Michael Derr

In discussion with local stakeholders and professional partners, it has become clear that issues of professionalism are on the forefront of concerns amongst business owners. These soft skills are significantly lacking and are having a negative impact on their bottom line in greater measure than under-trained employees. 

There is tremendous value in teaching leadership skills, even when teaching those who do not currently anticipate wanting to lead in the future. 

In a world dominated by technology, it is important that we teach students the value of learning IT related skills.

Teamwork is present in virtually every job description on the planet, it is also a challenging skill to master. It is important for teachers to work through the inevitable yet necessary challenges that cultivating a culture of collaboration present. 

With quick answers at the fingertips of each of our students via Uncle Google, it is crucial that we dedicate enormous effort and time to encourage the development of critical thinking in our classrooms. 

I really like the video creation idea. This is so useful for our current students in preparing to communicate in a way that they are already well acquainted. 

I really like the idea of using "entrance tickets" and "exit tickets" as a method to deemphasize grades as a metric of daily learning. I also thought that the one teacher's feedback recommending groups not larger than 3 was very interesting. 

It is critical to plan movement and variation in the classroom to increase engagement. Also, the ability of the teacher to find the balance between being present as a support and encouraging self-exploration is critical to achieving positive results from more students. 

The three primary questions to ask when developing engagement are: Am I interested? Can I do this? Does it matter? Utilizing these three questions to continuously develop/improve classroom strategies to strengthen engagement is critical. Without the insertion of these principles, students simply lose interest in their attempt to learn leading to reduced engagement. 

I think trauma informed classrooms need to be prepared to adapt at any point. As trauma varies, and changes with the zeitgeist, it is critical that teachers do not create an unspoken hierarchy for various trauma. I work very hard in my classroom to instill a sense of empathy within the community regarding others learning experience. We discuss problems of perspective and how to continuously maintain a safe space.