New Year's Classroom Focus

There's only a few days left until the holiday break.  I'm looking forward to a family focused vacation so before I start the festivities, I want to lay the groundwork for the next leg of the school year.  With goals and standards outnumbering hours in a day, it takes careful planning to meet the requirements in a student-friendly, motivating way.  Here's the plan:

Assessments: Despite one's feelings about assessments, they're a reality for public school teachers.  Hence, I'll set aside days for assessment prep and test taking.

Reading Response: A priority goal for fourth graders in Massachusetts is the ability to respond to text questions with well written, lengthy paragraphs using specific evidence from the text as well as the student's own synthesis.  We'll work a lot on this skill using a variety of genres, short text and books.

Reading Comprehension, Fluency and Enjoyment:  We'll begin the year with a class book, Letters From Rifka, related to our immigration unit.  Each day we'll read a few pages in school and a few pages at home.  Students will respond to the book mostly on our class NING social network.

Personal Narratives: Students will edit and write a final copy of their first personal narrative, then they'll embark on their second personal narrative: a family history/immigration "small moment" story. We'll continue to focus on writer's craft as we write.

Math: Students will continue to practice and develop computation skill using That Quiz for typical practice and enrichment.  Videos will be posted to support enrichment.  Our class project will focus on immigration data and statistics.  Students will learn to survey, graph, organize and analyze data.  Students will also learn and practice the partial quotient division algorithm and apply that learning to word problems.

Immigration/Family History Museum Project: Students will create their museum project exhibits.  Reading response, geography skills and personal narrative work will be integrated into this project.

Science Rotations: Students will rotate from class to class to participate in science rotations topics: animal adaptation, weather/water cycle, magnetism, and land forms.

Just Like Me: Students will continue participating in our third/fourth grade Just Like Me program that introduces students to many challenges individuals face including mental limitations and physical and learning challenges.

Routines: We'll also continue our helpful and familiar routines of epal correspondence, NING posts, Friday catch-up, music, art, physical education, library, tech lab, and instrumental lessons.

Wow!  It's going to be a busy six-week period from the start of January to our next break in mid February.  All the more reason to take a few weeks off at the holidays to enjoy family, friends and nonschool activities.

Change Agent?

I like moving forward.  I hate wasting time.

Hence, when an activity is redundant and stagnant, I advocate for change.

I seek vitality, vigor and dynamic 21st century environments of creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills.

I am eager to hear the latest research and evidence related to enhanced student learning.

I know relationship matters and seek to create an environment where my students are comfortable, confident leaders of their own learning.

The roadblocks frustrate me.  I don't know why there is reluctance related to communication, collaboration, critical analysis and creativity.  I wonder why, like a game of Wipeout (a TV show), the obstacles continue to be thrown into the mix, obstacles like last minute schedule changes, old fashion practices, emails unanswered, repetition of skills and knowledge understood, rather than the creation of fluid systems of innovation, reflection and change.

Yes, I'm impatient for better professional development and instructional systems in schools--the potential for learning today is incredible given the outstanding tools we have at our fingertips.  The knowledge, talents and vision of the educators that surround me are equally outstanding, and I am eager to learn from them in problem based, creative, educator-driven professional development activities.

What's the best ways for systems to work today?  How do we move from one-size-fits-all or one-size-fits-some mindsets and actions to responsive, needs-driven, individualized professional development and instruction? What about our impatient learners--do we tell them to sit still and be patient or do we inspire them with challenging, forward-thinking, growth producing tasks and activities?  And etiquette?  What's polite today?  Do the rules of the past still apply?

I don't have the answers to all of these questions, yet I'm eager for honest discussion, protocols and goal setting related to these topics.  What do you think?


Note:
Since I wrote this post in 2011, there's been considerable change in my teaching/learning circles including increased communication and critical analysis. There's been greater streamlining and increased time for collaboration. Professional learning events are improving too. It is good to witness and be apart of this positive change.

2011 Gratitude

I'm a critical thinker who is always looking for ways to improve my teaching with students as the central focus.  Sometimes that momentum causes others to ask, "Why change when we already have so much in place?"

I believe that it's important to look towards the future with an attitude of positive change, yet it's equally important to recognize what's currently working.

