"It make me nervous...I feel like I'm not doing anything!"

When we give control of learning to students, it can be very uncomfortable.  Sometimes, we may even feel a little bored when students are doing the work and we are facilitating it.  But, that's okay!  When the students need us less, they are actually learning more!  Consider this question, when you are doing all of the work in teaching, are the students bored?


"I'm walking around impressed by everybody!" a teacher recently shared as she tried a Jigsaw teaching activity.

Students in the above pictures are working in small groups, teaching one another about aspects of the Civil War.  Here's the recipe:

1)  Students choose a teacher approved topic that fits with the essential unit outcomes.

2)  Students research their topic, using the guided note sheet.

3)  Students organize/prepare how to share the information with others.

4)  Students work in small groups learning from one another.  When not presenting their topic, they ask questions and take notes on the new information.

5)  Students who have presented quiz their small group members to ensure understanding.

6)  Students in the first group then join with students from each of the other groups to share what they learned.

7)  The new learning is applied as the teacher builds understanding throughout the remainder of the unit.

In this way, students are building background knowledge to further their understanding and apply it to the big ideas of the rest of the unit.

A plane is safe in its hanger, but that's not what a plane is for

It's coming up on February.  Know what that means?  It's time to "take a risk" month, a time to try new instructional practices.  Whether you are the type to ease out of the hanger, smoothly progressing down the runway or one to burst out ready for take-off, taking risks should be a part of your educational repetoire.  ASCD's "Education Update" shares that taking purposeful risks "elevates teacher innovation and student engagement."

Risk-taking is something we ask students to do each day, requiring them to try new things and explore new ideas.  As educators we must model this same "growth mindset," avoiding the pit of doing things because it's the way it's always been done and modeling that failure leads to reward and a sense of pride in our accomplishments.

I'm about to admit something here....I've failed a lot.  I won't list all my failures (some are huge, and some were "imperfect" outcomes), but here are a few from different points in my life:  1) I tried to jump off the slide when I was 3 and failed, breaking my ankle; 2)  I tried out for 3 cheerleading squads in high school before finally making one; 3) In college, I got cut from a lot of sororities during rush week; 3) I tried literature circles as a teacher and struggled to make them fit within my teaching style; 4) As an administrator, I've had too many fails to list...but each time, I learn to be a little better (I hope!).

Now, that I've shared the "True Confessions of Tara Sparks," I challenge you to consider your failures and appreciate them.  It's bouncing back from those failures that helps us realize that it's okay to take risks.  As we approach February, be ready to share some instructional risks you've taken, and please invite Mike and me in to witness them - risk-taking for the sake of student learning is the sign of a dedicated, innovative, and reflective teacher!

Here are some classroom learning examples to spark risk-taking ideas...

These students are taking a risk to figure out complex equations, with a high probability of error.

Using the new student response cards to engage students in content and dialogue is a risk.

Having 6th graders create babies (based on a set of traits when studying genes) is a risk.

Looking at technology in a new light is a risk - this student is reading on his iPod. (Okay, he might be risking his eyes!)

Using interdisciplinary skills shows a risk - kids in this modern language class solve math problems in their newly acquired language.

Giving students time to evaluate their own learning is a risk, one that creates a growth mindset.

I encourage you to look through this blog to find fresh ideas that inspire you to take a risk!  Keep in mind that your risk is unique to you - push yourself outside of your comfort zone, try something new, and as long as it has a purpose for learning, I applaud your growth mindset!

"What's the Most Important Word in the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Recently, I read an article in Educational Leadership entitled "Talking to Learn:  Why are student-driven discussions worth the effort?  Three reasons:  learning, freedom, and fun" by Elizabeth A. City, and it highlighted how much we learn through dialogue.

We shouldn't teach dialogue because the CCSS says so, but we should teach it because students learn through conversations (the person doing the talking is doing the thinking!).  Think of the powerful topics and concepts that can come from a discussion of the words in the Pledge of Allegiance:  symbolism, US history, government structures, and so much more.  Plus, students practice the valuable skill of providing support for their "central idea."

Check out these great conversations students at TMS have had...

Students in this math class, begin talking about how to use the substitution rule to solve for x and y, discussing what makes it difficult in this particular problem.

A third partner joins them as they struggle through figuring in on their own; one more perspective equals success!

Students in social studies preview school subjects and decide what's most important, determining what to continue in their fictional educational system and what to drop.

Students then discuss and come to a consensus about what subjects will remain in their fictional schools, dialoguing about the value of various subjects in relationship to culture.

Students use their "student response cards" to write thesis statements before sharing them in group discussion.  Students can then dialogue about what makes a strong thesis statement.

Students work together on problem-solving and communication skills, one partner creates and articulates their design to another student who must replicate it without seeing it.  Getting kids to process through what worked and didn't in their communication systems is a great use of authentic dialogue.

