Wow, this section really showed how important it is to get a variety of partners on board with the effort to run a robust program.

I like the concept of seeking student input on what service opportunities they know of so they feel more connected and expand the teachers horizons as well.

I am reminded of the importance of not applying a one size fits all approach to assessments.

I intend to increase the Independent reflection requirements - I realize that I am in great need of more independent short knowledge checks for my students. I plan to implement short pop quizzes on the days after my live demonstrations either in Construction Tech or Manufacturing in order to solidify the content that they learned.  I believe this has been a missing ingredient from my teaching from this year.  I have seen more mistakes from students that have watched my demonstrations and yet do many of the things I specifically warned against.  I see this as the result of not… >>>

One of the key takeaways from this section is the reminder that the way a space is set up and the position/role of the teacher is a huge piece of the educational puzzle.  I am encouraged to do more time in Socratic method circles and to be more intentional about asking more questions and giving students more involvement in the learning process.

To summarize, teachers should encourage interaction with material through facilitating conversations (productive talk) and engaging students to help them understand the "why" is critical to their engagement and retention.