I was working with a few first year teachers this afternoon and you should have heard my mental scream when that line came out of a teacher’s mouth….I wanted to slap him upside the head and say–“Your students need you to make time for higher level questions”–but I didn’t.  I calmly asked him about something that he might be teaching this week and then quickly modeled how he might push things up to just the next level of Blooom’s  (or whatever questioning strategy you might like to apply)…the good thing is that I get to go back in a couple of weeks and I think I’ll give them a quick DSRP overview–provide them with a structure to help their students think,

And, while I’m at it–why do we call them “Smart Board Lessons?”  Aren’t they just lessons–and aren’t the characteristics of a good lesson the same whether or not you use a Smartboard?  (not that I’m a fan of Smartboards–but if you are going to be forced to use them let’s find some decent ways to use them).

Another quote tonight was “I don’t have time to let the students help create the rubric”–and then I couldn’t help but think…WTH(eck) are our schools of education doing?  These are first year teachers who come without the necessary understandings that:
1.  The question IS the answer….
2. The student is the most powerful tool in the learning process