Fatcatvideo.net: Teaching Channel Video Feed

Time on Task: Seconds Count

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

7th Grade Math Teacher Chris McCloud from the School of the Future in New York, explains how he talks to students about lost class time and how a few minutes each day adds up to a lot of time over a week or a month. He quantifies wasted time doodling or not being focused for 5 minutes in 1 class period to losing 100 minutes in a month; about the equivalent of two full class periods.

Class Culture: Attention with Respect

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

7th Grade Math Teacher Chris McCloud from the School of the Future in New York, gives us a one-minute show and tell of how he interacts with students to ensure class participation during group work and how he "brings it back to the front" to debrief the group activity.McCloud shows and explains simple verbal cues and pointing to the class "Respect" sign as strategies any teacher of any grade and subject can implement in their classroom.

Literacy in Science: Word Clouds

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

8th Grade Science teacher Peter Hill from King Middle School in Maine shares a quick strategy tool he refers to as "word cloud." The "word cloud" is generated by a computer program that takes words from an article and generates a "cloud" with different sizes of words with the size emphasizing the frequency of the word. Mr. Hill uses this as a quick pre-reading activity to increase curiosity and engagement and to have students anticipate what the article or essay is about and what the main idea is. Teachers might also consider a twist to this idea and have student groups create their own word cloud after reading a selected text.

Participation with Playing Cards

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

McCloud tapes 1 playing card on each student desk and has the same set of playing cards in his hand. Throughout a lesson, Chris flips a card to determine which students is going to answer a question. If students cannot answer the question, he doesn't allow them to say "I don't know." Instead, he requires the student to share where they are stuck and flips the next card to see if someone can help the student who is stuck.

Physical Release: Reviving the Room

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Mary Dwyer, a 5th Grade English Language Arts teacher at Nicholas Oreko School in New Jersey, explains how to add excitement to the class during a not-so-exciting lesson. She explains that "hooks" and short breaks provide students with a physical release that helps them get back to the mental focus needed. Some of Ms. Dwyer's tips and tricks include simply standing up and taking deep breaths and having students give a drum roll on their desks.

Giving Feedback: Say No to No

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

3rd Grade Reading teacher Katie Bannon from PS 110 in New York, explains how she validates student responses with meaningful feedback when their responses are not quite on track. Rather than saying "no, that's not right," she comments on the response and then poses additional questions to guide their thinking.Katie also shares that she focuses on improving her questioning which she says takes practice, and she tries to avoid questions that elicit a yes or no response.

Don't Smile 'Til December? Humor in the Classroom

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Galeet Cohen, 10th Grade Language Arts teacher at Central High in Pennsylvania, believes that adding humor to her interaction is essential. Galeet reminds us that teachers and students spend long days in classrooms, and humor can make it a good time. Ms. Cohen also uses humor to let students know she is aware of what they are doing and prefers her humor approach to strict rules or detention. She shares that sometimes students are "just testing you" and you can easily diffuse a situation calmly and with humor.

Understanding Electricity with Photovoltaics

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Sixth grade students at Eckstein Middle School use their understanding of electricity to explore electrical current in a circuit with photovoltaic cells.Using a lamp to model the sun, students work in teams and connect different power sources in series and parallel circuits to determine the effects on light bulbs or small motors. Discussion between students about the differences in voltage and the flow of electrons from negative to positive terminals provide opportunities for students to explain their learning and for the teacher to assess their understanding.Learning is extended beyond the experiment as students use photovoltaic cells to power equipment and offset electrical load in the classroom.

New Teacher Survival Guide: Planning

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Lesson plans are the cornerstone of a teacher's day. Learn about the key elements of any lesson plan, and watch as a new teacher creates a lesson plan step by step with her coach.

New Teacher Survival Guide: Classroom Management

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Ms. Vreeland is a new teacher working to improve the management of her classroom. She shares a video of her class with management expert Jackie Ancess. Mrs. V takes what she's learned and tries it out in her class. Watch the before and after.

Divergent Questioning in 8th Grade Math

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Mr. Brettle's class is observed by teacher evaluator Barbara VanDenberg. Barbara suggests he work on divergent questioning, try having students work in groups, and put more of the cognitive load on his students. Over four weeks, Mr. B implements her suggestions. Watch the challenges of making these big shifts in your classroom.

Group Dynamics in 3rd Grade Math

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Janelle Jackson's classroom is observed by teacher evaluator Barbara VanDenberg. She suggests Ms. Jackson try pushing her students to work in groups and new questioning strategies. Watch the changes as Ms. J puts these suggestions in action.

Common Core State Standards: High School

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Visit English and math classrooms who have already begun to adapt to the new Common Core standards. See what changes teachers are making in their practice to adapt to the new standards.

Common Core State Standards: Middle School

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Visit English and math classrooms who have already begun to adapt to the new Common Core standards. See what changes teachers are making in their practice to adapt to the new standards.

Common Core State Standards for ELA and Literacy

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

See an introduction to the new Common Core state standards including background on the design process, key features, and major differences.

Common Core State Standards for Math

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

See an introduction to the new Common Core state standards including background on the design process, key features, and major differences.

Improving Student Engagement in 8th Grade ELA

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Teacher David Preto's classroom is visited by teacher evaluator Renee O'Leary. She suggests he work on engaging students by making lessons more active and communicating class goals more specifically. Watch him take her advice and put it into action.

The ABCs of Parent Involvement

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Educators in the ABC Unified School District believe that a partnership between parents and schools is central to the academic success of children. Through a variety of workshops, activities, and programs, targeting parents of students from pre-K up through high school, the district works to foster a high level of parent involvement.

Florida School for the Deaf and Blind

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Students are bussed in from their homes every week to attend this specialized school. Visit a math, English (ESOL), science, cooking, and athletics class.

Youth Court

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Instead of going through the normal court system, students are tried in a youth court by a jury of their peers. The jury hears the case (sometimes tried by student lawyers) and decides on the consequences for the student on trial. The program has seen incredible success.

Youth Radio

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Students take classes and work all week to produce a Friday radio show. Every student presents their work (reviews, commentary, investigations) live on the air. Watch as students work with their peer teachers to perfect their broadcast before Friday.

Common Core State Standards: Elementary School

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Visit English and math classrooms who have already begun to adapt to the new Common Core standards. See what changes teachers are making in their practice to adapt to the new standards.

Closed Captioned: Florida School for the Deaf and Blind

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Students are bussed in from their homes every week to attend this specialized school. Visit a math, English (ESOL), science, cooking, and athletics class.

Time Management in 7th Grade Science

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Ms. Shon is a new teacher, but lucky to have coaches and mentors at her school site. Dr. Royce visits to evaluate one of Ms. Shon's lessons. Her coach works with her over the course of two weeks before Dr. Royce returns to see a second lesson. See the growth in Ms. Shon's instruction in just two weeks.

Content Differentiation in 3rd Grade Science

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Dr. Royce observes a lesson on water evaporation in Ms. Maronpot's class, gives her feedback, and visits again one week later. See the changes Ms. M makes in her lesson before and after the visit.