The Educational Services Team would like to wish you all a healthy and happy holiday season! We hope that you find time during the upcoming Winter Break to enjoy whatever holiday festivities bring you joy. Thank you for all you have done for Kaneland students this year!
Hi All-
Please use this link to access the Wednesday learning structures for our hybrid structure once we return to onsite instruction.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12XGQlF0qmfsFKQvVTM7kD140u9vRP7Gp5-DCtcOOLSo/edit?usp=sharing
10 Remote Teaching Strategies You Can Take Back Into The Classroom
In John Hattie's research into the most impactful practices to boost student learning and achievement, feedback is consistently named as highly contributory to student success. While you may have effective feedback systems in place during in-person learning, these systems will likely need to be adjusted to accommodate remote learning. Fortunately, the educational community has been incredibly supportive of one another throughout the pandemic and educators from around the world are sharing what's working for them. Check out these ideas from educators regarding feedback in remote learning environments.
3 Strategies for Personalizing Feedback Online- CatlinTucker
A Few Feedback Examples for Remote Teaching During the Coronavirus- Bill Ferriter
Distance Learning- Feedback Strategies
With a few modifications, shifts, tweaks, and revisions, IgKnight 2020 is a go! The event will be fully remote, allowing staff to engage in powerful professional development opportunities from the comfort of their own homes. A few things to note:
IgKnight 2020 is still on!! We are committed to ensuring this event remains meaningful, relevant and fun! Throughout the day, you will have opportunities to participate in a raffle to win some fun prizes. You can participate in the following ways:
Check the latest video to see who is excited for Kaneland Connects!
As we continue our challenging journey in education this year and as we approach the IgKnight Institute day, it is important to take a step back and reflect. As an educator in this district, it is important to acknowledge the amount of PD that is needed this year. I love that we can take this time for however we need it! Whether it is in the realm of mental health, technology or just needing time to get some work done, the IgKnight Institute day has it ALL! I am truly excited about the amount of opportunities we have for learning and that it is run by the people fighting in the trenches with us. It honestly makes me PROUD to be a KNIGHT!
With that being said, let’s keep in mind all the hard work everyone has put into this, including the presenters. As we go into this day of higher learning, let’s be cognizant of some things:
Be on time(whether zoom or in-person)
Have your sound and videos ready to go( as a teacher of remote students, I now find a high value in showing our faces during zoom meetings)
Be active and engaged during the meetings
And as always, be positive!
Through this challenging journey, let’s try and be positive about learning and understand we are all going through this together!
We are wishing you all the best as you take on a new and unique approach to conferencing. If you're looking for some last-minute tips to conferencing during a pandemic, take a look through this brief article.
The IgKnight Conference is just around the corner. Plan ahead to make the best out of your day by reading our guest blog by Emily Waller (admin intern)!
There’s no denying that remote learning is difficult--for students and adults. However, if you have chosen to attend some of the Remote Live and/or Pre-Recorded sessions for IgKnight 2020, we hope you will get the most out of the day! Below are some ways that you can “be present”, even from your computer screen:
Remove distractions from your learning space. Make sure that your space is an area in which you can learn.
Try not to multitask...this is HARD! But, we know that we are not able to give our full attention to multiple tasks at one time, and multitasking can actually cause more stress!
Use the break time to stay off screens. Again, this is hard! But, your eyes will thank you! Spending too much time staring at your screen can cause headaches and sore necks. Move away from your screen during your break. Consider chair yoga, stretching, or even a short walk to move around!
Use the chat or reach out to the presenter if you have questions. These presentations are for YOU! If you are in a Remote Live session, use the chat box to ask questions or unmute yourself! If you are attending a Pre-Recorded session, email the presenters with any questions or clarifications.
Double check your schedule so that you are ready to go on Monday morning! Any Zoom links should be posted by Friday, November 20.
Only 2 and a half weeks until IgKnight 2020! Can’t wait to “see” you there!
This week is your last chance to shift any sessions or sign up for the IgKnight Conference. After Thursday, we will register anyone who has not made thier own selections for sessions. Please be sure to make any final changes to your schedule prior to Thursday of this week. We hope you all have a great Parent Conference Week!
***Public Service Announcement***
As we near parent/teacher conferences, please make sure you are well-versed in what you will need to do with Zoom for those days. Additionally, if there is anything Zoom-related that you need help with, or are wondering about, please reach out to Faye for assistance. She is amazing and willing to help the most novice user all the way to the most advanced!
The Personalized Learning Steering Committee met for the first in-person meeting on October 22nd from 4-6pm at Meredith. Membership includes 17 certified staff (6 elementary, 6 middle, and 5 high school), as well as 6 administrators. The long-term vision for the committee is to create a continuum of personalized learning experiences for all Kaneland students including:
infusing LDIP instructional practices into all units of study at all grade spans
creating structures that infuse components of personalized learning into all Kaneland schools and align with the PL Look Fors
investigating school-within-a-school opportunities
Creation of a stand-alone IgKnighter Academy school, to run in tandem with the typical Kaneland experience for students with all levels of need and staff with a variety of instructional expertise along the LDIP continuum
The team reviewed committee structures including working agreements, the Decision-Making Continuum, diverse membership needs, and a two-year committee timeline. The need for representation from special education staff was noted, as was the need to continually evaluate the impact of Covid structures on our timeline.
The team prioritized, sorted, and discussed actions to undertake as a committee. Initial steps will include developing communication plans for all stakeholders, supporting new staff who have not participated in Academies, considering how and when to involve students in the planning, focus on student/staff relationships, reviewing the history of PL in Kaneland, and reiterating the “WHY” behind personalized learning.
All learner profile assessment are done for our Fall pre-assessment period. The following is the final SIP goal for this school year:
By February 2021, the overall percent of students assessed on learning needs and advocacy through the use of an online reflection tool at levels 2 and 3 on the learner profile rubric will increase from February 2020 levels from 80.5% to 85%. (Fall 2020 48.9%)