Now, here are some steps you can take to increase dialogue in your classroom:

1)  Pair Share - get kids engaged in the content by having them discuss the topic of instruction.
2)  Arrange your Classroom - by having tables, circles, and u-shapes, face-to-face interactions result.
3)  Use Text to Start the Conversation - text can be print or non-print to spark conversation about your learning target.
4)  Develop Discussion Protocols - kids don't automatically know how to "dialogue," but a few simple rules from you can make all the difference.  Here are a few examples:

• Last Word:  When reading a text, each student chooses 1 sentence to highlight as important, reading it and explaining why it's important.  Students in the small group, then have 1 minute to comment.  The student who highlighted the sentence then gets 2-3 minutes to have the "last word" before the next student shares their ideas.
• Four As:  Students study a "text" with 4 questions in mind: What do you Agree with in the text?  What Assumptions does the author of the text hold?  What do you want to Argue with in the text? and What parts of the text do you Aspire to?  Students then discuss their 4 As as a group.

Welcome to 2nd Semester

Here we go, again...starting off the semester ready to roll out the educational red carpet!  When students at TMS ask, "Do we have to learn today?" ... The resounding answer is, "Yes!"

We are learning on the first day back from 2 weeks of vacation, and it's like we never left...with the exception of some goal-setting activities that provide focus for the new year, new semester, new quarter, or in some cases, the new day.

Setting Class Norms for the 2nd Semester

Using Cornell Notes to Build Language Skills and Comprehension

A Visual about Strategies for Success

Integrating Math and Modern Language:  Determine the Pattern, Use Numerical Skills, and Learn Another Language

Setting SMART Goals for 2nd Semester Success

Formative Online Assessment for Skill Identification and Instructional Planning (NoRedInk.com)

Getting Fit

Inquiry-Based Science

Reflection on 1st Semester Writing and Identification of 2nd Semester Goals

Writing Persuasive Essays Using an Outline

Conferencing with Students

Providing Focus for Skill Development

Building Content-Based Vocabulary

Non-Linguistic Interpretation:  Providing a Visual of the Branches of Government

Non-Linguistic Interpretation:  Synthesizing Understanding Through Art

Don't Confuse Compliancy with Engagement

In many of our classrooms, students appear engaged (to be honest, I would say an incredible 95% of the time); however, to be reflective practicioners we need to take a closer look at what's rote work vs. thinking work.

Student Notetaking - compliant or engaging?
Student Listening - complaint or engaging?
Student Debate - complaint or engaging?


Of the three listed above, how many did you think were engaging and how many were compliant?

As you plan your lessons, know that there will be times when students must comply, when you just have to give information.  However, work to ensure that you are engaging them regularly with that information.  The 10:2 (10 minutes of teacher-directed work to 2 minutes of student-directed work) rule is a good guide to help you in this endeavor.

Students demonstrate their understanding of text features through a game on Kahoot.

Students apply their math knowledge by playing a game...to progress, they must accurately answer the problem.

Students are protons, neutrons, and electons.  Protons and neutrons "steal" electrons to learn about ions. 

In this class, students are engaged in both inquiry-learning and required reading.  They start by physically organizing the features of non-fiction text and end with applying their understanding to leveled non-fiction articles.

What could be more engaging (and exciting!) than frog dissection day?

Students demonstrate understanding of geometric principles as they manipulate parts into a whole.

Students work with partners, counting to twenty by twos in German.  Then, the inner circle of partners rotates so that each student has a new partner for the next engaging task.

Shifting to Learning Goals

In the last week, there have been a couple of emails about helping students set goals, but how often have you been irritated by a student goal that sounds like this, "My goal is to get an A in the class."?  Is that the goal we want for our students, a grade?  Answer:  NO, unless the grade is 100% reflective of the learning.  To be 100% of the learning, then we'd have to fix all 15 of Ken O'Connor's suggestions in our book study, and let's face it...we aren't ready to do that...yet.

Instead, we need to get students focused on setting goals related to learning, but in order for that to happen, we must:

1)  Set clear learning targets.
2)  Engage students with those targets so they can understand and set their own goals.
3)  Build lessons that engage students to learn autonomously so that they feel a sense of control over their learning.

Here are great examples of these 3 steps....

Given their writing rubric, students reflect upon their writing progress, identifying skills they have mastered and skills they need to improve.

Once students have reflected on their work, they are given options for personalized writing goals.  The samples directly correlate to their rubric to ensure alignment to learning targets and student ownership of learning.

Students writing DBQs work with partners to get feedback on their DBQ learning targets that are directly aligned to the rubric.



Students set the goal to eliminate bullying by targeting specific audiences.  They then begin to research and create presentations that can be given to various groups of students.

When we consistently accomplish these, we've built a learning culture where students will never ask, "Do I have to do this?"