Keep on Blogging

This class was overwhelming to me in the content at first because I had no way to organize it. Now I have an understanding of it and a way to organize it and my next task is how do I make the change I want to see? I think Rebekah has the right attitude that will guide me in that you need to make one change at a time in your classroom and hopefully send it to the classroom next to you. Be the mind shift you want to see. I think I kind of feel stuck at this moment in time though because I want to make the changes that I want to make, but I really can't make them at this point in the school year. I have 31 school days left at the school I am teaching at and that will be it. I am leaving this school behind for a new one in New Hampshire. Now that is daunting because it is unfamiliar territory to me. I know that it took me a solid 2 years to figure out this school's curriculum. It is incredibly frustrating to me to think that I may not be able to make some of the changes I hope to see in the curriculum even next year because I won't have a firm enough understanding of it at the new school.

I can think positively and hope that my new knowledge on curriculum will help me see through this new curriculum more quickly. And if I am blessed to be at the same grade level give or take one on either side, then I won't have to spend so much time learning how to teach all over again giving me the time to look at the curriculum more closely. I am optimistic that I will eventually get to make the changes I want to make. I will be able to start small as Rebekah suggests in my own classroom as I have learned some things that I can change now even with 31 days left. The big changes will have to wait. I just don't like waiting.

My plan and hope is to keep this blog going. It may lag a bit as the school year ends. I should have a lot to talk about if and when I get a new teaching job. I will be able to give a new perspective while working from a different state. I hope you continue to follow and help guide me.

Integrative Curriculum

First off I want to clarify something from my book talk. I don't know if I made it clear enough and the more I talk to other people about it, the more I want to clarify the author's message. It is in regards to differentiated instruction. The author doesn't argue that we should differentiate instruction based on the abilities of our students. That this is still needed. This is where our students differ, on their abilities. He argues that we shouldn't stress on differentiating the way that information is taught because the preferred method of learning is just a style preference. That we all learn basically the same way, but we all have a style preference. I didn't want people to think that I think we should differentiate instruction based on abilities of our students. Yikes!

I chose to look at the topic of integrative curriculum this week. An integrative curriculum has always been high on my list of things to look into because it always seems to be out there in theory, but I haven't really seen it in practice. I have posted the links below to the websites that I used to find information. All were really helpful.

It seems that the issue in integrating the curriculum is the current push to a standards-based education. That it is increasingly difficult to try to integrate the curriculum when under federal mandates, assessment must be done on individual subjects with certain information. The pressure to perform on these assessments has led many teachers to just teach the information on the test for their subject area so that they can protect themselves. The first and third website below argue that you can integrate the curriculum under standards-based education by working backwards. Don't start with the standard and how you are going to teach that standard. Rather start with the end goal and work backwards to see what standards you are covering.

There only seem to be pros to integrating the curriculum. The second website speaks to the fact that LIFE doesn't neatly compartmentalize all of these subjects for us. That in life we receive the assessment first and then go look for the answers and solutions. That we don't get the answers and solutions and then regurgitate them later. The site then outlines 10 reasons to teach an integrated curriculum. To me the number one reason should be the one listed in number 7 and that is the brain thrives on connections. From my reading of our self-selected book, this was a major thing. That our brains need the connections. That we work from memory and much of our memory is about making connections from one thing to another.

I personally don't see any cons to an integrated curriculum and I couldn't come across any in my readings. I think that we can only benefit from integrating the curriculum. It is our only hope of teaching all that we need to teach in a given year. It is tricky work and takes a lot of time, but it is time well spent. It is something I am going to be looking more closely at in my own work next year in teaching in a new state. How can I make the connections with the materials that I have? I think that is what is often stopping us. For example, we may not have the resources to adequately integrate science into reading because we may not have approriately leveled texts for our students on that topic.

Overall, I think integrated curriculum is the way to go. Can it survive or thrive in standards-based education? I think it can, but only with hard work and dedication to make it work.

Resource Links:

http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-1/curriculum.html

http://suzyred.com/integratedcurriculum.html

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/What_Is_Integrated_Curriculum%C2%A2.aspx

I enjoyed listening to some podcasts today about different books that peers of mine have read. Kelley in her podcast that her book asks us to think of our bodies as just the vehicle or the container for our brain. It is an idea I have never heard of before and I really had to stop and think about that one for a while. I don't know if I can still wrap my head around that idea yet. I don't know what to make of that statement. She also speaks to the fact that we shouldn't stifle creativity and it reminded me of how a student chose to think about the health material I was teaching on Tuesday. We are currently on a drug unit and we were discussing smoking and the effects it has on the lungs. As we were talking this student popped out of the circle and went to the back of the classroom and retrieved a pink and a black cube. He then came back to the circle and said that the pink cubes are like healthy lungs and the black cubes are like bad lungs from smoking. Thinking so simple and inspired I had never thought of it. What a great visual that this student created for the rest of the class. No scary pictures of lungs required.

