"What I did this summer...."

Berkeley High Teachers continue to learn throughout the summer:

Allen Boltz conducted research to help improve the Berkeley Darfur Stove through the Berkeley National Laboratory.

Monique de Brito Guedes spent the summer working with the  HydroEcological Engineering Advanced Decision Support (HEADS) which develops models to manage wetlands in the San Joaquin Basin of California.

Principles of Instruction
Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know

By Barak Rosenshine
This article presents 10 research-based principles of instruction, along with suggestions for classroom prac- tice. These principles come from three sources: (a) research in cognitive science, (b) research on master
teachers, and (c) research on cognitive supports. Each is briefly explained below.
A: Research in cognitive science: This research focuses on how our brains acquire and use information. This cognitive research also provides suggestions on how we might overcome the limita- tions of our working memory (i.e., the mental “space” in which thinking occurs) when learning new material.
B: Research on the classroom practices of master teachers: Mas- ter teachers are those teachers whose classrooms made the high- est gains on achievement tests. In a series of studies, a wide range of teachers were observed as they taught, and the investigators coded how they presented new material, how and whether they checked for student understanding, the types of support they provided to their students, and a number of other instructional activities. By also gathering student achievement data, research- ers were able to identify the ways in which the more and less effec- tive teachers differed.
read the rest of the article here.