Closing the Achievement Gap

This morning I took part in a presentation by Laurie Kagan after Pam and Barb told me I had to go and I am glad I took their advice.
My favorite strategy was the Sage-N-Scribe Laurie had as practice in pairs. The sage would tell the scribe the exact steps to take and what to write down on the page. Thus, the sage was describing the learning process while the scribe acted and then the switched jobs. I like that this would give students an opportunity to be the student and the teacher and by doing both they learn more.
I also enjoyed the math strategy she taught us for double digit edition so if you want to know more about that let me know as it will take more explanation than I can give here but it's very beneficial.
Laurie also reminded us that using the Team-Pair-Solo strategy allows students to learn a process while in a group of four. Once the process is mastered in the group they work on the process in teams of two until mastery and then move to working on their own. I viewed these teams as an opportunity for students to see and hear how others learn along with working on a valuable 21st Century Skill of working in groups.
If there was one training I would suggest every teacher attend Kagan would be it!