I came across this quote when I read this blog post on twitter earlier this week. The article and the quote reinforced to me that life is not alway easy. Sometimes we have to struggle in given situation or through a situation. It is within this struggle that we find out who we are, what we are made of, and how we respond to adversity.

Why am I sharing this with you?

As we continue to work our way though the semester there will be some times of struggle. They may be personal or professional. It may be watching your student's struggle with something that seems so obvious to you or others. How will you respond to the struggle? What will you do?

We learn and grow through adversity and struggle through our responses, actions, and thoughts... if we are willing. Are you willing?

Think. Achieve. Succeed.

Jeff

Visuals!

Visual supports can make or break a student’s success. Something as simple as including a picture to clarify a concept can majorly help! These supports can be helpful for ALL students!

Did you know? Visual supports do not only apply to the content of your class. Students also benefit from visual support for rules, expectations, and instructions for assignments. Be sure to post written instructions for your students. Some students work better when their instructions are on paper, so keep some paper copies handy for the students who need to have the instructions for the assignment in their hands!

During the Ditch Summit, I was "introduced" to several educators that have some great ideas and tools to share. One of those people is Pooja Agarwal, her research focuses on Retrieval Practice.

Retrieval practice is a learning strategy where we focus on getting information out. Through the act of retrieval, or calling information to mind, our memory for that information is strengthened and forgetting is less likely to occur. Retrieval practice is a powerful tool for improving learning without more technology, money, or class time.

One tool that can be very effective is the good old flash card. Students need to be careful they don't drop a flash card too soon. In other words, keep it in their rotation until they get it right at least 3 times. Okay, so where is the Tech Tip? Right here. Check out flippity. Flippity can be used to make flash cards and quizzes and a lot of other study tools as well.

There is a video below for a little more help.

Monday January 22

• Morning Tutorials 7:50-8:20
• Be at your duty station-- 7:50
• Be at your duty station-- 3:50
• Afternoon Tutorials 3:55 - 4:30
• SEL Team Meeting -- 4:20 - 5:20
• Geography Bee Library -- 4:00 - ?
• Incoming 7th Grade Parent Meeting & Course Fair 6pm

Tuesday January 23

• Morning Tutorials 7:50-8:20
• Be at your duty station-- 7:50
• Be at your duty station-- 3:50
• Afternoon Tutorials 3:55 - 4:30
• Incoming 8th Grade Parent Meeting 6pm

Wednesday January 24

• Morning Tutorials 7:50-8:20
• Be at your duty station-- 7:50
• Be at your duty station-- 3:50
• Afternoon Tutorials 3:55 - 4:30
• Faculty Meeting 4:30-5:30

Thursday January 25

• Morning Tutorials 7:50-8:20
• Be at your duty station-- 7:50
• Be at your duty station-- 3:50
• Afternoon Tutorials 3:55 - 4:30
• Basketball Games 5pm
• School Board Workshop and Meeting 5pm & 7pm

Friday January 26

• Jeans because its Fri-YAY!
• Morning Tutorials 7:50-8:20
• Be at your duty station-- 7:50
• No afternoon tutorials

AMCMS is a 7th & 8th grade campus in College Station ISD, College Station, TX, USA

Email: jmann@csisd.org
Website: http://amcms.csisd.org/
Location: 105 Holik Street, College Station, TX, United States
Phone: 979-764-5575
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMCMS.Home.of.the.Cats
Twitter: @AMCMSCatPRIDE