Just dropped episode 11 with our buddy Alex Valencic. He tells us his views on professional learning and how he came into this crazy profession. @alextvalencic.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/7pSY...
The Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute is a youth leadership conference I've been part of for over 25 years! Can you help us clear our list? #EduSky
www.amazon.com/registries/g...
See you next week! #sunchat
I am a @teachbetterteam.bsky.social Ambasssdor. One of their main focus points is on training, developing, and supporting teachers in implementing self-paced mastery learning with the Grid Method. Definitely recommend checking out their free resources! #TeachBetter #sunchat #edusky
teachbetter.com
Chugach School District in Alaska looks to be the national model for CBE! Illinois was doing a pilot with CBE with 45 districts but I'm not sure if it is still going on or not. #sunchat #edusky
aurora-institute.org/resource/chu...
www.isbe.net/competency
The biggest pushback I get on competency-based education is that we would end up with 16-year-olds in classes with 6-year-olds. But those folks seem to think special education would cease, as if learning disabilities are only determined by traditional grade levels. #sunchat #edusky
Hey #sunchat crew! Jumping in late today to say hello, good morning, and I miss you all!
Hey #EduSky community, I've got to know: Is #bowtietueaday a thing in these parts? I loved that community in the Other Place and am interested in bringing it over here. (Sadly, I am sans bow tie today due to being at a conference and rocking my @ideaillinois.bsky.social volunteer shirt.)
Day two's learning included enhancing learning opportunities for ALL students, intentional planning that ties vision, strategy, and community needs, and increasing student engagement through games, authentic tasks, and a healthy dose of whimsy. #IDEAcon2025 #EduSky
The question shouldn't be why we aren't there, it should be why we aren't there *yet.* -Cornelius Minor #IDEAcon2025 #EduSky
"Who have we become as a culture when so many innovators want to build a rocket, and so few want to build ways to protect and enhance the lives of children?" ~Kass & Cornelius Minor #IDEAcon2025 #EduSky
I think you are using "entertainment" in the sense of amusement, not attention. #sunchat #EduSky
Yes, they can help foster the growth of motivation but a student who is not motivated to learn at the start will continue to be unmotivated without an additional catalyst. #sunchat #EduSky
Great chat, friends! I know I'm not able to join often, but let's stay connected and share out ideas in the days and weeks ahead! Remember, we are #BetterTogether! #sunchat #EduSky
I think that part of being an educator is to be an entertainer, but not in the sense of amusement; rather, we are entertainers in the sense of capturing and holding attention so that students can get into the zone of learning. (Of course, *how* to do this is question of the day!) #sunchat #EduSky
I don't have an immediate answer, but I do know that PBL and the such do not motivate students; they are strategies that help maintain motivation. So how do we get the motivation started? (And it is as simple as saying "relationships" a thousand times a day to teachers!) #sunchat #EduSky
We really did! Instead of pushing inquiry, projects, and teacher-guided, student-driven learning, we threw worksheets at kids, told them nothing would be assessed, and said that just showing up would be acceptable. So many lost opportunities to use it as a catalyst for change! #sunchat #EduSky
Reminder to all who are participating in our #sunchat discussion on #EduSky this morning: don't forget the hashtags! These help everyone to join in the discussion!
There are certainly students who are motivated to get "good grades," but that isn't necessarily related to being motivates to learn, just to playing the game of school. So what actually motivates deep, lasting learning? #sunchat #EduSky
Good morning, #sunchat crew of #EduSky! I'm Alex, Doer of Things:
#ProfessionalLearning Coordinator in Freeport, IL 🥨
#TeachBetter Lead Ambassador, Blogger, and Mastermind member 💚
#Routledge education book reviewer 📘
#ScoutingAmerica district training chair ⚜️
“My dad used to tell me all the time: ‘Nobody knows what you planned; they only know what you did.’ He would then ask: ‘Did they learn? Were they loved? Then what you did matters, not what you planned!’” —Alex T. Valencic, Educator
“My dad used to tell me all the time: ‘Nobody knows what you planned; they only know what you did.’ He would then ask: ‘Did they learn? Were they loved? Then what you did matters, not what you planned!’” — #Educator @alextvalencic.bsky.social
I've gotta go! Great chat this morning! Stay safe and keep warm! And please reach out at any time if there is ever anything I can help with! We're all in this together! #sunchat #EduSky
The key part is to get that positive communication home early to set the tone! Even better if it can be kept up on a regular basis through various means that the parents prefer, like notes or postcards. (I always asked them how they'd like to hear deom me.) #sunchat #EduSky
I'd start with asking, "Can we invite the social worker or school counselor to join the conversation? Let's work together as a team." Maybe the student, too. But I would also be sure to not make any promises of overnight change, but assure the parents that we're all in it together. #sunchat #EduSky
Oh, absolutely! That's where I would recommend teaming up and setting a goal to get all of the calls done in the first week. #sunchat #EduSky
Some of them saw it was the school calling and were like, "Really? It is the first day! What did they do?!" They'd never had a positive call about their child in the previous four years from however many schools they'd be to and so automatically assumed the worst! #sunchat #EduSky 2/2
One of the best decisions I made in the classroom was to call the parents of every single one of my fourth graders after the first day of school to say something positive about their child. #sunchat #EduSky 1/2
When I have to contact parents to discuss an issue, I find that they don't want me to give them fluff. They are usually busy and want to know what happened, why, what we are doing, and what we want them to do. I save the positives for the end so they know we are all on the same team. #sunchat
Good morning, #sunchat! I'm Alex from northwestern Illinois, where we haven't had much snow yet but it is getting bitterly cold! Excited to warm my heart as we share today! #EduSky
Things they don't teach you in "teacher school" - partnering with parents (or, attempting to). What's the best way? How does one engage parents? What's the best way to deliver the good news, and the bad news? Let's talk about it this morning at 9am on #sunchat.
