Sarah mentioned how I had everything very laid out, and I never used to feel that way about our research projects. After doing this research project for the 5 years, I just finally feel like I've gotten my thoughts laid around it. Just like Lindsay said, there's so much older kids can do with technology, but they are also so limited in research skills at this age level. Its been a struggle before knowing what kids know how to do and what they didn't. I've finally had the experience to know what most kids abilities are when they get to me, so I've really been able to refine my teaching and planning process to focus on those skills they are lacking.
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A highlight from my implementation plan so far is that it has been extremely easy to change up in the event that I needed to switch from what I had originally planned for. That being said, there have been a lot of obstacles that I have had to overcome so far, which required me to change the plans. I realized that I was not going to be able to set aside time every Friday for students to take a google form survey. Luckily, I found that an easy check on students' reflection skills would be to use their Assessment Dialogue forms as data. Again, that posed another problem that needed solving. I can no longer take data from all classes, but only from one class to show how the reflections are changing students attitudes toward learning.
Since I've changed the plan on the data collection, it's been hard for me to analyze as of yet. There is a mass of Assessment Dialogue forms that I'll be reading through over our fall break. One thing I have been able to show is that students are showing progress from formative assessment to summative assessment. I will be able to compare the class's scores from formative and summative assignments when they did not reflect and show that with reflection their achievement in my class has increased. The biggest challenge I've found though, is there is never enough time in the day to do the work that is needed to be done. Synthesizing Questions #1
For incorporating technology, I focused on students being directly involved in acquiring resources a planning for the resource use. I worked with my team members to create cornell notes sheets that students would use during a research project. Students were to find resources, and plan ahead on how to organize the information from the resources to tell the story of their topic. Students were also taught to paraphrase their notes since copying is plagiarism. This is different than how we taught note taking in the past, we typically would have students take notes on anything they found important, and then organize all their notes at the end of the note taking practice time. This way forced students to recognize what was actually important ahead of time, and informed of them of what information they may have had a lot of, or were missing, from their topic. I also have allowed students this year to bring their own device to school, mainly for work time. Some students enjoy listening to their own music or being able to quick google something on their phone, than use a chromebook or iPad. So far, I have seen it work well. This year I am having students use an Assessment Dialogue Form to self assess so they may have self-directed learning experiences. You can see the form on the left of the page. This is different than how I've had students reflect in the pas. Typically I would have just asked students to give themselves a score on a summative assessment, and then explain why they deserve the score they gave themselves. This year, I am having students use this form for some formative and summative assessments.
I have been working with a few SPED students to use technology to be able to show their knowledge in the classroom. Some of these technologies are ones that I have had in the past, but haven't used. I have put DragonDiction on an iPad for students to speak their answers instead of write them out. I also have students using the textbook on our iPads, which will read aloud to students so they can focus on the content, instead of reading skills. I have always allowed students to choose their own research project topics, but this year I asked students to choose their topic after doing a little more digging into what their topic is about to make sure they had a good handle on what that topic is about before they truly dive in. I also found a useful peer editing sheet for students to use when typing out their research. This would allow students to help each other improve their written product through suggestions from their peers. Synthesizing Questions #2
Synthesizing Questions #3
Brookhart says “feedback that draws students’ attention to their self-regulation strategies or their abilities can be effective if students hear it in a way that makes them realize they will get the results they want if they expend effort and attention.” Guskey and McTighe say students can self-assess their current skill and performance levels against models given in order to set learning goals and monitor their progress along the way.
From the morning session, I really wanted to keep in mind that at home and at school I need to stay above the line. I tried out reminding my co-workers and reminding myself when we were below the line to change our choices to have a more positive outlook and attitude. It seemed to really make the days go by quickly and continue on a positive note.
There wasn't much that I could try out this week from the afternoon session that I haven't already been doing. We talked about using standards based grading. I guess I can say that I shared with my group that I haven't seen many students failing my classes now that I've been using standards based grading for the past 3 years. Just finishing grading today and I only see a handful who haven't passed for the quarter. This is something that I will continue to use in my classroom. I found out that I have the Creative Builder and Ambassador leadership styles as my two main styles of teaching leadership. I agree with both of these designations. As a Creative Builder, I like trying new things in the classroom and I always find that I have the most energy for something at the beginning. I don't always have an eye for "procedural" details of the daily events, but I am open to many new ideas and trying them out to see what works. As an Ambassador, I generally like to advocate for what is best for all, since it appeals to my sense of justice, or what is most fair for all.
