July eBook Top 5 Collection OCM BOCES Instructional Support would highlight these selections from our eBook Professional Library. View Professional eBook Library.

The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence Guides school leaders through 50 self-reflection exercises designed to yield a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the work that they do. Read more

5 Myths About Classroom Technology: How Do We Integrate Digital Tools to Truly Enhance Learning? Explains how you can assess and answer your students' technology needs in terms of access, purpose, and audience. Read more

Differentiation in Middle & High School: Strategies to Engage All Learners Explores how to use differentiated instruction to help students be more successful learners--regardless of background, native language, learning style, motivation, or school savvy. Read more

How to Make Decisions with Different Kinds of Student Assessment Data Identifies the critical elements and nuances of assessment data and how that information can best be used to inform improvement efforts in the school or district. Read more

Real-World Projects: How Do I Design Relevant & Engaging Learning Experiences? Describes how to connect with real-world experts, allies, and audiences; and what practical, field-tested strategies are essential for planning, assessing, and using technology to support successful projects. Read more

July 22, 2016

Thinking about September? Use these seven questions to guide your back-to-school preparation.

Education World still provides a collection of back-to-school resources for teachers.

Is your district looking for ways to ensure that general and special education systems are designed to ensure that the most inclusive practices are available for students with disabilities? Join the RSE TASC August 17th and 18th as they present, General Education and Special Education: Creating a Unified System through a Mindful Culture of Collaboration. This free conference is specially designed for teams of general and special education teachers and administrators to begin to look at the current systems that are in place within districts that provide services to students with disabilities and identify ways in which those systems can respond to the needs of students in a more unified way.

This collection of resources from The Teaching Channel is a wealth of back-to-school ideas.

Here are some ideas to help you be more productive. The suggestions are presented in an entertaining way.

Image: BIE

A good project wall helps you and your students manage a project.

These two stories about the first day of school make a quick point about how important the little things are to the launch of a new school year. We can make a difference with the little things!

The Special Education Process for Principals workshop is designed to deepen a school principal's understanding of the special education process. Key information regarding special education law and regulations is included to ensure each principal understands his or her role and responsibility in relation to the education of students with disabilities. Hot topics include collaboration between general education and special education, least restrictive environment, and the blueprint for students with disabilities.

Sir Ken Robinson explains that 21st Century Skills are those old skills we still haven’t gotten right and he identifies the “new” skills in addition to those. Teachers need these skills, too!

Although teams are the better way for teachers to work, they take time and attention for them to be effective. While encouraging and nurturing your teams, keep these truths in mind.

Formative assessment, preferably common formative assessment, is a critical component of good instruction. These are the assessments that inform learning and teacher decisions. Chasing state assessment data and state assessment questions doesn’t.

Here’s another of the many collections of suggestions for the first day of school. These activities are suggested to make a positive first impression – one of excitement and creativity.

Listen in to hear the story of one elementary school’s dramatic and rapid increase in student achievement, based on their application of PLC principles. The principal tells the story about their work.

We often hear these phrases coming out of our mouths in schools. Yet, they are not helpful (and might actually be harmful). This author suggests we eliminate these negative expressions from our vocabulary.

As you prepare for your induction program, consider how these videos from the Teaching Channel might be useful. The New Teacher Survival Guide video playlist includes advice for eight different topics.

Image: CC Jimmy_Joe

The New Teacher Welcome Project is a great way to welcome your newer teachers to the profession and the area. On September 15th, the CNY/Oswego Teacher Center, in coordination with CiTi and OCM BOCES, will provide a nice, free, evening event including dinner. Please encourage your new teachers to come!

This whitepaper explains some of the current thinking about motivation, including a consideration of rewards and value, academic mindsets, and school relationships.

Watch how Sarah Brown Wessling sets the stage for deeper learning in her classroom.

Image: CC woodleywonderworks

There is plenty of back to school advice for teachers. This column addresses planning and preparation for the opening of school. This one stresses the importance of first impressions.

This classic Educational Leadership article by Grant Wiggins warns us, in 1989, not to aim for coverage of curriculum and content. Instead, he said, we should prepare students to search for answers to essential questions. We still don’t get it…

We can plan for creativity and innovation in the classroom. And, children in classrooms in which creativity and innovation is valued are more enthusiastic about learning and school.

Teachers can evaluate their approach to homework in math (or any class, really) with this quick rubric. The time to think about homework is long before we assign it.