49 DAYS OF PD:

The 49 days of the Omer are a time of reflection and personal growth as we prepare ourselves to accept, and continue to accept, the Torah.  It is not merely a time to celebrate our receiving the Torah in the past, but a recognition of the necessity to continuously renew our commitment and strengthen our studies.

Professional Development also requires a commitment to ongoing investment and learning. In commemoration of this time on the Jewish calendar, the YU School Partnership Professional Development services is proud to sponsor 49 Days of PD.

For each of the 49 days of the Omer, we will present an actionable tip from experts in the field that can improve your teaching and leadership practice today.

Day 49:

Tip: Check out some blogs of other day school educators.  

Resources:

http://www.mjgds.org/mitzmacher/?p=1730 

http://marcbaker.me/does-everything-have-to-be-jewish/ 

http://langwitches.org/blog/

http://chumashskills.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/student-centered-chumash-learning/

http://yu20.org/profiles/blog/list?user=382xww6tsf6a3

Contributor: Jane Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 48:

Tip: Take a summer course either in person or online.  Choose something that ignites the passion in you that first brought you to education and blog about it.   Share your thoughts.  Maybe you can ignite someone else.

Resource: http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2012/05/17/3-ways-teachers-can-use-summer-to-build-skills

Contributor: Jane Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 47:

Tip: Create buddies with older students and younger students for learning.  Let them write together, read together, speak Hebrew together, garden together.... imagine the possibilitiesResource:http://sunpatriot.com/2013/02/27/elementary-school-buddies-program-develops-bonds-between-older-and-younger-students/

Contributor: Jane Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 45, 46

Tip: Look at your own classroom as if it is not yours.  Take out a blank piece of paper or open a blank document and re-imagine a classroom that allows for learning, for collaboration and for creativity.   Begin to think about how your classroom will look for next year and make it happen.

Resource: http://mcgraw-hillresearchfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Reimagining_the_Classroom_DeGregoriFINAL.pdf

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 44:

Tip: Think out of the box to encourage innovative thinking. Try to imagine what is possible and pretend there are no roadblocks to free you up to make it happen. 

Resource: http://www.tlnt.com/2013/04/26/six-ways-to-spark-innovative-thinking-in-your-workforce/

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 43:

Tip: Ask yourself "How do we learn?" and see if there is one thing you could change about the way you teach that aligns with the answers you came up with.

Contributor: Eliezer Jones, Education Technology Specialist, YUSP

Day 42:

Tip: Learn. Stay on top of your field by picking up a new book about education. How about Salman Khans' The One World School House?

Resource: http://www.amazon.com/The-One-World-Schoolhouse-Reimagined/dp/1455508381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366811109&sr=8-1&keywords=Sal+Khans%27+The+One+World+School+House%3F

Contributor: Eliezer Jones, Education Technology Specialist, YUSP

Day 41:

Tip: Take care of yourself  http://teaching.monster.com/education/articles/8081-taking-care-of-teachers

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 40:

Tip: Share YouTube Videos without all the clutter and videos you find inappropriate for your classroom. Use ViewPure.com to accomplish this.

 

Contributor: Eliezer Jones, Education Technology Specialist, YUSP

Day 38 & 39:

Tip: When we need to address students with challenges, too often we use disciplinary approaches. Collaborative problem solving stretches us to apply our pedagogical stance to behavior challenges. Read more about it and challenge yourself to work with students to develop lagging skills.

 

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Azrieli Professor

Day 37:

Tip:  Talk to your students about how they see themselves as part of Jewish History AND Jewish Destiny.

Contributer: President Richard Joel, Yeshiva University

Day 36:

Tip: Put 20 minutes aside each day to think. Ask yourself what could my classroom be like if I could do anything, have any resource and have no obstacles. Imagine your perfect classroom. Then write down all your ideas and when you are ready pick one and start building that classroom.

Contributor: Eliezer Jones, Education Technology Specialist, YUSP

Day 35:

Tip: Figure out a great summer project for your own learning.  Ask a friend to join you.

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Azrieli Professor

Day 34:

Tip:   Harness current events to teach SEL.  Ask students what heroes are being celebrated in the news and what character traits do they possess?

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Azrieli Professor

Day 33:

Tip:    Set up a video camera in your classroom and watch yourself teach with an eye towards what you want to do more of and what you want to do less of.  Watch it more than once

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 31,32:

Tip:  Write a great question on the board in the teacher's room and write your own answer in a different color.  Ask colleagues to do the same.

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 30:

Tip:  Are your classroom expectations clear and known by your students? If you’re not sure, or even if you believe they are – check. Ask 5 students independently and see how similar their responses are.

Contributor: Dr. Elana Weinberger, Project Coordinator for MADYK, YUSP

Day 29:

Tip: Spend a day in another school.  Sometimes we cannot see as clearly because our world is within our own four walls.

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 28:

Tip: When a student is upset, match their escalation with your calm.  Avoid yelling, demands, or drawing lines in the sand.  Focus on safety and de-escalation during the crisis. Considerations of consequences come after the storm.

Contributor:  Dr. Rona Novick, Director, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

Day 27:

Tip:  Social exclusion is one of the most painful forms of bullying, and least often recognized by teachers.  What are you doing to ensure all your students feel like they belong?

