Presenter Rick Wormeli brings innovation, energy, validity and high standards to both his presentations, and his instructional practice, which includes more than 25 years of teaching. He is 2008 winner of the “NELMS James P. Garvin Distinguished Service Award” and a regular columnist for the NMSA’s Middle Ground magazine.

Co-sponsored by NELMS and Connecticut Association of Schools –

Some students are ready for the first steps of a topic and others are ready for advanced projects in that topic, so how do we tier assignments in order to maximize students’ learning at any given point? Join us for a practical and thought-provoking look at what constitutes mastery, and how we can increase and decrease complexity in student assignments while meeting the needs of standards and their benchmarks, all within one class period or school week. We’ll include sample lesson designs, “Anchor” and “Football,” as well as great attention moves, specific complexity raising tips, student “orbitals,” personal agendas, and suggestions on how to get students to work autonomously, a portion of which will emphasize how to build Executive Function capacity in students as they become independent learners.

We’ll also include a close examination of 21st century homework practices that help students learn and mature, and we’ll confront several homework practices that no longer serve the modern student. Woven with the tiering elements, the homework portions explore when to, and when not to, give homework, how to assess homework and provide helpful feedback, how to motivate students to do homework, how to design developmentally appropriate assignments for diverse students, how much homework to assign, and specific, classroom-tested homework assignments students will enjoy doing. For anyone revising homework policies and procedures, this is a timely opportunity.

Together, these two days are a “how-to” and “why-we-do-it” seminar on tiering and homework for those just getting their feet wet and those already swimming in both who want more ideas. Tonight’s assignment? Take the first step to invigorate your classroom practice by reserving a spot in this seminar!

For more information and registration click here.