Kelly Van Meter and I had the pleasure of attending a 2 day PLC workshop with some First and Third Grade teachers from Eanes Elementary this summer. We all left at the end of Day 2 with a laundry list of ideas that we wanted to take back to our campus and implement in the new school year. 

One technique that we were all impressed with was the Critique Workshop developed by Ron Berger as a means of inspiring students to do excellent work. On his website, Berger says the following about developing a culture of excellence in your classroom;

"The student work in my giant black suitcase is exemplary -- beautiful and accurate, representative of strong content knowledge and critical thinking skills -- but it's not from "exceptional" students. It does not come from gifted and talented classrooms or from high-powered private schools. It's the work of regular students in typical schools around the country. The difference is that these students' teachers have helped them develop the skills and mindsets necessary to produce work of exceptional quality, and have built classroom and school cultures in which exceptional work is the norm."

Click here to watch a video of Berger implementing the critique workshop in a First Grade class.

Last week, I was able to be in Drew Watson's class as he introduced his students to this process. The students were to design a prototype of a puzzle piece that illustrated who they were. Drew defined the word and then led the class in the development of a rubric for their final product. Drew patiently outlined what his puzzle piece contained, which not only set the standard for student work, but gave his new 3rd Graders a brief glimpse of his own history. 

Students were given a prototype sheet with 4 blank puzzle pieces on which to develop their ideas. They dove into their work quietly and with intent - actions which were a direct result of the importance that Drew had placed on the quality of the work that they would be doing. 

...he or she will make that classroom a showcase of 21st century learning - right down to the furniture. 

EE teachers have quietly started a revolution in learning using their own finances and creativity to do so. Walking through classrooms last week, I began to see a common theme. Large clunky teacher desks were replaced with sleek Ikea tables. Some teachers were experimenting with raising and lowering tables to provide a variety of seating options for their students. Click here to read an article that Mary Ann Simmons found on the importance of unconventional classroom seating. 

Here are some examples of what is happening on our campus. I could't be prouder of the teachers that I work with and their dedication to their profession. 

Here are some of the EISD tweets gathered from Day 1 of the conference captured in Storify.