Teaching Children Well: A Journey of Self Reflection #3

Reflection #3

As I embark on reflection #3, I am reminded about the way I completed my teacher evaluation self reflection last fall. I quickly read through each item on the rubric, and circled number 1,2,3 or 4. There was a lot of information to take in, reflect upon, and assess in a short amount of time.

This daily summer review gives me time to think, and helps me to create a list of worthy professional learning goals for summer study and school year 2013-2014.  If you've been joining me on this journey, please don't hesitate to comment.  If you're just reading about this journey for the first time, I suggest you read reflection #1, then #2 so you understand the process well. 

Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis and continuously refining learning objectives.

Indicator I-A. Curriculum and Planning: Knows the subject matter well, has a good grasp of child development and how students learn, and designs effective and rigorous standards-based units of instruction consisting of well-structured lessons with measurable outcomes.

Element 1A-3: Rigorous Standards-Based Unit Design

Specific Criteria Analysis: (based on proficient/exemplary rating descriptors)

Criteria: Designs and models integrated and interdisciplinary units of instruction with measurable, accessible outcomes and challenging tasks requiring higher order thinking skills that enable students to learn and apply the knowledge and skills defined in PARCC, state standards and local curricula. 

Key Points/Questions:

• Designs and models integrated and interdisciplinary units of instruction. What process will I use to design standards-based integrated and interdisciplinary units of instruction on my own, and with my grade-level team?
• Measurable, accessible outcomes.  What will I use to measure student concept, skill, and knowledge prior to the unit, during the unit, and at the end of the unit? How will I make those measurements accessible to the entire learning community: students, families, educators, leaders, and the community (if community share is desired and appropriate)?
• Challenging tasks that require higher order thinking skills? How will I specifically design learning experiences so that the tasks are challenging and require higher order thinking skills?
• Enable students to learn and apply? How will I incorporate efficient, responsive, and meaningful ways for students to learn and apply knowledge?
• Knowledge and skills defined in PARCC, state standards, and local curriculum? In what ways will I become facile and fluid with all standards and progressions related to the grade level and students I teach?

Teaching Standards Analysis Document (Copy and Use if Helpful)

My self assessment in this category points to numerous important steps a teacher must take to teach children well.  I am reminded of Lucy Calkins' words in the common core introductory video I watched yesterday. She remarks that teachers will have to "ramp" up their efforts to meet these "ambitious standards."  Element 1A3 truly exemplifies Calkins' remarks.  I also believe that these new evaluation standards will result in revised roles and responsibilities in the school house in order to reach all of these worthy teaching and learning standards--too many for one teacher. 

Self Analysis Document (copy if it is helpful to you)

Teaching Children Well: Journey of Self Reflection #2

Reflection #2

During the next month, I will assess one or two of Massachusetts' new teacher evaluation indicators daily. Please join me on this journey of self reflection as we grow our repertoire and prepare for the new evaluation criteria and teaching children well for school year 2013-2014. 

Today think about your knowledge related to the physical, social, and emotional development of your students with regard to your curriculum design, planning, implementation, and assessment. You might want to read Chip Wood's book, Yardsticks, with this in mind.  What other developmental books, workshops, or learning experiences would you recommend to teachers? 

Read the standard, indicator, elements, and key points below.  Then make a copy of the evaluation grid, read, and determine your own professional learning steps in this regard. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis and continuously refining learning objectives.

Indicator I-A. Curriculum and Planning: Knows the subject matter well, has a good grasp of child development and how students learn, and designs effective and rigorous standards-based units of instruction consisting of well-structured lessons with measurable outcomes.

Element 1A-2: Child and Adolescent Behavior

This is the state's rubric for 1A2 demonstrating the criteria with which teachers are scored.

Specific Criteria Analysis: (based on proficient/exemplary rating descriptors)

Criteria: Demonstrates and models knowledge and expertise of grade-level and/or subject-area students' developmental levels  to differentiate and expand learning experiences in significant ways that enable all learners to progress towards, demonstrate, and exceed intended outcomes.

Key Points/Questions:

• Demonstrates knowledge and expertise of students' developmental levels. What is the typical developmental attitude, behavior, needs, and interests of your students?
• Differentiate and expand learning experiences.  How can I use my knowledge of students' development to best differentiate and expand learning towards intended outcomes?
• Intended outcomes.  How will I encourage, share and communicate intended outcomes in developmentally appropriate ways? 

Find and make your own copy of the assessment grid on this self evaluation document.

I've applied this standard to my teaching goals and work below and in  my self evaluation document. 

Past Posts

Reflection #1

Teaching Children Well: Join Me on a Journey of Self Reflection #1

Massachusetts has launched a new teacher evaluation system.  It is a complex system based on worthy language related to what it means to teach well. Part of this process requires teachers to regularly assess their practice using this lengthy, but worthy, research-based rubric.

Since I enjoy reflecting on the question of what it means to teach well, I've decided to write one post about each of the 33 standard elements.  In each post, I'll reflect on the element both in general and specific to my practice as a public elementary school teacher.

Some may say, why the tedious, personalized approach to analysis? My response lies in the fact that the more we understand what it means to teach well, the better we'll be able to translate our craft into optimal service to children. Also, the better we understand the standards for evaluation, the better we'll be able to exemplify and discuss the standards with colleagues, evaluators, and the learning community (students, families, educators, leaders, and community members).

So if you'd like to spend some of your summer study time reflecting on your practice, join me as I use Massachusetts' worth educator rubric to reflect.  I will post these documents regularly for your review.  You may simply sign up for my blog posts if you want to receive the notices via email, or you can check in to Teach Children Well regularly for the next installation of this reflection process. Throughout the process, I welcome your comments, thoughts, and ideas too.  Together we have the collective power to personalize, understand, and utilize this rubric well in our efforts to serve children.

Hence, Reflection #1

Standard I: Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis and continuously refining learning objectives.

Indicator I-A. Curriculum and Planning: Knows the subject matter well, has a good grasp of child development and how students learn, and designs effective and rigorous standards-based units of instruction consisting of well-structured lessons with measurable outcomes.

