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Let Flexibility Lead To Alignment

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  In my previous school district, I was the only teacher teaching a physics course with set, district-wide learning outcomes. These same outcomes were also taught in physics classrooms at the other high school in our district. But at our school, I was one of the 2 physics teachers. The other teacher taught the AP-level physics courses. So, in many ways, I had opportunities to incorporate strategies I believed were best for learners and that I found worked best for them without being seen as out of alignment with anyone in our building. My amazing friend and one of my teaching philosophy goddesses, Katie Novak, stated the following misconception about alignment: All teachers must deliver instruction in the exact same way. True alignment, she says, is about shared goals, rigor, and outcomes. Thank you, Katie! Katie has taught me to truly believe that learner variability is the rule, not the exception. I encourage you to take 10 minutes to listen to Katie Novak explain it in the ...
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A Night for Passions

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We had our Personal Learning Project Expo last night.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate all of the learning students did this past term related to their personal passions, many of which tied into the physics concepts we covered in class. Below is a Thinklink with some of the projects from the term. Take a peek at some of the highlights.








There's a lot to think about for next year.  I think still finding new ways to touch base with students during the process is key.  So, formalizing these conversations even more would be beneficial. I really liked incorporating Google Sites as a place for students to collect all of their materials. On their project page, they documented the entire process including:

  • Driving question
  • Pitch Video
  • Process Outline
  • Research with Sources
  • Project Log
  • Final Project
  • Reflections
The sites were not all well organized and this is something I need to model more. Also, I need to put a bit more thought into what is most informative and beneficial for the logging process. I want to make it informative but also reflective. In addition, I would like it each entry to help guide the next step(s) in the process rather than logging just being more of an afterthought. 

My co-teacher Andelee Espinosa is hoping to help make next year bigger and better.

In short, a great way to celebrate the year as a learning community of peers sharing our learning with each other and the community.

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