I wish to compliment each of you for your intensity level, dedication, and commitment to high level "teaching innovation" during the LoTi Mentor Certification Institute at Murray State University. You folks were great!
On our third day of certification, we focused on H.E.A.T. Walkthroughs (remember Mr. Mayorga - "...that was big, big, really big."), "Focus" Strategies and Engaging Questions, EBAM (Experiential-based Action Model), Certification Tasks #5 (EBAM), and Certification Task #8 (Next Steps Action Plan). During the Focus Strategies intervention, I articulated critical differences between Essential Questions and Engaging Questions. A summary of Essential and Engaging Questions appear below:
Essential Questions:
They are open-ended and resist a simple or single right answer.
They are deliberately thought-provoking, counterintuitive, and/or controversial.
They require students to draw upon content knowledge and personal experience.
They address the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Evaluation).
They invite inquiry by students throughout the year.
Engaging Questions:
They often lead to students solving a real world problem or resolving a personal situation .
They are the result of dissonance in the student’s perception of his/her world.
They allow students to draw upon content knowledge and personal experience.
They give students purpose and meaning to their inquiry.
They are student-generated.
During the past three days, I modeled different professional development interventions including Focus Strategies and Engaging Questions and the Few Computer Classroom (e.g., Monster Exchange, 270 to Win, Reaction Time) as well as described how you can use both your LMC CD and Manual to create dynamic professional development interventions for teachers. I coined these interventions, LoTi Skill Sets. These skill sets appear below:
LoTi Skill Sets - Extreme Tech Makeovers
• Evaluating Web Projects Handout
LMC Manual - Page 89
• Introduce Makeover Candidate (e.g., lesson plan, instruction unit, learning experience, Web project)
• Conduct Makeover
• Show Before/After
LoTi Skill Sets - Performance Tasks
• Evaluating Web Projects
LMC Manual - Page 145
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #8
• Supersizing Lesson Plans
LMC Manual - Page 102
• Designing “High-Octane” Performance Tasks
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #7
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #9
LoTi Skill Sets - LoTi Framework
• Classroom Technology Case Study
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #1
• LoTi Framework
LMC Manual - Page 55
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #2
• LoTi Observations
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #3
• LoTi Review - Manatee Cards, Teacher Narratives, WebQuests, Sample Lesson Plans, LoTi Mentor CD -
Session #4
LoTi Skill Sets - Thinking Skills
• Bloom Review - Discrepant Event (e.g., Spiderman)
LMC Manual - Page 40
• Bloom Workout Videos
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #3
• Complex Thinking Simulation
LMC Manual - Page 46
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #6
LoTi Skill Sets - Differentiated Instruction
• Roll the Dice PowerPoint Simulation
LMC Manual - Page 163
• Evaluating Web Projects - Differentiation
LMC Manual - Page 98
• High/Low Simulation
LMC Manual - Page 162
LoTi Skill Sets - Target Tech Units
• The Great American Apple Pie Simulation
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #10
• Apollo 13 Presentation
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #11
• Experiential-based Action Model Units
LMC Manual - Page 164
LoTi Mentor CD - Session #12
LoTi Skill Sets - Rubrics
• Clapping Simulation
LMC Manual - Page 139
• Good, Better, Best Simulation
LMC Manual - Page 142
• online Rubric Makers (e.g., RubiStar)
Thank you again for becoming an active participant in the LoTi Mentor Certification Program. As a reminder, your LMC submissions are due no later than October 31st, 2007. In the meantime, if there is any aspect of the program that you would like clarified, please let me know. I hope all of you given serious consideration to becoming LoTi Project Schools for the 2007-08 school year.
Sincerely,
Chris Moersch
chris@learning-quest.com