Element 1A-1: Subject Matter Knowledge

This is the state's rubric for 1A1 demonstrating the criteria with which teachers are scored.

Specific Criteria Analysis: (based on proficient/exemplary rating descriptors)

Criteria: Develops sounds knowledge, understanding, and expertise in subject matter and pedagogy required by engaging all students in learning experiences that enable them to acquire, synthesize and model complex knowledge and skills in the subject.

Key Points, Questions:

• knowledge, understanding, and expertise in subject matter.  How can I develop my knowledge in the specific subject area?  
• engaging all students in learning experiences: How can I design learning experiences so that all students are engaged on a regular basis? 
• acquire, synthesize, and model complex knowledge and skills in the subject? How can I design, implement, and assess learning so that students successfully acquire, synthesize, and model complex subject area knowledge and skills?

Template for Analysis and Action Statements:

Educators who would like to join me on this summer self reflection can simply click the link above, make a copy of the document, read, and complete. 

This is an example of my beginning reflection in this area. I will keep track of my reflections on a separate document. I am sharing this publicly as an example. 

Once again, I invite you to join me on this reflection journey as we prepare for school year 2013-2014. Though time consuming, I believe this journey will result in enriched craft with educating our students well as the central focus. 

Moving PLC and RTI Forward

Note: Since I wrote this post, I've thought more about professional learning communities and added new thoughts in this post--please take a look.

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Educators challenge that RTI, if not done well, becomes another way to level.

Others wonder about the effects of PLCs.

RTI and PLC, two new constructs in schools today, have tremendous potential to move teaching and learning forward in new and powerful ways, but both constructs have to be implemented and developed with care and a focus on teaching children well.

PLCs (professional learning communities) have the potential to develop our collaborative and collective approach to teaching children well.  At best, a PLC is a construct where teachers share best practice, develop collective goals, and work together to teach all children well.  To use PLCs effectively, educators will follow these steps:

• create and follow streamlined, effective norms and protocols.
• develop targeted foci and goals.
• strategize, teach, and personalize instruction to reach goals.
• review and assess efforts, and plan next steps with clarity and care.

RTI (response to intervention) at best works to serve all students' learning needs with care and focused attention. RTI, similar to PLCs, also works best with targeted foci that begins with establishing goals, success criteria, and starting strategies.  As specific efforts grow, teachers share successful strategies and troubleshoot together.  Finally, the initiative is assessed, and next steps are established.

Questions you might use to lead these efforts include the following:

PLC Questions:

• What roles, norms and protocols will lead our PLC effort?
• What will the typical routine of a PLC meeting look like?
• What is a reasonable number of goals for a year's time?
• What does our PLC year timeline look like?
• As we look at the PLC year, what collective goal(s) will we target? When choosing goals remember that "less is more" and the goal should matter to all in your PLC.
• Why have we chosen that goal(s)? (rationale)
• How do we define our goal(s)?
• Using backwards design, what is the structure for the goal?
• What is the goal's success criteria? 
• What is the goal's timeline?
• What roles will each educator play in the goal?
• What strategies will we use to achieve the goal(s)?
• When and how will we assess the goal's success criteria?
• After we assess the goal's success criteria, what will be the next steps for this goal?

RTI Questions

• What student learning goals will be the focus of RTI?
• What criteria are we using to assess student development, growth, and success?
• Which children are we serving well with regard to those areas of study, and which children need greater attention?
• How will we target and meet students' needs in the determined areas with current staffing and schedules?
• What is the goal and determined success criteria for the determined RTI initiative?
• What does the RTI schedule look like?
• What will the RTI focus timeline look like?
• What strategies will we use and share as we move along the timeline and bring students from unknowing to knowing in the determined area?
• When and how will we use formative assessments as we move towards the RTI goal?
• When will we assess students' overall growth related to the success criteria, and how will we respond to assessment results?
• How will we tailor RTI so that we meet students' learning needs well, but not limit students' potential, confidence and growth with undue leveling? 

I continue to support RTI and PLC initiatives, and I also support growing these practices in ways that build trust, collaboration, and optimal student service, engagement, and effect.


Related Post
Building a Better Team

New Ideas: Gaining Trust?

My husband just finished reading Steve Jobs' biography, and I've been asking him many questions.

Recently, I asked about Jobs and trust.

"How did Jobs earn the trust of his colleagues?" I asked.

My husband responded that he earned the trust because his ideas worked, and those ideas made a substantial difference?

While his answer didn't surprise me, it did challenge me, and make me wonder, Do my ideas and work make a substantial difference?

Earlier in the year, a colleague challenged my ideas by stating that while I try new ideas, my students' scores didn't differ substantially from other teachers.  That statement hurt, but served to challenge, and left me with a number of questions including the following:

• Are my new ideas targeted on test scores, and more specifically, are my ideas targeted on getting better test scores than my colleagues?
• Do my ideas result in a stronger program, better service to children, and positive contribution to the school community?
• What is it about this idea process that keeps me coming back? Do I feel my ideas have impact, and if they do where is the proof?

My answers to the questions above are incomplete, but at present include the following:

Question One: Are my new ideas targeted on test scores, and more specifically, are my ideas targeted on getting better test scores than my colleagues?

There was good growth from many students, extraordinary growth for some, and less than average growth for others with regard to multiple, specific scores. Often one child would "hit the mark" in one area, but struggle in another. Teachers who review scores, and who are evaluated with regard to scores, understand this situation well. The scores serve to assess discrete skills and narrow fields, while our practice serves to teach holistically and responsively. Using scores alone to assess a teacher's work is insufficient particularly when students are taught by many instructors throughout the day as well as the fact that students learn in many ways, ways that cannot be easily "scored" or assessed.

The teacher who challenged me was right, my students' standardized scores didn't differ substantially from my colleagues. My colleagues and I each have balanced classrooms with many diverse learners, and my colleagues are excellent practitioners who are also engaged in numerous new and traditional ideas, strategies, and efforts to teach children well.  Fortunately, overall our students do well with regard to standardized tests and other factors. Their collective success is due to many factors including supportive families, a caring community, responsive educators, and a holistic program focus. My ideas are not focused on competing with my colleagues, instead my ideas are focused on teaching children well.

