We are celebrating Lindsey Montgomery (SPED) for her incredible work in fostering student metacognition through structured Error Analysis.

In her recent lesson on multi-step equations, Lindsey didn’t just show students how to solve problems; she taught them how to think about their own thinking. By carving out intentional space for students to search for their error, she turned a challenging math concept into a moment of genuine discovery and psychological safety.

Watch the Strategy in Action:

Click Here to Watch Lindsey's Lesson Video

The Strategy: "Find It, Circle It, Learn From It"

Lindsey’s approach to error analysis is both rigorous and incredibly supportive. Here are the highlights of her "Error Search" framework:

• Intentional Pauses: Lindsey gave students a dedicated minute on the clock specifically to "search for their error" after completing a task. She reminded them: "If we're not looking back at our work and figuring out where we went wrong, we might make that mistake again."

• Identifying the "Silent One": She used engaging, sticky language like the "Silent One" for negative coefficients, to help students catch common pitfalls in distribution.

• Normalizing the Struggle: Lindsey’s "teacher talk" is a perfect example of building a growth mindset. She told her students, "Your brain actually learns better when you make mistakes than when you don't."

Why It Works

By using immediate feedback, Lindsey allowed students to compare their work against a correct model in real-time. She didn't just tell them they were wrong; she asked them to identify and then circle the specific spot where the logic diverged (like a "double duty" negative or a forgotten "like term").

This practice doesn't just help students solve one equation; it gives them the tools to be self-sufficient learners who aren't afraid of a multi-step problem.

This month’s instructional theme was a continuation of our series on Depth of Knowledge (DOK), with a focus on increasing cognitive engagement through purposeful questioning, student discourse, and strategic scaffolding during live instruction.

We would like to spotlight our wonderful Science Teacher – Camden Yi for bringing these strategies to life during a highly engaging and thoughtfully scaffolded lesson on cells!

Click Here to watch the video (14:55) from Camden modeling DOK 2 & 3 Questioning:

In this lesson, Camden intentionally designed learning experiences that moved students progressively from DOK 1 (recall) to DOK 3 (strategic reasoning). Using a “mysterious cell from space” as the anchor task, students were invited to analyze unfamiliar visuals and apply prior knowledge in new ways.

Rather than simply identifying cell structures, students were asked to observe, interpret, and justify their thinking. Camden presented black-and-white images of two different cells, prompting students not only to determine which was more complex, but—most importantly—to explain why. This pushed students beyond surface-level recognition and into deeper reasoning grounded in evidence.

A key strength of Camden’s lesson was his intentional questioning progression. He guided students to focus not only on what they could see, but also on what they could not see—encouraging them to think critically about missing features and their significance. This subtle but powerful move supported students in distinguishing between cell types without relying on color cues, strengthening both conceptual understanding and analytical thinking.

Through these scaffolds, students were able to bridge the gap between DOK levels, moving from identification to explanation and justification with increasing independence.

Big shout-out and highlight to Bridget Brunetto, who just tried navigating tables for the first time!  I wanted to highlight this strong example of intentional Depth of Knowledge (DOK) scaffolding and collaborative learning from Bridget’s recent Physical Education 2-day lesson on Safe & Smart Physical Activity, which centered on the emerging topic of “Fitfluencers.”  Bridget began the lesson by building students’ foundational understanding of safe and smart physical activity, intentionally anchoring learning in DOK 1 and DOK 2 tasks. On the following day, she clearly communicated learning objectives and guided students through structured next steps (DOK 2-DOK 3 tasks), including introducing a YouTube documentary on Fitfluencers to extend student thinking and engagement with real-world media.   

1. Appropriately Levelled DOK Checks For Understanding: After viewing the documentary, Bridget checked for understanding using two DOK 2 questions, requiring students to interpret and apply ideas from the prior lesson and the video.  These questions supported students in moving beyond recall and into conceptual understanding of how fitness content is interpreted and consumed online.

To watch Bridget go over her two DOK 2 questions: Click Here (2:56)

2.Peer Collaborative Learning: Bridget then transitioned students into structured group work using Engageli Tables, clearly outlining expectations and guiding students through collaborative discussion. This structure ensured that all students had opportunities to verbalize thinking, respond to peers, and refine ideas collectively.

