Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

This is one of the biggest challenges I have every year. When I don't manage to get through my curriculum it is usually because we spend so much time on this concept. This might be a way of making some of the review or comprehension checks a little more tactile. I like the idea of having them on some kind of plastic bottle caps...

What is the Problem?

This is one way of getting my students out of thinking there is only one right answer. It allows students to come up with their own problem and that they can each work at a level that suits them. Students who pick something too easy can be challenged to use different strategies or more difficult numbers. Something to keep in mind as I start to put my math centres together...

Class Promise

I like this idea even better than the idea of class rules. This defines what good people do. It makes it very clear that these are the behaviours we exhibit when we care about others. When there is an infraction, I can refer to this promise and help the students recognize that their behavious is not conducive to learning, whether it is their learning or the learning of others.

I especially like the last line where is reminds them that this is who we are "even when no one is looking".

Absences

This a great way to make the student take responsibilty for missed work. It doesn't take up much space and it's easy to maintain. It will be easy to verify who is picking up missed assignments and who is not by writing students' names on the sheets before placing them in the files.

Rules of Divisibility

This is an interesting visual way of putting it all together. This could obviously be used for many different concepts, but this is one that students struggle with regularly. They see the rule highlighted on the 100 chart and then they can verify the rule instantly. It's worth a try anyway. This could be the final entry in a math journal before assessing their grasp of this concept.

Request to Retest

This is a step that I think is essential when we are allowing students to retest. In the past, many of my students have expected a restest and have come to the conclusion that there is no need to study. "I'll just do it another day."

I tell my students this privelege is not free. Their eyes get all wide the first time, thinking they will need money and then I tell them the cost is time and effort. They have to prove that they have done something differently to ensure they will show an improved understanding of the concepts assessed.

After all, Einstein himself said it when he defined insanity as doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. Some of my students will learn the long way that their teacher is not insane... (at least not where it comes to assessing).

What Stuck With Me This Week?

This is an interesting idea as well. Students add one thing to the chart every week so that I can see what is having an impact on their learning. This allows me to hear from those who never say anything aloud. Those who are not sure what to include will soon have lots of ideas from those who ALWAYS have something to say.

It would also help me see what is working and what needs to be reviewed. No more will I get to test day and realize they are still wondering what the heck we've been talking about for the past 2 weeks.

Idiom of the Week

This is a great idea for French or for English. Idioms can be so much fun, especially when you can find the origin of the expression. There are so many expressions that are less known to students today because of the technological language shift. This would allow me to fill them in on "Old-fashioned" language. I like the visual presentation of it as well...

My Class Gardens

What a great way to combine my love of photography with my work. Making a bouquet of my students like this for my desk is an easy way to show students that they matter to me. Now that I am in a high school, I no longer get that class photo as a memento and this would give me a little reminder of each student after the year is done.

Note to self: Get the petals made in the summer because once the school year gets started, time will be a precious commodity...

100 Questions

This idea comes from a younger grade's teacher, but I thought another good use for this would be my science class. When I teach ecosystems, we watch some awesome videos about different ecosystems in the world and this would be a very visual way of posting the questions students have about what they learn and what they might like to research later on in the unit.

It can also be used to have students respond and ask questions about what they are reading in French or English. Responses could be categorized (questions, connections, opinions, frustrations...) Just a thought.

Clothes Pins Monitor Participation

OK, I know this will come as no surprise to anyone in the field, but there is a huge spread between those students who want to dominate in the area of "answering ALL the questions" and those who cringe at the thought of being called on in class. In my years in the classroom, I have heard so many words of wisdom about what to expect of students as far as participation is concerned. There is much controversy surrounding this issue. Some believe in the "tough love" approach, putting students on the spot and toughening them up to better prepare them for a less forgiving world. Others nurture and protect the student to the point of sheltering them from the experience altogether.

