Saying Goodbye

As the Holiday Season is upon us, our school district must unfortunately say good bye to a young teenager that unexpectedly passed away.  While saying good bye is never easy, it becomes especially difficult for any teen to process how their friend is no longer with us.  As a teacher, I cannot imagine the pain and suffering the family and friends are going through. While I can't even come close to having the right words, I know that my role is to be there for them or as simple as an ear to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Normalcy - whatever that may be - will be tried to be conducted in every class. Undoubtedly, some classes will be easier than others, yet some a struggle to not see that bright smile and hear that laughter.  And as I reflect on my time with this student, their amazing character and joy for others will be truly missed.  As I struggled with words for this time, I decided to write a poem that I only hope can help others in this time of struggle.

Saying goodbye
Can bring such sorrow.
We can only hope
It will get better tomorrow.

Why the Good Lord took her
We will never know.
It's perfectly okay
To let your emotions show.

An amazing student
And even better friend.
It is so sad
Her story had to end.

As we sit here
To say our good byes.
Hug the ones that love you
Before the time flies.

For she is home now
And as a bell rings.
God has given his angel
Her first pair of wings.


Perhaps we should not say Good-Bye.....rather, "Until We Meet Again!"

Learning from our Mistakes

"Mistakes are proof that you are trying!" - a quote on the front of the wall in my class!

When did students become so afraid of making a mistake? Has our current education system and standardized testing policies forced students to be less creative and lack critical thinking and problem solving skills? In a world that is evolving and advancing quickly - our students are going to be left behind in a dust storm that engulfs them. 

As I have reflected on my teaching and instructional practice, I have found that I am slowly beginning to transition to exploratory learning. Students need to be cut loose and explore problems on their own, develop their own understanding, and share their ideas with others.  Right or wrong, these are the skills that today's students are going to be asked to display in the work force of the future.

One of our favorite class activities has become "Passing the Problem". This activity asks students to explain how they would solve a given problem on their slip of paper.  They only have a short amount of time to come up with a possible solution and explanation. They staple their answer to the back, and then pass the problem to the next person.  When they get the next problem, they ARE NOT allowed to look at any of the previous solutions.  Students should create their own solution and process.  After about 4-5 problems, students then switch problems one more time. However, this time they look at all the possible solutions and choose one that they think would best solve the problem or is most clear.  We then share our problem and solution with small group and the class.

This activity is usually done between chapters as we are trying to transition from one unit to the next.  The amount of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Mistakes that occur are invaluable to student growth. Illustrating that having the correct answer isn't always important has helped students grow in math. They have become more willing to try and explore before complaining about not understanding. I can only hope this will help them in the world that awaits their future!

Meeting Their Needs

The first quarter of the school year has officially ended, and with that end came the dubious task of administering our WKCE State standardized test. Although the students highly dislike this test and teachers don't like taking away instruction time, it does provide for an ample amount of time to reflect and plan for the second quarter.

After some discouragement with how the first quarter ended and students not giving their best effort, I knew I needed to take a long hard look at how I was meeting ALL of their differing needs to be successful in my math class.  Many students knew what was required and were able to perform very well on unit assessments.  Yet, too many students were far lower than expected and their assessment scores were less than desirable.

Therefore, students needed to be pushed a little harder to complete tasks in class so that I can help guide them through the learning process.  Thus, I have created leveled learning in my math class to help differentiate my lessons and meet with struggling learners on a daily basis.  While my classroom still operates as a Flipped Class, many students are unable to watch the video outside of school, or just choose not to.  These students are automatically put into a "Basic" group that works directly with me throughout the set of practice problems.  We review skills required for each particular lesson, and then proceed to the lesson itself.  After 2 weeks, students seem to be grasping the concepts much better and even worker much harder - maybe they actually know what is going on.

The rest of the students choose which level they think they are ready for after watching the video lesson - average or challenge.  If at any time, students feel they are struggling, they can come over to the basic group and watch or ask questions.  As I have observed, many students will work together and help teach each other what is happening.  The amount of math conversation with in my classroom continues to grow on a daily basis.

On our second day of each lesson, students continue to take a mini-assessment from the lesson. Again, dependent upon how they score, the students are broken into these three groups to extend their learning or re-teach the lesson to obtain the required material.

I am very excited with the possibilities of this differentiation piece.  Students seem to be engaged more in their math and willing to help each other out.  The struggling learners are getting some guided instruction that they so desperately need.

What is an A?

