I sit here on the 4th of July, thinking about how different this holiday is for me from those prior. I’m a career teacher who retired a year ago, and I’m feeling all the emotions that the 4th brought to me.
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Let’s face it, although we should, we don’t recommend teaching careers to our best and brightest. If you are believed to have the aptitude to become a scientist, engineer, or doctor, then that’s what people tell you, and that’s where you try to go.
There have been plenty of times I have reached out to a teacher on the other side of the world hoping for a super cool connection only to have it not work out due to time zone differences.
We all know the teacher (or maybe we are the teacher) who is known for committing to strict deadlines and unwavering due dates. The teacher who is dedicated to teaching students punctuality, responsibility, and accountability at all cost.
Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher. I have the heart to serve others and I knew teaching was my pathway to service. After teaching 16 years in a large, urban school district, I found myself wanting more.
When I taught Kindergarten I got anxiety about students logging in, following directions and being able to help 20 little excited learners at once.
I remember the first time I found myself in a makerspace. I was at a conference and the organizers had erected a model makerspace to explore.
Micro-credentials are popular in the business sector and represent certifications in hard skills, such as Microsoft Office, or soft skills, such as teamwork or self-management. Education is starting to use micro-credentials for teachers to show certifications in specific competencies that pertain to their classroom.
How well do your assessments align with what you’ve asked students to do in the classroom? Aligning the Depth of Knowledge (D.O.K.) of assessments with the D.O.K. of teaching is an important part of the process.
Now that you understand what Depth of Knowledge (D.O.K.) is and isn’t and you know there are no quick answers or graphics to categorize according to the 4 levels, what might you do next?