Christopher Knox

Got my students back into thinking mode after Spring Break with a @breakoutEDU! #breakouteduambassador

@hilarym99 A former principal said in a faculty meeting that we only needed 15 minutes per day for social studies. It was one of the few times that I disagreed with her, but I did so openly and vehemently. When pressed for time, I fit it in under the guise of nonfiction comprehension.

I think that folks don’t grasp the degree to which science and social studies is completely pushed out of the curriculum. The stuff kids don’t know would shock most educated adults.

@tetheredtoed1 @hilarym99 Yikes! That is sad!

Yes but even worse … the social studies and science people are doing doesn’t impart much knowledge or vocab. I covered a class Monday where they were spending a whole week of SS on a packet about March Madness… and the “learn about the 4 US regions” told them to list the states in each of the 4 and facts about each. The regions aren’t geographical! And this meant “plug it into AI on your Chromebook” — It was a mess. 75% of the kids were bored to tears AND confused. The rest were just parroting rah rah stuff they hear their sports mad parents and coaches say

@TechNinjaTodd @Disney Careful what you wish for. I know people who turned them down when they saw the fine print in the contract.

I’m dying to work for @Disney in some capacity one day. I’m putting it out into the universe today. #Goals

@edtechmathteach No, but I have found that removing that student allows me to better teach the rest of the class, so it may not deter them, but it improves things for 20+ others.

ISS is not a consequence for most kids.

@smorrisey @karenvaites Same here. I also tracked my own data and showed my principal that there was zero correlation between time in task in iReady and growth in the diagnostic. She gave me permission to stop using it.

@karenvaites My district used iReady for years. IReady said kids have to use 45 minutes a week to improve outcomes. I never had my Ss go on and my Ss outcomes in reading & math were still at the top despite not using. I was teaching my Ss instead. It's not rocket science.

The most striking part of the Ed Tech backlash is that it's coming primarily from parents. When you think about it, it's remarkable that we don't have outrage-inducing Ed Tech exposes from more teachers. (Yes, I know that job risk and pressure from admins to go along are factors. But educators can write anonymous blogs and posts.)

@clharrington024 @MelK_Ed Not sure if your district allows it, but I usually took a break from Benchmark during one of the literary units and taught the skills using a novel instead.

My fourth grade curriculum in my Florida district has ZERO novels. Not one. We have benchmark which has “magazines” with 3 page “excerpts” from novels. It’s slop. Everyone hates it. I still insist on teaching novels and the wild thing is Florida DOE has EXCEPTIONAL book lists recommended by grade level. I simply design my entire curriculum around those books. No YA slop. Classic children’s literature. The link below has the document which outlines recommended book lists for each grade level and correlates them with standards. The images below are the fourth grade book lists which I use in my own class. @StasiKamoutsas #page=158" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">fldoe.org/core/fileparse…

@AndrewsSusanM Thank you 😊

@TopherJayson I love the juxtaposition between the lyrical first 2 lines and the unexpected twist in the 3rd!

@AndrewsSusanM Thank you!

@TopherJayson Wonderful alliteration and theme development.

Student: Mr. Knox, it’s been a while since we’ve done a physical @breakoutEDU (with the boxes). Can we do one soon? Me: Absolutely! I’ll put one together. #BreakoutEDUAmbassador