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Feedback can be a powerful process that greatly impacts student learning when it affirms students’ identities as learners, is clear and direct, and considers the individual attributes of each student.
Here’s an example. A student receives the following feedback from her teacher:
Strength:You clearly state your claim,The women’s rights movement began with the suffrage movement but it’s not over yet, and provided a list of recent events, such as theWomen’s March of 2017and theU.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s court case, to support your thinking.
Need:Include the counterclaim and how you would respond. What would someone say if they disagreed with you? Where would they find fault with your supporting evidence? What can you include to address these arguments?
Next step:Work with your writing partner to talk through theClaim, Support, Questionprotocol. Do some more research to address the questions that you and your partner generate, and add this information to your essay.
This feedback moves beyond what students often receive in response to their work—statements such as “Great job!” “Shows improvement.” “Add evidence.” The more comprehensive feedback can empower students because it’s individualized to the student; leverages students’ assets, interests, and learning preferences; and builds students’ confidence in themselves. Let’s unpack the above example to see how to accomplish this.
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PROVIDING MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK
Strengths: Identify what students can do in relation to the learning target, regardless of whether they’ve achieved mastery. The feedback in our example is based on the following learning target and success criteria for the student:
I can write an argument by doing the following:
Stating a claim
Providing supporting reasons and relevant evidence
Addressing counterclaims
When a teacher identifies what students can do, it communicates the belief that all students are learners and can achieve high expectations. Students know what to repeat in future assignments and, most important, develop confidence in themselves. Often by middle and high school, students who have repeatedly been told what they cannot do have accepted failure as a norm and need support in redeveloping their identity as a learner. Identifying what students can do helps rebuild this identity characteristic necessary for learning.
Needs:Identify where a student is in relationship to the learning target. The language the teacher uses in identifying needs can affect how students receive the feedback. In our feedback example, the teacher states the need—Include the counterclaim and how you would respond—and then provides some questions to prompt student thinking. Zaretta Hammond writes inCulturally Responsive Teaching and the Brainthat direct and honest feedback helps students understand that feedback is affirmation that the student can reach the goal. When feedback is cushioned or vague, a student may interpret it to mean that the teacher doesn’t believe in the student’s capability.
Next steps:These directly correlate with the identified needs and provide suggestions on how students can move forward. Too often, students are given feedback but don’t know how to address it. The teacher supports student independence and self-regulation by describing actions that the student can take on their own to strengthen their work. In our example of feedback, the teacher reminds the student to use a thinking routine that has been repeatedly used in class—to identify possible counterclaims and provide stronger evidence to support their reasoning.
Next steps should also consider the individual attributes of the student. For example, if the teacher knows a student is an artist, suggesting that thestudent use sketchnotingbefore writing might be a good next step. Students who use oral language to process information might benefit from peer discussion, as mentioned in the example, before writing. Alinguistically diversestudent might write in the language they are most comfortable with to organize and elaborate on their ideas.
The amount, timing, and format:These can influence how a student receives the feedback and their willingness to act on it. Some students need less feedback more often, while other students prefer to have the time to process and apply the feedback. Feedback can be verbal or written and offered privately or in small groups. The same process for providing feedback will not work for everyone. If a teacher is unsure as to what strategy might work best for the student, the teacher can conference with the student and discuss different strategies. This builds the trust that underlies the successful feedback relationship.
The feedback that students receive from their teachers serves as models for students to engage in peer feedback and self-assessment. When students use the same process with their peers and then apply it to themselves, they’re truly empowered. Students, like their teachers, must have clearly articulated learning targets and a protocol, such as the strengths, needs, and next steps. They must also reflect on the feedback process. Questions such as “How did feedback from your classmate help you revise your work?” “What did you learn from examining your classmate’s work that will help you in revising your own?” and “How did you revise your work after completing your self-assessment?” all help students see the value of the feedback process.
Empowering students through feedback begins with teacher feedback that identifies what the student can do, clearly states areas of needs, and considers the individual attributes of each student in providing next steps. When students receive quality feedback from their teachers, they are primed to engage in peer feedback and self-assessment, and empowered to be self-regulated, independent learners.
Many teachers need to work a side job over thesummer breakor school year to make ends meet.
Even if it isn’t a necessity, having some part time extra income can be a nice way to supplement a full-time teacher salary.
But what types of places will hire teachers just for the summer, beyond a basic summer school gig?
Read on to see some out-of-the-box ideas for how to use your teaching degree and earn extra money in the process.
Back when I first graduated with my bachelors degree in education, the only work I could find right away was as a substitute teacher.
And boy did I sub. For two years, I worked almost every day between 3 local school districts in order to make ends meet as a single parent. Having no benefits was terrifying, but my daughter thankfully was covered elsewhere.