Should the focus of new ideas be to compete with one another, or should the focus be to collectively teach children well? I believe new ideas should focus on teaching children well.  My colleagues and I all "hit the mark" with some students in specific ways, and "missed the mark" with others with regard to program details and result. The focus with this topic should be, where did we "hit the mark" and why did that happen? Rather than compete, we should collaborate to identify the strategies that make a difference in each classroom, and replicate those strategies and efforts for all children. Hence, I don't think a fair evaluation of new ideas lies with "my scores vs. your scores" as it's much more specific than that. A fair analysis should look specifically at how an idea made a difference for one, two, or more students in my class and/or yours. This is a complex area of school life to evaluate since a child's success is dependent on so many discrete and collective factors. 

Question Two: Do my ideas result in a stronger program, better service to children, and positive contribution to the school community?

In general, I would say that many of my ideas did result in program growth and service to children for the following reasons. My students this year were generally engaged and active as learners day in and day out--this was a positive step in the right direction since the substantial research presented in Hattie's book, Visible Learning for Teachers, Maximizing Impact on Learning, supports engagement and active learning. Also, no one went to the principal's office for a disciplinary action which translates into a positive classroom culture and atmosphere (though there are years when children need the principal's support with regard to social/emotional development). Further, I am well aware of the world around me. The parents of the children I teach are well aware of that too. And while many of the skills, tools, and knowledge I incorporated this year are not on standardized tests, we all know that those skills, tools, and knowledge are part of today's world, and that knowledge provides students with a wonderful foundation with which to grow and interact with learners at school, in the community, and online to further their growth, development, and success. Finally, I surveyed the learning community, students, parents, and colleagues, and the results were positive. And yes, some specific scores point to success too. So, there's some proof that the new ideas had impact, but not the kind of proof that really makes a difference for many, and calls people to stand up and take notice or to trust.

What kind of proof creates trust?

Personally, I take notice and trust in the school house when students are happy, engaged, eager, inspired, and excited about learning--that makes me take a second look at a classroom, teacher, program, or idea. I also take notice when someone "hits it out of the ballpark" when it comes to students' scores--What did that teacher do? I wonder and ask. I also follow students success over time, and take note of the services, attention, and focus that help students develop with confidence, happiness, and success. Those are some of the ways I develop trust with regard to teachers' and schools' work and effort.

How do educators, in general, gain and develop trust? Also, in what ways can all educators work and share so that they earn more trust with regard to new ideas and practice?  And, why is trust important?  

Question Three: What is it about this idea process that keeps me coming back? Do I feel my ideas have impact, and if they do where is the proof?

Since my earliest days, I decided to focus on change rather than complaint. My dad would always say that you can't complain unless you're willing to be part of the solution. Hence, I developed a "we can make a difference" attitude early on as I tried to problem solve around difficult and challenging situations at home, in school, and the community. I'm drawn to the action of positive change, and I am inspired by the many positive changes I've seen in my lifetime, changes that have made a substantial difference in individual's lives. These changes include increased women's rights, better health care, improved education for children with disabilities, life enhancing inventions, laws that ensure greater equality and choice, and greater respect for diversity. I am committed to positive, life enriching ideas and change because those ideas better people's lives. 

Final Question: How does one develop trust, and why is this important?

Trust is important because it streamlines and targets collaboration--when we trust each other, and each other's ideas, we move with more fluidity and purpose in our work to serve children well.  Also, trust creates support, and support helps to move ideas forward with greater focus, strength, joy, and impact. Trust also serves to fuel community, innovation, and ideas.

How can I work in a way to gain greater trust?  I think focus will help--my ideas tend to include everything from remaking school systems to ideas for new playground equipment. That range can serve to confuse and worry some--too many ideas, too much change, and where's the proof that all these ideas will work.  Therefore greater focus on which ideas really matter, and spending the time to research, implement, revise, analyze, and report those ideas and findings will serve to build trust. Yet, as a generalist, it's difficult to find the time to focus on only one stream with great intent since we're responsible for so many streams of learning, teaching, and caring.  

Greater focus with regard to the way ideas are shared can build trust too. It's okay to have a zillion ideas, but focusing on a few ideas to share and grow with the team (this was supported in the book, Intentional Interruption) will serve to boost trust.

Finally, creating success criteria upfront with an idea (as supported in Hattie's book, Visible Learning for Teachers), then assessing the final product in light of the success criteria provides one with a trustworthy analysis to share, one that has a beginning, middle, and end story, and one that colleagues will understand and identify with.

As I think about new ideas and trust, I am wondering what your thoughts are on the topic?  How do you gain trust?  What makes you a trustworthy innovator?  I'm curious.

Vision?

What do you do with vision?

How do you move your ideas forward?

In what ways do you analyze, refine, and challenge your own vision?  A vision by one can often be incomplete, flawed, and narrow.

Also, a vision shared with too much drama, strength, and resolve can serve to turn people off, diminish, and halt the potential vision holds.

As I think today, I think we must hold vision like precious clay, molding and shaping as we move forward.  Share the sculpture that is vision with others in gentle ways, seeking response, and adapting when we see opportunity for forward movement and growth.

Our vision is most powerful through words, images, and actions that others can see on their own terms, and in their own time, but not words, images, and actions posed like a campaign signs, rants, or battle.

Vision is a light we seek, find, follow, and bend to meet the needs of our hearts, minds, and dreams--a promise for a better future, kinder world, and peaceful people.

What is your vision?  How will you sculpt this dream to make it a reality? With what care will you share your vision, and whom will you allow to help mold and morph the view?

In what ways will you meet the naysayers of your vision?  I suggest you meet them with respect and questions letting them help you to see your vision's weakness, constraints, and potential for growth.  Engage naysayers in gentle conversation, leaving time for thought and review.

Vision is a gift, fragile because without care vision does not result in positive effect and change, yet with care, vision is a precious gift that has the potential to make substantial, positive change and effect.

Vision is a light, and should be shared as such--available to illuminate and bend, follow and seek.

