It's after Labor Day, but Vogue says it's okay to wear white pants

Here I go, again...talking about taking instructional risks (see my previous entry about risk taking and wearing white if you're confused by the title).  But, in this case the risk is balanced with a process called Lesson Study.

The math department is getting ready to embark in "Lesson Study," and for those of you who haven't heard of it, here it is in it's purest form:

Step One:  Determine the teaching strategy you want to try (i.e., your risk).
Step Two:  Plan the lesson using the strategy within your PLC and with any necessary support.
Step Three:  Teach the lesson in one class while the other PLC partner observes, makes notes, etc.
Step Four:  Reflect upon the strategy and make changes for future implementation.
Step Five:  Use "Lesson Study" strategy in future classes and adapt for future lessons.

As a systematic strategy, it works to pull teachers from a class to observe one another and have a thorough reflection process, but there are other ways you can "take the risk" without going to this level of study.

Here, a PLC is teaching the same outcome.  In one classroom, students are doing a Webquest to research the time while in the other, students are writing letters from the perspective of those within the time period.  Both outcomes should be the same, yet the teachers have very different strategies to teach the content.  During their PLC discussions after the common assessment, they can determine which strategy was most impactful.  This is a form of lesson study.

Webquest

Using resources and notes to write letter

Organizing their writing

Prior to our RAP PD session on Sept. 18th, a PLC did a "lesson study" on the RAP continuum.  Working with one class of students, they practiced scoring and building understanding of a strong RAP strategy.  This practice before implementation with staff, allowed us to see any flaws/challenges with the strategy.

The Continuum

I Steal Therefore I Am...

Better!

Great teaching isn't about having the best ideas, or getting to it first.  Sometimes, great teaching is about "stealing"  (I quoted this because when I use stealing in this context, my 4-year-old reminds me that stealing is wrong; I don't want to dimish our character education in any way).

Today, I had the pleasure of doing walkthroughs at Sperreng.  While there, I saw some great strategies being implemented by our "partners in crime."  (Again, I want to be clear, that I'm not advocating that we become criminals ;)).

1.  Students were designing presentations synthesizing their understanding of history and its impact on life today.  As part of this presentation, they were using Google presentations and screen-cast-o-matic.

2.  Students write "I can" statements at the top of their notes to connect their objectives with their learning.  This serves as a great way to jog their memory about the importance of their learning.  BTW, I've seen our teachers use this method too...

3.  Students have performance assessments.  On this science test, students went to various stations around the room to complete tasks involving their content and skill knowledge.

3.  Student tests are connected to their learning goals.  Instead of numbering test questions in the traditional way (1, 2, 3, 4...), each question was aligned to the learning outcomes.  Again, it's another great way to make connections in student learning.

The Acorn and Dr. Z.

I've been studying the yearbook, determined to master students' names.  Surely, it's not an impossible task to learn 738 student names...even if it may be impossible to remember them.  But, I will do it!  By knowing who kids are, I make them feel special, give them a sense of belonging and contribute to the Truman family.

It's the end of September...think about the connections you've made with students.  Do you know all of their names?  Do you know who they are as a learner and a person?  Do you know their nickname, or like Mr. Gose, have you given them a nickname to build the classroom community?

When we know our students and understand them, we make them feel important.  And, when they feel important, they are more likely to show they deserve that status.  Students who want to please us will work harder, try more and learn more.  The relationships you build with students leads to their success.

What in the world is SWBSA?

Okay, I admit it...I had never heard of it before.  And, you know what it's like:  once you see something once, you see it everywhere, and that's what I'm experiencing with SWBSA.

SWBSA is a summarizing technique where students identify:  Somebody, what they Wanted, But the conflict, So what happened next, and After it was done.

Here, students are practicing the skill in their class, working with both teachers and partners to complete the activity.

Look, now, here it is in a poster!

And then, I saw it in action in a different English class with The Outsiders.  Where will I see it next? 

In all honesty, having strategies like this, as well as RAP, provide us with a systematic support system for students.  By practicing strategies in multiple classes and across grade levels, our students make connections and build skills.  The challenge that we have is to not limit our students by using the strategies.  Strategies provide a base, a foundation, but those more sophisticated learners will expand beyond them, learning to be flexible with their responses based on the given task.  Let them!

Here are some other great systems in place around the building:

Plan, Do, Study, Act:  SSD has used this approach for year, focusing on building student goals and reflecting upon progress along the way.  It's a great technique as we question "How well are we doing?"

Integrating Literacy Standards:  As we become more familiar with the CCSS, we build articulation guides in English to determine how we expand student thinking throughout the grades.  Here, students have been practicing the Listening standards by listening to a speech, using the auditory clues to make meaning.

We continue to build and refine systems for our students.  And, as long as we are willing to keep reflecting and learning (clearly, I've learned about SWBSA), we are doing the right thing for kids.

Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic, Robotics and Retakes

After school time really is an extension of learning for kids.  Today, 41 6th grade students stayed after school to retake their first science test. And, the lesson they learned was essential:  you must learn or else.  These 6th graders didn't have the option to take a poor grade, to miss essential curriculum or take the easy way out.  Instead, they were required to regroup, re-study and retake.  Isn't that what we have to do in life?  If you don't pass your driver's test, don't you try again?  What about the BAR? ACT? GRE? the report you owe your boss?  The message is clear:  you must master the content.

Kids want to learn!  The robotics club, Trumanators, is busting at the seams with a 3rd team.  Check out this team collaborating in the lobby this afternoon.  They broke themselves into small groups with each group having a different assigned task.  This is how we as adults create and solve problems; it's thrilling to see middle schoolers having these authentic learning experiences, including emailing local experts and making contact with the Sunset Hills city engineer to arrange a question/answer session.

"'Attracted to Girls Like Honey Draws Flies.' And That Is a Simile!"

Yep, that's a real student statement from a small-group discussion.  In this lesson, students are jigsawing to build their understanding of various characters in their assigned reading.  Each student became an expert on one character, identifying the dialogue and other characterization tools used by the author.  Then, the students get together to share their summaries.

And, how about a simile of my own creation to summarize this pic:  We are having fun in English like it's a circus (OK, it's not that great:)).  Seriously, the classroom is "TPed" as a visual reminder of the strategy TPCASTT.

Tactile Engagement

Tactile engagement is designing lessons so that students use multiple parts of their brain to build understanding; check out these great examples of "getting physical" with learning.

In a vocabulary lesson, students manipulate the words while determining their meaning in the context.

The same lesson, has a whole-class tactile component where they physically move the words on the Interactive Whiteboard.  This same thing can be done using the Promethean software.

Okay, here I go with stations again.  What's noteworthy about these is the simple way to organize all the materials so that students are ready to learn.  They also include simple manipulatives for easy engagement and an integration of technology.

In this lesson, students rotating around the room, identifying reading strategies they use to help develop reading skills.  A few post-its can go a long way!

Getting students into the science labs to determine mass, volume etc. with a variety of materials is a great way to build content understanding.

And finally, you as a teacher can use a little tactile engagement.  There are so many tricks for calling on students, including tongue depressors with student names.

And, Building a Character Climate

I love working at Truman Middle School.  After all, who wouldn't love a surprise cake ball now and then?

And, a hat day that raises over $2100 (Thanks Patti for letting me borrow your hat for the pic)...

And, students who admit that they love middle school (that's because of you, folks!)...

And, teachers who are inspired to document the 50 year journey of Truman...

And, instructional activities where students collaborate to build their understanding of ancient history...

In conclusion, I love being at a school where we "Fly Right," emphasizing our core values through an environment that supports kids!

Supporting Students During Independent Work Time

Building student ownership in their learning is huge.  Whether this autonomy is during assessments or independent work time, there are ways you can enhance the learning experience for your kids. Consider these tips....

Monitor students doing computer-based work from the back of the room. Technology gives us many gifts, one of which is quick visibility.  In this class, students are taking an assessment online, and the teacher can easily monitor every student's progress by being behind students. This allows for quick intervention when a student struggles. 

Conference with kids doing independent work. Whether students are reading, writing, or completing an assignment, you have a great opportunity to build relationships and assess student learning progress. My suggestion is to quietly move around the room, asking a quick question of each child. The question could be as broad as, "What is one thing you've learned from this assignment?" Or as content-specific as, "Tell me about your favorite character."

It's often the small procedural differences that help us advance great learning.  

Whatcha Writing?

Writing abounds today!  And, trust me, that's a good thing.  When students write, they are synthesizing their knowledge and applying their skills in cross-curricular settings.

Check out these great examples of writing:

Writing Workshop:  the primary elements of writer's workshop include extensive writing opportunities, expanded freedom in types and quantity of writing and student ownership in the writing process.

Here's an overview of the basics of Writer's Workshop...


In this sample, students are self-selecting to conference about their poems.

Here, students are demonstrating their independence in writing, including methods for revision, genre and quantity of writing.

Notice the ambiance of the writing setting...

A mini-lesson where a teacher models pre-writing....

And let's not forget the cross-curricular writings...

Students in a social studies class are researching and writing about founding fathers.  In this assignment, they confer with the teacher about their research, independently research and compile their work into a biographical summary.  Students are all working at their own pace, utilizing both district-provided and personal technology tools.

Notebooks are full of graphs, notes and conclusion about their work.

"Snacks are allowed and encouraged"

We saw some great examples of the core value of "Family" in today's Flyertime walkthroughs.  Building norms is one way students can build a sense of community; by having them determine what's most important, they know they belong.  And, yes, even you as a teacher can contribute; if you want your students to sing often and loudly, I say go for it!  As long as they buy into the norm (and no person or animal is injured in the development or implementation of the norm), it works.


Here a pilot leads an get to know you game that requires all students to talk to one another.

And, here's a teacher-directed activity that gets kids discussing what they may have in common.

Another example of an activity where students get to learn about one another.

And, finally, a room set up in class meeting style encourages inclusion of all students.