For Educators of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties.
  • Innovative Teaching
  • About
  • Contact
  • CABOCES.ORG/iss
  • Calendar of Events
  • AdvancingSTEM

Innovative Teaching

For Educators of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties
Subscribe to our Monthly Brief

Are You Ready for the Next Generation Standards?

8/22/2019

0 Comments

 
​In September 2017, the NYS Board of Regents adopted the English Language Arts and Mathematics Next Generation Learning Standards.  The ELA standards were revised across all grades to ensure understanding, developmentally appropriate practice, and high expectations for all learners. The new standards come at a time when schools are working to provide equity and excellence for all learners.  Inside the documents educators will find the Lifelong Practices of Readers and Writers as well as every grade level’s expectations for text complexity.
Many teachers and administrators in the region have worked diligently this summer aligning and adjusting curriculum. They discovered that the most notable change in the standards is the knowledge that being literate in today’s society is different than it was in the past.  The implementation of the standards guide students to become critical thinkers and communicators.  Teachers, administrators, and curriculum coordinators are meeting this challenge by evaluating district curriculum, revising and creating curricular units of study, and working as a collaborative unit within the region to ensure all students succeed. 
 
For more information and guidance documents go to: http://www.nysed.gov/next-generation-learning-standards
 
If you have questions regarding the ELA changes, please reach out to Tessa Levitt, Corey Wilson, or Michelle Rickicki.  

By: Michelle Rickicki, CA Boces Professional Development
0 Comments

NEXT GENERATION, WHERE ARE WE NOW?

8/21/2019

0 Comments

 

PHASE II: BUILDING CAPACITY

​As we are gearing up to begin the 2019-2020 school year, we are also entering Phase II: Building Capacity, of the Next Generation Learning Standards Implementation Roadmap
Phase II of the Standards Implementation Roadmap: Building Capacity, is to provide guidance and support for districts with regards to the professional development needs identified in Phase I, with the focus on the integration of the Next Generation ELA and Mathematics Learning Standards into curriculum, instruction, and assessment design.  In our CA BOCES region we have held several regional and in district workshops both in Phase I: Raising Awareness and Phase II; Building Capacity for both Math and ELA. In these workshops we identify current/new instructional strategies that allow opportunities for students to engage in the Lifelong Practices of Readers and Writers and the Standards for Mathematical Practices. As well as examining current classroom instructional strategies and determine changes needed to ensure classroom instruction is research-based and aligned with the standards. For example, using student centered project-based and inquiry-based learning, purposeful play, and other student-focused modes of instruction. 
Picture
​While working collaboratively with peers from around the region, educators are also reviewing, revising, or creating curricular units, based on need, or adopting a curriculum program to ensure alignment to the NYS Next Generation ELA and Mathematics Learning Standards. Furthermore, CA BOCES continues to support regional data reviews such as, ELA Data Dive, to reflect on student performance and identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. 
Picture
To help assist districts in the implementation of the Next Gen Learning Standards including curriculum development, the state has recently developed A Guide for Aligning Local Curricula to the Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards. The guidance contained in this document for curriculum review and development (ELA Curriculum Reflection Tool in Part II) is optional for school districts in New York State to use. The guidance is provided to support districts’ creation or revision of units of instruction aligned with the student learning expectations in the Next Generation English Language Arts (ELA) Learning Standards. Curriculum decisions are local school district decisions in New York State. 
For more information about the alignment guide, please reach out!
By: Corey Wilson, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

The Power of Teacher-Student Relationships

8/21/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
As the importance of trauma sensitive classrooms and the drive for becoming more responsive is at the forefront of our minds, at the foundation of these initiatives is the relationship building that is necessary to make any of those powerful initiatives a success.
 
In the article, "Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter" Sarah Sparks notes, A Review of Educational Research analysis of 46 studies found that strong teacher-student relationships were associated in both the short- and long-term with improvements on practically every measure schools care about: higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, fewer disruptive behaviors and suspensions, and lower school dropout rates.
 
