In Joy Kirr's book, Shift This, she talks of small changes, or "shifts", you can make in your teaching, thinking, and approach to classroom design that will have a large impact in your classroom (@JoyKirr). As you reflect on your year and make goals for the 18-19 school year, consider the small shifts you can make to empower you and your students towards success.

Summer is the time to flex your EDU muscles (@SteinbrinkLaura).

I challenge you to pick one of the six shifts explained below and go for it! Remember to share with me and let me know how I can support you in your shifts.

Of course you are going to put your own touch and style into the classroom, but consider trying some of the following:

• Start your year with blank walls and let your students do the decorating with their work, creations, book recommendations, wonder walls, and even some personal items from each students' home (pictures or artifacts). Let the students know this is their room to decorate.
• Don't forget to have white space for students to rest their eyes. A classroom full of too many decorations and wall hangings may be distracting or even overwhelming for students.

Who determines the arrangement of desks/tables and other furniture, along with centers and stations in your classroom? When students take ownership over their classroom arrangement and configuration, they become more invested in their learning.

Ideas for shifting your furniture:

• Students arrange desks/tables and decide where they will sit
• Students decide on placement & arrangement of classroom library
• Add some different types of furniture & allow students to determine how they are going to work best.
• Change the height of your tables to reflect different opportunities for student work spaces.

*It does take time & money, so start with the furniture you have and add a few things each year. The classrooms below took time to look this way.

In this 1st grade classroom below, students sign in each morning and place their name where they feel they will work best for the day @PileggiPirates

"The results are nothing short of stunning. For starters, there is absolutely no evidence of any academic benefit from assigning homework in elementary or middle school. For younger students, in fact, there isn’t even a correlation between whether children do homework (or how much they do) and any meaningful measure of achievement." Alfie Kohn 2007

1. How much time do you expect your students to spend on homework each night? Does this interfere with them getting outside and "being kids"?

2. Is the homework meaningful?

3. Do you grade homework? If so, why?

Things to try that give students choice in their homework and make it more meaningful...choice boards, flipped homework, challenges and reflection as homework assignments.

Whether it's through passion projects or genius hour, let students guide their learning. Put aside part of your day or week to let students explore their passions and interests. Students often learn more and are more invested in their learning when they have the power to guide their process.

Give students voice & choice in the learning:

1. Choice of topic or focus of research or project

2. Choice of presentation of final product (video, paper, Google Slides, poster, art, presentation, etc.).

Think about your "why" each time you grade an assignment, and shift your focus more towards feedback for your students. What can you provide for them to propel them forward in learning? Feedback/feedforward goes beyond the grade in supporting student learning and growth.

1. Give students a choice of what they would like graded from an assignment.

Example: Choose 3 of your math problems that you'd like me to grade. Select one part of your report that you'd like me to grade.

This allows students to reflect on their learning and where they would like a grade/feedback.

2. When students see a grade on a paper, they are less likely to look beyond it at the real feedback, which is teacher comment. Shift your focus from a grade to more meaningful feedback for students.

Classroom behavior charts do not work to foster a classroom environment where students are responsible for their behavior and the decisions they make. We need to remember what is developmentally appropriate for our students and support their social-emotional learning.

Make a shift to ditch your behavior charts.

Below is an article and videos that explain why classroom charts are not appropriate and also gives suggestions for other options. Refer back to you Responsive Classroom training and resources to support you as well.

Try a new tech tool for the 18-19 school year. Refer to my May Smore for ideas, and also consider attending the LTPS Summer DIVE 2018 to attend sessions on FlipGrid, SeeSaw (Tech Tools for Primary Classrooms), EdPuzzle, and more.

DIVE information & registration: https://goo.gl/forms/RUvVMme37KDHhZqx1

Email: mhayes@ltps.org
Website: http://www.pearltrees.com/maureenhayes
Location: Lawrence Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 609-671-5455
Twitter: @mhayes611