What Is Your Teaching/Learning Role as the Education Landscape Changes?

A few years ago I was fully invested in the question, What is your role?

Now, that answer is much more apparent?

District goal setting, State standards, evaluation requirements, and CCSS have defined my role with greater clarity.

According to CCSS, State, and district standards, my role is to teach the math and science standards in ways that every child reaches mastery.

I do prefer this charge to days of old when the expectations for my work included more topics and less definition as I can dig into these standards in rich and dynamic ways with students.

This greater definition prompts me to change routines, classroom arrangement, and study schedules.

For example, the room is set up for more small group work, problem solving, and investigation.  The routines have been created to support dynamic math and science study and practice, and my studies are focused on forwarding math and science knowledge, concept, and skill in conjunction with learning to learn skills and knowledge as well as students' interests and passions.

My focus for future study and investigation has changed too. Learning more about the following areas will boost my ability to serve students well:

• Environmental Study
• The tools and activities of science exploration and study.
• Connections with local nature preserves, museums, and science centers.
• Knowledge and use of multiple online math/science platforms.
• Attendance at science/math conferences, seminars, and meetings.
• Study and understanding the science and math standards with depth.
• Designing invigorating learning experiences in these areas with and for students.

My hope is that as our roles become more defined, the supports will continue to develop to accommodate our efforts in positive ways as well including:

• skilled assistance (growth of the teaching assistant role with regard to the standards, technology, current teaching methods and information, and compensation)
• time for planning and meeting (continued growth of RTI, PLC, and planning time)
• apt tools including online/offline resources for teaching well and more fluid systems for attaining needed tools and equipment (continued foundation support, year-long purchasing options, time to research and acquire the best tools for learning, investigation)
• adequate facilities (the development of STEAM labs at elementary school, and outdoor education efforts)
• time and focus on collective goal setting and follow-up activity.

As I stood back yesterday and thought about our system efforts and goals, I realized that there have been many positive changes including the following:

• Yesterday, the math coach invited our teaching team to work together to plan for an upcoming unit on fractions. The focus and organization of the learning time was well orchestrated and our share fruitful with regard to teaching students well. This is one example of the kind of efforts being put in place to forward our efforts. 
• Later in the year, leaders will come to our school to observe our collective efforts with regard to developing students' stamina and perseverance. Their observations will promote greater growth for our learning/teaching community. 
• Leaders will also visit our PLCs to observe the ways we use data to target student teaching/learning efforts. Their visit will prompt good discussion amongst our PLC team with regard to these efforts. 
• Last summer protocols were created to lead our RTI Math efforts and elementary system-wide curriculum maps and resources for math were put online for ready reference--a resource I look to often. 
• Further this summer, educators in our system will pool their resources and gain new resources during a system-wide STEAM Institute open to educators in Wayland and beyond.  
• Yesterday, a number of educators shared their learning from the recent MassCUE conference in a "smackdown" like fashion to spread the knowledge.

I'm sure that I could list many more positive initiatives, initiatives that signal system-wide growth and promise.

Even communication streams have increased which has served to focus our collegial conversation and efforts. This communication serves to inspire our work in that we are all learning of change and initiatives at the same time rather than through informal channels such as hallway conversation and lunchroom talk. 

Recently our State governor Deval Patrick mentioned that he had to learn about the value of repetition when it comes to sharing the good news or the message of an organization. I think greater communication that includes both announcements and inspirational anecdotes, quotes, and forward thinking will serve to help our organization move with even greater strength and effect. 

As a critical thinker it's important to stop and recognize the good that is happening. I'm fortunate to work in a dynamic system that profits from tremendous community support and investment. And as always, it's my ambition to fulfill my role with a focus on what's best for each and every student with regard to my teaching role definition both specific and broad. Onward. 

Online Learning Menu: Response to Intervention

This is what the That Quiz report looks like. The blank spaces
indicate test results that were deleted so students could retake
the quiz after some targeted teaching and review. 

I have a large group during our Response to Intervention (RTI) time. The students in the group are meeting grade-level standards, and I'm tailoring an online menu for their two 30-minute RTI times each week.

We have the use of an outside computer lap and laptops in the classroom so there's enough tech for everyone.

I list the menu on the class website, and students go to the menu and get started.  I review multiple data points to make the decision about what to do each day.

For example, this morning as students worked with a substitute teacher they moved through a series of videos and follow-up That Quiz tests.  When I got home tonight, I looked over the data.  I noticed that a number of students had trouble with the rounding exercise and the squares and cubes exercise. I'll review the key errors with the whole class and then I'll keep those students in the classroom near me to re-do those tests. I'll provide help as needed.