Walk confidently towards your vision, and regard the vision of others, old and young, with care. Collect and integrate the people, places, materials, and actions that will make your vision a reality, and become the stream of light that is your vision--the morphing energy of intent and life.

Teaching Well: Prep

Teaching well takes lots of prep.

As I think about the topic of prep, I realize that the one or two days some systems provide for official preparation are inadequate since today's teaching requires substantial preparation.

You may prepare to teach well over the summer months with the following actions:

Establish or continue healthy routines.  Teaching well requires that you're energetic, healthy, and flexible.

Simplify.  After a long day of teaching, the last thing you want to do is come home to extensive home care jobs and activities.  The simpler your home, the more time you'll have for relaxation and family after a long day of teaching.

Read, research, and learn.  The more you know, the better you'll teach.  Make time for daily learning.

Life long learning.  If you learn in the ways that you encourage students to learn, your message and coaching will be much more powerful.  Read books, keep a journal, connect online, create, solve problems, invent, and discover.

See mistakes as opportunities for growth and practice using language that emphasizes that such as, "I made a mistake, and now have learned that . . . so next time I'll be able to do that better, get closer to solving the problem, or see a new learning path."

Prepare the stage for optimal learning.  When possible fill in the gaps of the upcoming year's syllabi, supplies, organization, and communication.  Make the time to create a learning environment that's accessible to learners 24-7 online and off in child-friendly, responsive, independent ways.

Create easy-to-follow organization, structures, routines, and communication which make learning engaging and effective.

Preparing the stage for the upcoming school year with the actions above will ensure that there's more time during the school year to attend to individual student's needs, interests, and passions with care and success.  This effort will also help you to keep healthy, reasonable routines during the busy teaching days and weeks--a positive way to do the job.

Is the Role of Generalist Outdated in Education?

There's so much to know about teaching and learning today that I'm wondering if the role of generalist is outdated? Yet, I don't want to move backwards to old school content-subject specialty driven departments. Hence, what's the best path to take?

I don't have the answers, but I have some questions and possibilities. Let me know what you think about these ideas related to transforming the elementary school teaching/learning environment?

All Educators on Board: Advisory Groups/Homerooms
First, I wonder if every professional educator in the school building should have a homeroom or advisory group. That would maximize professional effort for student care and attention with low student-teacher ratios. That means all special educators, coaches, interventionists, specialists, classroom teachers, therapists, and other professional educators would spend about an hour a day with a small group of students on tasks related to organization, read aloud, writing, social competency, and care. These professional educators would play the role of the "school parent" who coordinates and leads the parent conference, report card, social/emotional needs, and other care taking for a small group of students. This could be one change in the right direction resulting in greater care, attention, and response for every child in the school.  I believe this role would also create a more vibrant school community since all educators would share an important role related to students. (I know of schools that have done this with regard to "all stop and read" initiatives.)

Menu Approach to Learning
After homeroom, each student would follow a developmentally, academically responsive individual menu. The menu would include a number of specialty skill pods such as reading fluency/comprehension, tech skill practice, and math problem solving in addition to a number of interdisciplinary project base learning pods which could be as creative as "Tree House Design/Build" where students design and build a tree house by applying multiple skills across discipline. Professional educators would each have responsibility for a doable number of pods.  Pods could be same-age or multi-age dependent on learning focus and student need.  All pods would be designed to give students a chance to learn, practice, integrate, and apply essential skill, concept, and knowledge. There would also be a "library commons" pod where students have time to think, read, write, and create with freedom and support.

Educator Assignments
As mentioned earlier, the educator assignments would be reasonable including responsibility for worthy, research-based, responsive learning design to provide students with engaging, responsive academic experiences and growth. The assignments would be created in such a way that during a child's tenure at the school he/she would gain essential skill and experience in all content areas deemed integral to a worthwhile education (for now that would be the common core, 21st C skills, and skills and experiences related to student and community context).

Where to Start?
I think the starting place for this change is to make advisory groups in all schools. The advisors (professional educators) would follow their group of students throughout their tenure at the school. For example at my school that means an advisor would follow a group from grades 1-5.  It would take about a year to establish the systems, spaces, and schedules to support this change.

Then What?
Then begin establishing the menu approach to education by creating large pods for skills practice and project base learning, and smaller pods for specific skill interventions, education, and coaching. Further, there would be create, practice, and tech pods run by teaching assistants. The pods would be built with student/teacher talents and needs in mind.

Don't Forget!
The foundation of these changes is teaching children well, and by implementing these changes we will impact student learning with strength for the following reasons:

• Students will get more attention.
• Students' attention will be more consistent.
• Family contact would be targeted and streamlined because families would have a go-to person in the school for all of their child's needs. 
• The community of professional educators will share the common bond of nurturing their advisory groups with optimal read aloud, social competency, writing efforts, parent meetings, report cards, and responsive action.
• Learning will grow since educators' breadth and depth of responsibility will become more tailored and specific with a limited number of skill-based or project base learning pods. These educators will have more time to concentrate on worthy, blended learning design and response to teach children well.
• Students' daily menu of learning will become more responsive and specific thus potentially providing a more engaging, successful learning program for every child.
• Professional educators would have a greater investment in their students since they would be responsible for the same group of students for multiple years. 

What do you think?  Let me know?

This is only a start of a host of new ideas about moving schools forward, particularly schools for the K-5 set. 

Related Post

Growing your Craft: Considerations?

I have started receiving many letters from innovators, writers, and educators related to their creations. They ask me to look the innovation over, reference the product on my blog, or share their story.

Similar to Google's AdSense program, I'm tempted to jump in and start this process, but in no way do I want to jeopardize the integrity of my blog's intent or effort.

