Some Students Won't Get It

To piggy back off of last week's post, I wanted to dive into assessment again.  I promise, not another boring rant about tools for assessment, but looking from a teacher perspective....what do you do if the student(s) are still not getting it?  IT being content, knowledge, deeper cognitive understanding etc... Have you taught any lessons yet in your time here at GWU where you worked tirelessly for a few weeks on ONE lesson only to see it bomb?  I have.  I felt discouraged.  Not that the students didn't learn anything at all, but that my preparation and attention to detail and words seemed to go right over their head.  They might not have seemed at the time to not know, but looking back at my recordings, I could tell that a few were not paying attention, some just were not catching the main idea, and some were making faces in the camera.  I have learned a lot from these experiences.

This week in my class, I observed the math class (block) and it really is starting to click with me that we have a limited time to deliver all the content required by the State and National standards.  My Math CE moves incredibly fast through content and it is hard even for me to keep up.  A lot of her instruction is direct and a lot of the student's practice is independent.  As a student teacher, I plan to hopefully incorporate a more PBL approach and visual/hands on style of instruction.  How do we do this?  That is what I have asked my Math CE, my main CE and myself.  I have been chipping away at my LE1 and LE2 for a few weeks...when I am in the class, I will have a very limited time to prep for lessons and or extra instruction or facilitation of learning.  Add to that the demands of the job (parents, behavior issues, bumps on the head, administration, home life...) and you could set yourself up for disaster if you are not proactive!  So how the heck do we incorporate all or any of the new types of learning and teaching into our classrooms?

PBL: Project Based Learning (or Problem Based Learning there is a distinction) are two ways in which we can elevate our practice and encourage students to go beyond what a normal lesson may provide.  With any new tactic, the main thing to remember I have found, is to decide what the purpose is.  If you are using technology (laptops, iPads, assessment tools, games) what is the purpose?  Is the technology or the PBL facilitating the content or is it just something fun that students are not learning from?  One of the points in an article I read from Teach Thought stated: " Ideally we’re looking for them to articulate that connection between their work and the authentic purpose and audience. It’s that kind of grounding that allows teachers to leverage thinking and learning toward craftsmanship by returning to the question of how well the work is meeting the needs of the audience and the purpose of the project." (teachthought)  So how are we teaching the content and how are the students connecting and learning the content?  Does it have a purpose?


So we have purpose in place, now how do we create space to use our new method?  My goals and my thoughts as of right now are to try some new things during Student Teaching.  It will be a good opportunity to see what works for me personally and what works for the students mainly.  I feel that if you plan (work your butt off) ahead a time it is possible.  Also, just implementing one thing at a time.  I don't expect to go in there and break out Kahoot, iPads, Google Glasses and Maker Spaces and go to town.  First, that would be very hard and second, I haven't developed the purpose for these things.  I do plan on using these tools eventually, but starting with one thing at a time seems to be the best way.  You will always have stipulations: Money, Administration, parents, other teachers to deal with, but like I said, I feel gradually you can make use of these things.  Another factor to consider is how much time you will have with the entire class.  There are many disruptions throughout the day: students going to resource teachers, early dismissal, behavior.  So you have to consider these things as well.  And what are you going to do when all of that hard work you put into your lesson is not as smooth as you would like?


I relate this to NCPTS:

IVa •

Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students

This is not the only one from Standard 4, but the most encompassing one.  All of them are important however.  Here is the link if you want to review.  http://www.learnnc.org/?pstandards=Teachers--25
But I can see how important it is for us to understand all the needs of our class in order to be able to use these tools.  Sometimes, simple direct instruction is needed.  Sometimes we will need to create a fun/engaging method to improve their metacognition.  At all times however, we need to create an environment for deeper thinking and learning.  With all the factors and life matters to consider, we should always be aware of how and what the students are learning.  I hope this all makes sense.  I don't have the answer, but I am learning a lot about how to better myself as a teacher and my future classroom for learning.  Our plans will not always go the way we hoped, but if we are cognizant of student's needs and our abilities to use different tools, we can better serve our classroom and our students.


Resources:
http://www.teachthought.com/learning/project-based-learning/8-basic-steps-project-based-learning-get-started/


http://www.edutopia.org/article/differentiated-instruction-resources

Assessing The Situation

One of the biggest and most important things you do as a teacher is assess students' learning.  It is fun to deliver content, create lesson plans and interact with students, but if we are not getting through to them in a meaningful way, then we are just spinning our wheels.  If it seems like we have been beaten over the head about assessment and how we will use it, we have....but in a good way.  There is certainly a reason as Dr. Clark mentioned a week or two ago, all the work and "mini" assignments given to us have a meaning and a purpose.  It is not there for our Professors to sit back, ring their hands together and let out a Muuuuuhhhahahaha!