As far as the others, those who did well on all of today's exercises, I've created a new learning path that extends from place value practice with Khan Academy to Operations learning and practice also with Khan to a final choice of Khan Academy Programming for those who have mastered all the grade-level skills.

Students are used to the routine. There's little time lost, lots of coaching, and targeted help.  During this time other teachers are working with small groups of students with targeted needs, interests, and skills--work that has been targeted from data collection, observation, and standards-based goals.

To date, students are engaged and getting lots of targeted intervention. We're on a good path with RTI.

It's Only a Matter of Time: The End of Grade-Level Tests

I believe it's only a matter of time until we see the end of grade-level standardized tests.

Unlike programmed robots, students learn at different rates, and everyone knows that what one fifth grader may know is not the same as what another fifth grader knows.

For those who are constantly trying to keep up for many reasons, current testing is frustrating and does not lead to empowerment.

What would be better is a series of tests that students take and pass when ready.

For example, there are fifth graders who are ready to master a third grade test, and there are fifth graders who could probably pass an eighth grade test or even a college admissions test. There is a great range.

That same third grader who is ready for the third grade test may also be the best basketball player, singer, artist or social person in the class.  A bit behind the grade level expectations in one area does not mean "behind" in all areas--we all master skills and competencies at different rates and ages, and in somewhat different ways too.

To keep the current age-grade configuration of learning organizations simply doesn't make sense in many ways, and I predict we'll see a change in the next ten years when it comes to foundation skills' competency testing and the way we organize learning organizations too. We may also see the introduction of the essential skill "chip" that simply gets embedded which means no more endless hours of rote skill practice.

Online venues like Khan Academy and other grow-at-your-own-rate learning tools are leading the way in this regard.

In the meantime, how do we continue to teach well so that every student makes progress with essential skill and knowledge while also mastering and forwarding their own interests and passions. I'll be thinking about this as I continue to craft learning experiences that blend multiple tools and resources with the aim of helping every child move forward in empowering and engaging ways.

Powering Through the Math Standards

Sometimes the standards feel like a road map, and other times they feel like a line of soldiers blocking true learning.

Today the soldier metaphor was at play.

I carefully designed a few lessons that integrated our Earth and Space study with place value.  I started by showing National Geographic's panel discussion about space exploration which created all kinds of discussion, questions, and ideas--everyone wanted to talk about space exploration, and I felt a need to emphasize the lesson objective: the many ways to write numbers.

I noted that there would be more time later to talk space (and there will be) and I added that it's important that they know how to speak the language or math and work with math skills in order to learn and share important scientific information.

We powered through the math standards-based skill focus. They enjoyed working with the space numbers. I also left a lot of links to explore on the home study list.  Later we'll dig deeper into the amazing Earth and Space study--a study as Bill Nye notes that is both awesome and humbling.

Standards, like any guidelines, are written to guide. In truth, we work with real people--students who have passions, interests, and varying speeds when it comes to learning new information. The big challenge is to teach everyone with strength, and that takes craft, craft that weaves together students' interests and passions as well as important foundation skills.

Pep Talk: Peaceful Transitions and Current Goals

The first day back after a holiday weekend is always tough as many children would rather stay home than come to school. Some teachers may feel the same way :)

We'll start with our school assembly, then we'll have a class meeting.  During our class meeting I'll share the goals for this short leg of the school year which is to solidify place value and math operation computation skills while learning about Earth and Space Science.  We'll also continue our focus on peaceful transitions.

I try to minimize the transitions each day so that most of our time is focused on learning experiences, however some transitions are unavoidable.

This morning, during our organization meeting, we'll focus on the following daily routines with a goal of making our transitions and routine events more successful.

Morning Routine

• sign in
• read the schedule
• get started with the morning work activity.

End Day Routine

• pick up around your desk
• clear off your desk
• stack your chair
• pick up in other areas of the room
• stack extra chairs
• sit on your desk when you're done.
• be prepared to listen to end-of-the-day announcements.
• leave when dismissed. 

Transitions

• walk quietly in the hall, single file to make room for others and so that we don't disturb other classes.

Lunch Transition

• wait for the teacher to arrive before you leave, then leave quietly.

The routines are simple, but needed in order to contribute to a peaceful, safe school community. Also, as I write, I realize that it's our end-of-the-day transition that's the messiest so we'll pay particular attention to that as we talk today.

Taking a bit of time on the first day back after a holiday for a pep talk to foster team is important, particularly at this busy, holiday time of year.