How to grade the teacher?

For several years I have been involved in the creation of an assessment for our Playworks Program Coordinators.  Our evaluation process has gone through many iterations as we moved from quantitatively assessing program outputs to qualitatively assessing Program Coordinator input.  From being on the designing side of the process, I am aware of how difficult it can be to best assess the quality of work in a role that is broad and influenced by many factors.  Similarly, the quality of work delivered by a classroom teacher can have far reaching impact but high quality teaching may not always yield high quality results, due to outside factors. 

As a classroom teacher, I would like to be assessed from a few perspectives.  Ideally, I would like multiple observations over the year from my principal as well as peers/mentors. If possible, I would like to be observed at both my most challenging time of the day as well as my most successful time of the day, in order to get a range of feedback and perspective.  I like the idea of student feedback and if administered properly, I think the information would be very helpful.  The district in which I hope to work, uses an observation form that includes standards such as "Connecting students' prior knowledge, life experience, and interests with learning goals," "Drawing on and valuing students' backgrounds, interests, and developmental learning needs." and "Working with communities to improve professional practice".  These are certainly standards by which I hope to be successful and would appreciate assessment, much more so than being measured by the curve of my student's test scores.  While I know and understand that test scores are a consideration in assessing student quality, my hope is that these other standards will be viewed with greater weight.

Sources
Oakland Unified School District Rating System (N.D.) Retrieved from personal communication on July 9, 2014.

Thumbs up, frowny face, check plus plus

This week we were asked to consider various strategies for managing the process of grading student assignments.  Reading the various recommended articles as well as digging around for other perspectives, I was struck by the difference in emphasis given to grades and the grading process as students move from primary to secondary schooling. There are various philosophies on grading, from numerical to standards based and each have their plus and minuses (depending on who you ask!).  As someone who is planning on teaching early elementary school (grades K-2), I am most focused on finding a method of feedback for students that provides inspiration and motivation to learn.  

In the article Tactics for Tacking the Grading Dilemma, Rebecca Alber outlines some of her favorite strategies for managing the large task of grading papers. While her examples were focused on a high school setting and the associated grading load (up to 200 assignments to grade at a time!), I tried to imagine how these strategies would apply to a kindergarten classroom and in particular what these grading strategies could provide beyond lessening my workload as a teacher. Here are my thoughts on Alber's strategies as they might relate to my early elementary classroom:

1. Self Assessment/Peer Assessment - From Alber's perspective asking students to assess their own work or the work of the peers serves the dual purpose of reducing her grading work load as well as developing communication and critical thinking skills among the students.  I think this strategy can be practiced with younger students, on a different scale.  Younger students may be able to reflect on their own comfort with a particular subject or concept, but if a student is in the early stages of literacy or numeracy there will be limitations to that students ability to provide a more critical review of school work. Here is an example of a self assessment I can see working with lower grade students, which might be best used as a formative assessment rather then a grading tool:

Here is a different example which might work as a self assessment as well as a peer assessment, but would require the teacher to give very obvious and explicit visual examples:

 

2. The One-in-Four Rule - This one is pretty simple, only give an actual grade to one out of every four assignments, with the other three receiving an assessment of complete or incomplete. In the context of Kindergarten, I imagine applying this idea in a slightly modified way, focusing "grades" on assignments that reflect integration of skills vs those that are used for learning or practice of skills. I am not sure if the ratio would still end up one-in-four but it might be close to that. For example, the complete/incomplete idea might be applied to a worksheet like this one:

  

 Where as a "grade" or more complete feedback might be given to a worksheet like this one:

3. The Stamping Method  - For Albers, using stamps that say things like "developing" or "promising"  is an efficient way to give general feedback for non-graded papers.  This strategy seems the most transferable to lower elementary grades, as I imagine most feedback is delivered with this sort of language versus a traditional letter or number grade.  I am already starting my stash of super feedback stickers!

