After sharing the Tabor Rotation Framework at the 2016 SCCTM Conference,  I wanted to encourage the passionate educators in South Carolina as they continue on their journey of highly effective and personalized instruction using Tabor Rotation.

Here are 4 Tabor Tools you can download and use immediately.

Team Roles: Positive interdependence is a vital part of any group working effectively together. All members of the team need to feel that they are contributing to the success of the team by having a specific role on the team. This team-role-description sheet has a examples and descriptions of possible roles. These tabor-rotation-team-roles are leader, co-leader, timekeeper, materials manager, and reporter. Some teachers and schools have two Materials Managers, a Positive Generator, or a Whisper Monitor.

Exit Questions: Exit Questions are one way in which teachers may hold students accountable for the information they have learned. Exit questions help students summarize the activity or game. A teacher may also use them for formative assessment and as a tool to assist in Clipboard Cruising. Student responses to exit questions can also provide additional information when the teacher is forming Readiness Groups. A simple-passport can also assess the level of student understanding of a concept and the effectiveness of a station activity.

Clipboard Cruising and On-Going Assessment: Clipboard Cruising is an essential component of Tabor Rotation because it encourages teachers to be constant observers.  Clipboard Cruising is noting certain behaviors or understandings on a clipboard, or on the tabor-rotation-clipboard-cruising sheet. Cruising occurs as one moves throughout a class period or day, instructs in whole group, and works with students in Teacher Time and in Teacher-Guided Readiness Groups. It is important that the teacher be continually monitoring the progress of each student so they can make an informed plan for moving the students a little bit further than they were the day before.

My hope is that, like so many other educators I’ve helped over the years, you take this framework, incorporate the unique standards and requirements of your state or district, and create a simple-to-follow plan of true differentiated instruction which moves every student ahead, every day.

Your children, my children, and our students deserve nothing less!