

Collaborate With Clock Partners – Classroom Management Freebie
Collaboration. Conversation. Presentation. Incorporating these essential elements of the Common Core is a breeze if you follow these two simple steps. 1) Stop thinking of these as standards that should be addressed independently. 2) Start thinking of these as tools that students must utilize to achieve mastery in the content areas. During each lesson and learning activity in the classroom, we should provide tools for students to collaborate productively, have meaningful two-way conversations (two-way being the key word), and present their thinking in a way that is clear and powerful. One of the best ways to begin building these skills is to incorporate partner talk in each and every learning activity. Often times, teachers’ default partnering strategy is to have students talk to the person sitting closest to them. This may be quick and easy but it also limits students’ learning horizons as they are hearing from the same person