4. Student Journals - For this strategy, Albers recommends that students do all their work in one journal, perhaps divided into sections for homework vs class work, etc.  This seems fairly similar to a portfolio style of assessment and not only serves the purpose of organizing the workload of the teacher, but also offering a visual trajectory of a students learning.  In Kindergarten, I see "grades" as primarily a means to communicate performance feedback to parents/guardians and a student journal or portfolio can be a much more informative vehicle by which to deliver that information.

Overall, I find Alber's ideas as well as those put forth in the other articles we read to be helpful and informative. As I learn more about the grading expectations of my kindergarten or other early elementary school classrooms, I will be thankful that I have bookmarked the links on my toolbar!


Sources
Academic Grading in the United States (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved on July 5th, 2014 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_United_States

Alber, Rebecca (January 2010). Tactics for Tackling the Grading Dilemma. Edutopia. Retrieved from:
http://www.edutopia.org/grading-dilemma-strategies-tactics

Department of Staff Development (N.D) What is a Portfolio? Prince Georges County Public Schools. Retrieved on July 5th, 2014 from: http://www.pgcps.org/~elc/portfolio.html

Kohn, Alfie (Nov. 2011). The Case Against Grades. Educational Leadership. Retrieved from:
http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/tcag.htm

N.A. (2007). Time Saving Tips for Grading. Concious Teaching. Retrieved from:
http://www.consciousteaching.com/web/wp-content/uploads/Grading-Tips.pdf

High Expectations and Interventions

Over the course of our last five months of learning with Teach Now, our Modules covering lesson planning and student assessment have, for me, been the most exciting and intimidating.  Coming into focus is the reality of the challenge that lies ahead; the broad scope of knowledge that students are expected to learn in the course of the year and the complexities of facilitating that learning within a spectrum of students.

As we explore and practice unpacking Common Core standards and consider the various ways of assessing a student's progress, it is clear that a teacher must simultaneously maintain high expectations for student learning as well as be ready and willing to change strategies to meet a student's needs. By maintaining high expectations, I mean that a teacher needs to believe in the learning potential of their students as well as consistently communicate that belief. While not all students learn the same way and some may require additional support or alternative strategies, it is not possible to put forth the energy and thought required to promote student success if a teacher does not believe that the ends justify the means!

High expectations for students are communicated in multiple ways, not the least of which is taking the time to deliver clear and honest feedback, both positive and constructive.  Showing a student that you are paying attention is one way of saying that you believe in their potential. Defining high expectations as a set of behaviors, like perseverance and curiosity is one way to make success possible regardless of the type of support a student needs. Encouraging students to approach challenges with confidence rather then intimidation can lay the foundation for long term success in learning. Finally, establishing class behavioral norms, like raising hands, staying seated, etc also creates an environment in which all students can be respected.  As we learned in a previous Module, Class Dojo is a great way to reinforce these types of expectations. This teacher has a great example of how her high expectations have influenced her students:

So, what about those times (likely frequent) when a student is not immediately catching on to a particular concept or lesson? Check out this video that gives a brief explanation of both differentiated instruction as well as Response to Intervention (RTI).

In order to approach both differentiated instruction as well as RTI, teachers must first start with a baseline assessment to see where the students fall in relation to previous grade level standards. Once a strategy has been established for tracking student progress, like an excel sheet or cloud based program, a teacher can strategize how to differentiate within each lesson as well as determine which students need additional support. As you see in the video, the teacher uses "centers" as a means to deliver different content to smaller groups of students.  Some students have additional tasks to accomplish if they are ready to move on, while others have more focused attention from the teacher. Once strategies have been implemented it is important to track those interventions, reassess the student and see what progress has been made. Check out these resources, here is a basic example:

I truly appreciate that RTI allows for school mandated intervention without a student having a designation of "special needs"(because really all students have needs that are unique and special). The three tiered approach implies that all students can be successful, if given the appropriate type of attention. That being said , I also wonder whether the resources will exist to implement all the necessary interventions.  As noted in several RTI resources, a supportive administration is essential for successful implementation of intervention. I interpret that support as not only conceptual but also resource related, primarily in the form of teachers and specialists that can either offer the intervention themselves or train the teacher on specific necessary interventions.  While a teacher can have great belief in their students, as well as the passion and commitment to support various needs, I also imagine it is quite easy to hit road blocks in delivering successful intervention such as lack of strategic knowledge or just plain lack of time. 

