GPS

When I was a kid…scratch that…when I was a teenager…nope…when I was a college student…delete…when I was a younger Dad of three and well into my teaching career, a map from the gas station was an important need.  Still have a few.  These maps provided insight and a guide to your destination.  Re-folding the map was another thing.  Those maps made you think through directions, convert scales to actual mileage, and identify which roads were interstates, state roads or “farm” roads.  These maps are all but a memory with the availability of GPS (Global Positioning System) not only in vehicles but also on your cell phone.  This came in handy last July when Mary and I set out to visit our oldest daughter, Amanda (Potter) in Leesburg, Virginia.  If you take the “southern route”, there is a stretch where you move from West Virginia to Pennsylvania back to West Virginia to Maryland to Virginia back to Maryland and then finally back to Virginia.  Thank God that Mary had her GPS equipped  iPhone to guide us.  It was as simple as entering our current location and destination.  From there, a recorded voice with much authority tells you which way to veer, which exit to take, and dang near parks your car for you.  Awesome.  Even better with the pretty girl next to me.

How’s that “GPS” looking in your classroom?  Throughout the year, there have been multiple assessments.  Many have been formative (hopefully) and some have been summative.  Others have been progress monitoring like Acuity and Star.  Here is my question – are you checking the GPS?  First and foremost, you should know the destination – these are the long-term goals. Punch that in first.  Now, work your way backward and set those key points in between.  Lastly, set your current location.  The key point here is that current location is the STUDENT’S current location, not yours. Look hard at the data.  Make that data informational. Use it to plan your instruction – that is the route to take to reach your destination.  Without using what you have, well, you just won’t get there.  As George Harrison sang, if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get you there. George Harrison?  He was one of The Beatles.  Beatles?  Ask your parents.  In the meantime, continue to “recalculate” your route as necessary. That is what great teachers do.

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The Browns travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.  After a loss last weekend, we better be hungry!