Where have you been that’s inspired you as a teacher?

Is traveling as a teacher important? What can it add to the classroom?

How has travel (conferences, workshops, grants, etc.) influenced your practice?

Let’s do a funding exchange! What are the best ways you’ve found to pay for teacher travel?

Tell us your best tool. What are some ways to bring travel to your classroom?

What is your favorite TED Talk or video to share another culture with your students?

If you could travel anywhere to help with your curriculum, where would you go and why?

Q1. At the beginning of the year, we talked about our management styles. What has gone well? Is there anything you would like to change or do differently? #UTEdchat

Q2. Round 1 of parent teacher conferences have come and gone. What went well? What changes do you want to make before round 2? #UTEdchat

Q3. While including and involving parents in your classroom this year, what success have you had? How will you continue to involve parents the rest of the year? #UTEdchat

Q4. Let’s talk about curriculum. What new lessons have you tried this year? What did you learn from teaching them? #UTEdchat

Q5. Student learning is at the heart of our job. What have you done this year to measure student growth? What have you learned that will impact your planning? #UTEdchat

Q6. What opportunities for professional development have you participated in this year? Any takeaways that you are implementing right now or that you will use later? #UTEdchat

Q7. Christmas break is around the corner, and you have earned it! Why is rejuvenation important for teachers? What will you do to relax and reset for 2019?  #UTEdchat

Amy Wood works with new teachers and mentors in Jordan District as a Mentor Teacher Specialist. Before that, she taught 1st grade and is at home in the younger grades. She has enjoyed the past year and half working with the Utah Teacher Fellows. She earned her NBCT in 2010 and has been working with UEA to run a NBCT Jumpstart program in Utah to help more educators obtain their certification. Any spare time she has is spent with her husband and her nine month old son.

utedchat.org

Tonight’s #UTEdchat is hosted by Machelle Rogers (@rogers_machelle). Machelle is an elementary teacher in Jordan District and also a 2017-18 Utah Teacher Fellow. Michelle will be joined by Meredith Bortz (@MeredithBortz) from Sevenzo. They will be leading tonight’s #UTedChat with an important topic of Learning Environments. Prepare for some great discussion and a lot of fun tonight. 

If you haven’t already followed Machelle and Meredith via Twitter (@rogers_machelle and @MeredithBortz) you should probably do so because it will help you to better follow the chat. 

As always, please be sure to include #UTedChat in your responses so everyone participating can see your thoughts and ideas.

Q1 What does a caring, inclusive learning environment look like? What does it feel like?

Q2 What do you do/try to do in your classroom to enhance a feeling of caring and inclusion?

Q3 So many expectations are felt by educators. Where might meeting the needs of each student fit into a caring, inclusive learning environment?

Q4 How does equity play a role in a caring and inclusive environment? (Equity in education means that personal or social circumstances such as gender, ethnic origin or family background, are not obstacles to achieving educational potential.)

Q5 If training was available for a caring, inclusive classroom, what would it look like? What would make it effective?

Q6 What resources have you found to be helpful in your efforts to create a caring, inclusive environment?

Q7 What connection is there between having a caring, inclusive classroom and the school environment?

Q8 How does having a caring, inclusive learning environment benefit our won emotional intelligence or peace of mind?

Q9 How do we move forward from here? What will you try next to create or add to your caring, inclusive classroom?

Machelle Rogers is a 2017-18 Utah Teacher Fellow in her 23rd year of teaching with Jordan District as an elementary teacher. Machelle loves her students and works to support and foster student growth and learning in a caring, responsive, and inclusive environment. Shout out to Hope Street Group and each of the amazing Teacher Fellow friends and the incredible organizations that support educators.

Meredith Bortz leads operations for Sevenzo, a non-profit that connects a national community of educators and helps them try evidence-based practices, all with a focus on fostering student belonging and creating more caring, inclusive, and impactful learning environments. Sevenzo facilitates opportunities for educators to connect and learn, inspire one another, try impactful practices, and share what works.

Meredith comes to Sevenzo with experience driving change in partnership with state and local leaders, educators, and other stakeholders—always with the goal of eliminating inequities so that all children have the opportunities they deserve. Having worked previously in education policy and advocacy, what Meredith loves most about Sevenzo are the myriad opportunities to deeply connect with teachers and help them share their unique talents and expertise.

You can follow Machelle (@rogers_machelle) and Meredith (@MeredithBortz) via Twitter.

– Chat Archive available via Wakelet.