Category Archives: Efficiency

Senioritis, Cruise Control, or Something Else?

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The countdown to the end of the school year has begun. I’ve been reading blog posts about helping students work through senioritis. Other posts encouraging teachers to resist the urge to head into cruise control and end the year strong. The urge to slow down and stop is real.

But I wonder how often we judge student and teacher behaviors as being on “cruise control” when, in fact, the behaviors result from a completely different feeling – the feeling a marathon runner gets when he or she hits the proverbial wall.

When hitting the wall, marathon runners wonder whether or not they can make it to the end. They will themselves to put one foot in front of the other, attempting to ignore the current pain and the enormous distance they have to travel in the coming few hours.

With only five weeks to go, each of the projects on our “to do” lists seem larger and more daunting. Like the marathon runner, we need to put one foot in front of the other. We need to cut each other – and ourselves – a bit of slack for feeling sluggish and temporarily slowing down.

When we can acknowledge our own struggles, we can better empathize with our students who are struggling to finish the year while they are, perhaps, dealing with the anxiety of a move to a new place or a new school division.

Putting One Foot in Front of the Other

  1. Remind your family and friends that this is a rough time of year. If you’re moody, it’s not about them.
  2. Clean off your desk. It makes you think better. Really.
  3. Focus on one goal (besides the regular teaching stuff) each day. Maybe your goal is to finish two student report cards or grade ten pieces of student writing. Break the tasks into manageable chunks. The daily chunk is the only pile allowed on your desk.
  4. Consider “grading parties” with colleagues. Order pizza. Crank the music.
  5. Reward yourself for finishing daily tasks. I’m a big fan of bubble baths, foot massages, dates with the hubby, and walks with friends. Rewards should make you either laugh, relax, or become more energized.
  6. Admit your struggles and model your process with students. Ask them what works for them and how they can keep themselves going through this tough time of year.

What are your strategies for pushing through the end-of-year struggles?

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Student Reflection and Parent Communication: One Tool

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You spend your weekend grading papers. You write specific, constructive comments on student work.

Monday. You pass back papers. Students shove their papers into backpacks without a glance. Some students crumple the papers and move toward the trash can.

Students leave the room. You sit down to tackle your inbox. Email from parent: “How is my child doing in class?”

Your expression looks something like this:

Four years ago I began dedicating 30 minutes per week (or per school “cycle”) for students to reflect (in writing) on the work I pass back.

These reflections are printed and inserted into a file containing the graded math sheets. The files go home. The reflection comes back to school, signed by the parent.

I’ve considered having students send the reflections home as soft copies, but I’ve stuck with the hard copies for a few reasons:

  • If a student’s math paper is not in the folder, the student types an explanation to the parents. I like to see their explanations before the papers go home. On rare occasions, a student will “accidentally” delete one of the assignments from the list – coincidentally the assignment missing from the folder. Other times, students will write explanations like It was stolen or My teacher lost it. I intervene in those instances as well. Character development is about taking responsibility.
  • The back page has room for me to hand-write short comments of things I have noticed during the week. I write a short note on one or two papers per cycle – good things or specific things I want the parent to note on the reflection.
  • Papers are printed onto orange paper. In our school, orange paper is indicative of a paper that needs to be signed by parents.

Math
I list the assignments that should be in the folder.

No, I do not grade students on a percentage-basis. Remember that the two purposes of this regular exercise are 1) student reflection and 2) parent communication. Many students make personal goals to increase their math accuracy. This tool forces students to review the methods for converting fractions to percents. It gives students a way to track progress on math accuracy. And, parents understand percentages.

Notice that, in the “comments” sections, students are required to list specific areas for improvement. I want them to name the skills or objectives they need to review.

Writing
Since most writing is done on the computer, I want parents to see student progress without having to get past school firewalls to see ePortfolios.

Sometimes I have students do specific tasks on the hard copies of their reflections. I might have them underline a thesis statement, or use colored pencils to highlight setting (green), and character actions (blue).

Reading
Usually, students use this section to demonstrate a reading skill they have practiced that week/cycle. Students might quote a passage from a book they are reading and write down what they visualize beyond the text. They might do a character analysis. The key is for students to demonstrate to parents that they are reading regularly and they are learning new reading skills.

Social Studies/Science
Again, much of the work done in these content areas is housed at school. Do whatever you can to give parents a “glimpse” of the learning.

SMART Goals
This year, one student said, “Every year I’ve made goals. I’ve never actually had to do them.” For me, this portion of the reflection is a measure of self-motivated learning. I want students to know that, if they really want to improve in an area, they need to make a conscious effort to practice regularly.

Under “progress”, students write things like My math homework percentage was above 80 this week or I completed three pages in my handwriting book and all my homework was legible. Students made SMART goals. They presented them to parents at Fall Conferences. I want them to work on them.

Signatures
Students are signing that they will show the reflection and the work to parents. Parents sign that they have seen the work.

On occasion, a parent will email me with the How-is-my-child-doing-in-class? question. Instead of composing a lengthy email response, I schedule a phone call. I collect all the Day 1 reflections parents have signed. When I make the call, I say/ask something specific like, Your child has been writing about… What did you notice in the last Day 1 reflection?

The parents that email tend to be the parents who sign the sheet without looking. My phone call brings that out without accusation. Other times, they are parents who frequently travel. In that case, I have students send soft copies to one parent on the same day they take the paper home to the other parent.

In a post entitled The School Filter Bubble, Tom Barrett rightfully states that schools need to do a better job of communicating student learning to parents. Not only should students be reporting their learning to parents, they should be reporting about the work they are submitting.

Then, instead of writing newsletters and emails restating feedback I’ve already written to students, I can spend my time blogging :) .

What would a written reflection look like in your grade level or subject area?

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Keeping Students Engaged in a 1:1 Project-Based Classroom

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This weekend I worked on a guest post for Dangerously Irrelevant and 1to1 Schools. Both blogs are run by Dr. Scott McLeod. If you give a student a computer, you’ll want to subscribe and read his stuff.

Scott has allowed me to cross-post onto this blog (Thanks, Scott!). Here is the article:


Image approved for copy by Creative Commons.
Source: http://bit.ly/vYUkXB

When laptops first arrived in my classroom, I worried about classroom management. How could I create an environment where students used their computers as tools rather than toys?

I was worried for nothing. The following are suggestions for keeping students engaged in a project and accountable for their time with computers:

Students make a plan.
Students are most tempted to open widgets, games, and social chats when they are faced with a blank screen and have no plan.

Much of the time, students think they have a plan. If you ask them What are you going to do?, the answer is usually I’m gonna make a Power Point about… or I want to make a movie about… Those answers indicate that students are thinking of technology before content.

Instead, ask What are you trying to learn? or What are you trying to communicate? or What are you working on as a writer? Those questions get answers like I want to know more about the horses that Civil War generals rode or I want to convince people that Justin Bieber is the best singer ever or I’m trying to describe the character’s actions.

When you ask about learning and communication, you are signaling that the content is more important than the technology. Pull aside those who are struggling with plans. Let them talk together and encourage them to sketch their ideas with diagrams or bullet points and return to the computer later. Students with a plan tend to stay on task.

Students set time-bound goals.
Once students have a plan, they break the project into smaller tasks that can be finished in 10- to 15-minute chunks of time. Have students write the specific tasks on Post-it notes. Post-its are set beside the computer. On their Post-its, students finish the sentence, “In the next [x-amount of] minutes, I plan to…” They generally write things like…

  • Create an outline for my essay
  • Write my introduction
  • Find three pictures about…
  • Do my voice recording
  • Finish four slides of my Power Point/Keynote
  • Find at least three database articles on…
  • Draft at least three paragraphs
  • Use Google docs to peer-edit so-and-so’s essay
  • Upload my story to Voicethread

Tasks should be specific. I’m gonna work on my project is not specific enough. At the end of class, Post-its become “exit slips”. Students tick off the tasks they have completed and hand the Post-its to the teacher so the teacher can see the progress.

Laptop screens are “fisted” or “put at half mast”. 
Teachers don’t lecture much in a project-based learning environment. However, sometimes student work time is interrupted so the teacher can give reminders or clarify directions.

Ask students to “fist” their computer (or “put the screen at half mast”). Screens should be gently lowered so that students’ fists fit between the edge of the track pad and the screen.

When screens are fisted, students are not distracted by items on their screen nor can they type. At the same time, students do not lower their screens to the point that the computers go to sleep. In an iPad environment, students might carefully face their screens down on the desk.

Fingers indicate the amount of time students need to complete a shorter task.
Some tasks are shorter and need to be completed within a few minutes of class. After students have worked for a reasonable amount of time, ask students to show fingers for how many additional minutes they need. Fisted computers signal completion.

If a student is far behind the rest of the class, try to determine whether the student got distracted or if the student needs reteaching. Have the student take a screenshot of his or her progress. Screenshots are helpful to guide future conversations.

Circulate the room, conferencing with students.
Walking and talking with students is important with or without computers. In her article 10 Ways to be a Terrible Teacher, Vicki Davis describes the terrible teacher as one who is working on his or her own computer and not paying attention to students.

Students welcome teacher conversation. They are eager to share their progress and request advice when they’re stuck. You build relationships with students when you talk to them about their work.

Rather than banning chat, teach students how to use it for collaboration.
Chat features are programmed into Gmail and Google products. The first year, I banned chats. Then, I realized that chats can be used for student collaboration.

I glance at the chat windows as I circulate the room. Since students have specific, time-bound goals, most chats are used to ask peers to look over a paragraph or help with another aspect of the project.

Don’t be afraid to have tough conversations with individual students.
Each year, I have to pull aside one or two students to talk about time management. It’s not a punitive conversation. The conversation goes something like this:

I’ve noticed you haven’t made much progress on…I need to know what’s getting in the way of your progress. I’m not asking because I want to get you in trouble. I’m asking because you’re now x-years old and I’m worried that, if you get in the habit of…,then school will be really hard for you in the future.

