Taking A Gallery Walk: A Teaching Strategy

Gallery walks turn your classroom into an educational showcase!

Your cooperative small groups have worked hard, creating amazing examples of the skill that you've taught. Have you  thought of how to show the rest of the class what everyone has done? What about having a gallery walk?

What is a gallery walk?

A gallery walk is a way to showcase student work in the classroom. Student work is posted around the room so that everyone can see what has been accomplished.

How does it work?

1.  Student groups complete an activity with a presentable result (poster, diagram, diorama, storyboard, etc.) that can be understood without verbal explanation.
2. These finished exhibits are posted around the room (with adequate room between them) after all groups have finished their work.
3. Once these exhibits are posted, the teacher discusses the parameters of viewing (behavior norms: such as "no running or talking," and viewing norms: such as "see - don't touch,"
4. You establish a timeline for each stop and give an audible signal for group movement to each exhibit. 
5. Each group moves as a unit and visits each product in order. (You circulate to encourage on task performance)
6. You  may want groups to complete a review card/rubric for each product they see. 
7. Discuss the exhibits as a whole afterwards, and have groups share the highlights of what they saw.

Why should we use this strategy?

• Students take pride in producing quality work when they know it will be displayed to others.
• The exhibits provide students with ideas of how to present their own work.
• The walk gets students out of their seats, with a purpose.
• This strategy enhances the class-building environment, as students share what they can do. 

Is this something that you could use in your classroom?

  Queen Bee

Lessons from My Summer Vacation

Every experience teaches us something, so what has this summer vacation taught me?

What have I learned during my vacation?

Well, if I had to make a "take away" list of what I learned, these things would definitely be highlights:

1. Rest is important - in fact, it is pretty much a key to functioning my best.
2. Family connections and friendships should  be cherished and developed and nurtured.
3. I need to plan and do something that I enjoy everyday that is not job-related.
4. Fresh air and nature keep me grounded.
5. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a quiet sunset at home.

What's on your list?

Clearing Off that Desk!

Does your desk look like a tornado's aftermath? Don't worry - many teachers have a messy desk. You may have noticed that past posts, Starting the Year Off Smoothly and Tips for Getting Organized, featured ways to organize your records and your lesson planning, but this post addresses the desk! 

I can't count how many times I've scrambled through piles papers and books to find a needed note or memo. Of course I would find what I needed, but sometimes I found it after I needed it!  Clearing my desk  always make finding stuff easier, and sends students the nonverbal message that neatness is important and possible. 

I noticed that my neatest desk arrangements come to life when I use two desks in an L-shaped pattern (one desk was for files, paperwork, curriculum resources, etc.)

1. I had a small bookcase behind my desk for reference items.
2. I use a folder for each day of the week. Each folder contained the lesson and a list of needed resources. These folders were placed on top of my small bookcase.
3. Records (portfolio records, IEP At a Glance documents, etc) have a desk drawer allotted to only those items.
4. All assessments, projects, classwork and homework are evaluated quickly, posted and returned to students.  

What things do you do to handle the daily clutter on your desks?

Accomplished Teachers Know their Subjects

Do you really know the content of your subject area?

If you consider yourself a good teacher, just how good are you? Take this quiz and see how well you do:

1. Do you know your content - its standards, processes, scope and sequence?
2. Have you kept current with the new trends, style and substance for your content area? 
3. Do you belong to a professional organization for teaching your subject?
4. Have you subscribed to any professional journals?
5. How do you differentiate in order to meet the needs of all of your students?
6. Do you keep current in your content by attending professional development workshops to improve your practice?
7. What was the last book that you read in your subject area?

Don't feel badly if you come up short in any of these areas. As teachers, however, we have a gift of time each summer to improve our teaching skills. That is, if we want to be seen as accomplished. One of the elements that is necessary to be recognized as accomplished is knowing your content and also knowing how to share that content with your students. The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) lists this as its second core proposition:

Teachers know the subjects that they teach, and know how to teach those subjects to their students.

How close are you to being an accomplished teacher?