Archive for November 10th, 2009

I’ve now completed three and a half weeks at my new school. Since I am now in a self-contained 2nd grade, I have to prepare instruction in all the subjects — and there are six, readng, spelling, writing, science, math and social studies — every day. We have team planning so I don’t have to write up the lesson plans, but I do have to interpret the other teacher’s plans for my students. And then do all the grading.

This is a demanding list of duties, but luckily I have a comrade in arms in my classroom all day every day — a Promethian board. This board is a touch sensitive computer screen about 6 x 4 feet in size — and is my blackboard. Every evening, I write out page after page of “flipcharts” which are the individual screens you can show on the computer.  There’s  one for procedure when students first come in, one introducing the message and words of the day, one reiterating our rules and another about who will go into what independent work center. There will probably be a chart or two I’ve cooked up for science or social studies. The longest one-day flipchart I’ve made so far was 17 pages.  Each night I go home, with the laptop that goes with the board (which because of it’s size stays at the school) and write up the next day’s directions and diagrams.

Some teachers don’t take the laptop home. The idea is that if the laptop won’t go back into the “docking station” or place where you attach it into the Promethian board, you’d be in trouble. So, what am I going to do if that happens?

Not sure. My general attitude right now is if I can’t access my flipcharts I am so dead. I do have an overhead and the math and writing and reading are still done on paper at the indivudual students’ desks. But in modern education theory, planning is everything, and if planning is everything the Promethian is huge. It makes planning communicable to students in a way never before possible. I didn’t have one at my earlier school, but I can’t imagine doing without it now.

Without the board, I’d feel like a bird with clipped wings.  Because at least for today, my instructional method is all Promethian, all the time.