As the Learning Liaison to Cannon Elementary: a GCISD Stem School, I will be posting weekly my random thoughts, observations, encouragement and celebrations.
As we all prepare for our summative conferences with leadership, it is important to be honest with ourselves and determine our next steps. I challenge you to read one of my favorite blog posts that will help you privately have a "Gut Level Teacher Refection" to assist you in setting goals for next year.
Teaching is a true calling, in my opinion, but that does not mean that it is easy. Please use this tool to help you see your successes and also acknowledge what has been difficult, thus warranting a need for more support and training.
As you look through professional development that is offered from our district as well as local trainings and see that your specific need is not being met, please let me know so I can help you find opportunities that will help you be the best professional you can be! There are many PD offerings throughout the school year and I keep a running list of your desires so I can be on the watch. I look forward to hearing from you and learning of your new goals.
At the request of many teachers, all GCISD K-12 teachers will soon have access to the District Edition of Nearpod.com, a presentation tool that works on any device. YOU should receive a "welcome email" from Nearpod very soon. If you already have a free account it will simply be a welcome message. If you do not currently have an account the email will include your account credentials.
Some features included in the district edition include:
more storage space
3D objects
Virtual reality field trips
student notes and other interactive features
student paced mode/homework mode
access to all content - over 4,000 lessons from third party publishers
Digital Citizenship Curriculum from Common Sense Media
private shared library- ability to create lessons and share them with all teachers at the site/district
Please don't forget to complete your UCAN Hyperdoc "Explore & Explain" section in order to be prepared for UCAN on Monday to share at least one idea on how to use your new learning! Hopefully, you have already been able to implement a new idea into your instruction.
How successful are your cooperative groups? Do you struggle with some students doing all of the work while others sit back? Well, Dr. Spencer Kagan has devoted years of research and development to Cooperative Learning structures. Throughout his studies, he identified four basic principles symbolized by the acronym PIES. (Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation, Simultaneous Interaction). Each principle has critical questions that help you determine if that structure is in place, in order to MAXIMIZE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT within your classroom.
For a group to function, positive interdependence must be in place. Think about these two questions:
Does the success of one benefit others? (positive)
Is everyone’s contribution necessary? (interdependence)
Students must feel a sense of TEAM as they encourage and help each other within the group. This is important to continually build within your classroom culture. However, interdependence goes a step further and makes the contribution of one necessary for the success of another, so students need each other to do well. When planning, it is important that we place students in situations in which they cannot reach their goal without the contributions of others; the contribution of one is necessary for the success of the other.
Creating a team culture in your classroom, as well as selecting good cooperative structures, can make a huge difference in classroom management and the success of your scholars. When goal setting for next year, you might consider learning more about collaborative structures as a goal.
There are blindspots that we do not recognize about ourselves as people and as teachers. One blind spot might be that we focus more on our teaching than on the learning that happens in our classes. It is imperative that we use quick formative assessments to determine if we are meeting the needs of our scholars. Let the students' needs guide your instruction.
It is also important to examine our classroom through more than one lens. As a teacher, you come to school ready to tackle the content that must be covered so you do not fall behind. One day recently, Heather Hagar told me how her students came to school one morning very talkative. As she listened while the students began their breakfast and put up their backpacks, she realized that they were worried about going to middle school. (The night before all incoming 6th graders & their parents visited GMS.) Taking care of her students' social and emotional needs prior to the curriculum made for a much more productive day for her scholars. Sometimes we are in our routine but maybe not really reflecting on how students are seeing what's happening in our classes through their eyes. We should ask ourselves, "Would I want to be a student in my own classroom?"
Consider using this topic during circle up time to determine how learning is going in your classroom and really listen to help maximize growth.
One issue we all deal with as teachers is working with the unmotivated student. Not only is it frustrating for you as the teacher, it has to be miserable for the student as well. Jennifer Gonzalez wrote an excellent blog post about this topic and did research to try to find what the most current studies say about what motivates students. This is what she found:
Students are more motivated academically when they have a positive relationship with their teacher.
Choice is a powerful motivator in most educational contexts.
For complex tasks that require creativity and persistence, extrinsic rewards and consequences actually hamper motivation.
To stay motivated to persist at any task, students must believe they can improve in that task.
Students are motivated to learn things that have relevance to their lives.
Please take a moment to read her honest personal reflections on each of these points along with several suggestions on how we can do better. Making a small adjustment can make all the difference for one of your scholars.
As we come back from Spring Break rested and revived, take a few moments to reconnect with your students. Remember according to John Hattie, teacher-student relationships have a .72 effect size. It's all about relationships. One of my all time favorite TedTalks is "Every Kid Needs a Champion" by Rita Pierson. I am thankful for those teachers that took time to see something in me that I did not even see in myself!
Take a quick look at this Viemo video to hear from students. "Kids have an inside perspective" that we need to tap into so we can help them reach their full potential. You make a difference everyday!!! What legacy will you leave?