Now, neither of these will inspire a student to test the waters in an environment of safety and to develop learning habits which embrace error.

This year, I am faced with two very large groups (30 and 31 students). In each of the groups, I have a wide range of ability, activity and needs.

Each has a core of about 3 students who have their hand up as soon as they take their seats. They are ready to answer any and all questions that arise. They dominate conversations and they bask in the attention they feel they are getting from those who do not get the chance to speak.

The truth, however, is that those who do not speak, often do not bother because they have learned over the years, that there is no point trying to contribute to a discussion. They have experienced being cut off and being beaten to it by those who answer faster.

I saw very early this year that many of my quiet students were pretending to understand things in order to avoid questioning and taking risks in front of the others. It was obvious that the first thing I needed to establish was a safe environment in which they would be willing to take risks. We talked honestly about the importance of being respectful of the different learning styles of others. We defined a community of learners and the behaviours that help us to work well together. But this was not enough...

I needed to find a way to get my strong personalities to stop dominating the discussions and to get the reluctant speakers to find their voice. The idea hit me while in a Dollarama, shopping for birthday party loot bags...

Each student receives 4 wooden clothes pins with their names written on them. These are attached to name cards taped to the side of a bookshelf. Upon arriving for my class, students take their clothes pins from their card and place them on their desks. During lessons or class discussions, they hand one in when they contribute something to the class (be it a question or an opinion). To do this, they simply place it at the corner of the desk and the "used" pins are collected and counted at lunch by student volunteers. In such a large class, it helped me to see who was taking part, and who was merely observing.

What I noticed, was that the quiet students started to ask and answer questions more often and that the more dominant participants started to monitor their contributions. They were more aware when others had not had a chance to be heard and were sure to save their own "turns" for something worthwhile. I started to hear things like, "I'll let others have a go," and "I'll save my last clothes pin for another question."

There are several things to keep in mind here. The first is that students are not put on the spot. They contribute when they are comfortable doing so. They start to speak because others are no longer dominating, which gives them a chance to get a word in edgewise. The clothespins add a visual reminder that they are not participating, prompting them to ask or answer questions without fear of being cut off.

The second is that students who used to dominate become aware of how important it is for others to have the chance to engage in their learning. They become instrumental, not only in their own development, but in helping create a classroom setting where everyone can be engaged in their learning.

The third is that all this has nothing to do with grades. This is simply a visual way of helping students monitor
their level of participation to be aware of the contributions of each student. The tracking is just to show them that the rate of participation is improving. It also gives me some data about students who are reluctant to contribute anything in class. These are the students I can then turn my focus to in order find out if there are other reasons they are not asking or answering questions. This, however, is much easier to do with two or three quiet kids as opposed to 26 who never get the chance to speak.

And finally, the entire thing is monitored by students. Volunteers pick up the "used" clothes pins and record participation. Once counted, they replace these on the name cards. Other students replace the "unused" clothes pins on the name cards for the next class. The conditions for learning become the responsibility of all students after that.

Getting Started with Blogs / Quelques directives pour les blogues

So, you have a Google account and you have created a blog... What next? In the attached document, you will find instructions for a beginner in the world of classroom blogging. The best first step is to acquaint yourself with your own blog before you unleash it in your classroom. Take the time to create posts, add pictures and videos and play around with the various tools and features that you can exploit to encourage your students to produce professional looking work that they will be proud of.

Bon. Vous avez un compte Google et votre blogue est créé... Maintenant quoi? Dans le lien ci-dessous, vous trouverez des directives qui vous seront utiles pour déclencher le potentiel du monde des blogues. La meilleure première étape est de vous familiariser avec votre blogue avant de le présenter à vos élèves. Prenez le temps de créer des messages, ajouter des images, des vidéos et explorez les outils disponibles afin d'encourager vos élèves de produire des publications professionnelles dont ils seront fiers.