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Director, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

Day 26:

Tip:  Do your students know appropriate ways to advocate for their needs?  From K-12, teach and role-play the words students can use to ask for help, say they need more time, tell you about a problem, etc.

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick,  Director, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration Yeshiva University

Day 24 & 25:

Tip:  Figure out a great summer project for your own learning.  Ask a friend to join you.

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 23:

Tip:    Start a conversation on something of importance to you with other educators and connect with like minded peers by posting a blog one of our CoPs.

Resources:

YU 2.0 http://yu20.org/

HSChinuch http://www.yuhschinuchcommunity.org/

YUTeach http://yuteach.org/

Open Day School http://www.opendayschool.org/

Contributor: Dina Rabhan, Director of Recruitment, Placement and Induction, YUSP

Day 22:

Tip:   Don't just tolerate difference in your classroom – celebrate them! Create a spring themed bulletin board that highlights what we all add to our classroom "garden", and how it blooms better with variety.

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Director, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

Day 21:

Tip:    Set up a video camera in your classroom and watch yourself teach with an eye towards what you want to do more of and what you want to do less of.  Watch it more than once

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 20:

Tip:  Do you assess student progress in between formal assessment periods? How? Is it sufficient? Talk to some other teachers at your school to see what they are doing in this area.

Contributor: Dr. Elana Weinberger, Project Coordinator for MADYK, YUSP

Day 19:

Tip:    Start a process of implementing FLS: Frequent, Low-Stakes grading.

Resource:http://www.magnapubs.com/blog/teaching-and-learning/frequent-low-stakes-grading/?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feb%2011%20Content%20Email

Contributor: Dr. Moshe Krakowski, Assistant Professor, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration 

Day 17 & 18:

Tip:    Have an end of the day closing meeting- just as you begin the day with a greeting, end the day with a how was your day.

Contributor: Melanie Eisen

Day 16:

Tip:  A 21st century AND a social emotional skill is self-regulation.  Prompt students' awareness of anxiety, attention, etc. with self-rating questions through the day, on tests and handouts.

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Director, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

Day 15:

Tip:  Has someone in your school done something outstanding recently? Perhaps a teacher, administrator, or student? Acknowledge them to let them know you’ve noticed.

Contributor: Dr. Elana Weinberger, Project Coordinator for MADYK, YUSP

Day 14:

Tip: Pair up with a colleague and visit each other's classrooms.  Let your colleague know what you want him/her to observe and take notes on and then, after observing, have a conversation.  Learn how to give non-judgmental feedback and learn from each other.  Try to visit each other a few times before the end of this school year and then, maybe, make it a part of your practice for the new school year to come.

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 13:

Tip:  Think back to an amazing teacher you had when you were a student.  What did they do that has stuck with you this long?  How can you bring a piece of that into your own classroom today?

Contributor: Shira Loewenstein, Associate Director of New Teacher Support at YUSP

Day 12:

Tip:  Start a teachers' video club in your school to gain insights and feedback from peers, and to develop a shared vision of good teaching

Resource:  http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/08/28/tln_repass.html

Contributor: Dr. Moshe Krakowski, Assistant Professor, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

 

Day 10, 11:

 

Tip: Send students to recess with guidelines for how to behave, play, include everyone.  Follow up after recess by asking how it went.  Your reach as a teacher can go well beyond the classroom.

Contributor: Dr. Rona Novick, Director, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

Day 9:

 

Tip: Greet your students at the door with a compliment- start the day off on the right foot.

 

Contributor: Melanie Eisen

 

Day 8:

 

Tip:   Try something new that you learned on line or in a conference (like Project Based Learning or Flip Classroom) and blog about it!

 

Resources:  http://yu20.org/profiles/blogs/blogging-about-blogging-1?xg_source=msg_mes_network

http://yu20.org/profiles/blogs/blogs-first-grade-firendly?xg_source=msg_mes_network

http://yu20.org/profiles/blogs/first-time-blogger?xg_source=msg_mes_networkhttp://yu20.org/profiles/blogs/first-time-blogger?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 6,7:

 

Tip: Create a Lesson Study group comprised of 2-4 teachers (doesn't have to be of same discipline necessarily, although preferable) who spend a lunch period, for example, to plan a lesson in one of the members' discipline (e.g. Chumash). The other team members then observe the lesson collecting data on student learning to help inform the planning process. Teachers meet afterwards to discuss student learning. Next time, another group member teaches, and the process of collaboration and discussion over student learning continues.

 

Contributor: Dr. Jeffrey Glanz, Silverstein Chair in Professional Ethics & Values

Director of the Master's Program, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.

Day 4,5:

Tip:  Pick out a child whose behavior you are constantly correcting.  Find something positive about this child--and let him/her know.  Changing your perspective for one day might help build your relationship with this student.

Contributor: Shira Loewenstein, Associate Director of New Teacher Support, YUSP

Day 3:

Tip: Find a great educator in the general education field and follow him/her on Twitter. Read the articles he/she recommends and follow the people he/she quotes. Find someone inside your school to share what you are learning.

Contributor: Jane Taubenfeld Cohen, Director of Capacity Building, YUSP

Day 1,2:

 

Tip:   Pick a unit in one of your classes to re-imagine from the ground up using backward design.

 

Resource:  http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_WhitePaper0312.pdf

 

Contributor: Dr. Moshe Krakowski, Assistant Professor, Azrieli