Suggestions

Suggestions:

1.  Set aside time in the spring to:

            a) get feedback, suggestions, thoughts from the current first-years.

            b) give the first-years time to do initial planning for the summer (next MC/HS planning meeting is April 1^st.  We will finalize subjects and classes at this point.)

2.  Assign first-years Delta Autumn in June (preferably during the first week of orientation).  They should have an assignment tied to the reading, perhaps a blog post.  Reading it in the fall is too late.

3.  Have an assignment (blog post/paper/something else) tied to The First Days of School.  First Days is a great resource, but too many first-years never pick it up.

4.  Expand the crisis-management role-plays (these were cited most often as being the most helpful component of the summer training) to include more situations.  Tie this workshop to a course (EDSE 501) rather than as an outside workshop.  Look at doing some workshops with the entire group so people get a feel for standing in front on 30 "students."

5.  Incorporate the wiki completely.  All lesson plans, worksheets, tests, etc. should be posted in an organized manner and agreed upon format.  See the biology wiki lesson plans that Nelson, Wilcox et al. did last summer for a good example.

6.  During summer school, allow the first-years to visit and observe other classrooms.

7.  Continue, and perhaps expand, the veteran subject-area workshops (utilize the TEAM for this).  In addition to tips and tricks, also have them review the subject-area frameworks, how to LP using these, etc.

8.  Session on how to manage the paper flow (ask Savage to do this in June).

9.  Have summer school include both 50 min and block periods (we did this last year in July).

10.  Push the start time of EDSE 500 back by 30 minutes.