The debate over Traditional Grading and Standards Based Grading is continuing to heat up across education.  Too many expectations are tied to traditional letter grades - grade point averages, class rank, scholarships, college acceptance, and parental expectations. While the system in place does very little to adequately rely how much knowledge a student has in a given subject, standards based grading can more accurately show and measure what a student does and doesn't know.  However, the transition to standards based grading will not only be a transition to educators, but parents as well.

With the increase in demand for differentiation in the classroom, teachers continue to struggle with marking a grade for students that work hard but fail to meet the grade level expectations.  For example, this year I have 5 math classes with class sizes ranging from 14 - 28 students per class.  In any given class, I have 4 - 7 students that fall below grade level according to NWEA MAP testing data.  Therefore, how can it be a realistic expectation that these students perform anywhere close to average work, or a C grade.

My ability to differentiate each lesson for these students has put immense pressure on myself to carefully select what the students need from each lesson to be successful.  In the meantime, their deficits will only continue to grow as they struggle with remedial math facts and competencies. Yet, parents want to know, "Why is my child failing math?" As I try to explain, they are not able to illustrate through summative assessments (i.e. Unit Tests), that they understand a given skill or task.

A standards based report will clearly tell parents what their child does and doesn't know pertaining to the material that I am teaching.  While it will not give the student a letter grade, it does indicate what strengths and weakness the student has.  Thus, parents and teachers alike might be able to pinpoint the root of a struggle more easily.  Creating grade level standards will help to hold all more accountable for what is to be learned each year.

While this process is not an easy process, I believe it is a necessary process.  Tests need to be recreated, assessments redesigned, and thinking shifted.  Teachers and parents must be willing to work together to understand that letters are nothing more than letters, while standards are a clear indicator of the expectations required!

I Make a Difference

"Jimmy" is a new student to our district this year. "Jimmy" is much more mature physically than his peers, which makes many afraid to talk or even acknowledge him. But "Jimmy" is very soft-spoken, polite, and a respectful young man that is struggling to fit in. One particular day at lunch, I witnessed "Jimmy" sitting alone at lunch on the opposite end of his peers.  I decided it was time to step in and help a guy out. After asking for permission to sit with him, I began a very detailed conversion with "Jimmy" about his school history, travel history, and what he likes to do with his free time.  Meanwhile, other students slowly started to drift over and join our conversation.

Although I wish this scenario was make believe, it helps to pinpoint my main reason for choosing the teaching profession - I want to make a difference in the life of students and help them grow into respectful young-adults.  Almost every teacher can pinpoint that teacher in their life that helped them see the potential they had to become a great teacher and mentor.  And if you ask teachers why they chose this profession, most will respond, "to make a difference in the life of students!"

Why then has our teaching society thrived on the "IT'S NOT FAIR!" culture? Since when has anything in life been fair.  Yes, the teaching profession has taken some major hits - loss of wages, increased class sizes, scrutiny from communities and parents, and the list goes on. Add to the pile the 'in-house' arguments over teaching loads, duties, prep hours, and compensation and we have created a school that pits teachers against one another, instead of working together. 

My district recently made quite a few changes that require teachers to do more.  Elementary teachers now teach health in their classroom, while Middle School and High School teachers are required to pick up a 0.5 hour duty assignment. For some a study hall, others hall monitor, yet others lunch or detention duty.  And yet, quite a few of the teachers have taken it upon themselves to complain that they do more work than the next teacher.  REALLY???  I would be hard pressed to find any teacher that works harder than an Elementary Teacher - teaching all the subject areas, wiping noses, playground rules, tying shoes, and so much more.

I am quite frankly sick and tired of hearing the complaints and whining. As I see it, my extra duty gives me the opportunity to connect with more students, thus raising the chances I have to make a difference in one of their lives. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead students and help them see the potential they have and what they can do. Perhaps it's time to sit back and reflect in the mirror at the teacher we are compared to the teacher we wanted to be.

This reminds me of the following story...a lawyer, a doctor, and stock broker are sitting at a bar enjoying a drink after a long day at work.  All three are marveling in the accolades they have accomplished.  The lawyer points out the fancy sports car he drives and how fast it goes.  The doctor stoically points out the mansion he lives in and all his fancy gadgets than decorate his abode. The stock broker marvels at how much money is in his bank account and his private jet that he uses to travel around the world. As the three are gloating to each other, they notice a man at the end of the bar sheepishly grinning at them and laughing.  "What do you do?" they asked the man.  " I am a teacher," he responded.  The three men erupt in laughter and ask, " and what do you make?"  The teacher simply grins and replies, "I MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

Moving Education Forward: WE not Me and OURS not Mine!

