Thursday, January 30, 2014

Standards - Based + Self Paced = Surprisingly Awesome



I attended #edcampNJ in the fall of 2013 and while I walked away with so many ideas there was one session that really stretched my thinking.  It was a session run by Rebecca McLelland-Crawely (@WWPscience) who is the Supervisor of Science at West Windsor North High school and Kristina Nicosia (@kmsusca) who teaches a Freshman Biology class at the same high school.  Kristina teaches Biology with Robert Corriveau, and together they have developed an amazing classroom to engage students in their own learning.  Rebecca and Kristina gave a presentation about a classroom that seemed amazing.  They talked about a class where there was problem based, learning and standards based grading while the students were self-paced through this process.  After hearing about this classroom I knew I had to go and visit to see it for myself, and I was going to bring teachers with me to see how we could bring elements of their classroom into our own.

The Awesome:
  • Time is maximized, the students walk in and get right to work.  Some open Chromebooks to find where they left off (the entire YEAR of learning is in a Google Drive folder).  Some have signed up to present their projects to the teacher.  Other students are giving presentations to the class using tools like Prezi on the SMART Board.  
  • All students have the opportunity to redo an assignment or retake an assessment they didn't do well on, because the goal in this class is to have students learn material, not for the teacher to cover material.  
  • Students have the ability to self-pace their homework.  I spoke to a student named Lauren who told me:   "There is free scheduling and flexibility when it comes to homework. You can choose to do as much homework as you want. That means a lot to me because I'm involved in so many after school activities."  
  • It is 100% clear which students are actively learning and which students are not. In a traditional classroom, where the teacher is in front of the room lecturing, how many students are actively involved?
  • Students own the workspace. Several students had an activity where they had to determine the rate a disease would spread so they had to roll dice. They chose to go out out in the hall where their rolls wouldn't be interfered with.
  • Only the grade at the end of the year is the one that counts. In a traditional classroom if a students bombs the first marking period with a 'D' there is no way he/she can earn an 'A' at the end of the year. In this class if a student falls behind the first marking period, they can work hard and still earn an 'A' by the end of the year. If a student masters all concepts they have done 'A' work.
  • Students could not only name their own objective for the day, but the majority of students understood why they were learning it. They understood how it connected to what they had learned previously and how it could connect what they will learn in the future.
The Surprising:
  • Many students did not like the set-up of this class. Some students would rather sit down and listen to the teacher lecture, if there is confusion you could ask another student because everyone is at the same place.
  • One student shared with me, "If you are having a bad day in a regular class, it is no big deal, you don't really have to work that hard. But if I have a bad day in this class, I have to work twice as hard the next day to catch up."
  • I asked a student if this type of learning environment could be replicated in a math class. His response: "It kind of already is, I mean I don't really always understand they way my math teacher explains things. So now I know how to look for resources and learn math skills by watching videos online."
  • ZERO behavior problems. I thought by giving students this much independence there could be issues with behavior, but I was wrong. The only mis-behavior I witnessed was that the occasional student was off task. His/her has a natural consequence of falling behind in the class.
  • Teachers still teach and give lectures, and students can sign up for them. I have NEVER seen a group of students more attentive to a teacher lecture than the one I saw. Every student had a felt need to understand what they teacher was explaining. They needed to understand what he was saying in order to move on, and the students hung on every word.
  • Students were asked if they thought this type of class could be replicated in a middle school. Most students said they didn't think middle school students would be 'mature' enough. However one student did say he wished he did have this type of class when he was younger because it would have taught him how to learn and he would be better prepared for high school.
The Take-Aways:
  • Several of our teachers use stations and the students rotate around the room. One of those stations could become a self-paced station. The work on a project for the unit of study they are currently learning.
  • Why do we grade the way we do? We began a discussion on what a grade really says about student learning, and we agreed that earning a 'B' for a marking period can mean many different things for many different students. This will be an ongoing discussion for us.
  • Our hosts brought up the fact that they run Student-Led Conferences and our teachers seemed to really like the idea of it. We will definitely begin the process of rolling out SLC in the fall.
  • If another school can do it so can we. By stepping out of our school we were able to hear from teachers who are trying something new, and constantly adapting their practice. These Biology teachers try everyday to improve their instruction for the students.
I want to thank our hosts again for allowing us to come into their classroom. It was an amazing experience to see this classroom function at such a high level. I would like to thank the students for welcoming us and answering our questions. I know how valuable their time is and I am grateful they were willing to give us a few minutes to better understand their how the magic happens. My biggest take away was how these teachers are implementing best practices in education with no road map. They are blazing their own trail because they believe the path they are creating is one that is best for students. They know that their classroom is not perfect yet, they are always looking for ways to improve it, but they refuse to allow perfect to become the enemy of great. This is a classroom that allows GREAT learning to occur.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

FedEx Day

http://www.businessnc.com/articles/2012-09/regional-report-triad-september-2012-category/
http://www.businessnc.com/articles/2012-09/regional-report-triad-september-2012-category/
Yesterday we launched our first FedEx Day at Byram Intermediate.  For those of you who don't know, Fed Ex Day is when the teachers spend the day designing innovative teaching practices and then present what they have created at the end of the day.  It was the first time teachers in my school had a professional development day like this, and they blew me away with what they were able to do.  As I walked from room to room their excitement was contagious and their passion for teaching was palpable.  Here are the steps it took us to have our Fed Ex Day.

