our curiosity whenever we're presented with an obstacle, we're more likely to find solutions. This habit and disposition help us not just survive adversity but thrive in the aftermath.

-Adapted from Aguilar's Onward

How to Receive Feedback

Seeking feedback is a key way to increase self-awareness. We all have blind spots, aspects of ourselves that we can't see but others can. To see ourselves as we are, not just as we think we are, we must seek feedback. If we're really lucky, there'll be people in our lives who see our blind spots and have the courage to share them with us in a way that we can truly hear the feedback.

1. Be prepared; be mindful. Consider how you typically respond to less than favorable feedback. Do you start by accepting it and then dismiss it with time? Do you get defensive? Do you blame or get very quiet. Ask yourself, How do I typically react?

2. Separate the strands: Feeling, story, feedback. It can be helpful to tease apart your emotions and interpretations from the actual feedback. Ask yourself, What do I feel? What's the story I'm telling? What the actual feedback?

3. Contain the story. When we distort feedback, we tend to do so in predictable way. Specifically, we generalize shortcomings to see them as overly person ("I messed up" becomes "I'm a bad person"), overly pervasive ("I did this wrong" becomes "I do everything wrong"). Again, ask yourself, What's the actual feedback?

4. Change your vantage point. If our interpretation is distorted, perhaps we need to view the feedback from a different perspective - that of a friend of sibling, or ourselves 10 to 20 years in the future. As yourself, How might my sister/colleague/the future interpret this feedback?

Consider a piece of feedback your recently received, either solicited or not. How did the feedback sit with you? As you consider distortions noted here, do any stand out for you?

The Power of Yet

Rad Resources

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Chat Stations

Struggling with setting up small groups or station rotations? Consider starting with “Chat Stations”! At each chat station, students will be given discussion prompts and given 3-4 minutes to have a quick, informal conversation based on the prompt. They can be used for test reviews, ethical debates, exploring new material, or analyzing literature.

On top of their flexibility as a cooperative learning tool, Chat Stations can also dramatically improve whole-class discussions. Because students have fully explored each issue in the less-threatening Chat Station setting, they will be better prepared to participate in a larger class discussion next.

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AI Resources

Unlock the potential of AI in your classroom! Discover innovative ways to enhance teaching and learning experiences. AI tools can personalize lessons, streamline administrative tasks, and provide valuable insights into student progress. Explore ways to incorperate AI to create a more dynamic and efficient educational environment. Explore the future of education with AI!

HERE are 100 prompts for educators to use AI!

Click here for elementary resources.

Click here for secondary resources.

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Defend My Claim

Defend my claim is a PEAK strategy.

When to use: You believe many students do not have a correct response.

Rather than ask a question that will result in many students not knowing the correct answer, the teacher states the CORRECT response in the form of “Defend my claim that __________ is _____________ . Make sure to develop at least three strong, convincing statements that defend my claim and show that I am right”. If students prefer to argue against your claim, provide that choice.

1. Pose the statement

2. Have students think for 1 minute independently

3. Have students turn and talk to discuss their answer with their neighbor

4. Cold call students to share their own or their neighbor’s response.

Examples:

Math: Defend my claim that this graph has 3 real solutions and 2 imaginary solutions.

Science: Defend my claim that animals are considered heterotrophic.

English: Defend my claim that the tone of the poem is defensive.

Social Studies: Defend my claim that the Monroe Doctrine played an important role in the United States being where it is today

Teacher Spotlight

Meet Mr. Adrian Hatch!

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Adrian Hatch is a 7th grade English Language Arts teacher at Shelby Middle School in Cleveland County. Mr. Hatch is passionate about education, and sees himself as both a leader and a mentor to the students in his classroom. Mr. Hatch believes that education is a great equalizer and encourages his students to capitalize on every educational opportunity.

Here’s what his coach, Manda Stegall has to say about him:

Mr. Hatch recognizes that his students want to be treated with respect as they are learning to find their voice during these middle school years. Mr. Hatch is intentional about building relationships with his students, he has high academic expectations, and creates a classroom culture where students feel safe and welcome. Mr. Hatch selects literature for classroom instruction that aligns to the state standards. However, he also recognizes that it is crucial for students to see themselves reflected in the classroom literature they study - as it fosters a sense of cultural relevance, personal connection, and inclusivity, enhancing their engagement, understanding, and overall educational experience. It is a pleasure to partner with and support Mr. Hatch at Shelby Middle!