All in all, the student-centered nature of both differentiated instruction and RTI is appealing and in-line with promoting high expectations for all students.  I have my fingers crossed that I land in a school that is supportive and resource rich!

Sources

NPR, Incs YouTube Channel (June, 2011) Response to Intervention and Differentiated Instruction Preview. YouTube video. Retrieved from: http://youtu.be/HWxsI2g5yp8

WHROTV (September, 2012) Teacher Wall: High Expectations For Students - Jennifer Lane. YouTube video. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk2vGez5Cgo

Wright, J (December 2010) RTI: Teacher-Friendly Methods for Tracking Student Progress: Packet 2. Intervention Central. Retrieved from:
https://www.newburghschools.org/departments/rti/wright_Classroom_Teacher_First_Responder_Packet_2_NECSD_Dec_2010.pdf

What am I supposed to be doing!?

This week's assignment, exploring and unpacking Common Core Standards left me both energized and unsettled at the prospect of managing such a broad amount of information. Our work is not only to interpret and translate each standard into thoughtful, engaging lessons but also to ensure that those lessons meet the needs of a broad spectrum of learners.

I appreciate the scaffolded approach we took this week, starting by broadly considering a few standards, objectives and assessments, diving deeper into thinking about one or two specific standards and lastly thinking about specific objectives and assessments.  It is clear that any one particular standard can be broken into multiple lessons with layered objectives. While the unpacking exercise is helpful for understanding the different skills students need to acquire, my first impression during these lessons, is how do teachers have the time to figure this all out!?

In the small amount of research I did to get lesson ideas, it stood out to me that there are not a lot of lessons or curriculum immediately available to support Common Core Standards, particularly the California Common Core.  I came across a few summary-type documents, like this one

as well as teacher sharing sites like this one. The freedom to interpret is certainly exciting, but the part of me that appreciates structure and guidance also wonders what and where is our rubric for success? What else do we need to know to be successful in helping our students meet these standards? Moreover, what sort of support and resources from our school and fellow teachers are needed to be successful? Any amount of thoughtful planning can be derailed in an environment that is unsupportive or chaotic.

I have really appreciated the time we have spent focusing on classroom and group management, but as we move into the content of our teaching, I am wading into less familiar territory! I look forward to spending more time exploring this content as well as learning more about how the standards are implemented district/school wide. Do teachers plan together or is every class learning the skills in a different way? Does the district regulate how lessons are planned or taught?  I am sure every school is a bit different, so the next step is also figuring out what planning and learning environment best suits me!

Rules vs Agreements

This week we considered Norms and Procedures as a concept and for our own classroom.  Many of the norms, agreements, routines and procedures that I plan to implement are explained here, in our group presentation.  In my class, we will have routines/procedures like a clean-up song, bathroom buddies and a magic word/word-of-the-day. The more detail oriented processes will be dictated by the class set up, school-wide expectations and the students themselves.  Without getting into all the little details, I'd like to touch on a few of the essential elements that I plan on incorporating in my own classroom:

Class Agreements
At Playworks, in one of our workshops, the facilitator brought up the questions of rules vs. agreements. We discussed the nature of a rule, that it is generally imposed upon people with little discussion. In contrast, an agreement is one that involves input, accountability and can be empowering for all involved.  It is with this idea in mind that I plan to facilitate class agreements on behavior/consequences, communication and participation.  This does not mean that everything the students suggest will be included, nor does it mean that all agreements will be flexible. What it does mean is that we will discuss the value of the agreements, including the student perspective and make sure that all students are informed and in agreement.