Step 1:   Consult the Experts

I sent a message out on Twitter asking if anyone had ran a Fed Ex Day at their school and +Jenna Shaw reached out was a a tremedous help.  She shared with me the format she had used at her school and put me in contact with +Lyn Hilt who has done tremendous work with FedEx Days in her distritct. Without these two experts there is no way we would have been able to pull off what we did.

Step 2:   What is Your Sentence?



As educators we have so many mandates pushed upon us.  There is always a new teaching strategy that must be used in the classroom every few years, and because of this teachers can sometimes forget why we got into education in the first place.  We wanted our teachers to reconnect with the reasons why they got into education, and find their passion.  The teachers created their sentences and posted them on a Google Presentation Slide for all the teachers to see.  As I looked at these slides I could feel the passion our teachers had, and their desire help our students learn and grow.

Step 3:    What Motivates?



The teachers had to list 5 things that motivate them and 5 things that motivate students.  The reason for this was to have the teachers focus on inspiring students to learn.  So many times we throw things at students, ask them to learn, and then when they don't, we call them lazy, or unprepared.  It is our job as educators to inspire students to want to learn.


Step 4:   Developing a Plan




Teachers were allowed to work with anyone they wanted to create an innovative teaching practice.   The teachers filled out a Google Form to let the administration know who would be in their group, what they were going to accomplish and where they would be working.  This allowed the teachers to have a game plan when they arrived for Fed Ex Day and let me know where I could go visit and check in on the work they were doing.  Teachers were encouraged to keep their groups to about three, but we had groups as large as eight that did a brilliant job.  

Step 5:   Get to Work!

Teachers arrived and we had bagels, muffins, and pancakes to load up on carbs before everyone got to work.  As the teachers got to work I would float from room to room and listen to the plans the teachers were unrolling.  It was not easy for all groups to get rolling right away.  Some of the groups struggled with their scope and how 'big' to make the project they were working on. The teachers wanted to do something GREAT, and I got the feeling they were nervous that they wouldn't be able to complete their work by the end of the day.  We worked together to get past those fears, and we didn't allow 'perfect' to become the enemy of great.  

Step 6:  Deliver!




At the end of our Fed Ex Day it is time to deliver.  Each group had 60 seconds to present their creation to the rest of the staff.  The teachers would come up to the front of our All-Purpose Room and if they were able to create a digital link they could show some of what they created, or they could simply explain what they were able to do.  I was so proud of our staff, who has never had PD to learn about Google Docs or digital tools attempt to use these types of technology.  Some were successful with the technology while others were not, but I was so impressed that they were willing to take a risk and try.  It was such a great experience for the teachers to hear what everyone else was working on.  I know I was amazed at the ideas, energy, and innovative teaching practices our teachers were able to produce.  As I used my iPhone timer to try and keep everyone to 60 seconds and respect their time, I soon realized some teachers were so proud of the work they had done there was no way I was getting the mic back after a minute.  They wanted to share with everyone the amazing things they created, and  I couldn't blame them at all.  I cannot list all the brilliant and dynamic lesson the teachers created in this space, but I encourage you to go here to see what they created.  Please note they are still being updated.

Step 7:  Reflect

This is my first year in the Byram school district, and my first year as an administrator.  This was by far my favorite day on the job so far!  As I reflect upon the day there are a few things I learned:    

I learned just how passionate our teachers are about what they do!

I learned if you are born in Puerto Rico, you can run in a Presidential Election, but cannot vote.

60 seconds isn't long enough for teachers to share what they have created for Fed Ex Day.  

I learned if we want teachers to take risks we need to support them with time to collaborate.  

It is easier to take a risk, to take that first scary step, when someone is doing it with you.  

We are all better when we work together.

One Fed Ex Day is not enough....I hope to do this again next year!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Jump Off a Cliff, and Develop Your Wings on the Way Down

http://writingthroughthefog.com/2010/08/31/cliff-jumping-on-ibizas-cala-tarida/

One of the goals we have set for our school is to have students improve their writing.  Writing is such an essential life skill, a skill that cuts across every subject. Whether the students in our school grow up to be police officers or accountants, real-estate brokers or hedge fund managers, advertisers or astronauts, they will all have to write.