I love how this article from Teach Thought offers a tool to use in the classroom for assessment.  In order for you to assess student performance, you have to assess where they are at.  Are they getting the information?  Is it meaningful content?  From the article:

"Why the brain actually benefits from reflection is a matter of neurology, but the extensive research is clear: Prediction, reflection, and metacognition are pillars for the thoughtful classroom."  " Perhaps most crucially, by shifting their reflection from content to thought, students have the chance to put themselves back at the center of the learning process." (teachthought.com)

This correlates nicely with all that we have been learning involving a Bloom's Taxonomy approach to teaching and learning.  Higher order thinking requires more than worksheets and mindless drilling of information until students grasp what we are talking about.  We as college students reflect on everything (assignments, lesson plans, articles, lunch menus) so we are well versed I believe in this approach.  I feel this ties in great with NCPTS: 4E---Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. and 4H:--- Teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student has learned.  This of course is only one way to help students understand what they are learning.  Another method may be a simple 1 thumb up if you understand, 2 thumbs up if you are super confident in your understanding and Thumb to the side if you are not quite sure, thumbs down if you are clueless.  This would be a good quick tool during instruction.  The trick is, getting students to be honest about their level of understanding.  You will be able to tell when tests come in, but it is better to catch it early on.  Just like college course work, it is easy to get behind and we don't want that for them or for us.

In my classroom, I would love to develop some of these skills for students to use during the day and at the end of the day.  It will help me better prepare my lesson plans as well as the pace in which I can move through them.  That seems to be the tough part about curriculum planning.  You have to cover all of these standards, but you also have to spend extra time occasionally reviewing and assessing.  One idea I have seen in my Math CE's class is a pocket folder in which students place their name tag.  It is labeled: I got this, I kinda got this, I need more instruction/have questions, I have no clue.  Like I said, it is up to the students in this case to determine their level.  But, my big thing is, why not do this during instruction.  Examples: Call on kids during the lesson (may back fire because some students hate that) but you can see who is paying attention.  Others signals to get their feedback could be: Is this making sense?  Who gets this (thumbs up or down)?  Ask students to come up and demonstrate or share what they have learned.  Have your higher level learners share and lead their small group, have small group discussion time, pal to pal discussion time (1to 1) etc.... Just don't assume students understand, have them explain their reasoning and methods.  Whether they are correct or not, it will instill confidence for them to try. 

In order for us to become better at what we do, we have to rely on the students' feedback.  It is all about them right??  We have been given the knowledge, ability, tools and instruction on how to do this, it is our responsibility to continue learning how to BEST do this each year.  As much as policy changes and mandates change, we have to be able to adapt.  Be creative, be proactive.  Pay attention to students who struggle as much as possible.  Create a culture of "It's okay to try and be wrong." or "It is okay if you don't understand, let's get to where we do."  Assessing our students' learning is one of the most important aspects of our profession.  Without it, we cannot progress as educators.  And I don't think any of us are going to be or want to be mediocre.  What are some of the ways you will use assessment??

Resources:

http://www.teachthought.com/learning/use-twitter-exit-slip-teaching/

http://www.insidemathematics.org/performance-assessment-tasks

How Did You Get That Answer?

First off, I continue each week to grow in my appreciation and love of the teaching profession.  I am inspired, humbled, motivated and encouraged by all of the teacher leaders who are in my life and those whom I read about and learn from online.  We live is such an amazing time in which knowledge, education and instruction are so readily available to us as educators.  I say educators present tense because we are already educators.  I have seen so much growth in myself and all of my classmates over the past 2 years and I just want to say keep up the hard work!  

This week I have been learning about NCPTS and breaking down part 1C and 1D for my week.  I also was able to spend a little time in the classroom and though I didn’t really do anything, I observed a lot.  Seeing those little people working diligently on their tasks, adhering very well to the class routine (behavior and expectations).  The students were really excited to see me, more so than the first two weeks, so I guess me being there is making a difference.  Once again, I believe they are  a great class to work with.  Also this week, we are looking at the Mathematical Standards and analyzing them.  I really think this is a great way to instill into students the importance of problem solving and critical thinking in all subjects and in life.  Here are the standards in a nutshell:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
4. Model with mathematics
5. Use appropriate tools strategically
6. Attend to precision
7. Look for and make use of structure
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

I know we all have to do some research on these this week, so I won’t bore you with details on every one of them.  I just thought I would talk about how I would like to use them and possibilities of a few of them.  

