Wonders User Newsletter, Issue 4

McGraw-Hill Education | <em>Wonders</em> - The Power of Connection

Educator Newsletter, Issue 4 | Winter 2018
Wonders News!

I hope you’re having an inspired New Year!

Recently, it was my honor to be part of a McGraw-Hill Education Literacy Symposium—a professional learning opportunity where school leaders across the nation came together with literacy thought leaders and researchers to share their most recent work. As I helped facilitate conversations, I came away challenged, equipped, and inspired.

A piece shared by Dr. Doug Fisher has particularly stuck with me. He walked us through his unfolding research work, focused on answering a powerful question: What makes an assessment-capable learner? His findings will positively impact anyone working to build student agency, and in turn, build student achievement. Assessment-capable learners:
  • Know their current level of understanding.
  • Know where they’re going and are confident to take on the challenge.
  • Select tools to guide their learning.
  • Seek feedback and realize that errors are opportunities to learn.
  • Monitor their progress and adjust their learning.
  • Recognize their learning and teach others.
These six attributes should be part of any of our work around articulating desired student outcomes. These attributes have captured my mind in a personal way, as well. I’m applying Dr. Fisher’s work as part of my reflection and resolution-crafting for the new year.

As I embark into 2018, I am asking: When confronted by a learning task or opportunity, do I honestly reflect on my own level of understanding? Do I look for and embrace new tools which will enrich my work? Do I monitor my own growth and learning, looking for opportunities to share it with others?

In short, I am inspired to be more assessment-capable. Join me!

John Slagle
Senior National Curriculum Specialist

Did you get this newsletter sent to you by another Wonders user? Join our community to begin receiving our quarterly newsletters via email. We look forward to sharing resources and successes with you!


Share Your Success
Do you have a success story, an "aha" moment, or advice for other teachers you’d like to share?

We'd love to feature it!
Email us at wondersnews@mheducation.com and it could be in our next newsletter.


Get ConnectED
Beginning February 2, a new Teacher Dashboard option within ConnectED will be available to organize your weekly lessons, activities, and printables. You can opt-in from your Account Profile.

Your usual navigation will still be available from the top Navigation bar. No saved information in your class will be affected. For this school year, you can use either the new or current Dashboards. For the 2018-2019 school year, only the new Dashboard will be available—so get a sneak peek!


Professional Development
Take 5!
Have 5 minutes? Check out this video from thought leaders such as Dr. Doug Fisher and Dr. Vicki Gibson on how to effectively use data in focusing instructional improvement.

Dig Deeper
Have more time? Read this white paper on improving outcomes for English learners by author and professor Dr. Jana Echevarria. In it, she discusses the need for high expectations and integrating academic language with core content.

Wonders © 2017 Facilitator Guides:
Write to Sources and Small-Group Instruction

To access these Training Facilitator Guides, log in to ConnectED and select:
    > Your Teacher's Edition
    > The "Resources" tab
    > "Professional Development"
    > Facilitator Guides



Differentiate with Data
Learn how to use the reports in your Data Dashboard to help identify students’ learning needs and plan targeted small-group lessons.

To access the "Use Your Data: Differentiate" module, as well as others about data and reporting, visit the Professional Learning Environment (PLE) through ConnectED:

   > Your Teacher's Edition
   > The "Resources" tab
   > "Professional Development"
   > "Professional Learning Environment"
   > "Use Data and Reports" tile



Looking For More?

Wonders Digital Walkthrough
Explore a few of the Wonders digital features that make technology purposeful, including the Data Dashboard.

McGraw-Hill Education YouTube Playlists
Looking for more helpful tips or thoughts from industry leaders? Check out a few McGraw-Hill Education YouTube playlists. Take some time to visit—it will be worth it!
Wonders
Literacy
Professional Development
Webinars

Inspired Ideas Blog
Looking for literacy resources, research, and inspiration? Visit our blog, Inspired Ideas. You’ll discover stories from your peers, strategies from experts in reading instruction, and news in education technology.

Interactive Classroom Literacy Tools
On her website, Educational Consultant and Wonders Contributing Author, Kathy Bumgardner, offers her interactive classroom literacy tools that combine research-based instruction, best practices, and positive humor to promote engagement and support your classroom instruction.
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