So when it comes to school, why do we only have one subject for writing?  I know what you are going to say, writing takes place across the curriculum, not just in an English class.  While that may be true, another question still remains.  Who assesses that writing?  Would the Math teacher and the English teacher ever come to a consensus on what 'good writing' is?

Wouldn't it be so much better for the students if their teachers spoke the same language when it came to writing?  Wouldn't it be so much better if they valued the same aspects of writing? Wouldn't it be better if they had time to assess student writing together?

I know for Math and Science teachers, they feel unprepared to assess students writing in a subject like English.  They are scared they will make a mistake, or look foolish in front of teachers.  We have to remove that fear for our teachers by taking the time to teach them how to assess writing.  Will it still be scary, even if they are taught?  Yes, they are stepping out of their comfort zone, and they will be a little scared, but it is OK to be scared.  I am reminded by one of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut, "We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down."  Sometimes we have to try things because we know it is what is best for students, and figure out how to do it along the way.

With that said, we cannot simply ask teachers to take on this new task without support.  We need to provide teachers with a few periods a week to assess student writing together in school together.  We need to instruct teachers on what to value and how teach them how to assess student writing in a way they don't feel threatened.  If teachers are given these opportunities, they can begin to develop a common language.  The science and english teachers would use the same terminology as they explain the importance of siting informational text.  They would look at student writing through the same lens and develop a clear sense of what was important and what was simply window dressing.

In our school the teachers are working together to make this happen, and so far I have been blown away but what the teachers are doing.   In many middle schools and high schools that I have visited the teachers have no interest in learning taking place in each-other's classrooms.  This is not the case at our school.  Every grade level is getting together a few periods a week to assess student writing together.  They are having discussions about what is important in a piece of writing, smiling at mistakes they remember making, marveling at the abilities they never knew existed in some students, and even arguing about what score a piece of writing deserves.  These discussions are so valuable.  In many of the sessions we have the teachers are the ones dominating the conversation and not me.   They are taking control and explaining to others what is of value. 

I am grateful to have teachers who are taking this jump with me, as we work together to develop our wings along the way.  

Sunday, January 5, 2014

A More Active Classroom

http://blog.uwgb.edu/alumni/files/2010/04/00012-UWGB-students-in-classroom-ca.1969-1970.jpg


One of the things that always bothered me as a student was sitting in my seat.  I wanted to get up, move around.  Was the student that drove you crazy because my leg couldn't stop bouncing up and down, or I couldn't help but click my pen about a million times because I had to have at least my thumb move.  The list of excuses I would come up with just to move around the classroom was extraordinary.  I needed to sharpen my pencil, get a tissue, get a book from my locker, I would even rough through assignments just so I could get up and hand it in.

As our students come back from a long winter break, I thinks about education today I wonder how much movement we allow our students to have.  My guess is an elementary classroom there is some movement activities throughout the day.  We all understand those little guys can't sit still for too long.  But how much of the movement those students are doing is centered around a lesson?  As students enter middle school and high school they move between classes, but the movement in class decreases greatly.  Once students arrive in college the movement all but stops.

I can only remember 1 entire lesson that was taught to me in college and that was by a professor who took us outside and taught us how to play an educational game.  It was amazing, I used it in my classroom as a teacher, and still remember it today.  If he had passed out notes on the game, or put it in a PowerPoint I still would have received the information, but he would not have 'taught' me the game.

I am not saying we need have students move for the sake of moving, nor am I saying that lecturing is never appropriate.  Teachers still need to talk with a class and provide direction and instructions in that manner, but the research shows it should be in short bursts.


The question then becomes --> What do we have the students do to learn and move about the classroom at the same time?  Here are a few ideas I have borrowed form Kagen and The Teaching Channel:

  • Pump in Some Tunes
    • Have students wait outside of class before they come in and turn on the music.  Then give them all a review of yesterday's lesson something that will take 5 minutes to do independently.  When they enter the room they need to have all the answers filled in by other classmates, no classmate is allowed to answer a question more than once on a student's paper.  Students will be walking, hopefully dancing, around the room answering each-other's questions.  Once a student has finished stop the music all students return to their seats and go over the answers.   Students are much more energized to start the class.
  • Scavenger Hunt
    • The room has eight to twelve cards (with answers on the outside and questions on the inside) scattered around the room. As soon as students enter the room they move to a card of their choosing, solve a problem, and then look for the answer on the outside of another card. The students must work with a partner and write down all their math work. The first team to finish all problems correctly, and show their work properly, wins.  Students will hopefully be motivated to show up to class on time.
  • Rally Coach
    • The teacher partners up students with only one pencil for the two of them.  The 'player' sits and answers the question or solves the problem while the 'coach' stands behind him to watch and encourage him.  The 'player' must talk his way through the entire problem, his thought process etc.  If he does not the 'coach' takes the pencil away and asks for clarification.  After the 'player' has answered the question the 'coach' checks to see if it is correct and the two engage in a ridiculous handshakes or touchdown dance.  Students then switch roles.  
These are three of my favorite ways to have students move around the classroom, while learning a great deal.  I would love to hear what ideas or resources others have to increase student movement in a classroom, and let's get students moving this year.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

