Wednesday, April 3, 2024

How Are You A Projector Of Your Student's Strengths?

 “Even though I know some day you’re gonna shine on your own, I will be your projector.” Beyoncé  from the song, The Protector, on her new album, Cowboy Carter


This one line expresses so clearly for me what it is like to be a teacher who believes each and every student has a spark that is worth protecting and growing.  A teacher who sees students through a lens of what they bring to the learning, not deficit thinking.  A teacher who makes sure all students are seen and heard.  We can get so caught up in the adult side of education, that we may unintentionally neglect our role of projector, a person that brings into focus student strengths and makes sure they can see these in themselves. 


April is a good time to revisit this by intentionally engaging students in reflecting on where they have come as learners. What are they still curious about? What are they passionate about? Have they accomplished their goals? Do they need to revise their goals? This is where you can be the projector, making sure that they can see themselves as being valued members of the class, and successful learners. And, making sure they hear and see that you believe in them, and have high expectations for each of them.  I will be honest.  Asking students to set a goal where they improve a score from 67 to 75 without actually identifying what will change in their own knowledge/skills or what they will do/have done to make that change isn’t really acknowledging that they can shine. Teaching students how to write their own SMART goals is one alternative.   This is where Generative AI can be useful. It can create goal stems that students can use to create a personalized SMART goal. It can also be used to create student friendly rubrics to help them reflect on their learning progress either through journaling or curating a portfolio of their work.  Integrate peer feedback and collaboration by pulling in student work samples from this year or years past to provide context so students see where they have been, where they are and where they can still go. 


April is also a good time to check in on your own planning for the rest of the year. Where are there opportunities to make connections to your students’ lived experiences? Generative AI can help here by suggesting ways to incorporate student cultural backgrounds, interests and experiences into lessons.  How can you reimagine lessons or tasks to give more student voice and choice in a safe place to iterate, to be creative or to push their own thinking? Using choice boards, project based learning and inquiry activities are all effective strategies. Generative AI can be useful in framing project based learning and inquiry activities that are aligned to student interest and grade appropriate knowledge/skills.  How will you keep the projector on in your classroom?    


Resources To Spark Your Thinking

  • You can watch the music video for The Protector, which includes Beyonce’s 6 year old daughter, on YouTube. 

  • Indiana University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning Blog - Rejecting the Deficit Model

  • The Power of Collective Efficacy - ASCD

  • ChatGPT 3.5 no longer needs a login, although if you have a login it will save your conversations.  This is a good chance to compare Open AI's ChaGPT 3.5 with Microsoft Copilot, which incorporates Open AI technology.


Upcoming Opportunities

  • Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers of Math (GCCTM) Spring Workshop is just around the corner April 13  9:00-1:00 at the ESC of Northeast Ohio 6393 Oak Tree Blvd South, Independence.  Register HERE 


  • Student Achievement Partners secondary literacy course, Improving Reading for Older Students will open this month! This is not an Ohio DEW approved course. It is a useful course for teachers, higher ed staff and administrators looking to continue to expand their learning around specific Tier 1 instructional strategies for supporting literacy in secondary classrooms. Sign up to be one of the first to know when you can enroll. https://buff.ly/3vsbLIp 

  • You are invited to attend the aiEDU and Ohio Educational Service Center Association's 2024 AI Summit Registration! We invite educators from across the state of Ohio to come together, be inspired, and share their expertise and ideas around AI Literacy and innovation. Choose from one of four AI Summits scheduled during May and August 2024. I am one of the presenters at the Sandusky Summit on May 9. All AI Summits are FREE to Ohio ESC employees, district leaders, building leaders, and K-12 teachers.  REGISTER HERE The AI Summits will take place from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET on the following dates:

    • May 2nd, 2024 AI Summit - Dayton, OH

      • Venue: Sinclair Community College Bldg 12, 444 W Third St, Dayton, OH 45402

      • Hotel Accommodation: AC Hotel, 124 Madison Street Dayton, OH 45402

      • Hotel Website: AC Hotel Dayton

      • Keynote Speaker: AJ Juliani

    • May 9th, 2024 AI Summit - Sandusky, OH

      • Venue: Kalahari Conference Center, 7000 Kalahari Drive, Sandusky, OH 44870-8628

      • Hotel Accommodation: Kalahari Conference Center, 7000 Kalahari Dr, Sandusky, OH 44870

      • Hotel Website: Kalahari Conference Center

      • Keynote Speaker: Rebecca Bultsma

    • May 23rd, 2024 AI Summit - Independence, OH

      • Venue: Holiday Inn - Independence, 6001 Rockside Road, Independence, OH 44131

      • Hotel Accommodation: Holiday Inn - Independence, 6001 Rockside Rd, Independence, Ohio 44131 United States

      • Hotel Website: Holiday Inn - Independence

      • Keynote Speaker: Ken Shelton

    • August 13th, 2024 AI Summit - Cambridge, OH
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