Recently I saw a Tweet that caught my interest because of the title: Letter to a Tired Teacher. The months March and April are definitely that time of year when teachers can relate to this!
You are kind to students when you see them... because you realize that may be the only kindness they experience all day.
You teach... and then you reteach... and sometimes tutor individually... because you realize not everyone gets it the first time (or even the second time).
You strive to be the kind of teacher that you would want your own kids to have.
You learn new ideas from your colleagues... and sometimes from the internet... because you are committed to being a better teacher tomorrow than you were today.
You try to connect with students who don't seem reachable... because you realize you may be their only lifeline.
You provide encouragement and support to your colleagues when they're down.
You have patience with the students who may be disruptive and annoying... because you know that those students still need you.
You work to create a positive classroom environment... because you know that is the best kind of environment in which to learn.
In Danny Steele's letter he wrote, he closes it with these words- You're tired ... but you push on. And that makes you heroic. This resonates with my heart because you are an AMAZING staff who work tirelessly and creatively to provide something NEW and DIFFERENT for our scholars. I am proud of you and so excited for YOU to SHOWCASE your innovative work this next week for our parents! You can never be appreciated enough and I totally agree that YOU ARE HEROIC!!!
During our Personalized Learning Conference in GCISD Mini Conference this past August, I did a presentation on a book called "A Quick Guide to Reaching Struggling Writers K-5" by Colleen Cruz, who is a Senior Lead Staff Developer at Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) in New York. Not only do I follow @TCRWP on Twitter, I also follow @colleen_cruz and look what I found this week! The Twitter chat schedule for TCRWP! Look at May 10th....YES...it is a Twitter chat about STEM & the WORKSHOP!!! How exciting is that?? Mark your calendars now!!
I have already emailed Colleen asking questions trying to find who they have already been working with so cross your fingers that we connect with a school or some teachers that we can collaborate with!
On Friday I had the opportunity to play around with Google Expeditions. It was amazing but I found out quickly that this activity is meant to be done sitting down! #turning50makesyoudizzy
For those of you that like to be adventurous and learn new things on your own, the expeditions are available for you to view on the Google Expeditions app. You will only be able to view it in the "leader format" but this will give you an idea of the amount of scenes in each expedition along with the leader notes. Once you download the app- you will see the word EXPLORER on the top menu bar. If you click on that, you can then click LEAD down on the screen. At this point you can view the expeditions. All of this is explained in the quick video shared below. Enjoy!!
Below you will find the directions on how to download the free app on your phone.
"I can..." statements, also referred to as Learning Targets, help students know what they are going to learn in class. However, John Hattie speaks to "the next step" with these type statements in the classroom to be most effective in helping scholars reach their potential . Please take 1 minute and 45 seconds to learn how you can impact your students even more!
Yes, our copies of The Writing Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled WritersBy Jennifer Serravallo ARE HERE!!! I will be placing them in every Humanities Teacher's box by the end of the day on Monday. I am excited as you are to explore this new resource. As you read through it, please make notes of connections to our curriculum and share those notes with your Humanities grade level representative. In the link embedded below, please watch the 3 minute video, as Jennifer Serravallo gives an overview on how to use her book.
Qualities of LEAD 2021 & Portrait of a Graduate came to my mind when I saw this chart in a PBL session at the T-STEM Conference. I do think we strive hard in classrooms to make students "Global Citizens" by exposing them to the world beyond our school, yet I have never thought of this in terms of a continuum: awareness, parallel activities, shared data, stages of communication, collaboration and contribution.
I starting placing the exciting things that we have done at a campus level at Cannon on this continuum: Cardboard Challenge, Global Read Aloud, Linus Blanket Project, Skyping with Nepris, Google Expeditions and Heifer International. I can't wait to see the exciting things you are planning for the spring and I hope our scholars get the opportunity to be a part of each level on the continuum. So proud of your AMAZING WORK @ canSTEM!!!
Formative assessment is the backbone that drives our instruction. It provides information needed to adjust teaching and learning while instruction is still happening. The process serves as practice for the student and a check for understanding during the learning process. The formative assessment process also guides us in making decisions about future instruction. Here is a web based digital FREE formative assessment process to collect evidence of student learning called Go Formative. Watch this 1 minute video to learn how you can see all of your students work in live time from your computer.
Take a look at 56 ways to check for understanding in your classroom to gain some ideas to help keep your engaged.
Please take a look at the link I have included for the FREE TEKS aligned program from Texas Wildlife Association that will come to our school so scholars can have hands-on, interactive and fun experiences!.
There are four topics to choose from. In Where is ourWater? students explore the water cycle, ground water, aquifers, where we get our water and why it is so important to conserve it. Skins& Skulls is always a very popular presentation where students get to learn about animal adaptations and predator/prey relationships while examining real animal skins and skulls. Investigating Life Cycles is a hands-on exploration of the different life cycles of various organisms. And Let’s Talk Turkey is a fun discussion about what makes a bird a bird while examining the Wild Turkey ecology and its successful conservation story.
