#02: Secrets for Teaching Great Writing in the Classroom by Using Peer Review

02/01/17 • 8 min

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10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Cool Cat Teacher

Jennifer Burgin teaches amazing 2nd graders at Oakridge Elementary in Arlington, Virginia. She was named Oakridge Teacher of the Year and Arlington Public Schools Teacher of the Year in 2016. Too many teachers are working too hard to teach writing.

When the teacher is “queen of the classroom” and has to do everything (review, give feedback, find mistakes) it either burns out the teacher or frustrates the students. Today’s show will help teachers solve this problem by learning the fundamentals of facilitating peer review that works.

Starting at the beginning with simple steps and moving towards a full peer review classroom, Jennifer talks with Vicki Davis on 10MT today about how her classroom changed when she started using peer review. She also shares her biggest mistakes and frustrations and how teachers can avoid them. Finally, she talks about how every teacher can start using peer review today.

A full transcript of this show and the show notes is available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on this month’s give away contest to win a MakerBot mini replicator 3D! I use this printer in my classroom and love it!

Previous Episode

#01: Awesome Apps for iPads in the Elementary Classroom

Karen Lirenman and Kristen Wideen have written the definitive book on using iPads in the elementary classroom, Innovate with iPad: Lessons to Transform Learning in the Classroom. In this episode, they share their favorite apps and the biggest mistake they made when getting started with iPads in their classrooms.

The problem with iPads is there are so many apps and so many choices. It is easy for teachers to get overwhelmed and not know where to start. Even worse, some teachers just use them for “game day” and miss the opportunity they have to do help students learn with them.

Today’s show will help settle the dust and bring clarity to iPads in the elementary classroom. I love their book, Innovate with iPad: Lessons to Transform Learning in the Classroom, so much that we bought it for every teacher at my school. And here’s the most exciting thing!

We’re hosting a giveaway of this book in the next 24 hours! A full transcript of this show and the show notes are available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on this month’s giveaway contest to win a MakerBot mini replicator 3D and Kristen and Karen’s book!

Next Episode

#03: Science Kits with Love from Kansas to Haiti

Matt Clay is a science teacher in Ness City, Kansas and a doctoral student in education at the University of Northern Colorado researching environmental experiences. Matt is helping his science students create science kits for students in Haiti.

So many bored, unexcited students. Today’s students want to do meaningful work in all of their subjects. But it can be so hard for teachers to relate their content to real world problems. In today’s show, Matt Clay talks to Vicki Davis on 10MT about how he saw a need and is rallying his science classes to meet that need. Matt takes us from when he found a need on the streets of Haiti to how he got his students and parents excited about meeting that need. He also shares the problems and pitfalls with such a project and how any teacher can apply this type of project in their classroom.

Matt and his class have set up a funding page to help send their science kits to Haiti at https://www.gofundme.com/haitisciencekit.

A full transcript of this show and the show notes is available at www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast as well as details on this month’s giveaway contest to win a MakerBot mini replicator 3D! I use this printer in my classroom and love it!