Rob Browning

USMC retired and Math teacher at Lewis School! Sometimes you have to fake it, until you make it!

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 “Seeking Balance” discusses the challenges of teaching readers to find a balance between the technical understanding of a text & the empathetic response to a character. We want our readers to be ethically engaged as well as attend the technical facets of text.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 Don’t be scared of using challenge texts for your students. I feel that we have to combine knowledge building, background knowledge & provide support to our young readers, thus allowing them to have success reading & understanding challenging texts.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 Many times in my life I would read something & within a few days I would forget many of the intricate details of what I read. But getting into the habit of using annotations & note taking, it has allowed me to get a deeper understanding of what I’ve read.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 I like using Wikipedia for quick reference information, but would not use it as a sole source. I can understand why teacher would discourage using Wikipedia, but I think we as teachers need to educate students & inform them that Wikipedia may have inaccuracies

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 how do we teach students to identity “fake news”? We have to teach them to be skeptical but not dismissive. Teach them to be suspicious, look for sources, analyze the sources, check multiple sources & help students distinguish between what’s biased & fake.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 when grading has become a nuisance, remember that grading helps students. To get you through those tiresome times, try new ways/ methods for grading: use rubrics for big assignments, try audio comments, or enlist help from others. Students need the feedback.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 Unfortunately, too many students continue to struggle with reading for various reasons. Teachers need to do a better job of implementing targeted interventions that meet the struggling readers’ needs. Analyze, determine, design, implement, & reflect.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMIddleLevel27 I love reading about the progression of teachers and how they about adapted new ways of engaging students. Technology has allowed teachers to become innovators in creating engaging learning experiences within classrooms.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Mathematics is its own language & needs to be learned & read the same way students learn how to read a novel or poem, or listen to music. Don’t miss the big picture. See the story before diving into the details. Learn the framework & then take a closer look.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Content literacy is important in any subject or curriculum for students to make sense of the text but we should also teach & provide students with the opportunity to learn disciplinary literacy. Learning to read like a historian or reading like a scientist.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 I think mini lessons are great opportunity for teachers to help close gaps in students’ understanding. Through the use of informal assessments, teacher should be able to identify shortcomings of understanding and create mini lessons as needed.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Word solving remains a staple of teacher modeling by developing students’ habit of looking inside the word & outside the word, but when all else fails teachers need to explicitly instruct students in what to do next.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 To get students on the path to college readiness, teachers need to be modeling good processes of reading & writing, engage students through drafting, editing & revising. But teachers should also incorporate cognitively demanding tasks within their lessons.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Although I agree students should receive lessons on the kinds of writing they will one day use on a job. I feel the better a students learns academic writing, the better at practical writing the will become. Writing is about knowing your audience.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 feedback is an effective way to provide students with action steps to make in order to be better writers. But feedback must be useful or otherwise it’s a waste of time. “Good job” or “Nice work” does nothing for a student & provides no keys for improvement.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Scaffolding is an important strategy for helping with literacy, especially for ELLs. Strategies such as T-charts, sticky notes & key words are a few examples that teachers can use to help struggling readers.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 For students to become empowered readers, they need to learn to assess their own progress. They need to made aware of their reading habits, set own readings goals & use reflection in order to become more independent, self-directed readers.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Good writing comes from creativity, imagination, beliefs, feeling & opinions. It’s hard to get good writing from students with one encompassing writing prompt. Want good writing? Have students write about what they truly care about: real writing, real reasons.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Grading written work can be tedious & time consuming but it’s an integral part of the writing practice. Teachers that take time with student work become better teachers. Teachers can see where students struggle & can create mini lessons based off the homework.

[Rob Browning @RobBrowning25]

#CSUSMMiddleLevel27 Data shows boys don’t write as well as girls &they tend to struggle to express their feelings in writing.Boys need males to model the importance of writing. As teachers we need to capitalize on their interests, allow choice&boys can find their writing identity