Hence, as I move forward, I will begin to do the following:

• First, time is precious.  It takes me hours to research, create, implement, assess, and revise apt learning endeavor for my students. In a sense the classroom is the learning lab for students, and for me, as their teacher.  That is my first priority at this time--I want to teach children well.
• Next, I am interested in innovation, and I'm happy to be a part of this process particularly if the process will serve children and teachers better.  Therefore in the next week or so, I'll develop a response related to these innovators and writers. The response will include the following:
• If the product looks good, I'll ask for a student sample (a colleague has started doing this) with the promise that I'll write about the product on my blog if I find it to be a useful and engaging tool related to student learning. If the product is really good, I'll trade the product for consultation with respect to student-friendly growth and use.
• Also, if a post has merit related to student learning and education, I'll provide space for a guest post on my blog.
• My colleague and/or I will be available to present and consult related to tech integration and STEAM share for a fee or in exchange for conference registration. 
• If a post or product shows promise, but needs consultation before use, we'll offer that consultation for a fee since time is limited.  I'll use the fee to pay for a service to do work that I'd ordinarily have to do on my own so that I have time to consult.  I will work on this with a colleague with similar interests.
• As long as my creations and ideas are inexpensive or free to reproduce, I will continue to share freely.  If I begin to create posters and products that require a production cost, I will charge a small fee for those. 
• I plan to invite like-interested colleagues into this business plan, move slowly, and keep the intent of teaching children well at the center of the work.

As your research and work grows in education, what parameters have you created to keep integrity and mission forefront?  What decisions have you made about freely sharing your ideas and considering the ideas and innovation of others?  I'm interested?

Restructuring Schedules and Roles for Greater Student Response

How can we restructure school schedules and roles for greater student response.  As you know I'm in favor of "breaking down the walls" of traditional class structures to better meet the needs of more students. I think that we can do this by changing roles and schedules and without substantial additional cost.

Here are a few suggestions to lead this initiative.

1. Assign almost all teachers, coaches, and interventionists to a small advisory or homeroom groups.  The homeroom groups would vary in size from very small (for students who need substantial response/care) to medium size groups of 10-12 students. During these advisory groups teachers will be responsible for students' essential needs.  For young children that includes lunch, snacks, appropriate clothing, listening, homestudy response, notes, and permission slips.  The "advisory" would also be the time for read aloud and discussion to ensure that every child has that experience every day.  Essentially the "advisory teacher" would be the "mom or dad" of the school experience, the one who manages the child's report card, parent conferences, outreach, and response.

2. Start to think about learning goals in terms of numbers, environment, and ratios.  What learning goals demand a small teacher-student ratio such as writing conferences and students who have learning challenges in specific areas, and what learning goals work with larger numbers of students and more open, student-to-student collaboration.  Then begin to schedule teachers, rooms, and students accordingly. Make sure that students have the time and space for sensitive coaching where needed, as well as open time for exploration, investigation, collaboration, online learning, free thinking, creativity, and practice.

I know that we can serve students better in the school environment. That's not to say we're not already doing a great job, but I know that subject-area and classroom teachers struggle with meeting all the needs in a class setting with sensitivity, response, and care due to the large student-teacher ratios in those classes.  I also know that schools today are filled with specialists who work with small ratios of students, professionals who may have the time and interest in managing advisory groups that provide that personal touch every day to students.

Is this an idea that will work?  If you add up the collective professional hours in a building, could you divide those hours into more direct service for students, direct service and care that will make a difference?  Does this idea negate other duties that are imperative?  Does this idea demand that we streamline, simplify, and possible erase some tasks that exist now to make more room for direct, skilled student response?

As you can see this idea is at the beginning stages. . .I will grow this idea in the days to come.  Your suggestions and ideas are welcome. I believe this idea has merit and can impact students in substantial ways.  After all, students' optimal education is the reason we teach.

When Questions Outweigh Time

When I started this new age teaching/learning journey with Twitter, blogs, edcamps, and a growing international PLN (professional learning community) about four years ago at a MassCUE  conference, I was amazed at how many like-thinkers and passionate educators were right there, at the stroke of a key, to inspire, assist, and challenge me as an educator. At once, I found the world of educational thought and learning I desired since I entered the profession--a 24-7, accessible, efficient community of dynamic, diverse conversation and growth.

This summer I find myself at a new turning point, a place where my questions and needs outweigh the time in a day. To date, I've met this challenge with continual prioritizing, new work/collaborative structures, research, and tweaking the daily schedule to include daily reading, writing, and thought. But now, that's not enough. This turn in the road calls for a different approach and schedule.

The first step in this change is a change in focus. I will concentrate more on the questions, and not expect to have all the answers. Sharing the essential questions with the learning community means that I don't have to research or find all the answers as the learning community will choose the questions they want to answer, and work towards that end sharing the answers with me as they work.

For example. Yesterday I realized that great student opinion writing is supported by reading across genre about a particular topic. For example, if students were to write opinion essays about what makes a great friend, those essays will gain strength by reading multiple genre and authors about the topic of friendship, then synthesizing all that thought into worthy opinion pieces. I began to worry about the job of finding all that genre. Yet, now with this new approach, simply saying to the learning community (students, families, teachers, leaders, community members), "Let's collect text across genre about friendship," serves to inform the process with greater learning, strength, efficiency, and collective effort.  Further, I could back step and simply set the learning community on "go" by posing the question, "What's a topic you're really interested in discussing, debating, and understanding better? " Starting there could potentially create even greater enthusiasm and momentum as we push forward with an opinion writing unit. I can envision the path as moving from questions to genre search to reading to writing to sharing to debate to final conclusions and next steps.

When questions outweigh time, it's time to turn those questions over to the learning community with time for conversation, research, debate, share, assessment, and next steps.  No one knows it all, and we all have a job in this quickly evolving education landscape we inhabit.  Hence, my role as educator is broadening to "poser of questions" and "answer/solution coach."

The questions I'm posing for the year ahead include the following:

• What are the ingredients of apt, brain-friendly, child-centered learning design?
• What topics do students want to learn about, research, and debate?
• How can we find text across genre about the topic students choose to study?
• How will I find the time to build in meaningful small group and one-to-one coaching/conference times for all learners often?
• How can I set up the classroom and teach routines so that children are able to work with comfort, care, independence, and success?
• How can we change the spaces in school and roles to best meet the needs of all learners, projects, and necessary tasks?
• How can we streamline efforts so that most of the time in school is spent on direct service to children that matters?
• How can I balance my efforts so that I am both an effective educator, healthy person, good friend, and supportive, loving family member?
• How can I work with families to best support students' learning at home?