PLN Blogging Challenge

So yesterday I was asked by Andrew Sharos to be a part of the blogging challenge.  I met Andrew via Twitter.  We both signed up to be a part of +George Couros Virtual Mentorship Program for new or upcoming administrators, and are lucky enough to have @tonysinanis as our mentor.  I have learned a great deal from Andrew and his blog, and have been jealous of his access to the the press box at NFL games.

HERE ARE THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE:

Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
Share 11 random facts about yourself.
Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
List 11 bloggers.  They should be bloggers you believe deserve a little recognition and a little blogging love!
Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they’ve been nominated.  (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)


Eleven facts about myself:

  1. I have two children, Jack and Kate who mean the world to me.
  2. I did not enjoy school growing up, and the older I became the more I disliked school.
  3. The more I hang out with my little sister the cooler I get.   
  4.  I taught 5th Grade for 10 years, but the last four were in an in-class support setting with Dani Marangon.  We had very different teaching styles and she pushed me to become a better teacher. 
  5. I ran the 400 hurdles in high school and never lost in my county during my senior year.   Then I went to States and finished 7th. It's a big world out there. 
  6. I make a mean chicken marsala.
  7. I know how lucky I am to have the parents I do.
  8. I am a Vice-Principal in the school I use to attend.  
  9. My favorite music group is Guster.
  10. My favorite teams are the Yankees, Knicks, and Steelers.
  11. My wife is an organizing genius. She can fit 25 hours into a day, I don't know how she does it.


So here are the questions Andrew had for me:

1. What is your favorite quote about education?


It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Teddy Roosevelt

2. What are you most passionate about in life?
My children, seeing the world through their eyes. My son is an organizer, an analytical problem solver, and an amazing reader. My daughter Kate is a risk taker, she constantly tests her limits and we just hoping she doesn't burn the house down.

3. If you were having students work in groups, how many should the group have to be most effective?
Three

4. What is your favorite Sunday activity?
Watching the Steelers with my family.

5. Which twitter chat is your favorite?
#PTchat

6. Who inspires you the most?
Professionally -- Tony Sinanis -- His positive outlook on education is inspirational.

7. What advice would you give to someone interviewing for a job?
Get connected before you come in for the interview. Everyone is better when they work together.

8. What will classrooms look like in 20 years?
I believe the most important thing in a classroom in 20 years will still be the teacher. An engaging teacher does more to inspire kids than anything. In 20 years we will have the tools for everyone to connect more easily and have education become more individualized and game-like. I am hopeful that in 20 years teacher will be a lot like doctors, identifying an area of weakness and prescribing what the treatment should be.

9. Most significant historical event/sporting moment you've seen "live" in person?
I was in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium for David Wells's perfect game.

10. What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
My greatest professional accomplishment was/is the creation on my Professional Learning Network. Nothing has changed the trajectory more of my career than the relationships I have built with educators on Twitter.



11. Best concert you have ever been to?
I was at Giants Stadium listening to Dave Matthews Band one summer. Even though it was about 100 degrees with 100 percent humidity they were amazing. They came out for their encore and began playing "John the Revelator" and as they sang 'let it reign down on me', lightning streaked across the sky and it began to pour. Yes, I believe God is a Dave Matthews fan.  



Below are 11 educators/bloggers that I am challenging to answer my questions. I respect all of them for making me a better educator and inspiring me to do great things.

  1. Tony Sinanis
  2. Joe Mazza
  3. Gwen Pescatore
  4. Lisa Davis
  5. Michael Matera
  6. Dan Scibienski
  7. Brad Currie
  8. Dayson Pasion
  9. Stacy Lovdahl
  10. Lexi R. - Student ePortfolio -- She's dynamite
  11. Delia Bush


Here are the 11 questions I have for my blogging friends:

  1. What is one of your New Year's Resolutions?
  2. If you weren't in education, what would you be doing?  (What do you want to do when you grow up?)
  3. Favorite app? Why?
  4. If you could pick one area to change in education, what would it be?
  5. Who is someone you admire in education?
  6. Favorite book? Why?
  7. Do you buy lottery tickets?
  8. How long does it take you to write a blog post?
  9. Who was your favorite teacher?  Why?
  10. What was the best advice you ever received?
  11. What is the ideal number of students in a classroom?