In this day and age of technology, information and Google answers (why is there not an app called that?) it is easy to just look up information or answers to things, but no critical thinking is involved necessarily.  Also, how do you know it is 100 percent correct?  That is why it is important for students to be able to connect with the content and come up with the reasoning.  For instance, when technology fails or they are limited on its use, students will have to figure out the best solution (2 and 3).  How do you fight to get the right answer?  Do you give up very easily or do you persevere? (1,2)  What does your work look like?  Is it correct?  Also, how do you fact check? (6, 4  Once you have come up with a solution, how do you make sure that is the best possible outcome? (8) or what tools would you use to solve the problem? (5).  These are just a few ways to look at the standards.  This could apply to research, writing, reading, math, science, etc…  I think this is a great way to look at these standards.  We can teach students about fractions, but if they are able to reason and look at it from different angles like visualizing something they recognize like a pizza and how it could be divided into slices, I feel they will be able to retain the information better.  Making the content relevant and meaningful have been key components in creating lesson plans.  That is because we should not teach ONLY for students to pass an EOG.  We should teach them how to do quality work, think about solutions, (the 4 C’s: collaborate, communicate, be creative and think critically.) This will help them in the workforce, but also life in general.  Students need to take all of the advantages we didn’t have 15-20 years ago and use them in a powerful way.

This relates to teaching standard 4: Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Class.  What a great method to ingrain into or students’ minds and thought process.  As a teacher, we should always think of ways in which we can help students to advance their learning.  Especially those students who struggle at times with confidence or problem solving.  I would like to use this in all subjects because like I said previously, it is a very great tool to promote the higher level of reasoning that we want students to achieve.  Like Dr. Parker recommended, make copies for students to put in their notebooks, plaster it all over the classroom, take a small chunk of each day to review how to use the standards and what the reasoning is behind them.  Creating lessons and delivering content in a way that gets them to think is also a way to incorporate this approach to learning.  Is it the only way?  No, but it is a great way for sure!

Literacy....More Than Reading

Once again, I was privileged to spend the entire day on Tuesday with my classroom.  Now, I know it is not "my" classroom, but I have already decided that they are my group until I finish next semester.  I have memorized all but two names (if I were to do a lightening round to name them all, I would be mostly right.) but more than knowing their names, I have learned a lot about them in the three visits I have made so far.  Learning students academic levels and proficiencies are very important, but knowing their quirks, their motivations, set backs and social inadequacies are just as important in my opinion.  How we motivate and inspire depends on their willingness to learn and participate.

This week in Literacy Practicum, we have been learning about reluctant readers and how to motivate and educate all situations we may come across in the classroom.  Some are above grade level but are not motivated because they are bored.  Some are not proficient and they may feel shy or embarrassed so they may not participate either.  So how do we empower them and encourage them?  That is something we will learn more about and practice in the next two semesters.  When we model good reading practice, then we have a better chance at helping student in both camps work harder toward the goal.  Examples go far beyond the standard book series or famous novel.  We can/could use graphic novels, magazines (appropriate for grade level and age of course), interactive reading, audible formats, etc... It is our responsibility to research and find what works best for all of our students.

In my classroom, we have been implementing a Reading Workshop literacy unit/program written by Debbie Rosenow Dr. Jan Richardson and Hollie Steele.  In this 20 day program, we will be developing good reading habits (physical posture while reading, fluency, comprehension, writers workshop etc...) as well as hopefully motivating students by encouraging them to read, finding what style or series they enjoy, going beyond what they are capable of.  I am pretty excited about this and hope to add my input on new ways to teach literacy and writing.  My CE allowed me to lead on a few of the sessions Tuesday so that I can show that I enjoy reading as well.  The students really got into it and I hope they continue to find what books/literature they like to read.

Upon doing some research on ideas to lead a 21 Century classroom in ELA, I found this site:  https://www.english.com/blog/21st-century-skills  the main view point focused on in this particular post was that students should be able to:

• Perform independently and with groups in a highly technologically advanced atmosphere 
• Be ready for daily, global interaction  
• Be cable of adaptive, flexible and creative thinking 
• Understand how to plan for, build, and include collaboration with peers who are colleagues and experts in the field.  

I certainly think these things are doable, but quite possibly could be problematic for some school systems and or teachers.  But this is the new way, the future of society and the way students learn life skills that they will use in the future.  This site also listed the 4 C's (Communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration).  I really like this view point on education and could certainly see it being the focal point of my future classroom.  The class I am student teaching in has a huge culture of teamwork as well as the entire school.  I know when I was in school, I don't remember teamwork promoted as much, but I think this is a great way to introduce better scaffolding for students, differentiate learning as well as develop student camaraderie and encourage better, more efficient work from students.  That accountability factor is huge for me.