A gift or talent I have in the classroom is that I have a lot of energy and I'm pretty creative when it comes to lesson planning. I try not to do the same things over and over again. Obviously, a routine is important to set in class, but that doesn't mean that we have to do the same type of learning all the time. A gift I share with my colleagues is a helpful attitude. I try my hardest to be a reliable and helpful person that will be able to guide others in things they may need help with. This gift I share with students would positively influence them by giving them different ways of learning. I also try to give many different types of assessments. I do not just give quizzes and tests, I like students to be able to show a range of skills and abilities, as well as give them assignments that they may struggle with. I also use high energy in my classroom to hook students into lessons, and I think it helps them buy into me as a teacher. When I show energy for what I'm teaching, I show that I'm passionate about the topic, and I think in turn students reciprocate that energy and their passions. Each second we live is a new and unique moment in the Universe. A moment that never was before and will never be again. And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two make four a and that Pairs is the capital of France. We ought to also teach them what they are. We should say to them, "Do you know what you are? You're unique. You're a marvel. In all of the world, there's no other child like you...You are capable of anything. You could become a Michelangelo, a Shakespeare, a Beethoven." You must work, we must all work to make this world worthy of its children. This quote and section of the article spoke to me. The main idea was that good leaders acknowledge and affirm other people's gifts, then think about the opportunities that they can create for people that will help them to develop those gifts.
This makes me think of my teaching mentor. He always shares with me when he thinks I've been very creative with a lesson, or that I'm just more on top of our deadlines than he is. He affirms when I'm doing things well. He also is certain to put me into situation that stretch my abilities and gifts. He helped push me into this M.Ed. program, he has provided opportunity for me to show more leadership within my school, as well as pushed me to share in a conference for other Minnesota Studies teachers last year. He is a great leader, one who allows his students, colleagues, and friends to show their strengths and helps them develop those gifts. He is someone that I would like model my teaching career after. Synthesizing Questions #1
As for personalized care for students, I have incorporated goal-setting as a tool for students to promote self-reflection on a long-term basis, as well as plan for personal growth. I will also model my own goals so that students can see how it works in action. It will also humanize me a bit, showing that I have set-backs, and must persist through the tough times, and that I can celebrate successful moments as well.
I have always had students "reflect" on their summative assessments in the past, but it was mostly by having them grade themselves before they turned the assignment in. I didn't ask what their weaknesses/strengths were, and didn't provide enough feedback, other than the grade they received on the assessment. Synthesizing Questions #2
Students will also be asked to share where they are at with their goals using a google form for me to see how much they've accomplished.
Synthesizing Questions #3
Starr Sackstein says “Goals are the necessary starting point to the learning process: all learning begins with setting the final objective.” Students must be able to know where they are going so they can assess themselves on where they are at any point throughout the process of learning.
I have linked the Chappuis article below and a website overview of Sackstein's book. "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." -The Buddha Being present is being aware of your feelings, what other people are feeling who are with you, being in the moment. You can choose how to feel in those moments, to react with positivity, to feel trust, to feel calm. Its when I lay in bed cuddled up with Odie, when my husband gently wakes me up in the morning with a hug or kiss, when I pause to choose my words wisely to my children so they feel loved and supported.
I have been trying to make it easier for parents to get me their students permission forms, so I sent them all an email using Smore. So far, I have seen only a third of the parents sign the form online, its due tomorrow. I'm thinking it's maybe better to just send the paper form out next year... oh wait!
As for the planning pieces of it, I just need to fit in a day to teach self assessment before our next quiz. I'm hoping it goes well, I've asked students to start using little reflection slips when they turn in their practice work. I'm hoping they'll continue to do better with these as the year continues. No data to collect yet, but I've decided which assessments to collect data from and the formatives that go with them. I will be comparing these pieces to get a baseline on whether students are learning more by the end of the data collection process. I can't wait to see the results! |
AuthorMrs. Cameron Archives
February 2017
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