Students engaged with three carefully sequenced questions designed to deepen analysis and evaluation:

• Is this claim realistic or exaggerated? (DOK 3)

• Is it safe advice or risky advice? (DOK 2)

• What further evidence would you want to see? (DOK 3)

This sequence effectively moved students between application, analysis, evaluation, and evidence-based reasoning, encouraging them to think critically about media messages and credibility in fitness content while benefiting from peer discussion at their tables.

3.Student Accountability: During the reporting-out phase, Bridget strategically circulated and reinforced expectations for participation. When some students provided limited responses, she gently but consistently reiterated her expectation that each Engageli Table contribute multiple ideas, strengthening accountability.

To watch Bridget hold her students accountable for reporting back out to the class & answer the following questions: Click Here (9:34)

1. Is this claim realistic or exaggerated? (DOK 3)

2. Is it safe advice or risky advice?  (DOK 2)

3. What further evidence would you want to see?  (DOK 3)

Bridget’s lesson is a strong example of purposeful instructional design that integrates:

• DOK 1–2: Building foundational knowledge and comprehension (in an earlier lesson)

• DOK 2: Checking understanding through interpretation

• DOK 2–3: Extending into analysis, evaluation, and evidence-based reasoning

• Collaborative learning through Engageli Tables: Strengthening discourse, peer learning, and accountability

This structure effectively supports students in moving from basic understanding to more sophisticated critical thinking about media, health, and decision-making, using appropriate DOK Scaffolding techniques and collaborative opportunities to facilitate learning.

February’s instructional theme was Designing High-Engagement Tasks.

In our most recent Professional Development, we explored how to move beyond recall and create stimulus-based questions that require students to analyze, interpret, and apply their learning at deeper levels.We would like to spotlight our wonderful Science Teacher — Robina Gallagher — for bringing that work to life in her live session!

Check out the Video (10:18) below, which shows Robina modeling how to interpret pedigree charts, guiding students through pattern analysis, and gradually releasing responsibility as they determine inheritance patterns independently.

Click here to watch: [Robina's Pedigree Lesson]

Students examined the stimulus (a pedigree chart) and were tasked with:

• Counting how many males and females were affected

• Determining whether the trait skipped generations

• Analyzing same parent/different child

• Identifying whether the inheritance pattern was sex-linked, autosomal recessive, or autosomal dominant

After guided practice, students independently analyzed a new pedigree chart and applied their reasoning to classify the inheritance pattern.

This task required students to move beyond simple identification. They had to interpret visual data, recognize patterns across generations, and justify conclusions using evidence from the chart, placing the work squarely in DOK 2–3.

Robina scaffolded the thinking process early on, then gradually released responsibility so students could independently analyze the stimulus and defend their conclusions.

This month’s instructional theme was Depth of Knowledge (DOK), with a focus on increasing cognitive engagement through purposeful questioning, student discourse, and strategic scaffolding during live instruction.

We would like to spotlight our wonderful Math Teacher – Sho Parabia for bringing these strategies to life during a highly engaging and interactive quest-based lesson!

Check out the video (10:26) below, which showcases Sho facilitating a multi-step problem-solving lesson using a quest-style format in the theme of Stranger Things. Throughout the session, she strategically scaffolds student thinking by modeling angle relationships, using timed checks for understanding, and prompting students to justify their reasoning in the chat. Students collaborate to reach a 70% consensus before moving forward, reinforcing accountability and shared ownership of learning.

Sho’s use of guided hints (rather than direct answers), student-to-student support in the chat, and progressively challenging problems demonstrates how intentional instructional moves can elevate tasks from procedural recall to deeper conceptual understanding.

Before you watch:

• Portions of the video have been sped up during moments between questions and student responses to highlight questioning strategy.

• Student names and identifying information have been blurred to protect student privacy.

• During screen sharing, Sho is using Amplify, an instructional program typically used to teach math that allows teachers to view students’ live work and real-time responses to questions. This visibility supports timely feedback, targeted hints, and instructional decision-making during the lesson.

November's instructional theme was dedicated to moving from non-content, low-risk collaboration to content-based collaborative Student Engagement. In order for students to engage with the content, we need to carefully scaffold our engagement like we do our curriculum, by starting with clear objectives that both drive the lesson and are regularly assessed throughout the lesson.

We would like to spotlight our wonderful ELA Teacher -Cynthia Owen  - for her strong example of clear student-friendly objectives, scaffolding, and purposeful assessment.