This encompasses NC Teaching Standard 3: Teachers Facilitate Learning for their students.  My reasoning is that it is important for teachers to know what methods, lessons, structures work best for their students to learn.  The reading plan we are using in the class is a great way to facilitate literacy in a positive way for our students.  There are certainly other ways as well, but this works best for our school system for now.  As I grow in my role as a teacher (student for now) and on into my very own classroom, I will always want to strive to deliver the best content and use the best delivery method for that content to better prepare my students for the real world.  But not at in a way that they think education/school is a waste of time.  More in the way of developing their problem solving skills, independent practice and furthering their education beyond k-12!

Follow the Leader

This was a great week for me.  I was able to spend the first 2 days in my classroom as a student teacher.  I was introduced formally to the students I will be working with,  I was able to get comfortable with the layout of the school (definitely want to know how to navigate the campus) and start building a relationship with students to make my transition to fulltime student teaching successful.  I have taken thousands of mental notes as well as digital notes on my iPad of ways in which I would like to develop my personal style, classroom management plan and what type of lessons I will be able to do with my particular students.  We all know that differentiation and integration are KEY in today's classroom.  So it is important to find what works best with your group of students.  The other thing that I noticed is how important integration will be to cover all areas of subject matter to create well rounded students and to get them to see how all subjects are interwoven into our lives in one way or another.




But where do you start with all of these concepts?  How do you get their attention? (not JUST their imagination, but their mental and physical attention)  This is one thing I have really focused on learning about this week.  There are many tricks and methods to capturing a room.  If the students are not into what you are teaching, it will be hard on you.  If you give them too many directions at once it will be hard on you as an educator.  If you let them do what they want without some type of structure, you can lose their respect and it will be hard on you.  Now I am not saying they should never try things independently, I am saying do not neglect to give them some form of direction.  My age group to work with is 4th grade, so they are becoming more independent, but they still need guidance and assistance to an extent. 




Here are a few methods I have learned from my CE as I have observed;


--From the classroom:

• To get the attention of a noisy room, the CE would alternate signals such as: "Class, if you can hear me clap once, class if you can hear me clap twice."  She would do this with them to let everyone know that they need to stop what they are doing and pay attention.  There are other call out type methods such as thumbs up, touch your ears, nose, etc... I was able to try some of these ideas and hope to develop my own.  They work!  I tried the: "Ok class settle down" approach to no avail.  But, when I would speak to them and instruct them: "Thumbs up if you can hear me" or I would simply raise my hand and acknowledge what table is doing the right thing (paying attention, desk clear, and ready to move on) I had their full attention.  It was like magic!  In our classroom, we have expectations and the students learned them from the first day, so they catch on pretty quick as to what to do.
• Transitions.  This is something I struggled with since the beginning of leading a classroom.  I am learning that this is a crucial element to getting the students to move from one task to the other.  With many different types of learners, you have to be able as a teacher to keep their attention as well as deliver content in multiple areas and do it consistently.  That is difficult for sure, but it is doable.  Once you know your class routine, schedule and lesson progressions, this is a lot easier.  That is why it is critical to learn every aspect of your Clinical classroom and how to effectively write and teach great lessons.
• Giving clear and precise instruction.  The lesson or activity (and transitions) will go so much better when you give great direction and instruction.  If you don't know what you are doing, the students will not know what to do.  If you don't ask them to repeat (formally assess) the directions, you will spend valuable learning and teaching time reviewing the assignment and instructions to the class or each student as they come up to you and ask how to do something.

These are just three points of our craft as teachers that I have thought about and reflected on this week.  One really cool concept my CE has conveyed to the class is the idea we are all learners as well as teachers.  We are a team, granted the Teacher is the director of the team, we are all working together.  This encompasses the NC Teaching standard: Teacher as leader.  It is important to for teachers to not only be a leader, but know how to lead effectively.  This can be achieved by edCamps, blogs, edchats on Twitter etc...but it is the responsibility of the teacher to learn and establish the vibe of the room.  Also, we should consider our students' future teachers.  How do we want them to operate in another class?  Hopefully it will be a reflection of all the hard work we put into our students.


Classroom management is not impossible.  It can be hard work, but this (teaching) is not an easy job.  In order to be an effective teacher and use the little window of hours in a day that we have to teach, we HAVE to hone in on these skills.  They are not really natural to many people.  Some folks certainly have a way better skill set in this area.  But I believe with practice and research, we can find what works best for us.  Yelling and being hateful should not be on our list.  It is all in how you build your class expectations in the beginning.  Will you have "those days?" of course.  But you can limit "those days" by learning different techniques and being consistent with them.  What are some ways you have learned to lead?