Circle Time/Community Circle
Community circle time is valuable for so many reasons. Students practice greeting each other, communicating their feelings through check-ins and otherwise making connections with each other.  It is also establishes a forum to review concepts, agreements and address issues if needed.

I-Messages/Peace Path
Students come to the classroom with such a spectrum of experience communicating their thoughts and feelings, it is essential to establish an expectation for addressing conflicts.  Introducing the concept of an I-message or other structured process for sharing feelings gives students a platform to express themselves.  I-messages teach students that you can be assertive in communicating your feelings without having to be confrontational.  See more about I-messages here.

In the course of our work this week, I have taken away one broader connection that I had not necessarily made before.  At Playworks we are very careful to teach all the skills, steps and processes involved in the larger games that we play, so that all student feel included and able to participate.  When introducing classroom routines and expectations, I realize that we need to take the same level of care in teaching the students.  That means making sure that all expectations are clearly stated, demonstrated, modeled and reiterated.  Students will need to practice to fully understand what is expected of them. As a teacher I will need to reflect on the norms and procedures to make sure they are relevant to my students and they are are inclusive for everyone. Here is an interesting piece that incorporates some of the ideas.

References
Classroom Tips (2014). PVS.org. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/classroom-tips/

Vega, V., Terada, Y. (n.d.) Research: How SEL Classroom Management Techniques Build Academic Achievement. Retrieved on April 12, 2014 from: http://www.edutopia.org/stw-sel-classroom-management-research

High Expectations in my Classroom

This week's readings and videos highlighted the many ways that teachers can set high expectations for students, create an environment of engaged learners and address behavior challenges. Expectations for students can be managed and communicated in many ways and on many levels.

Establishing routines, behavior norms and connecting with students' interests are all strategies to maintain a high quality learning environment.  Even so, it is possible that a teacher can employ all these strategies and still be unsuccessful at communicating students full potential.  

Student goal setting is another level of strategy to creating an engaged, high-level learning environment. Engaging students in setting their own goals implies a level of accountability that may or may not exist if the goals are simply imposed upon the student.  As we learned in Module 3 that setting clear objectives for a lesson plan leads us to clearer teaching strategies, having students involved in setting their own goals can lead to greater learning connections.  Students that have a goal in mind can approach lessons knowing that the learning will move them closer to their goal. The motivation behind the learning goes beyond the request or expectation of the teacher and moves towards the interest and self-motivation of the student. 

Displaying or sharing student work is another means by which educators communicate the value of student work. In The First Year Teachers Survival Guide (2007), Julia Thompson writes, " If your students know that their work will be placed on display, published, read aloud or shared over the school public address system they will take it more seriously than if you are the only person who will see it".  While part of that seriousness may be a fear of embarrassment, there is also a greater sense of pride when a student knows that s/he will represent their class, peers or community.  Seeing representations of themselves is a validation of the students and the importance of their work.

Lastly, as noted in Marzano's Art and Science of Teaching (2007), it is necessary for teachers to reflect on their own perceptions of student ability. Teachers should consciously devote equal eye contact, rapport building strategies and active listening for all students, in order to eliminate subliminal or overt cues regarding expectations.

Thinking about incorporating these ideas into my own classroom, I know that I will need to be diligent, patient and consistent with both my students and myself.  I expect the first week or two of school to be primarily focused on 1) community and rapport building and 2) creating routines in the classroom and expectations in regards to behavior, communication and transitions during the day.  Once those routines and expectations have been established they will need to revisited regularly and consistently. That being said, once the work has been done, it is much easier to build on those routines and expectations and start diving into the deeper work of encouraging self-motivated learning!

Having student involved in their own goal setting, allowing them to assess their own progress and sharing their work with their larger community are all strategies I plan to employ regularly.  I also am happy to see the wealth of resources and ideas that exist, which makes this daunting task seem a bit more manageable! 