Check out the Video (16:12) below, which shows how Cynthia models how to analyze Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago” using clear, student-friendly objectives, explicit vocabulary scaffolds (metaphor, simile, personification), and low-risk discussion prompts. She guides students through the poem using visuals, multimodal resources, and ongoing checks for understanding—showcasing how purposeful, objective-driven instruction supports deeper literary analysis.

November's instructional theme was dedicated to moving from non-content, low-risk collaboration to content-based collaborative Student Engagement.  

We would like to spotlight two of our wonderful English Teachers - Jimmy Hernandez & Linda Reimer - for implementing the Survival Scenarios Activity at the start of Trimester 2, which is an excellent example of a non-content, low-risk activity to help students get acclimated to collaboration, expectations, and accountability measures.  

Scenario 1: Economic Collapse

• Jimmy provides clear, detailed directions that immerse students in the urgency of the scenario.

• Students must prioritize needs vs. wants, justify their choices, and compare decisions with peers (High DOK Level processing).

• Jimmy provides examples of potential sticky notes to model accountability and set clear expectations. (See below)

• He highlights the sticky-note tool within the whiteboard to show students where it is and how to use it in Engageli. (See below)

• He encourages a low-stakes environment by allowing students to remain anonymous.

• Students are asked to mark only their table number so he can allocate credit.

Engagement & Accountability in Engageli:  Jimmy also requires that each team enter their final item selections on a shared Engageli Whiteboard using the Sticky-Note Tool.  This ensures that choices are visible for discussion, thereby increasing potential opportunities for student engagement.  Students can explain, defend and revise their thinking in real-time, and collaboration naturally emerges as classmates compare, debate and justify their selections.  Jimmy's table chat participation was alive and well with students participating at tables together.  

To watch Jimmy's Engagement (6:41) -> Click Here!

Scenario 2: Winter Plan Crash in Canada.

Engagement & Accountability in Engageli:  For this scenario, both Jimmy and Linda required that each team enter their final item selections on a shared Engageli Whiteboard using the Sticky-Note Tool.   

To watch how Linda introduces the activity (3:28) ->  Click Here!

To watch Linda's Engagement (5:29) ->  Click Here!

To watch Jimmy's Engagement (2:56) ->  Click Here!

October's instructional theme was Collaborative Student Engagement.

In Trimester 1, we have held two Professional Development Gallery Walks, which showcased a variety of instructional strategies geared towards increasing student collaboration during live sessions.

We would like to spotlight our wonderful History Teacher - Gabriel Villegas - for implementing not one but TWO amazing collaboration activities: a group investigation in Government and a comparative advantage simulation!

Check out a Group Investigation in Government in this Video (9:40) below, which shows Gabriel facilitating groups working  to investigate maps about electoral votes, and analyze data.  Students discussed in their groups how votes are distributed across states.  You will see how he jumps to each table to check on students' work and help them as needed.  Students worked in a Google document which Gabriel created tabs for each table.  This is a great example of how to use Table Docs. You don't need to have a different document for each table in each period.  Gabriel expertly walks students through finding their table in the document and adding their names to the page.  Each student works in a different color, so Gabriel knows who completed each bit of work.  Gabriel wrapped up the class with a brilliant reflection question for students to answer on the whiteboard.

In the second lesson,  Video (14:52), Gabriel guides his students through a fun Comparative Advantage Simulation.  Students worked in pairs to specialize in different roles.  They first determined which role they should specialize in by completing a timed task that would determine if they should specialize in drawing or coloring.  Gabriel's clear instructions, timing, and encouragement kept students engaged and accountable.  After the activity, students compared results and reflected on what the experiment revealed about specialization and teamwork.  This activity gave students a concrete understanding of abstract economic principles while practicing real-world problem-solving.

September's instructional theme was Student Engagement.

In our first Trimester, we held a Professional Development in the form of a gallery walk, which showcased a variety of instructional strategies geared towards increasing student engagement during live sessions.

We would like to spotlight our wonderful ELA Teacher -Marsha Lemon  - for taking those strategies and implementing a jigsaw activity to increase student engagement in her live session!

Check out the Video (11:11) below, which shows Marsha scaffolding her students' instruction and preparing them to use the Engageli Class Document share feature, which she leveraged to boost participation and student engagement during her lesson, as she explored the themes of Night by Elie Wiesel.