These are beginning questions. I now know that I don't have to have all the answers, and there is strength in actually posing the questions--letting questions free in the edusphere of students, families, educators, leaders, and community members.  When questions outweigh time, don't worry. Pose the questions, and keep your eyes open for answers as many will come your way. 

What is Your Role in the Edusphere?

What is your educational role?

Where is your professional passion taking you, and why?

In this age of multiple paths, this is an important consideration--one to frequently revisit.

My work and paths keep leading back to my original reason for teaching, the children.  Despite temptation to move outward and away from the classroom, in the end that's where I want to be.

Why?

Though the work is demanding and the respect and support often lacking, I enjoy the synergy of many fresh and facile minds working together for a common cause: positive learning.  I am also invested in the mission of public schools which is to give every child a chance at a good education and positive life choices. Further, I find teaching to be a tremendous challenge, and I love a good challenge. Finally I understand children, and enjoy helping children learn.

I don't like everything about teaching. For example, I wish we had more support. Most often it is one teacher and many children, hence a needed break or set of extra hands is often a wish unmet. The days are long and the adult connections are few. The environment can be tough with no air conditioning, outdated furniture, overused facilities, and little storage supplies. Also some of the tasks are difficult such as moving large pieces of furniture, cleaning a room up in a day to make room for summer camp, and recognizing that serving children well means that there is little job growth or change since most teaching jobs are structured the same on the first day of the job until your very last day (I think there's room for positive change in this area).

But no job is perfect, and as it stands now I will focus on teaching.

Yet, I like to write too, and I like to create.  Hence, as a second focus, I'll continue to write and create content and policy to best affect learning for my students as well as teachers and students throughout the world.  With the multiple tools available today, there is tremendous room for greater creativity and positive transformation in education. We don't have to just accept the parts of the job that are cumbersome and problematic, aspects of teaching that hinder the good work that is possible. We also don't have to accept old routines, tools, and strategies that are less effective or even harmful to children.  At this juncture in the road, the possibility and promise for education is great, and we must seize that opportunity with voice, creativity, and share.

Hence, as I continue down the road of teaching, I'll keep my focus centered on the children I teach first.  Then I'll focus on creativity and voice that move my individual work and our collective efforts forward to strengthen, transform, and promote positive learning communities for every child and teacher.

That's my role in the edusphere?  What is your role?

Why Story?

Student's Paper-Cut Design Created to Inspire Story Writing 

At the The Wayland Literacy Institute  I presented my thoughts, experiences, and "how to" with respect to digital storytelling. I synthesized many notes, experiences, and research related to the topic of story over many years.

I focused the presentation on the rationale, process, and considerations related to creating digital stories with young children.

I offer the presentation and rationale below as a guide for student/teacher digital story creation.



Rationale

What is a story? 
Dictionary.com defines story in the following ways:

Why Story?
Story is a thread that brings us together as people.  Through story we relate, connect, understand, question, and see.  We introduce ourselves to others through story, and we learn about life through story. Story is also an inviting, engaging, and brain-friendly way to begin a lesson or presentation.

What makes a good story?  
I'm sure that answer differs amongst individuals, but there are some essential elements that contribute to a story's value--elements such as a good beginning, wonderful words, beginning, middle and end, writer's craft, characters, plot, big moments, setting, and catchy content.

When do we tell stories?  
We tell stories when we meet people for the first time.  We share stories with family members and friends to deepen our relationships, remember the good times, and gain strength. We tell a story at the start of a lesson or presentation to capture the audience's attention and interest.  A story is also told to teach a lesson, learn new information, and develop understanding.

How is a story more powerful than a list, 
informational text, or document? 
A story enlists the senses. A good story awakens us with smells, sounds, tastes, sights, and touch.  When we read a good story we are taken into a new place, time, and experience. A good story is like a beautiful weave while a list is similar to a section or thread of the weave. Wonderful stories change us.

Why digital stories? 
The digital story is a powerful medium to create and partake.  When creating a digital story the author is crafting text, music, sound effects, and imagery to tell a story with care.  When listening to a digital story, the listener is immersed in a multi-modal experience of story, one he or she may listen to again and again. Further, today digital media is as accessible as books. Students are interfacing with this media regularly to gain information and learn. The experience of creating their own digital stories brings students understanding, respect, and the ability to manipulate this medium--an important skill in the tech age we live in.

In this short Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge film, author David Pilkey compares typed texts with television and film.  He states, "When we read a book there aren't any special effects.. . . . we have to fill in all the details ourselves by using our imaginations.  The simple fact is that the more we read the more we have to use our imaginations, and the more we use our imaginations, the more powerful we become." Although digital stories fall in between a typed book and film, stage, and television, his words challenge this medium, and makes one wonder if the digital story leaves enough room for the powerful development of imagination and reading skill.  This is an important consideration. Students should be exposed to film, stage, television production, digital stories, and text--they should have the chance to create, understand, and experience all the mediums that will make up their future as readers, writers, and learners.  Hence it's not one or the other, but instead how much of one medium versus how much of another as we strive for a just right balance.

Where does digital story fit into today's curriculum?  
I believe that digital story should be built into the curriculum at all grade levels.  I suggest the following efforts:

• Turn Literacy Studio or Reading Workshop into a multimedia effort making digital story and film creation options.
• Balance students' use of digital and nondigital literacy throughout the day, units, and year.
• Think carefully about how you want to fit digital literacy in--let the decision be a student/teacher decision, one that responds to the learners' needs, interests, and passions.
• Embed standards into digital story units--meet the standards through digital story design.  Digital story is an exceptionally good medium for meeting standards in reading fluency, reading/writing voice, story organization, content share, and speaking.
• Teach digital story with project/problem base learning workshops. Create a beginning to end timeline for the project with students then embark on the creative endeavor leaving room for students' creativity, personalization, and choice. 
• Partner with younger students to create digital stories.  My first classroom digital story project was a fourth grade-second grade collaboration: "The Homework Excuse Book," a take-off of a book the second graders had been reading. 