In regards to the group assignment this week, I have mixed feelings.  I have a tight schedule which requires that I am diligent in planning ahead to complete my work. While one of my group members plans and works in a similar way, the other group member had a different timeline and a different communication style. This is not the first time I have had this experience on a group assignment (not with the same people) and it is definitely a challenge. The issue is more about communication than anything else.  When people don't communicate their availability and don't respond to emails or other forms of contact, it makes it very difficult to manage my own time around the assignment. I have the impulse to complete the assignment on my own (or with the more involved group members) but I also value the input of others. I have a particular perspective and I do enjoy how my ideas or perceptions of the assignments change when working in a group. It is challenging when people have different schedule limitations and different communication styles.   


Citations

Marzano, Robert J. (2007) The art and science of teaching : a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Thompson, Julia G (2007), The First Year Teacher's Survival Guide: Ready to Use Strategies, Tools and Activities for Meeting the Challenges of Each School Day. San Francisco, Ca. Jossey-Bass.

Reflections on Classroom Climate

My mother started working as a school psychologist when I was a toddler and continued to do so for the next 30+ years.  Growing up in my house, we did a lot of "processing" our feelings. While other kids played Monopoly or Sorry on game night, we played the "Ungame" where advancing in the game required answering questions like "Do you ever feel lonely?" or "Describe a happy family".  Growing up, I was nurtured with a sense of self-reflection and an ability to talk about my thoughts and perceptions.  As I reflect on my path in education and life, I now know that these are skills that have helped me to be a better student, friend and parent.  

When I think about creating a positive classroom climate, I think about ways to nurture the development of the social and emotional skills of my students.  In 1943, Abraham Maslow wrote about human development in regards to a hierarchy of needs (Wikipedia, n.d.)

According to Maslow people need to feel nurtured physically, emotionally and socially, before they are capable of respecting themselves or others, and more over to push themselves to grow, learn and be creative. When applied to a classroom model we see how important it can be to create an environment where boundaries between teacher and student are clear, expectations of classroom behavior have been set and students are given the space, language and time to understand themselves and each other (Guditus, 2013).

Creating routines and systems that facilitate such opportunities takes planning, consistency and an investment of time.  Systems, as noted in this Prezi, include class agreements, individual and whole class incentive systems, clear and consistent deadlines for assignments, etc.  Routines include daily greetings, opportunities for physical activity/movement and regular calls or newsletters home to families.  Strategies outlined by Robert Maslow in the Art and Science of Teaching (2007) range from keeping an objective tone when interacting with students to integrating students' interests into lessons.

For me, the community circle is one of the most dynamic ways to create connections and set a tone for the classroom climate.  The circle time can be used to practice simple social skills, like introductions and greetings. The circle can be used to practice idea sharing and listening. Students can talk about their life, culture and families, cultivating respect and understanding. As students get older, circle time can be used as a safe space to process their own thoughts and feelings.  Check out this amazing community circle in an Oakland, Ca high school:

Similar to the Smart Hearts and Be an Ally videos we watched for our Activity 2, we can see that giving students opportunities to reflect on their own experiences and empathize with the experiences of others results in a more peaceful and positive community.  While it will take some time to make such connections and create a sense of emotional safety, I think it will be as important to the learning environment as well structured lesson plans and instruction.

Sources

Friedman, C ( October, 2012) Restorative Justice in Oakland Schools: Tier One: Community Building Circle. From YouTube. Retrieved on March 26th, 2014 from: http://youtu.be/RdKhcQrLD1w

Guditus, S (Feb, 2013)  Maslow Hierarchy of School Needs. Google image search. Retrieved on March 26th, 2014 from: http://sguditus.blogspot.com/2013/02/maslows-hierarchy-of-school-needs-steve.html

Marzano, Robert J. (2007) The art and science of teaching : a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Need. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved on March 26th, 2014 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs