A Teachable Moment #31

Giving teachers more power helps in turnaround of Boston schools

"Six low-performing Boston schools participating in a pilot program that gives teachers more training, support, and leadership roles are showing higher growth on state tests than other low-performing city schools according to a report released Monday by the non-profit Teach Plus... In addition to training and hiring new teachers, the six schools in the T3 Initiative, provided health and wellness services for students, and intensive teacher professional development over the summer. "

"Six other Boston turnaround schools did not participate in the T3 pilot, but did experiment with longer school days and staffing changes. A report by The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education found that state-wide, less successful turnaround schools, including those not part of the T3 program, tended to provide more generic professional development, infrequent coaching and teacher support, and struggled to create a safe school environments. Test scores at those turnaround schools have remained relatively stagnant."

And, yet, offering teachers more training, support, and leadership roles is avoided (because we lack advanced degrees, or good decision-making skills, or experience, or six-figure salaries, or...). 

"Research has shown that teachers are the most important in-school factor that influences student achievement[.]"

Unfortunately, if teachers are treated with that level of respect, it's no longer possible to criticize them for everything that goes wrong, including the decisions of others.

An Introduction to Technology Integration



From Sal Khan (Khan's Academy):

"The traditional academic model, you know, that we've inherited from the Prussians 200 years ago is: We have a set amount of time to learn something, and then there's an exam. You get a B; I get a C. Even though the exam identified that you have some basic weaknesses, I have even more weaknesses, we'll then move on to the next concept. So instead of doing that traditional, everyone move together in lock-step model, with technology, you have the potential to everyone learn at their own pace, and master concepts before they move on. Have the teacher get real-time dashboards to see who's stuck on what. Now something like that is a fundamental transformation of what a classroom is."

From the end of the video:

Research has shown that technology integration improves:

• K-12 achievement when digital and face-to-face instruction are integrated
• Science learning over text-book instruction by allowing students to collect, analyze, and model data
• Student writing skills and engagement when 1:1 laptop programs are in place
• Student understanding of math concepts and attitudes towards math when they use virtual manipulatives

Wrong Focus: Teacher-Centered Classrooms and Technology

"Look at the front of the classroom from the students’ perspective What do they see? In schools where it is feasible, they see a tech rich experience for the teacher: a computing device, an IWB, a projection device pointing at the front. Perhaps we see a teacher with an iPad, an iPod, or a doc camera. Regardless, we see a very tech rich experience for the teacher – a teacher-centered technology environment.

Now flip it. What do educators see when looking at students?

Paper. Pencils. Print texts. Notebooks. Pens.

What an absolute disconnect!"

I think we're still stuck in the Time of Computer Labs. If a teacher doesn't have time to go to the computer lab, s/he cancels the trip and waits a week. In Texas, we have Technology objectives right along with our Common Core objectives. I guess we just tend to ignore those.

I look forward to the day that students are expected to demonstrate all understanding through technology. An interesting challenge. To head that direction, we would have to change (or burn) our beloved standardized tests and thoroughly adjust our teacher prep programs. Keep your fingers cr--nevermind.

Wes DeWeese, Georgia Father Of 18-Year-Old Student With Disabilities, Questions Son's High Grades

I'm not going to address Mr. DeWeese and his son--I think there are questions that never came up. Therefore, several of the comments are unfair.

However, I want to address this...

"In Dallas, Field Elementary School, an "exemplary" school noted for academic achievement, was found to have only taught its third graders reading and math last year, as teachers fabricated scores for every student in other subjects, like social studies and science."

Wha-- That can't... Are you sure?

Don't we have a ridiculously long list of objectives that TEA have, in their infinite wisdom, shoved down... uh, rather... passed down to us?

Absolutely ridiculous. I hope that everyone was fired. Principal. Third grade teachers. Parents. Yep, parents. Didn't they notice the Science and Social Studies assignments that never came home?

While Mr. DeWeese complains about high grades, those parents just turned a blind eye.

Harrold, Texas School Gun Policy Defended After Newtown Shooting

"In August 2008, Harrold Independent School District Superintendent David Thweatt made waves announcing an unprecedented move: Teachers and staff would be allowed to carry guns in schools."

Comment from Dropthedh:

In a country where so many people blame teachers for the demise of education, we then turn to them to be armed protectors of our children. Amazing!

It's not enough they are accused of being glorified babysitters, now they are considered to be the police. Let's just place all of society's problems on the shoulders of our educators and then we can blame them for everything that goes wrong. Brilliant! 

Schools are full of children. Our babies. Surely, our Education Departments, administrators, local police departments, parents, etc. can put their minds together and come up with something that leaves the teachers to teach and the students to learn.

Oregon State Rep. Dennis Richardson: Teachers With Guns Could Have Stopped Connecticut Shooting

I can't believe that people have to say this to Representative Richardson... Teachers aren't cowboys. Without the proper research, I'll still wager that most teachers don't want to carry firearms while teaching fractions, monarch butterflies, and objective pronouns.

While the folks of Newtown are burying loved ones and trying to face the next day, this yahoo wants guns in the schools. Not tasers or pepper spray or a security guard. Guns.

Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design

This is a great book. Carol Ann Tomlinson has such a handle on differentiated instruction--it's a wonder why her books aren't the focus of our staff development sessions throughout the year.

"[F]ar more students would be successful in school if we understood it to be our jobs to craft circumstances that lead to success rather than letting circumstance take its course" (18).

 "Differentiation does not advocate 'individualization' (19).

That's what is feels like, though. I have to retrain my mind to think about variety rather than individualization.

"[T]he vast majority of students would benefit from tasks designed to foster complex and creative thinking, support for increased independence, self-assessment, metacognition, flexible pacing, and so on. The best differentiation inevitably begins with what we might assume are 'too high expectations' for many students and continues with building supports to enable more and more of those students to succeed at very high levels" (20).

Successful schools understand this. Crap schools have no idea what this means. They set the bar low--just trying to make it to the bell. Lazy. Pitiful. Unforgivable.

"In an effectively differentiated classroom, a teacher adheres to a philosophy that each learner is sent to school by someone who has to trust that the teacher will realize the worth of the child and be guided by a sense of stewardship of potential each time the child enters the classroom door" (44).

It irritates me to no end that some students come to school, sit in my class, ignore my lessons, put forth no effort, settle on failure, and never change. A week or two ago, I was already to give up on a few students in my class. I was tired of the struggle. Then, in a moment of clarity, I remembered that they are my students. If I give up, it's over. They are children, reacting to a variety of factors. I'm the adult--it's up to me to cut through the crap and find a way. My job isn't to teach curriculum--it's to teach children. Time to suck it up and work.

12 Economic Facts About K-12 

Out of the twelve, I want to address three of them.

“Overall, the United States spends about 3 percent of its total expenditures on research and development, with that figure reaching as high as 23 percent in pharmaceuticals. In education, however, only 0.2 percent of expenditures are spent on research and development.”

Overall, there seems to be no interest in questioning century-old practices and studying research that points to potential success. Improving education means slashing budgets, increasing class sizes, and spending millions of dollars on new tests. Stupid.

"On average, students in a class with a higher 'value-added teacher' (measurement of a teacher’s impact on students’ test scores) for just one year experience the following benefits: The net present value of their lifetime earnings is nearly $6,400 greater."

At first, I was impressed with that number. Can you imagine $6,400 more a year? That would be awesome! But... that's not what it says. That's lifetime. Not so impressive.

“Publicly funded but more autonomous than traditional public schools, charter schools have greater space to innovate. While not all charter schools are successful, some have shown remarkable results and could offer guidance for public school systems.”

I'd like to edit that last sentence: While not all public schools are successful, some have shown remarkable results and could offer guidance for other public school systems.

SignUp Genius

Whether it's Fall Conferences or the anticipation of conference requests after report cards, I didn't want to send home a sheet with times, asking the parents to select three of them. It's such a pain to organize all of those requests. With SignUp Genius, I can create a schedule without worrying about organizing the choices. When a parent makes a choice, that time is marked as taken. Awesome!

Edmodo Resources

I'm late to the Edmodo party, but I see its potential. I'm looking for resources and lists and ideas. This livebinder has tons of stuff about Edmodo.

We asked, you answered! 15 more brilliant ways to use Edmodo

Another list.

1. Cultural Exchange
2. National Book Club
3. Teacher for a Day
4. Mini-Math and Mapping Lessons
5. Tutor Connection
6. Reading Critique
7. Mentor Sharing
8. Punctuation and Grammar
9. Teacher Lounge
10. Professional Learning Communities
11. French Language Practice
12. TV Show Live Blog
13. Activity Tracking
14. Flat Stanley on Holiday
15. Safe Facebook

I like the Mini-Math and Mapping Lessons, Teacher Lounge, and PLC. I tried using WallWisher to share ideas and create some discussion, but it's a bit clunky for that. Edmodo would work great. 

Jing

"Simple and FREE, Jing is the perfect way to enhance your fast-paced online conversations. Create images and videos of what you see on your computer screen, then share them instantly!

• Take Screenshots: Capture an image of what you see on your computer screen
• Record Screencasts: Record up to 5 minutes of onscreen video"

7 Brilliant Ways to use Edmodo that will Blow. Your. Mind.

Check out the article for specific information. I'm just going to list the ideas. 

1. Science Fair Exhibition Hall
2. Playground
3. In the News
4. 21st Century Field Trips
5. Lunch Count
6. Data Tracking Diary
7. Announcements and Special Events    

 I really like 21st Century Field Trips. There are more ideas in the Response section.

50 Popular iPad Apps For Struggling Readers & Writers

Intellectually, we know that we should meet the students where they are, and we should differentiate our instruction, and we should spend time with individuals and small groups, and we should follow IEP's and RtI's and OATWF's*, but where do we find the time?

Now, I'm not saying time is our excuse not to do these things. That's school now, folks. The other school is old-fashioned and won't reach many students. Blame it on whatever you want. If we're going to be teachers, we need to teach all of them. And that doesn't mean that we lecture at all of them.

I think great lessons, stations, and technology will help me accomplish that goal of teaching every student. With my district's influx of new technology, we're able to expand our reach. This site will help.

* - Other Acronyms That We Forget

Mythical Creatures: Integrating Art and Math

Cindy, we need to do this. You do mythology and I do geometry and transformations, so it's perfect. Like chocolate and peanut butter!

Research: High Teacher Expectations Raise Student Achievement

Der.

Robert Rosenthal, from Harvard, designed an experiment. In it, he told teachers that, after a special IQ test, a few students were expected to experience an increase in IQ. Low and behold, they did!

"As Rosenthal did more research, he found that expectations affect teachers’ moment-to-moment interactions with the children they teach in a thousand almost invisible ways. Teachers give the students that they expect to succeed more time to answer questions, more specific feedback, and more approval: They consistently touch, nod and smile at those kids more."

Over time, these small actions make a significant impact on those students.

As a result of this research, I'm going to smile and nod uncontrollably at a few kids in my class. Once they've reached a respectable IQ, I'm going to smile and nod uncontrollably at all of the kids in my class. Take that, low IQ!

Public School Funding Unequal: State and Local School Finance Systems Perpetuate Per-Student Spending Disparities 

"According to a report out of the Center for American Progress, inequitable per-pupil spending perpetuated by regressive state and local school-finance systems remains cause for concern in U.S. public schools, despite state aid formulas designed to work to the contrary."

Those darn formulas. I just can't believe that they're not perfect.

"For instance, according to the report, non-property sources of revenues, like income taxes and fees, are generally higher in low-poverty districts than high-poverty ones, and are seldom equalized through the state aid formula."

Wait, what? The formula doesn't consider the income taxes in rich areas? I'm no accountant or crazy formula writer, but that sounds stupid. Does the formula consider differences in PTA funds between low-poverty and high-poverty areas? Prob'ly not.

"Last month, another Center for American progress report determined schools that enroll 90 percent or more non-white students spend $733 less per pupil per year than schools that enroll 90 percent or more white students. These “racially isolated” schools make up one-third of the country’s schools. Nationwide, schools spend $334 more on every white student than on every non-white student."