Although the positives are profound, as educators we recognize there are challenges with building meaningful relationships with all of our students. There are time constraints, curriculum demands and large class sizes that can prevent those ‘little conversations’ from occurring.  As the new school year is fast approaching, keep in mind the following strategies and/or trainings that can aid you in having those ‘little conversations’ that will improve engagement and bring about positive lasting results for your students. 

The Challenges and the Strategies to Overcome Them

Time
Time is our most valuable resource and there never seems to be enough of it. Within a school setting there are tight schedules and limited class periods.
  • Greeting students at the door, as they leave or exit. Those brief interactions can help that period start off on a positive note and help you gauge who may need additional love and attention during that period.
  • Two Times Ten Conversation, committing to spending 2 minutes for 10 days getting to know a student. These two minutes could occur during transition times, lunch, or door greetings. The conversation should revolve around student interests and could later evolve into more school focused chats as the relationship develops.
 
Class Size
Although class size varies and depending on grade level may grow or shrink from year to year, we may feel at times if there were only a few less students, more could be accomplished. Getting to know students can be difficult when there are so many and utilizing different games or whole group activities can help foster teacher-student relationships.
 
  • The Digging Game or Getting to Know you Bingo are team building games that allow students to share their interests and meaningful details about themselves.
  • Dialogue Journaling is a great activity for the beginning of the school year. The teacher and student journal back and forth in a friendly letter format.
  • Interest Inventories could be used for specific subjects or just to better connect to student by discovering what their interests are.
  • Restorative Practice can assist you in building a safe and trusting community within your classroom and provide explicit direction on not only building, but repairing relationships too.
 
Curriculum Demands
Gone are the days when we taught whatever we deemed important, today we are held to high curriculum standards and answer to testing data. The stress and pressure of getting through everything and delivering on academic goals is high. Luckily there are ways to steal moments that can help strengthen teacher-student relationships.
  • Incorporating humor into daily lessons and day to day interactions can help students feel at ease and create a positive shared experience. Please note not to confuse humor with sarcasm, as sarcasm can have damaging results.
  • Capitalize on student's interests as a curriculum resource when determining how best to engage students and help them make academic connections. When students are able to make those connections, information becomes lodged in their long term memory and everyone wins! 
Picture
For additional information on Restorative Practice Training, please reach out to Jillian Putnam, Mark Carls, Kathryn Mendell or Jessica Rose. 
By: Jessica Rose, CA BOCES Professional Development
0 Comments

What did you do on your summer vacation?

8/12/2019

0 Comments

 
We have been busy with two new improvements in Moodle this summer.
 
First, we have upgraded our Moodle site to version 3.6. New features in Moodle include:
  • new dashboard options
  • more blocks to customize your view
  • messaging between and among course teacher and students
  • cloud sharing of documents
  • options to hide yourself while you are online
  • more information on badge progress
  • the availability of teachers to record feedback to students in addition to annotating an assignment
  • improvements in the drag and drop quiz feature
  • and more!
You can see details here:  https://docs.moodle.org/36/en/New_features
​
Picture
Picture
​Second, we have partnered with Intelliboard to provide Moodle instructors with a dashboard that will display course information. Intelliboard offers an abundance of instant data from your course which provides instructors with real time data on student progress, completed assignments, and a big picture view of the course. Reports can be generated that provide detailed and specific information about the course and the participating students.  
Picture
​Both of these improvements are value added to our already free Moodle site. 
 
You can learn more about any of these at our Moodle Users workshop on Wednesday, August 28th or contact Karen Insley at karen_insley@caboces.org.
To register for the workshop, have your district representative register you at:  www.register.caboces.org.
By: Karen Insley, CA BOCES Learning Resources
0 Comments

    Follow us on
    ​social media

    Want to attend a professional development session offered by Instructional Support Services?  Click here to review our catalog of professional development offerings.  
    Need 24/7 access to digital classroom resources?
    Click here to access "no charge" digital resources for you and your students.