January is always the month for me to reflect. I am not one to make New Year resolutions, but I do set some goals to renew my personal and professional passions. I saw this graphic "7 Questions to End Your Week" and it really spoke to me. Why do I use the New Year for reflection when I truly could be doing it weekly? Wouldn't it help me to be more productive, deal with things, focus and make a new plan to make next week different? I love the phrase "begin anew"!! I think we all deserve to begin anew, including our scholars.
Since student goal setting is a part of Lead 2021, take a look at this chart to see how helping students take these 7 steps weekly will help them to move forward more often. Please mark your calendars for our next student led conference half day on February 9th, just one short month away. Join with me by incorporating this for yourself as well.
This time of year is always filled with “New Year Resolutions” of how we want to improve ourselves and begin with a fresh start. Our students feel the same way, yet need your guidance, support and opportunity to do so. Students want to come to school and be successfully engaged. One way to do this is to set up a transparent routine when calling on our students.
As teachers, we fall into routines of calling on students who will “add to our lesson” and often unintentionally tend to leave some students out. One way to ensure we do not fall into this category is to begin a non-biased system for calling on students. Possible systems include Popsicle sticks with a student name on each in a can and draw a stick OR you could use apps like Stick Pick (used to be free but now cost money) or Randomly (free). This transparent process gives all students the same chance of being called on and ensures you treat all students fairly in your classroom. It also keeps all students on alert.
If you are fearful that some students may need support in answering, then allow students to sit with question partners in which they can consult. This helps build classroom community as well.
The second semester is also a time to make sure we are asking higher level questions that make students dig deeper. I found this simple chart that is a quick way to make students justify their answers and help create critical discussions in your classroom.
This week of school is an exciting time for our scholars!! One way to join in their excitement is to give them a holiday specific design challenge!! I will be sharing with you via email two design challenges: The Final Snowman Stretch (primary-How tall can you build a snowman?) and Jingle All the Way (intermediate- Because the reindeer are getting older a new sleigh needs to be designed!)
I know you can adapt either of these for you scholars.
I leave you with a funny poem for teachers and hope your holiday is full of friends, family, and be sure to take a little time for yourself too! You all deserve it!!
The countdown to our winter break is hectic to say the least with students who seem to have more unfocused energy than ever. I read a blog I follow by George Couros and thought I would share it with you because his view of reality along with his encouragement is perfect to hear at this time of year! Even when we think our directions are clear, sometimes we just have to take a deep breathe and state them in a different way. I especially LOVE his last line...Continue to be the positive moment that kids will remember years from now. Isn't that why we teach?
This time of year can be emotionally exhausting, so here is something that might brighten up your day. Watch the GIF below of a dad teaching his son to hit a baseball and telling him to “keep his eye on the ball”:
I laughed hysterically at this when I first saw it, and then thought about how hard it is to be a teacher. The emotional roller coaster that a teacher can go on in a single day, hour, minute, is exemplified in this post.
Watch it again:
What do you see in a short span with the dad?
I see the following…
Frustration
Annoyance
Acceptance
Love
All things teachers can feel in a matter of seconds.
Thank you teachers for all that you do. I know that this is insanely tough job, but I appreciate all that you do to not only get your kids better, but to become better yourselves. The hardest part of being a teacher is knowing that you will never truly know the full impact of what you do. Just know that the best teachers make a difference.
Continue to be the positive moment that kids will remember years from now.
Walking around Family STEM Night listening to the scholars and parents having discussions about the engineering taking place was insightful. I realize that often teachers do not feel appreciated, but I can guarantee you that your hard work was noticed! The amount of team work and collaboration that took place to make such a successful event speaks to your creativity and professionalism to always strive to provide the best family experience for Cannon community.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller
Tired of SCANNING into DMAC?
You have options that will guarantee your DATA is accurate!
Using the Online Student Response System, scholars can enter their answers directly into DMAC using their iPAD or Chromebook. Students also get instant feedback, as do you! To access the Unit Assessments for your grade, click on DMAC Elementary Test Key List and it will take you to a spreadsheet that has all the Unit Assessments for 1-5, Science TEKS checks (3-5) as well as Reading/Writing benchmarks. Once you are on the spreadsheet you can hyperlink to Unit Assessments and the Answer Keys. The Online Student Response System will be turned on during the windows of testing for the benchmark for 5 days and then it automatically turns off as a built in security measure. But if you miss the “window” all you have to do is let me know and I can have it easily turned back on. We need to do this the DAY before you test. Please let me know so I can schedule time to assist you!
As a reminder, Kinder still enters math benchmarks into Euphoria & DMAC is used for 1st-5th math as well as 3rd-5th Science TEKS checks.