I would even make sure to come in early and stay late to schmooze with the staff members in order to try and secure additional work by encouraging them to take personal days. Ha!
Luckily, I also secured two different long-term positions two years in a row, which immensely helped keep the income rolling in.
But, come winter and summer breaks, that’s when it hurt the most.
Trying to find a “regular job” for just a few weeks in the winter was pretty much near impossible as employers knew I wouldn’t have much flexibility to work nights and weekends once school started back up again.
Knowing then what I know now would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights and stressful crying sessions.
I can only hope something on this list can help other educators who are also relying on additional funds to keep their family afloat.
Or maybe you are just a teacher friend who wants to continue to share the love for learning all summer long. I’ve got you covered as well!
Local Gigs for Teachers During the Summer
1.Run a community summer reading challenge: Does your local library do any sort of reading challenge for students? If not, perhaps there are community funds available to get one set up. Get donations from local companies to issue prizes, choose books for the challenge, and ask parents to help you get the word out.
2.Sell handmade goods: Do you enjoy creating homemade necklaces, pottery, or monogrammed home decor? What you consider a fun hobby could also be a great income-generating activity. Set up shop at the local craft fairs or sell exclusively online. Etsy is a wonderful place to post those items for sale.
3.Local Tutor Group: Put together flyers and ask administrators at several area schools to send them home with students. Group same age/subject area specialty students together to make small groups. Charge per student. Having a small group for 2 hours a couple days a week makes the time go by fast – and parents are excited for that small break as well.
4.Direct Sales Consultant: Direct sales has come a long way since Tupperware parties back in the day. Today, modern direct sales consultants are capable of earning incomes rivaling a teacher’s full time salary! {I know this from personal experience.} And many times that can be earned without having to do home parties. Online direct sales parties are pretty mainstream now. With thousands of companies to choose from, you have plenty of choices to pick a product that is something you are already using and can stand behind. One additional tip when choosing your perfect match? The best products are consumables. That way your customers will continue to need additional products from you.
5.Seasonal company training leader: I live near a large amusement park and every summer, they hire teachers to train their seasonal part time workers (who are mostly high school and college students). This uses your current expert teaching job experience, but in a slightly different angle. See what other seasonal companies are in your area that need to train staff annually.
6.Pet sitter: With so many people heading out on family vacations in June and July, many are willing to pay top dollar to have a trust-worthy person come into their home to check on Garfield and Odie. It may only take 30 minutes a day, but the peace of mind for those pet owners not o have to stress out their extra family members by sending them to boarding kennels is worth a hefty price tag.
7.Laminate, cut out, and ship digital classroom decor sets: Have you seen the gorgeous DIY classroom decoration sets online that teachers can download, print, and put up? Many teachers shy away from them because they really aren’t interested in sitting around waiting for the printer to run out of ink, papers to get jammed, laminating, and then cutting everything out. If that is your jam, I can guarantee you will have customers who are willing to pay you to do it for them. Even if they are not local to offer delivery services, you can ship the completed items to the purchaser of your services.
8.Local tour guide: Most communities have some sort of local history and proud heritage. This usually comes in the form of local walking tours or museum talks. Typically the organization provides the information. They just need someone to relay those facts who can speak clearly and walk with a crowd while doing so. {No crowd is even close to the Kinder teacher walking her new students down the hall the first week of school.
9.Garage Sale Host: I don’t know about you, but I personally have loads of items I keep meaning to list on garage sale sites – or just to have one large sale. Honestly, if I could put everything in a pile and let someone else do it for me, I would gladly share any of the profits just to get the stuff out of my house. Offer this service and make money imply by organizing the sale and (if applicable), shipping it off if you are selling on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
10.Airbnb experiences host: Do you know how to surf, or to paint, or know all the best places to eat desserts in your city? Apply tobecome an experience hostand share your love for what you are already good at with visitors to your area.
11.Seasonal rental housekeeper: While I realize this doesn’t really take into account your whole teaching degree, I know several teacher friends who make really good money by simply tidying up and changing sheets in seasonal rental units throughout the summer. Usually the switch happens around lunchtime, so you have your mornings and evenings free and not tied up with a job which is a nice perk.
12.Create parent summer field trip guidesfor local places in your area that include travel tips, fees, drive times, and learning questions to ask throughout the trip: Parents love educational materials that are geared towards them and not specifically to teachers. They don’t have a background in child development or have a clue what the standards jargon even means. But they still would love to be able to do educational events with their kids throughout the summer without having to pay for summer camps. Find local educational places in your area (could even be county parks or the beach) and put together brochure-type field trip guides which list interesting facts and guiding questions for parents to ask their children as they explore the area.
Online Side Hustle Opportunities
13.Proofreader: Online virtual work websites such asUpworkis a great place to post about your services. Or simply asking around in blogger groups who could use a proofreader for their products, blog posts, social media posts, advertising, and more.
14.Write an eBook: Do you have a unique way you do something in the classroom? some examples might include: how you encourage sharing or a classroom management hack that always seems to work. If so, other teachers would gladly pay for that information in book form. Write your mini book in a basic word processing software (such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs) and then save as a .pdf. Create a fun cover and put it up for sale.
15.Essay reader: Most teachers scoff at the idea of reading more student writing papers than absolutely necessary, but some actually love this task. If you are a lover of all things writing, do a quick search online for essay reader jobs and you will see a ton of freelance writing opportunities from which to choose.
16.Edit videos: If you are technically inclined and love to create cool videos for your students that include video clips, slideshows, voice overs, transitions, or even music clips with intros and outros, you have a huge market of online entrepreneurs. Being that social media loves these types of videos, online content bloggers and creators are trying to get more of these made. But it doesn’t come natural for many (including myself). If this is your forte, hit up the online blogging niches and offer up your services. You will be so busy you might be a bit sad when your school break ends.
17.Sell lesson plans: No matter whether you are an elementary, middle school, or high school teacher, everyone needs lesson plans. To save educators time and create more work-life balance,Teachers Pay Teacherswas created with this end in mind. If you have a knack for creating great lesson plans built around specific standards, you can really help others by listing your work there. Plus it becomes a source of passive income beyond that point.
Have you always wanted to create your own custom classroom printable worksheets, decor, teacher planners, forms, and more, but didn’t know how to start?
Custom Classroom Creationsis your go-to for learning the ins and outs of teacher digital scrapbooking!
18.Sell photos online: If you love to take photos in your spare time, this may be just the avenue for you. Many website owners and digital product creators need great images to add to their work or websites. Upload your portfolio to a stock photo site, such asDeposit Photosand you can get paid every time someone purchases a digital version of your picture.
19.Online tutor: Of course online tutoring jobs are really big at the moment. You’ll hear VIPKid mentioned in online teacher groups almost daily. But that is because it is a great way to use your teaching credentials, continue to educate students, and earn some additional spending cash all while sitting in your home office.
20.Become an Amazon affiliate: Do you love to shop? I may have an online shopping problem to be quite honest. But as much as I love looking for the best deals and unique items online, I also love sharing those details with others who I think would benefit from those same things. Even better when it’s on Amazon, a site most people know and trust to buy from. When someone clicks on an Amazon link and purchases something from their site within 24 hours, you make a small referral fee as a thank you for your referral. Just by sharing items with others that you think they will love, those small amounts can add up quickly. If your ultimate dream is to be a personal shopper, this might be the next best thing.
21.Write blog posts for teacher bloggers: Most teacher bloggers don’t like to write. You heard it. Im tossing it out there for all to see. We love to come up with ideas. MAYBE even take the photos or prep the social media images. But the actual typing of words seems to take forever when we could be spending that same amount of time on something far more creative. If you can take a given idea with a title, some subheadings, and even a couple pictures and make it into a complete blog post of 300-1,000 words, you will have a raving market for your time and work.
22.Create and sell clipart: Using software like PowerPoint or air tablets that can export your personal drawings, if you have an artsy hand, you can make and sell fun teacher graphics for teachers to put on their notes home to parents, permission slips, or Open House fliers.
23.PD book “cliff’s notes”: During the summer, teachers have a little extra time to do some personal development reading. But let’s be honest: they would rather use that time to relax and rejuvenate for the next school year. If you enjoy reading teacher PD books, you can consider creating “cliff’s notes” version to sell to teachers. That way they are still able to learn a little something over their break without feeling they need to read an entire book word for word.
24.Get paid to pin: I know this sounds like a joke because you might already be spending most of your waking hours finding the coolest pins and saving them to your carefully cultivated Pinterest boards, but teacher bloggers also use social media to get the word out about their newest blog posts and products. If you would love to get paid to pin, offer up your services to teacher bloggers so they can focus on creating more posts and products while you take over the pinning part for them.
25.Make your own fonts and sell them: Along the same lines as creating your own clipart, there are programs for handwriting your own alphabets, which then translates those letters to digital versions, and then consumers can purchase them to use in their digital creations. Various fonts are used in advertising and branding for all companies out there. You never know, but your own font creation could be featured on the next soda can.
I would love to try some of the ideas in this post (like doing the work for teachers-cutting, laminating, etc) but how do I market that and where?
Start by asking around to any teacher friends you know – or friends who have teacher friends. That’s always a great place to begin.