Hence, this is my 2011 gratitude list for all the programs, people, tools and initiatives that have benefitted so many students in 2011.

1. Terrific Tech: Our school system continues to support a flexible, fast and reliable tech infrastructure. We also have incredible tech tools at our finger tips.  Students in my fourth grade have one-to-one accessibility at a minimum of 50% a day.  We have tremendous tech support as well.
2. Enhanced PLC (professional learning community): This year our system embarked on an enhanced model of PLC that began with a wonderful summer professional development program, and continues with more time for PLC meetings and focused leadership and goals. This has resulted in enhanced student-centered learning.
3. Innovation and Exploration of Professional Development Models: Our system continues to explore innovative professional development models such as summer institutes, teacher book groups and one-to-one tech days. This year we hosted three inspirational educators, Ellin Oliver Keene, Greg Tang and Austin Buffum, whose presentations served to inspire and improve our work with children.  The addition of of talented curriculum leaders and dedicated coaches is also serving to deepen and broaden our work for best effect. Also, our system regularly supports teachers' attendance at professional development conferences and workshops.
4. Differentiation: An attitude pervades our system that neither students or teachers fit a "one-size-fits-all" agenda thus promoting recognition and acceptance of many styles, gifts, strengths and challenges.  While we promote common research-based goals for students and teachers, it is recognized that there is not one path to attaining those goals.
5. Kindness Matters: The leadership in my school puts "kindness matters" first and students know it.  This has been an integral step to creating a kind and caring school community.
6. Community Support: I work in a community that supports education with volunteer time, extra funding, fair teacher salaries and a positive attitude towards innovation and change.
7. Wonderful Playgrounds: Our students have the chance to play in beautiful, grassy playgrounds each and every day.
8. Dedicated Teachers: There is little teacher turnover in our district due to the fair working conditions, salaries and support.  Hence our system attracts teachers who are dedicated and committed to life long learning and growth.
9. Innovative Community and After School Programs: The leadership has made a concerted effort to support innovative, enriching before and after school programming.
10. The Arts: Our school system continues to celebrate and support the arts.  Students have the chance to participate in the visual arts, chorus, instrumental programs and theater.  The PTO supports regular cultural enrichment events that further students' understanding and enjoyment of the arts.  Students at all levels share their artistic talents with the community regularly through many public events.
11. Facilities: Our system will open a new high school this year.  This is the result of countless hours of volunteer and professional time.  This is an exciting moment for our school system.  

I'm sure that I'll return to this list in the days to come to add more categories. I'm fortunate to work in an optimal school system, one in which I am free to use my voice to advocate for growth, question decisions and share ideas. I'm grateful that I have the tools at my fingertips to carry out an optimal student-centered, responsive 21st century program for learning and growth. It has taken the thoughtful leadership of students, teachers, administrators and community members now and in the past to make our school system what it is, and after 26 years in the same system, I remain grateful and proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization.

Google Docs Improve Reading Workshop

Illustrated by Haeun

A difficult part of running several book groups simultaneously is keeping track of all the books.  The use of Google docs has come to my rescue and enhanced classroom book groups.

I position myself with the computer on my lap in front of the white board.  I'm essentially the notetaker.  When students gather with me in a circle, we typically begin by reviewing the main events of the story and adding new events that have taken place in the pages students read since the last meeting.

Then we move to the focus of that book group meeting.  The focus changes from week to week.  At the start we usually talk a lot about the characters, setting and problem.  We question, make predictions and research vocabulary with online image and dictionary searches.  Comprehension strategies are targeted throughout our meetings.  All of our discussion notes are posted on the Google doc--a doc that is shared with all students in the book group. The format of the Google doc is a collection of ideas I've gathered over the years from colleagues and professional development resources.

It's a great tool and process that I hope to grow to best effect book group discussions, fluency and comprehension.  Take a look at our recent Stone Fox Book Notes.  What would you add?  What would you take away?  How would you manage the process?  I look forward to your feedback.

Giving Ideas Flight

What do you do when you have an idea? Do you give it flight?  Do you wait and nurture the idea, then implement it yourself?  Do you dismiss the idea?  If an idea is persistent and won't go away, I believe it's meant to be nurtured and/or shared.  What do you do with your ideas?