OUR INTERVIEWS
DR. STEVE COOK, PART 1: https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2021/04/28/a-conversation-with-our-new-superintendent-dr-steve-cook/.
DR. STEVE COOK, part 2: https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2021/05/06/a-conversation-with-dr-steve-cook-cont/
TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY: PROGRAMS AND TIPS YOU MAY FIND HELPFUL
CURIOUS ABOUT PEAR DECK? – This article provides a pro/con comparison and training video recorded by former BLPS teacher Gabe Schepergerdes. Teachers spanning the K-12 spectrum swear by it as an engaging instructional organizational tool. And because it’s basically a PowerPoint of your classroom day, it is easy to upload to Canvas for anyone who is absent. https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2021/03/15/curious-about-pear-deck/
HOW DO I GET THERE? STUDENTS AS PARTICIPANTS IN THEIR OWN LEARNING Communicating clear learning intentions to students is one of the ways that we increase equal access to our classroom content. This post provides a helpful collection of examples used by teachers in our district. https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2021/03/03/how-do-i-get-there-making-students-participants-in-their-own-learning/
POST-COVID STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
FIRST THING’S FIRST: WE NEED YOU TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF. These considerations and perspectives about the unique challenges faced by teachers during this time may be useful to you as you remember the challenges you are experiencing are being experienced by many, many, MANY others, all around this country. https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2021/02/01/first-things-first-we-need-you-to-take-good-care-of-yourself/
STUDENTS HAVE BEEN LEARNING AT HOME FOR A YEAR. HOW DO WE BRING THEM BACK? We know many of you are encountering very different students and classroom climates that you were prior to Covid. This article contains some readings and resources you may find helpful. https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2021/01/25/students-have-been-learning-from-home-for-a-year-how-do-we-bring-them-back/
GRADING FOR EQUITY: FRAMING THE ONGOING WORK
AN ‘F’ IS AN ‘F’ IS AN ‘F’…OR IS IT? We know the conversation and controversy about removing 0% F’s from our grading scale is a difficult issue for many. Here are a collection of brief resources, helping to frame the conversation that has taken place in many districts around the country: https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2020/11/24/an-f-is-an-f-is-an-f-or-is-it/
CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT ZEROS? Here is another collection of resources, including two local options, continuing to explore the thinking behind doing away with zeros. https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/dean.richards/2020/12/15/can-we-live-without-zeros/
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