    Categories

    All
    1:1
    7 Habits
    AdvancingSTEM
    Akom
    Allegany County
    Allegany Limestone
    Alternate Assessment
    Andover
    Angela Stockman
    Anti Bullying
    Anti-bullying
    Anxiety
    APPR
    Art
    Arts
    Arts In Education
    Artspower
    Arts Power
    Assessments
    Audiobooks
    Belfast
    Benchmarks
    Blended Learning
    Bolivar Richburg
    Book Study
    BPO
    Brain Based
    Breakout EDU
    Ca Boces
    Canva
    Career Day
    Career Resources
    Castle Learning
    CA Today
    Cattaraugus Little Valley
    Clc
    CLC (collaborative Learning Community)
    Coding
    Collaborative Project
    Common Core
    Community And Schools Together
    Community Schools
    Community Schools Service Showcase
    Community & Schools Together Conference
    Cooperative Learning
    Co-teaching
    Credit Recovery
    CRSE
    Cte
    Cuba Rushford
    Cuba-Rushford
    Curriculum Modules
    Dasa
    Data
    Dave Ruch
    Delevan Elementary
    Distance
    Distance Learning
    Diversity
    Drone
    Drones
    Dyslexia
    Early Childhood
    Ebooks
    Ela
    ELA CLC
    ELA Learning Standards
    Ellicottville
    Environmental Education
    Eresources
    Esl
    Esports
    Family Engagement
    Field Trips
    Field Trip Zoom
    Fillmore
    Film Festival
    Flipgrid
    Fossils
    Franklinville
    French
    Friendship
    Game Based Learning
    Game-based Learning
    Genesee Valley
    Global History
    Global Studies
    Grit
    Growth Mindset
    Health
    Hinsdale
    Houghton College
    Innovation
    Instruction
    Ipad
    Khan Academy
    Kimberly Morrow
    Kits
    Language Line
    Leadership
    Learning Resources
    Lego League
    Library
    Literacy
    Maker
    Math
    Math Modules
    Matt Miller
    Media
    Mental Health
    Microsoft
    Microsoft 365
    Microsoft Teams
    Minecraft Education
    Model Schools
    Moodle
    Moodle/Mahara
    Music
    Nerdle
    Newsbank
    New Teacher Academy
    Next Generation Science
    Odyssey Of The Mind
    Olean
    Online Class
    Osmo
    Overdrive
    Padlet
    Parents
    Parent University
    PBL
    PE
    Physical Education
    Pioneer
    Pioneer Central School
    Pixar In A Box
    Play
    Portville
    Poverty Simulation
    Power Apps
    Power Automate
    Power Teaching
    Pre K
    Pre-K
    Professional Development
    Randolph
    Randolph Academy
    Reading
    Regents
    Regents Exam
    Remote Learning
    Resilience
    Restorative Circles
    Restorative Practice
    Rocket League
    Salamanca
    Scholastic Challenge
    School Library
    Schoology
    Scio
    Seesaw
    Sel
    Self Care
    Sharepoint
    SLO's
    SNAP
    Social Emotional
    Social Emotional Learning
    Social-emotional Learning
    Social Studies
    Sora
    Spanish
    Special Education
    Standards
    Star Lab
    Stem
    STEM Challenge
    Student
    Student Programming
    Student Programs
    Summer School
    Summer Tech Camp
    Tcif
    Teacher Academy
    TeachingBooks
    Teach Like A Champion
    Technology
    TheaterWorks USA
    Theatre
    The Mailbox
    TITC
    Trauma
    TRLE
    Vex
    Virtual Field Trip
    Virtual Scholastic Challenge
    Wellsville
    West Valley
    Whitesville
    Why Try
    Writing
    Zoom
    Zulama

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Innovative Teaching
  • About
  • Contact
  • CABOCES.ORG/iss
  • Calendar of Events
  • AdvancingSTEM