How do I create a digital story? 
There are many tools for creating digital stories today. Tools such as storybird, Kid Pix, iMovie, Garageband, Google presentation, PowerPoint, VoiceThread and more.  Specifically my class used the following process:

1. Learning Design: Review the standards and curriculum. Decide on the goals, overarching timeline, needed support, space, and project efforts.
2. Choose audience and organize. Students and teachers create the specific project time line, objectives, efforts, and focus together with backwards design.  
3. Story brainstorm and creation with multiple story starter tools such as drawing, paper-cut design, time lines, story sharing, story boards, story mountains, and modeling.
4. Story draft online or offline, with images and without.  Draft the story words and images using the writing process. 
5. Publish the story words and image. We used Google Presentation--students created online storybooks with Google.
6. Move the published story to digital.  We downloaded our Google Presentations to Powerpoint and saved as individual pictures, then we moved each picture into iMovie.
7. Create beginning, middle, and end slides for story titles and more. 
8. Record voice. We record right on iMovie by lengthening the picture time, recording, listening, and rerecording when necessary until we were satisfied. 
9. Design and add music that matches the mood and tone of the story.  Add sound effects too.
10. Add finishing touches. Publish to YouTube.
11. Share, Celebrate, Reflect, and Assess. 

Story is a classic medium, one that will never go away--it is the thread that connects us as people and learners.  I'm sure that my understanding of story will grow as I work with colleagues tomorrow.

In the meantime, what is important to you when it comes to the theme of story?  When you teach reading and writing story to young children, what do you emphasize?  How can we best effect this study as we teach and coach students today?

Resources
Pixar Storyteller Tips

Writing: Practice Makes Perfect

As I look ahead to next year, I want to build in more time for students to practice writing. This year students were introduced to many genre as well as specific skill, organization, and craft.  They did well.

Next year, I want to structure home study and the classroom routine to include more time for practice.  To do that, I'll start the year by helping each child create an online composition book.

Rather than an ePortfolio for fourth grade, children will add to their Google site composition book daily with the following routine:

• Nightly Journal Writing
• Regular Craft, Grammar and Organization Exercises.
• Vocabulary Practice
• Genre Writing
• Reading Response Writing

Similar to all workshop structures, our regular writing workshops will include a short focus lesson, time to write, and time to share.  

Similar to mastery in any area, skillful writing depends on practice, and a steady daily diet of writing will move students towards success.

Note: After listening to Ralph Fletcher today, I decided to also have students keep paper/pencil writer's notebooks as a collection place for ideas, verse, words, and short stories. 

Teachers as Coaches: Organization?

To teach students well, it is important to know and understand each child well.  With large numbers of students and multiple teachers, that can be a challenge.  Supporting these efforts with optimal organization and communication patterns will set the stage for success. Hence, as teachers move to a more concerted effort to coach students well, organization matters.

What documents will structure your coaching efforts and collaboration with multiple students.

Next year, I want to organize these efforts with greater care so that I meet the following goals:

• Regular individual student coaching meetings.
• Succinct notes to inform the process.
• Regular goal setting.
• Accurate and organized assessment lists that are easy to access and share.

Hence, I created a Team 15 2013-2014 coaching website.  I will use this website to collect notes, set goals, and communicate with the learning team: students, families, teachers, and administrators.

Specifically, I will use this site in the following ways:

• To invite teacher collaborators to view and add to the site regularly when working with students.
• To reference the site when meeting with individual students and families to share challenges and successes as we review and create goals.
• To share with administrators and colleagues for evaluation purposes, analysis, and goal setting.
• As a reference point for writing student report cards and other assessments.

I offer you this model to review and consider as you think about your coaching systems for the fall.  Once late August arrives and I begin inputting specific data related to students, I will change the privacy settings. 

Let me know what you think.  I'll revise and enrich this site during the summer months.

Note:
Extensive individual coaching sheets' effort outweighed their effect. Yet a simple individual coaching sheet and class chart served this purpose better in the end. 

The Last Day

Today's the last day of the school year for children. Teachers will return to school for one or more days to wrap up the year and begin the new year before children arrive in September.

Tech reports and emails demonstrate that both last year's class and next year's class have already started or continued playing online academic games as well as sending notes to ensure a good year ahead or a positive end to a wonderful year.

In today's world the school year is a spiral as one year's circle connects to the next moving a child forward.

Last Friday I ended the week with hopes for a peaceful day, but in the end I planned too much and we all were overloaded, students and me, which made for a less than harmonious day.  But today, there's little on the menu--although we didn't finish it all as we ran out of time for every last chapter of every curriculum and classroom initiative, today we'll concentrate on a final assembly, last art class, time for tech choice, read aloud, play and a farewell circle.

Meeting all needs with targeted, successful energy and balance is a delicate, thoughtful process--one that will profit from a summer of rest and study.  Good teachers just like good students are tired at the end of the year. The yearly cycle gives us permission to give it our all, push, and reach during the 10-month school year. The push, in part, is fueled by the notion that we'll have time to rest and recoup during summer months--time to take a step back, reflect, assess, and continue to develop our craft as we move forward in the profession, a profession that is imperfect, ever changing and with limitless potential.  You never know it all.

So here's to a peaceful day of friendship and care, essentially the bright bow on top of the year's gift of sharing, learning, and relationship.

Pacing is Paramount: Too Much of a Good Thing?

In teaching today, pacing is paramount.

There's a just right weave of tools, strategies, efforts, and endeavor to teach children well, and that weave will look different in every classroom and every school dependent on content, culture, and client.

Too much of a good thing can exhaust teachers and students, yet too little will dull the climate, content, and clients.

Hence, pacing is paramount.

Positive pacing is dependent on the following:

• Lead time and planning with regard to "loose-tight" curriculum maps.
• Initial assessment of students' needs, interests, and passions.
• Daily, flexible responsive action that aims to teach the program as well as the students, thus the need for careful analysis and response.
• Time: time for planning, time for reflection, and time for response--making sure that all involved play an integral part in the overall structure and performance of the learning community. 
• Streamlined systems of communication, paper work, and service delivery--systems that are targeted, and systems that place most time and effort on the positive care and teaching of students.

