My frame of reference is math, of course. I really...

2009-11-18T21:01:18.196-05:00

My frame of reference is math, of course. I really like the Marilyn Burns "menu system" where students have parallel activities that permits some choices. A checklist helps them move through the activities, completing a certain number of them.

When a teacher wants to use a particular activity as the focus of a whole class lesson, that simply becomes a "required" activity that everyone must do by a particular day or time.

My mantra has always been that "variety is the spice of life, especially in the classroom." But I believe wholeheartedly that the variety needs to come in the different activities themselves. We need the routine structures to help us manage the time and energy of the students and to take care of the mundane details like lunch money or collecting homework.

M

Comments on A Simple Workshop: Our Workshop Schedule

My frame of reference is math, of course. I really...