Blog Instructions / Directives de blogues

Research vs Research Projects

Just a few weeks ago, I attended a day with Mike Schmoker. His ideas caused quite a controversy in the room, after which he left to catch his plane back  home. The discussions that followed were most interesting. In summary (and please feel free to add to this if you were there) he stated that reading and writing were the goals and that all the projects we throw at our students are quite often a waste of time. He confirmed a few things that I have observed and quite admittedly become frustrated with in my own classroom. When students are working on a project I assign, a few have managed to  create a plan, have a list of questions to guide their research and have sources that will support or contradict their hypotheses. And let’s be honest, this description is very much an exception and not the rule. Most students will fool around, unless I am standing directly over them, and even then have no idea what to do despite a co-created list of criteria and expectations.

When I grade the project, I barely even glance at the product. The grade is based on my observations and most importantly on the process paper I require as the proof of their learning, which is often devoid of real learning and sources. So when Schmoker stated it (reading and writing) was what we should focus on, I was not appalled like most of the room. What I have noticed, however, is that the papers I have gotten this year (one grade younger than I am accustomed to) are beyond pathetic. This is not to criticize my students, but to bring into question the way I teach them how to research.

Because I have been blessed with the occasional fluke, I have begun to believe that most of my greatest “ideas” are a result of accidents. This week, because I have reached the end of my rope and I have moved into survival mode, I stumbled upon something and I think it may be the start of something for me. In my Social Studies class, I assigned a photo presentation. I asked the students to choose countries (aside from North America) and to identify things they do that are different from what they know from living in Canada. They collected a number of photos from the internet – no words allowed except for a title (with a flagrant lack of respect for copyright etc), but let’s focus on the important part here.

One of the groups presented a photo of citizens in Pakistan burning an American flag. This one photo inspired a heated discussion about why Pakistan hates the US. Many of the things the students said were obviously false and overheard from their parents and other sources – but this flood of thoughts and ideas was enough to get them asking great questions. We have a variety of nationalities in our school and I have students from various religious groups as well. Discussions on terrorism, religion sanctioned murder and other false stereotypes captured everyone’s attention! Now they REALLY wanted to know. Another group presented a photo of a matador in Spain and explained to the class that the colour red infuriated the bull and that is why they use red. Another student contradicted him and another discussion broke out about whether or not bulls were colour blind. A third group spoke about the coliseum in Italy and they shared how gladiators fought there for the amusement of the Romans. What they didn’t know is that the gladiators were slaves and how they were recruited. When one student shared this bit of knowledge, questions came flooding out about the powerful empire and its decline! Again, they REALLY wanted to know.

I think that assigning something (with a project) in order to get them to do research,  is putting the cart before the ox. (Does this expression work in English?) We need to create the curiosity to teach them how to ask questions first. We need to have these discussions to get them thinking beyond their four walls and to open their minds to the worlds which exist elsewhere on the planet. I don’t have the answer about the whole how-to, but these little discoveries (mostly by accident) have certainly gotten me to think about research in a whole different way.

The discussions which occurred in my classroom this week will certainly change the way I encourage students to find inspiration for their research. The project has become the least important part of it, but this is not to say that it has no value. I have begun to wonder if I should use it as an enrichment for those who are ready and willing to create something new – beyond the reading, writing, discussing and listening phase… The great part about this is that it is not limited to the strongest kids. A student who is not at that point in September, inspired by those who launch themselves into these projects may join in later in the year. The quality and authenticity of their work will be improved because it is truly theirs – at their pace and guided by their questions and ideas – even though it might not start out that way.

This piece is in response to an article forwarded to me by Syd Korsunsky. 

Research vs Projects

2012 Byte Conference

This year, at the Byte Conference in Portage, I attended 4 very different sessions to broaden my horizons in the field of technology. Over the past few years, I have allowed myself time to explore software and various tools that can be of use or at least of interest in a school setting. I can finally say that I am no longer intimidated by technology although I am aware that I will be a perpetual learner in the field. How could I not be in a world that changes faster than we can keep up?

Recently, some of my students learned the hard way that the internet is fast and forever. We have had to troubleshoot a potentially disastrous situation and have brought the protection of our youth to the foreground. When I signed up for the "Managing your Online Identity" session, I believed I would be reminded of the dangers our students face in a technological world and given tips about keeping them safe from predators as well as from themselves. Well, needless to say, this was not at all what the session entailed.

Philippe Girouard, the young presenter, started by painting a clear picture about the all too familiar published photos of the night we did not remember to draw the line. Posting photos and blurbs about loss of control and consequences for bad choices do not allow a flattering light to shine down upon us and advertise to the world how we handle ourselves personally. Why would they believe our professional life would be managed any differently?

He continued by stating that our students should all be on the five essential social networks in order to create and manage our online identity. As much as I love my new comfort with technology, I was not sold about putting them on display all that much. Nevertheless, I continued to listen. Soon, I began to see endless possibilities open up and I was seeing my own future in a whole new way.

Since the conference, I have signed on to the last of the social networks required for his view of our online presence, LinkedIn. Basically, it is facebook with a professional flair. I have entered my profile, which is a well organized resumé, as well as organizations to which I belong, courses and conferences I have attended, and achievements which complement my work as an educator. I have connected with people who are leaders in some of the fields of education I am passionate about and I can share and get feedback from the professional articles and posts I publish online.

Managing your online identity reminds you to be the only person in your life who has any say about what is publicized about you. Show the world what you are up to. Do things that you would be proud to be a part of. And most importantly, live your life in a way that does not open doors for others to paint you in a less than favourable light. The bottom line is that if you do not want to be seen worshipping the porcelain goddess at a party gone wrong, then don't allow yourself to get to that point.

Your online identity is a reflection of your live identity. You decide what you want others to see and then, make it so.

Assessment practices? Who needs them?

As much as we like to get a good laugh out of some of the wildly ridiculous skits on the behaviours of teachers, we must wonder if we can see ourselves, even a bit, in the jokes we make about them. I laughed out loud at the  shortcuts made by the "brilliant" teacher in the attached video, but the very sad truth of it is that I have known a teacher who graded in the exact same way. I am often appalled by some of the assessment practices used by teachers despite our knowledge of the most recent research.

I am not advocating a Big Brother system here, but we are not held accountable for our methods nor do we need to justify our current practices. The school I teach in is rural and very community oriented. I have the trust of the students, the parents and my colleagues. I am confident in my assessment practices (although I am continually searching to improve them) but I could easily hand out marks unquestioned. I also wonder how common this is? Who would know?

What is crucial here, beyond teaching and assessment practices, is the breakdown of professional integrity. We have an obligation, if we are to call ourselves educators, to guide students through their education and to invite them to be equal partners in the acquisition of their lifelong learning skills. Neglecting this objective is equivalent to sabotaging their futures.

I know that this sounds extreme, but we have seen a breakdown of the moral and ethical fiber of society over the past several generations, where Family Guy becomes the model dad and "good enough" becomes the norm. I am not ready to let go of the ethics my parents have instilled in me. I am a believer and if I abandon them, what chance will my students have?

I repose the question: Assessment practices? Who needs them? If I need to answer that, then I hope you are not a teacher.

Real Learning

All over North America, we have curriculum documents to guide us in our attempt to cover various course content in every grade and in every subject. These documents are filled with more than content but when we refer to them, the most common reference seems to be to the next topic we are to cover. It is essential that we be on the same page and that we head in the same direction when it comes to the healthy and timely development of the minds of our children. Content is the means to develop the greater underlying skills with which we want our students to be equipped.

What I am trying to get at here, is that content is the least of our worries. What do we really want our kids to know and be able to do? Are the recommended concepts important or should we focus more on the skills and attitudes that lead to that lifelong learning we claim to strive for in all our students?

What does it matter if a child can memorize the name and location of each African country or that he or she knows the lakes of a given region? I'm not sure that I could do this. But I can use a map and other various research tools to find the information I need or want to learn. If we dig a little deeper into the resources that are available to us in the form of provincial guidelines, we would find that these attitudes and values are highly stressed as being the real learning outcomes.

I have always wondered why some students are required to memorize all the formulas used in a geometry unit. If you need this in the future, who will stop you from looking it up? My high school Physics teacher believed in this. Every test was an open book test. He told us we had to know where to find the information we needed or we would spend most of our test time looking for it. He was preparing us for an inquiry based future where questions trumped answers and the skill to find them prepared you for any subject, any job and any life situation.

This being said, what should rubrics look like? What portion of the rubric should focus on content and what portion should we devote to skills? If we can come to an agreement on this point, how do we implement such a system in a way that all students are being equally prepared to have the survival skills needed in an ever changing world? I am not preparing my students for a future job. Most of them will end up in jobs that don't even exist yet - so what could I possibly have to offer them that would be of use? The answer: Adaptable skills such as questioning, reading for information, reading for pleasure, synthesis, analysis, and evaluation of everything they see and hear.

I need to teach my students to think for themselves so that when they are faced with challenges, they will have the courage and competence to accept them and know how to address them. I know what I want to do. I know what I need to do. I need to figure out HOW to do it right so that students understand the outcomes as well as the usefulness of the skill they are developing as they explore a wide variety of topics. Armed with this information, they become equal partners in their learning. They then are more likely to become engaged in their learning and accountable for the progress they make.

Isn't that what real learning means after all?

Destinations and Road Blocks

About a year and a half ago, I heard the first whispers of the impending provincial report cards. Mixed emotions abound when the word "mandate" is combined with any kind of government-inspired initiative. Some say nothing good can come of decision-makers stepping outside their field of expertise and dabbling in someone else's pond, but here we are, nearly two years later, knee deep in the thick of things, and planning the next steps of the journey.

I have been fortunate enough to have been invited to pilot the recommended report cards this year. Many would not see this as a stroke of good fortune. The demands it places on your time and your teaching philosophy can be taxing, but with an open spirit, many new learning opportunities present themselves. I immediately volunteered to sit on the committee to learn more about sound evaluation practices and the best way to implement what was non-negotiable at any rate.

Eventually, I was accepted and my learning curve has spiked. This is largely due to the fact that I have had a very supportive administration team and professional development opportunities to deepen my understanding of assessment and evaluation in order to put these new methods into practice. The freedom they accorded me allowed me to test the waters and to bring my students along on this journey of discovery. They have benefited from it greatly. It is only with the opportunity to dive in that we can learn to swim.

This year is now half done and I am already thinking of those that will follow. Next September, the remaining 22 schools in our division will join the ranks of participating in the mandated initiative. I accepted the challenge willingly because I am at a point in my career where I have knowledge, experience and great leaders to guide me.

Many of the teachers who will now have this thrust upon them are not at the same place in their professional development. Some work in schools where sound evaluation practices are not even on their radar. They have adopted the "It was good enough for me, it'll be good enough for them" mentality. Many are not even aware that some of their practices are working against progress and can even be detrimental to their students.

A solution has been proposed for this impending problem. Guidance must be provided and teachers must be accountable for their professional practices. If what we are doing is known to be wrong, then why are we allowing it to continue? How can we defend our professional integrity when we are doing nothing to strengthen the foundation as it crumbles?

Unfortunately, politics play a big part in all this and much of what is desperately needed is held up by decision-makers who have the interest of dollars over the interest of the children who stand to shape the future. Let's think investment here. The sooner we start - the stronger we become. And isn't this what we are always trying to encourage in our students.

When we ignore what we know is problematic and stick a bandaid on it that does not allow us to see through the coverup, we lose sight of the problem and it is consequently never addressed. This is our responsibility. This is our duty. This is our real mandate!

The Importance of Rubric Language

For years, I have struggled with the value of rubrics. A well respected colleague of mine told me they were very limiting. When we add descriptors that quantify the information rather than qualify it, the value of the statement given by the student is justified merely by being there rather than by being accurate. Rubrics are not wrong. The language can merely be the obstacle that prevents students from learning from their experiences.

Jan Chappuis describes 3 types of rubric language in her "Seven Strategies" document. I have summarized the ideas below:

1. Descriptive Language

• Ex: Display of information is accurate, mostly complete, and is mostly organized so that it is easy to interpret. It may have one or two small omissions.

2. Evaluative Language

• Ex: Good display of information.

3. Quantitative Language

• Displays three pieces of information.

In the descriptive language rubric, the student knows what he or she has done well and what needs to be improved. It is measurable in a way that the student can understand how to advance their own learning. 

Evaluative language lets the student know they did well. It does not, however, specify how the student has succeeded or what steps need to be taken in order to change the descriptor from good to excellent. 

Quantitative language limits the measure of the work to a number of items included in the work. It is not even clear if these items are accurate or noteworthy. Again, there is no direction for improvement.

It is obvious that it takes descriptive language to involve the student in his or her own assessment. It invites the student to be responsible for his or her own learning and to take the necessary steps to advance that learning. This encourages not only better grades, which are secondary at best, but also skills that will transfer to other areas of learning for this grade and any learning that follows, in or out of school.

Back to Portland

We are headed back to Portland for another ATI conference. How lucky am I to work in a division that values the work we do and supports the professional development we are willing to pursue in order to better our practices and the learning experiences of our students?

The November conference will focus on "Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning", by Jan Chappuis. I am plugging away at it so that I have a working knowledge of it before attending. So far, I have found that many of her theories and recommended practices are already a part of my belief system.

Much of what I am reading has already been shared with us at the Summer Institute with Rick Stiggins. This alone makes it a quicker read. I am continually confirming that I am on the right track with these strategies and that whether or not I knew why I was using them, they were based on sound research. What reinforces it for me now is that by reading the "WHY", the "HOW" becomes more purposeful.

I love the idea of developing assessment criteria with my students. The problem I encounter with this one is that it is very time consuming. In a school year where every minute counts towards covering as many of the curricular outcomes as possible, I am challenged with the value of the class time required to make this strategy worthwhile. I mentioned this same concern to Tom Schimmer at the Summer Institute and his reply (although based in a high school philosophy) was that at times, this criteria is given to the students and worked on from there. We simply do not have the time to invest in this step as in depth as we would like.

The contrast between a learning goal vs. a performance goal was also helpful to consider. I had never really differentiated between the two before, but it is important for the students to understand what they are LEARNING even more so than what they are DOING.

Assessment Training Institute Summer Conference

Here I am on my last night in Portland, Oregon, after spending a week with some of the great minds in the field of evaluation and assessment in education. What a rush this has been. The week has flown by and I have had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with Rick Stiggins, who is unfortunately retiring at the end of this year, Janet Malone, Ken O'Connor, Jay McTighe, and Tom Schimmer, among others.

The thing that has really resonated for me during this conference is the fact that I am definitely headed in the right direction. The theme was Classroom Assessment for Learning. I already believe in the sound practices advocated by the speakers we had the privilege to learn from. The message is not to encourage us to adopt yet another new procedure, but to analyze what we do and ensure that we are working in the best interest of the success of the child.

I am anxious to review my notes and start posting entries about the ideas and practices I can and will use in my own classroom. I love that this conference was offered in the beginning of July. This way, my work is still fresh in my mind and I also have a number of weeks to process the information before embarking on a new school year composed of great assessment practices that are research-based and proven to be effective for all students.