It's PGP time!!

It's that time again for those in the teaching profession for Professional Growth Plans! 

 I kinda enjoy these self-eval times and reflecting on what I am doing in the classroom and seeing ways I can improve.  This year, our school is a pilot school for the new PGES format.  It's very informative with relevant examples and specific ways to improve.  That was my weekend project, reading through the PGES and putting it into my own words for understanding.  I know, this takes up a TON of time, but let me tell you, it was worth it!  I feel confident in the material and creating my PGP on 2 topics/areas for growth was pretty easy.  

PGP Topic #1

PGP Topic #2

The Global Achievement Gap

In my Grad class right now, one of the books we are reading/studying is The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner.  It is really interesting and scarily very true.  The first chapter discusses how the world and economy are "flattened" and our students need to be able to successfully practice and execute certain skills to be able to compete for survival.  These skills need to be promoted in the classroom.  

I made a table and did some more research on this.  I voiced to my professor that conceptually, we know what needs to be done, but how we implement this in the classroom is where the Professional Development needs to support our teachers.

Here's the table:

Skill	What to do
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving	Have students help you figure out real-life problems.  Everyday things, fix stuff, research topics, plan events.  Help them analyze the problem, don’t just give them the answer.  Product, problem, ARMS chunking, test, reflect.
Leading by Influence	Join a team or organization, learn to work in a group.  Let them practice what to say, but they need to say it.
Agility and Adaptability	be flexible, think on your feet.  This too shall pass, attitude.
Initiative and Entrepreneurialism	Follow student interests.  Encourage them to take that interest to the next level.
Effective Oral and Written Conversation	Discuss, interact.  Debate about topics.  Write thank you notes.  Read their work and give feedback.  Practice speaking, writing and giving presentations.
Accessing and Analyzing Data	When conducting research on a computer, talk about what you found.  Can you trust the source, is it reliable.
Curiosity and Imagination	Encourage questions, always.  Explore interests, let them lead.  Provide the opportunity: research, materials, encouragement and environment.

From:

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/global-achievement-gap/