To keep students engaged and learning, Thurston Middle School’s principal encourages her staff to share instruction ideas with each other during SMARTbytes, a portion of staff meetings devoted to classroom innovations.
“Our SMARTbytes provide opportunities in a quick, five minute format to share strategies that continue to keep us in the forefront of great instructional practices,” said Principal Jenny Salzburg.
At a recent meeting, math teacher Kelly Skon described using an informal assessment tool, a check of student answers on whiteboards, which permits immediate feedback and helps gauge comprehension.
“I have found that students are eager to demonstrate what they have learned and appreciate the one-on-one feedback facilitated by using the white boards,” Skon said.
