Happy Friday!
This summer I read the book Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller (@jmattmiller). During the summer Learning Fair in June I also had the opportunity to sit in on his full day presentation here at RSI. Between the presentation and the book, I came away with several ideas that made me wish I was still in the classroom daily so that I could use them with our kids. After reading the book I started thinking about ways to affect change here at RSI. One of the ideas was through shared PD. During this year I will share ideas through email – some from the book and others that I was reminded of as I was reading.
I plan to send these out of Friday afternoons in the hopes that they will not be lost in other things you have going on throughout the week. There will not be a summative exam! 🙂 Instead it is my hope that these messages may provide ideas or inspiration to take a new step in your classroom. In the school improvement plan we share with the public that we will be using some of the ideas from Matt Miller’s book to guide some of our professional development.
With that background in mind, hopefully today’s message will help you have an idea of what to expect from this PD. I’ll start with how Matt Miller defines DITCH on the back of the book:
- Different from what students see daily.
- Innovative, drawing on new ideas or modifying others’ ideas.
- Tech-Laden with the use of digital sites, tools, and devices.
- Creative, tapping into students’ original ideas as well as your own.
- Hands-on, encouraging students to make and try things on their own.
What are some of the things you are doing right now that would be part of the DITCH model of teaching and learning?
If you have read Ditch that Textbook, let me know. I’d love to hear some of the key ideas you took away. If you haven’t read the book, I do have one copy to share. It is available on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to borrow it, let me know and I’ll put it in your mailbox. When you finish, return it to me and I can share it with someone else!
The View from 518 
95% of teenagers are on the internet, the other 5% are grounded. Learn to reach them where they are.
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