Many of the suggestions above apply to project-based learning environments both with and without computers. The trick in a 1:1 environment is to maintain focus on learning and communication. Then let technology naturally enhance those outcomes.

What tricks do you use to keep students engaged?

[cross-posted at 1-to-1 Schools]

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Making Report Card Comments Manageable

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Yesterday, a colleague got a bit disgusted at me for discussing report card comments when our school’s comments are not due until January.

The child will be different in January, my colleague said. Yep, I responded, and I’ll note those changes in January.

I start early because blank sheets of paper (or blank screens) make my mind go equally blank. If I can write a sentence or two for each child at the end of each unit, then I can procrastinate revising/editing until the night before the comments are actually due.

So I make sure I write meaningful comment notes at the end of each unit of study and at the end of Quarter 1 parent/teacher conferences.

At the End of Each Unit of Study…
I think it’s best to write comments while ideas are fresh. We just finished a unit of study on Early American colonization. At the end of the unit, students were asked to represent a character for a Living Museum. As I assessed students, I was looking for historical knowledge, empathy, perspective, and participation. I created the following generalized set of comments:
The comments were then modified so that they sounded more like a narrative. For one student, I wrote:

“{name} participated well in the Cultural Encounters activities and simulations. She understands the hardships that early colonists faced, but can work on seeing the events from multiple perspectives.”

For another student, I wrote: “[name] took the perspective of a colonist coming off the boat for the first time. His work demonstrated both knowledge of history and empathy for historical characters.”

My comments are most accurate when they directly follow the completion of a unit.

Those of you lucky enough to have teaching partners or Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) can share duties of writing generalized comments for each unit. The generalized comments can be used year to year.

After Parent Conferences
In my early years of teaching, I took notes during conferences and made the necessary, immediate actions. Then, the notes collected dust.

I now use those notes to begin my first paragraph of report card comments. By stating the habits of character and work habits that were discussed by both the parents and me, I can permanently note areas of strength and areas for improvement.

When reprts are due at the end of quarter 2, I can note changes (especially improvements). I really enjoy writing the phrase, “[name] has already made great improvements in his/her ability to…”

Alternately, I write, “[name] continues to work on…”

Honest, but Positive
I recently consulted with a teacher who wondered whether or not we are lying to parents if we make comments positive. I think all comments can be stated both honestly and positively.

For the really hard-to-state behaviors, I modify some of the following phrases:

  • Demonstrates intermittent effort at…
  • Is still learning to…
  • Is still struggling to…
  • Makes good choices when…, but continues to struggle when…
  • Will be ready to…when…

Bottom line: We, as professionals, can’t lie. But we never give up on a student.

When we write comments early, we can begin looking specifically for instances where students demonstrate effort or growth. We can celebrate that improvement with the student.

What are other ways you can make report card comments manageable?

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Long-Term Lesson Planning

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I spent two hours yesterday planning lessons through Christmas.

A part of me wanted to put it off. Christmas, already???, I thought.

The traditional American side of me wants to defer everything Christmas until after I’ve stuffed myself with turkey. But I have six weeks. That’s all. The last thing I want is for a unit (or units) to drag into January.

To that end, my students need to do the following before Christmas:

  • Writing: Finish a literary essay and take a “free choice” essay through the entire writing process
  • Reading: State and demonstrate nonfiction reading skills
  • Math: Demonstrate knowledge of long division and convert between fractions, decimals, and percents
  • Science: Complete pollution labs, reflect on results, and run an independent science project related to pollution

In addition, I need to plan around Christmas crafts, holiday feasts, and assemblies.

I don’t want the pre-Christmas days to be full of pressure for students to finish tasks. I know students tend to be less focused prior to Christmas. I also believe it is important for students to celebrate and reflect on the work that they do.

When I plan long-term, I can plan for celebration and reflection. Within the six weeks, I have 28 instructional days. My thinking goes something like this:

  1. What do final student products need to contain to “meet expectations”? 
  2. How do I scaffold lessons so that all students will meet expectations? 
  3. What are the most critical 20-25 lesson objectives? What lessons can I skip if I have to?
  4. Which lessons have [historically] been the most difficult for students? How can I match those lessons with days I have specialist help?
  5. In what ways can I add a level of greater complexity for students who easily meet lesson objectives?

Then I open my plan book. I plug in holiday stuff. I plug in celebration and reflection time. I count the writing periods left and plug in my most critical essay lessons, leaving at least two “buffer days”, anticipating that some lessons will run over, a fire drill may happen, or a couple lessons may be interrupted by the realities of school life. A mentor teacher once said, My lessons would run perfectly if it weren’t for the students.

The process repeats for the other subject areas. If you’re lucky enough to have a teaching partner or you are a part of a Professional Learning Community (PLC), you can each plan one subject and then share the plans with others.

Stuff will happen. But long-term planning keeps me focused now, knowing that students have great things to accomplish before they break for a few weeks.

What do your students need to learn and be able to do before Christmas?

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