In-serviced
An inservice day is supposed to be a day of professional learning for teachers and staff to help improve what we do. Students are at home today, sound asleep, while teachers arrive at the usual time.
At the beginning of the day, (7:30 am) we sit down to a staff breakfast. This is essentially a thank you for all the staff's hard work. It is also an opportunity to just sit and chat with colleagues that we rarely get to see from day-to-day. Since we are under construction and the band room is the only space left that can accommodate us, (the media center also echoes with pounding, sawing, steel-on-steel noises, and a strong smell of tar) we mosey on over at 9:30 to begin a presentation on differentiated instruction. For the lay person, that means a teacher attends to student differences by modifying the content, process, and result of instruction. This is not a one-on-one modification, or individualization, according to Carol Ann Tomlinson, the guru of differentiated instruction, but rather generalized modifications for different ability levels.
Today, we focus on differentiation for Learning Disabled students, whether or not officially designated as such. One irony of all the inservices that I have attended over the years is that we rarely follow our own advice. So, we are not assessed for our level of performance at "differentiating" in the classroom before being here, we are all supposed to be here. Still, it is often a useful reminder to look at things that we often take for granted or forget to reflect upon in the daily hustle. Although, one thing that drives me to distraction in education is the sweeping statements we make in discussions. "If we do X, all kids will Y," should be banned from our conversation--and our inservices.
After a lunch break, we return to the 60-odd degree-band room to shiver our way through a presentation on ESL (English as Second Language) learners and strategies. Again, some of this is useful and usable. However, no distinction between those who have had ESL training and those who have not. Out at 2:30 pm.
Talk to most teachers about inservice days, and mostly you'll receive groans and moans. Rarely do we assess the value or impact of these days. Somehow it doesn't really matter. Districts have always had inservices, and, from all apparent signs, that isn't about to change. Most teachers would much rather spend the day teaching with students than spend time being "inserviced." Two signs of something awry: when asked for questions or feedback, you could hear a spider walking; if made "voluntary," teachers vote with their feet, and mostly out the door.
Not all are dreadful, of course, Education reform could nevertheless include a think-outside-the-box change for teacher inservice training/learning. At the very least, maybe another day with students would just be more productive.
At the beginning of the day, (7:30 am) we sit down to a staff breakfast. This is essentially a thank you for all the staff's hard work. It is also an opportunity to just sit and chat with colleagues that we rarely get to see from day-to-day. Since we are under construction and the band room is the only space left that can accommodate us, (the media center also echoes with pounding, sawing, steel-on-steel noises, and a strong smell of tar) we mosey on over at 9:30 to begin a presentation on differentiated instruction. For the lay person, that means a teacher attends to student differences by modifying the content, process, and result of instruction. This is not a one-on-one modification, or individualization, according to Carol Ann Tomlinson, the guru of differentiated instruction, but rather generalized modifications for different ability levels.
Today, we focus on differentiation for Learning Disabled students, whether or not officially designated as such. One irony of all the inservices that I have attended over the years is that we rarely follow our own advice. So, we are not assessed for our level of performance at "differentiating" in the classroom before being here, we are all supposed to be here. Still, it is often a useful reminder to look at things that we often take for granted or forget to reflect upon in the daily hustle. Although, one thing that drives me to distraction in education is the sweeping statements we make in discussions. "If we do X, all kids will Y," should be banned from our conversation--and our inservices.
After a lunch break, we return to the 60-odd degree-band room to shiver our way through a presentation on ESL (English as Second Language) learners and strategies. Again, some of this is useful and usable. However, no distinction between those who have had ESL training and those who have not. Out at 2:30 pm.
Talk to most teachers about inservice days, and mostly you'll receive groans and moans. Rarely do we assess the value or impact of these days. Somehow it doesn't really matter. Districts have always had inservices, and, from all apparent signs, that isn't about to change. Most teachers would much rather spend the day teaching with students than spend time being "inserviced." Two signs of something awry: when asked for questions or feedback, you could hear a spider walking; if made "voluntary," teachers vote with their feet, and mostly out the door.
Not all are dreadful, of course, Education reform could nevertheless include a think-outside-the-box change for teacher inservice training/learning. At the very least, maybe another day with students would just be more productive.
posted by curtis @ 6:11 PM
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