Off and Running...

While the beginning of the school year requires routine, class policies, and school rules, the start of this school year has been nothing short of crazy and hectic. Between adopting and implementing a new school BYOT policy, transitioning students to a Flipped Math Class, and Technology Rep. duties, I have found myself eager to fine tune the learning environment for students in my math class.  After a great year of math with a new textbook and Common Core State Standards under my belt, I have hit the ground running and will continually look back to reflect.

I continue to be amazed at how responsive the students have been to a dramatically different learning environment. Being able to talk and discuss math, listen to music to focus, and write on desk tops have provided a unique learning environment for students that they too often don't get. One might say my classroom resembles more of a college commons or Internet Cafe shoppe.  Maybe it matches my personality as a teacher and human being, but I want my students to have fun while learning.

Don't get me wrong, the objectives for learning are very clear for students.  I monitor their progress every other day through mini-assessments and differentiate their learning based on their results.  But I have sensed more ownership from students in their own learning by giving them the freedom to learn in an environment that is comfortable to them.  Giving students options as had a tremendous affect on the quality of work being done.

For example, in the first week of school alone I received four emails regarding questions on practice problems and three photo submissions of practice problems.  Students are using the technology available to them and thriving while using it.  While there are still those "old-fashioned" learners showing they are learning, many students are using the desks to write on and show their work.  I have never seen more math work being done in a given period than I do now.

As I continue to try and shift from Letter Grades to Learning Objectives, I am slowly beginning to see the power of student ownership. True learning begins when the student takes ownership in his or her learning environment and wants to be successful because they want to learn. While I know I have a long way to go, I am grateful for the progress students have made and their willingness to work hard and try a technique that might not be so popular!

"Mistakes are proof that you are trying!"

Why I Flip

With the new school year around the corner, my district completed our staff inservice and meetings for 2013-2014. To my surprise, I was approached by several of my colleagues to explain why I chose to Flip my Math Class, and how it works. I was encouraged that they wanted to learn more, and even perhaps try some of the techniques in their class.  That led me to thinking about this blog post and sharing with all WHY I FLIP!

My flipped experience started as a means to meet ALL of my students at their level of academic readiness. I felt my drill and kill method of instruction just wasn't reaching enough of my students and I needed something different. Thus, you will see many different groups in my class, as well as much noise and discussion. I frequently assess where students are in their learning of the content, and require some to go through guided instruction and practice with me. Likewise, I can push excelling learners to try enrichment activities that require critical thinking and problem solving skills. As I noted to my colleagues, the greatest benefit of my flipped classroom has been the ability to push students where they didn't think they could go and differentiate my instruction for their learning.

As many educators do over summer, I found myself reflecting on how I could make the learning experience even greater in my classroom. What changes could I make that benefit all students and push them to want to excel even farther? In collaboration with my colleague at the 7th Grade level, whom is also flipping his classroom, we decided on the following practices that would enhance student learning in our class.

The first change we made is to include Google Write-Up problems for each chapter. In trying to help our students prepare for the Smarter Balanced Assessment, we knew we needed a format that would encourage students to construct a response and explanation to a given problem. By using a Google Form, students are going to be required to construct their response and submit for a grade.  Not only do we help them develop the skills necessary for the SBAC, but also teach them technology skills that we hadn't in the past.

The second change we made was to include a technology project for each chapter. They will vary by chapter, but be based around creating a review for the chapter material learned.  Students can using anything from Prezi, Piccollage, Evernote, Wordle, Tagxedo, and the list goes on.  We are trying to expose our students to a wide variety of Web 2.0 programs, all the while helping them review.

The third change we made centers around our districts use of the NWEA MAP testing series.  We base many of our school goals around student achievement and closing the gap on these tests, but have never really done anything to help students in these areas. We decided that as students have flex time, they should practice skills in their weakest area of MAP testing. Through various websites and our textbook resources, we will be able to provide students with countless opportunities to improve their testing scores.

The last change we made allows students to show us their practice problems in a variety of venues.  In our attempt to transition to a paperless classroom, we wanted to show students many different ways to complete practice problems and turn them in for credit. Students can use Educreations, Piccollage, Evernote, Google Docs, and more to show how they worked on their practice sets.

As the school year starts, we are very excited to provide many learning opportunities for our students.  We are eager to see what results occur because of our changes.  Likewise, we are always open for suggestions, ideas, and comments, so please feel free to share.  Best of luck to you on the start of your new school year.

"MISTAKES ARE PROOF THAT YOU ARE TRYING!"