The Maine Department of Education is pleased to release the second collections of 2015-2016 articles in the “Content Corner.” These resources are designed to support teaching and learning in Maine classrooms and make connections to classroom applications and research.
Continue reading ““Content Corner” releases second round of instructional improvement articles”
This is the second in a series of instructional articles to support teachers in implementing the 8 Effective Teaching Practices outlined in the book Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. This article discusses teaching practice 6: Build Procedural Fluency from Conceptual Understanding.
Continue reading “Mathematically speaking, what is fluency?”
Feedback is an essential instructional strategy; when implemented effectively it can improve both student and teacher performance in Health Education and Physical Education. This article will introduce just a few of the many concepts and resources that are available and encourage educators to explore additional resources through the links provided.
Assessment is part of the educational process. However, assessment can become an afterthought in the theatre classroom due to educator concerns that theatre is too subjective to assess successfully or that traditional assessment tools are not applicable to a performance-based discipline. Fortunately, theatre gurus, Susan K. Green and Stephen Gundersheim, have identified the following six sequential steps that educators can use to prioritize and develop effective theatre assessments.
Continue reading “Assessment strategies for the theatre classroom”
The December 2015 article on the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do statements guided world language educators on using the resource for identifying learning targets relative to proficiency level. This article builds off of that idea, and it looks closer at thematic units in order to understand why and how they best empower educators to teach to language proficiency.
Continue reading “The why and how of thematic units in the world language classroom”
“Instruction” is not a word that rises to the top in a preschool teacher’s vocabulary list. In fact, some teachers hear the word and envision “instruction” as equal to inappropriate practice. It is a word that often connotes preschool becoming too “academic,” a “push-down curriculum from kindergarten,” or taking the fun out of young children’s curiosity about the world. And, if one mentions the term “direct instruction,” many preschool teachers will end the conversation, running out of the room.
Humans are naturally inquisitive. Young children tend to ask an abundance of questions, yet the volume of questions posed by students often dwindles in middle and high school. Learners at all grade levels benefit from the opportunity to devise questions and seek answers. If students are taught how to ask questions they will learn how to learn. Students frequently hear there is no such thing as a bad question, yet some questions are better than others. How do we help students learn how to ask good questions?
Continue reading “Social Studies: questions are as important as answers”
There is no shortage of talking in classrooms, yet academically productive talk is far different from the standard teacher-directed questioning strategy to elicit singular correct responses. In the academically productive talk classroom, the teacher serves as facilitator for discussions that help the students grapple with concepts and reasoning that will deepen their understanding of topics. There is an element of “letting go” that is difficult for the classroom teacher who has been conditioned to “stand and deliver”; however, students will learn more as they debate and wrestle with the questions that they arrive at after they have had opportunities to observe and manipulate phenomena.
Annotation is the act of marking a text with words, symbols, illustrations, or other meaningful notes. Annotating a text supports close reading practices, helps a student engage with a text, and provides teachers with an efficient form of formative assessment. Annotation is more than just taking notes; it is a way to record a conversation with the author, characters, or the text itself. Marks and annotations made within the body of a reading create a reference point for a reader when rereading. Annotations also create a road map to support comprehension and analysis during reading.
Continue reading “Annotating a text: close reading with a pen”
The Maine DOE is seeking qualified peer reviewers to read, assess and score competitive grant proposals for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program. This federally-funded grant program provides opportunities for schools and communities to develop “community learning centers” that serve children and youth during out-of-school time. Maine currently has 37 grant recipients operating 64 individual centers in communities across the state. The Department anticipates receiving applications for new, expansion, and continuation awards as a result of this competition.
Continue reading “Maine DOE seeks reviewers for 21st CCLC grant competition”
Maine DOE Newsroom 