What led me to this post was the fact that our end of the year plans and activity need review. We did a lot!  Classroom teachers spent the last week nurturing children without many of the typical services, services which did not occur due to early ending or special events that prohibited service delivery.  Classroom teachers also completed the following:

• completed report cards
• classroom clean-up and organization for upcoming summer programs
• next year's orders
• end-of-year letters and folders
• move-up letters and folders
• open houses and celebrations
• regular lesson planning
• field trips

All the activities listed above are positive events and endeavor, but perhaps too much for single teachers to complete in one week's time.

How can we pace the end of the year better?  First with regard to field studies--how can more teachers get involved?  For example, with inclusion classes, perhaps special educators and specialists also attend and help out--that would give teachers time for a break or to help individual children.  Perhaps with orders and other paperwork, the pacing includes greater lead time and professional time to do the work. Currently most of that work is done on a teacher's own time.  And as far as student's social/emotional needs at the end of the year, perhaps we think differently about when special services end, and how special services are delivered during the last week's of school.

In this age of multiple, positive tools and strategies, how have your efforts with pacing changed?  How have roles changed too with regard to end-of-year efforts and endeavor?  Have you looked at ways of putting more staff in direct contact with students at the end of the year to help out with the social/emotional issues that occur  For example one little girl in our school was repeating, "I hate summer." due to the fact that she loves her teacher and the school so much.  

This is a topic I'll be thinking more about as I embark on next year's learning/teaching journey.  I welcome your thoughts and suggestions with regard to pacing because pacing is paramount in 21st century schools. 

The End of the Year: Celebrate and Assess

The end of the year is a time to celebrate and assess.

We celebrate a wonderful year of friendship, learning, and growth.

We assess what worked, and what we want to work on with greater strength and effort next year.

This year was a great year for read aloud, synthesis, embedding standards into worthy project base learning, tech integration, and math.  Students' embraced the 4 C's: collaboration, communication, critical thinking skills, and creativity as they learned about culture, animal adaptation, endangered species and standard subject area content in reading, writing, and math. Students also used multiple online tools to develop skill in reading, writing, and math.  Overall it was a great year.

As I grow the program next year, I will spend more time looking deeply at classroom patterns--the patterns that provide the necessary practice and learning in all areas of the curriculum.  The better the patterns, the greater the independence, and the greater the independence, the more time there will be for individual and small group coaching on specific skills, concepts, and knowledge.

Hence, I'll once again take Ruth Charney's words from Teaching Children to Care to heart as I establish solid systems and routines during the first six weeks of school.  We will spend time learning and practicing the routines, routines that will support the class well as we develop numeracy and literacy across discipline using multiple, student-centered learning paths.  We'll carve out time each day to read, write, and study math in meaningful, child-friendly ways.

I'll continue to look for and promote new learning paths using technology, teams, and project work rather than multiple workbooks and skill sheets as the new paths of learning offer greater depth of relative and responsive learning.  Though there will still be times when a worksheet is used as no one way of learning and teaching is the best way.  Instead it is how we weave the pieces together to best meet each child's needs--that's both the challenge and joy of the job.

Celebrate and assess, that's the end of the year mantra as we say good bye to the students we cared for all year long, and hello to next year's students.  It is also the mantra of parents as they celebrate their children's milestones and look to the future.

The end of the teaching year is a bittersweet time, a time where we can't forget that as teachers and parents we're on the same learning path as our children--a path of learning and growing too as we nurture youth toward happy, positive, successful lives.

Teacher/Parent: Everyman/Everywoman?

The roles of teaching and parenting are limitless roles--there's limitless potential for what we can do, yet there's limited time and energy in a day.  So as parents and teachers we do our best always choosing one task, focus, activity over another to best coach, motivate, and support our children and students.

In this new age of recognizing that learning is an ongoing process rather than one score, one test, or one event, the challenge, in many ways, is even greater.  We feel the responsibility to check all the boxes, meet all the needs, and serve every child well--we want to see all of our students succeed in all areas.

But, the reality is that children develop in many different ways.  Some have a burst of success the year that they are in your class--they surge, grow, and meet all standards with strength.  Then others, meet some standards, but not others.  It is similar in the home, there are years when one child has tremendous success and achievement, while another struggles.  Usually though, it's not one end of the spectrum of success or another, but a series of hits and misses on the road to learning, developing, and growing, and as my own parents would often say, "That's life!."

The challenges, missed marks, and goals unmet are the seeds for growth and change. The successes are affirmation for processes in place, processes within your charge, and processes in place in the grades before you and the organizations that surround our children and students.

As a teacher and parent at times I feel like I'm called to be "everywoman," but the reality is that we work as part of a greater team to support our children and students well, and when we work we essentially support and encourage these children with our best effort, skill, and experience on the journey of life--a path of highs, lows, and steady growth.

Teaching: Whose Job is It?

When I first started teaching, and a child faced challenges, I sometimes blamed the family asking why? But now that I've been teaching and parenting for a long time, I look for solutions within the learning team (students, families, teachers, community, leaders) and ask how?

How can we teach this child better?

What can we do differently to inspire, strengthen, lift, and lead a young child from unknowing to knowing in matters large and small?

Asking why and blaming serves to elevate responsibility, while seeking the how is a challenging, collaborative process. Yet, it is the how that serves to strengthen the child.

Together the learning team, families, teachers, leaders, and community members, can use the why to inform the how, but how to do the job better and then doing that work should take center stage.

Looking back to see what didn't happen, what went wrong, or what could have been can inform next steps and a better solution, but looking back to simply blame has no merit.

The job of teaching belongs to the entire learning community: the student, the family, the teachers, the leaders, and the community.

The job of teaching is not just to award those for which learning comes easy, and disregard those for whom learning is a challenge.  Instead the job of teaching is to place every child on a sturdy, nurturing path of life long learning and positive development.

There's not one way to do this, and no child's path will be exactly the same, but the days of lauding those with certain skills over those with other skills are over--learning belongs to every child, and every member of that child's community has the responsibility to work together to teach that child well.