Honestly, I don't believe that success depends on money, but, crap, folks, we've got to even it out a little. Look at those numbers. That's just embarrassing. Shouldn't our nation be passed that?

Tennessee Middle Schools Nix Graded Homework, Extra Credit In Hopes Of Improving TCAP Scores

"Although extra credit is now a thing of the past, grades will also not be reduced for behavioral issues. Meanwhile, homework is intended solely for practice and will not have any effect on a student’s grades."

Good. In the elementary and middle schools, homework is nearly pointless. Oh, I know that we say we don't have enough time during the day, so stuff has to go home. I'm sorry, but a lack of time is not reason enough to send work home. Let them go home and live. Keep the work in the classroom where you can observe and question.

But, if something goes home, I don't think it should be graded. Practice is practice. 

Here's the problem: School isn't about learning and improving. It's about grades. What's my grade? Are we going to grade this? What can my son do to bring up his grade? Are you going to post the grades?

So, teachers give grades. Sometimes, they give lots of grades--you know, the law of averages. If a kid's grades suck, just take a hundred more grades, and everything should work itself out. Hang on, what about the failed assignments? Are we just going to move on and chalk them up to lack of studying or didn't turn them in or didn't follow directions? 

I understand the system. There comes a time when you have to call it. Before that time, though, why doesn't a kid get the opportunity to learn the material and retake the test or quiz or assignment? Are we in it to get 'em or teach 'em?

Loopster

For the most part, we have Macs at our school, so iMovie seems like the obvious choice when making videos. But, at home, Loopster is an online option for editing videos. The process resembles that of other video editing software.

Teacher Resources

This is... just... I don't know how... amazing.

High School In The Community, New Haven Turnaround School Run By Teachers, Union, Has Turbulent History: Report

The "principal" of this school is a teacher, elected by the other teachers. He wrote a proposal to the state. In it, he made these recommendations:

• Hire a truancy officer or “parent liaison” to help with chronic absenteeism.

• Hire former Wilbur Cross teacher Chris Kafoglis as a new “academic coordinator” focusing on student achievement.

• Hire a magnet resource officer to boost student enrollment.

• Hire a full-time substitute teacher, to cover classes when teachers are away at trainings.

• Pay teachers to stay after school an extra hour each day, four days a week, for training, planning, and, twice a week, mandatory after-school catch-up sessions for students. Teachers will also show up four days early for the school year, and stay four days after it ends, for prep work and data analysis.

• “Rebuild the identity of the school” as an “Academy for Law and Social Justice.”

• Upgrade technology, including: Smart Boards, iPad carts, Macbooks and iPads for teachers, iPads for students, computers, and in Year 3, a Mac computer lab.

Huh? Whataya think? I hope it works--I'm excited for them.

The Differentiator

"The Differentiator has been re-written from scratch with more power and flexibility, and sports a clean new look. Experiment to create differentiated objectives for students of all levels. Plus, it works great on an iPad!"

Performance-based Teacher Assessment Begins in Arizona

"Students in the Scottsdale Unified School District in Arizona have begun their school year by taking tests. Lots of tests. They will end their year the same way. And the results will, for the first time, have an impact on more than just them. Starting this year, the results of students achievement testing will play a part in the system used to assess the performance and effectiveness of their teachers."

The Arizona Dept. of Education expects districts to use student data in their teacher evaluations, but it has not created the evaluation, so there's bound to be a great deal of variety from one district to another. 

Rather than one high-stakes mystery test at the end of the year, Arizona is using its brains and having students take pretests and post-tests. That gives you a better idea as to the teaching and influence a teacher has on that student. Remember, though, there are many factors affecting the education of a student, but this seems like a good move.

SITE: Twiddla

From the site: Twiddla is a no-setup, web-based meeting playground. Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas. Browse the web with your friends or make that conference call more productive than ever. No plug-ins, downloads, or firewall voodoo - it's all here, ready to go when you are. Browser-agnostic, user-friendly. 

I've been wanting a place to meet with students and help with homework. This looks pretty good. I can't want to try it out.

Write it on your communicator: Twiddla.