John Scali

Always on the lookout for “teacher moves” that I can use in my practice! Questioning techniques, engagement strategies, management techniques, etc.

Flammable

I avoid discussions rules and expectations until a few days into the year. First day(s) should be fun and engaging. Collaborative activities that get students engaged with the content and each other. Rules and expectations mean more if there is a bit of a connection first.

We jump in to questioning and practicing with a focus on creating connections between students. In my freshman class, we are looking at inquiry tubes. (undsci.berkeley.edu/lessons/myst...). In my junior class, we are building density columns. (docs.google.com/document/d/1...). Collaboration is key!

A graphic with an icon of the sun, a wiggly line denoting natural cycles, and a volcano, with a title reading "WHY is climate changing?" created by me. Not fancy, as my graphic design skills lean to function over art!

Scientists who study climate don't automatically attribute all changes to human activity. Rather, we carefully investigate every possible natural factor that could explain the planet's warming.

Could these be the real culprits?

The evidence is in--and the answer is NO.

This thread explains! 🧵

I provide 2 expectations: be “all in” when in class and “kindness matters.” I ask students to explain when these look like in practice. I also ask them to generate expectations for me and for classmates. This generally happens on day 2 or 3.

I send out a newsletter on day 1. Ultimately, parents want to know that I care about their child’s success and will push their children to do their best. I give a parent survey about how I can best support their child. I let them know how to contact me and how soon after to expect a response.

I plan on addressing it head on this year when we develop class expectations. The question I plan on asking my students to consider is how we should use AI in our pursuit of learning and what are examples of when we should not use AI.

"For my final project, my students and I co-created guardrails for AI use. We decided that they could use AI to help narrow down a topic, identify major aspects to be researched and to help with spelling and grammar. The students learned a lot – probably more than if they hadn't used AI." —Teacher John Scali

T @jscali.bsky.social's solution to responsible AI use?

Include Ss in designing the guardrails! #AIEdusky

Love it! Also, “who agrees and can add on, or who would like to offer a different perspective?” works like a charm too.

Both @teacher2teacher.bsky.social and @edutopia.org have been incredible resources for every aspect of planning and teaching!

“What Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Climate Change” by Bertha Vazquez, Kimi Waite, & Lauren Madden. Also, “Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do About It” by Matthew Facciani. Haven’t started either yet, but excited to dig in!

I came to BlueSky following some scientists, but have had a hard time growing my educator cohort, so the list will be helpful!

I love when students can articulate their “aha” moments - especially when they can recognize that their hard work and perseverance led to the “aha” moment. While hard to predict exactly when they will happen, I’ve gotten better at engineering these experiences over the years.

Always looking for “new to me” pedagogical tips, tricks, & techniques. Also love hearing about daily joys in the classroom. Plenty are talking about why teaching is hard and pointing out problems. I want to hear more from others about why they think the professions is as great as I think it is!

Hi! I’m John Scali and I teach HS Science (Integrated/Environmental Science and Chemistry) in Delaware. I also teach the Intro Seminar for Alternate Routes to Certification for a local University. 🪏🪴☀️😎🧹

Community circles. They have been a great way to build community, work through difficult conversations, and share knowledge in a way that values every voice in the classroom as equals. They helped to teach resilience and fostered collaboration and a positive classroom community.

Plan day-by-day for as long as you need to, but quickly moving to unit planning will help make daily planning more cohesive and will help the learning progression make more sense for students.

Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education (Race and Education) Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education (Race and Education) [Brown, Bryan A., Milner IV, H. Richard, Emdin, Christopher] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education (Race and Education)

Science in the City by Bryon Brown was a great read. Focused on STEM education, but I think findings are relevant for any classes that rely on lots of academic vocabulary.

www.amazon.com/Science-City...

"I like asking, 'What questions do you think someone else would have about this topic?' It takes the pressure off of students to save face in front of their peers and gets more questions asked about things students were confused about. It’s a small change that has made a big difference in my classroom!" —Teacher John Scali

How have you improved upon "Any questions?"

T ‪@jscali.bsky.social‬ does it by inviting Ss to step into other learners' shoes:

For my final project, my students and I co-created guardrails AI use. They decided that they could use AI to help narrow down a topic, identify major aspects to be researched, and to help with spelling/grammar. The students learned a lot of chemistry - probably more than if they did not use AI.

I teach HS sciences. I always look for more relevant phenomena to exemplify concepts. In addition, attempt to

1. effectively incorporate AI and not just ignore it

2. Have students explore credible sources, skepticism, and spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories

Love this! I explored using AI on a final project this year. Students decided the guardrails - AI can help brainstorm questions to answer in the research, help with spelling/grammar, but not to do the research or the final writing. Students learned so much more from this project than without AI.

Thanks so much - yes, that would be fine! Much appreciated!

Congratulations MOT Charter School class of 2025! It’s been a pleasure! Do great things!!

I like, “what questions do you think someone else would have about this topic?” It takes the pressure off of students to save face in front of their peers and gets more questions asked about things students were confused about. It’s a small change that has made a big difference in my classroom!

Kindness and gratitude

What is your strength as a student? Brag about yourself!

The high amount of student talk to the low amount of teacher talk. Whole-group teacher talk, when needed, is mostly asking discussion questions or providing direction for collaborative work.

Tell my student show happy I am to get to work with them again today!