I found it interesting that both Kelley and Tricia mention different learning styles as something to consider in their podcasts, where in mine I ask you not to consider it as much. The book I read asks you to consider the difference between styles and abilities. That we all learn basically the same and it is our abilities that distinguish us more. Willingham in my book gave the example of two great quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Brett Farve (why couldn't Tom Brady be in the book instead?). He talks about how these two players have opposite playing styles, but their abilities are what helps them succeed. That we need to start thinking of differences in ability rather than learning style. I think Willingham did a wonderful job on this point and you should visit his book for more information about why he speaks to this fact.

Bekah in her podcast mentioned creating an oasis of calm in our classroom. That this oasis of calm with thoughtfully created rules can give students more freedom. Is an oasis of calm noisy? I think of calm as someplace a student feels safe. Is this what the book meant by an oasis of calm? My room is often organized chaos and loud. I don't think a good classroom is a quiet classroom. Plus my abilities to tune noise out because of growing up with siblings has allowed me create this kind of classroom. I respect that some students need a quieter environment and I make time each day for quiet working. Again, is an oasis of calm really a safe environment, or is it truly calm?

Technology and Portfolios

I'm going to touch on my 'Surprise Me' response to Ed about all of this technology we came across in our readings for the week. I love all of these technology ideas. The problem is I am still stuck on how to bring it to my classroom. It seems that most of the examples are for upper elementary and beyond. How do I get technology into my 1st grade classroom? I understand I could somehow link to another class in another state and Skype chat with this classroom and such. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the technology that would allow that in my classroom, and we aren't allowed to use any streaming programs. That's a huge block in that adventure. I just don't know where to look or begin with kiddos so young.

I really appreciated chapter 9 in Curriculum 21 and I liked all of the information about digital portfolios. It did make me sad about our own portfolios at our school. From the day I started I have always heard, "Nobody looks at these anyway. They just get handed to the student when they graduate." How awful is that? Even more awful now that I have read what portfolios can be. I think our district does them to say we do them, but we aren't really doing them because they aren't being used the way they were meant to be used. Can you follow that? Why aren't we scanning in this work in this day and age and making them digital like the book mentions? I am in the process of creating a website that has my own working digital portfolio on it. This way when I interview for new teaching positions at the end of this year (because I am moving to New Hampshire), I have this electronic portfolio that potential employers can visit before I even show up with my standard paper portfolio. Shouldn't we be doing the same for our students so that when they graduate they have their own digital portfolio completed to show to colleges? I'm sure many colleges will expect something like that by the time my students I have now graduate.

Educating for a Sustainable Future

This chapter was fascinating to me. I really enjoyed learning about these institutes and initiatives. I look forward to researching more about the schools mentioned to see what these ideas look like in action.

In the section on Inventing the Future it listed what students do who take the course. I just want to pull out the key words: DEVELOP, EXPLORE, DISCOVER, INVESTIGATE, ENVISION, DOCUMENT, RESEARCH, and SCAN. Aren't these the kinds of skills we want all of our teaching to encompass? These are active and engaging learning verbs. I will admit I don't always do this. It is easier to follow and use the materials I was given my first year of teaching because everything else was overwhelming. I need to make a better commitment to make sure my classroom and my teaching encompasses these kinds of verbs more often.

When I look at the schools making the change I was struck by the lack of mention of assessment and assessment results. How refreshing. I think sometimes a big barrier to making the kinds of changes these schools have made is that people want immediate results in numbers and that isn't possible. People are so afraid that the change is going to give their children a poorer education instead of realizing the education their children are receiving is already poor for the most part. We would never ask any other business to make such a whole scale change to better practice and ask them for results immediately. We would understand that restructuring takes time and have faith in the fact that the change is for the better. I wish people would have more faith in teachers and educators to make the changes necessary.

Change is Hard

So this past week we had an early release day and the second half of the day was for teacher workshop. We spent it as a staff reviewing the NECAP scores from earlier this year and looking at the areas our kids did well in and the areas they didn't. We wanted to know if the areas they did poorly in were areas we just weren't covering or maybe weren't covering enough. As a first grade teacher I was intrigued by the assessment and looking at some of the questions and how our students fared. I was completely surprised by the fact that the questions done most poorly on that we viewed were simple questions about vowel sounds. It was asking students to pick the word in the list that had the same vowel sound as the word given. I was so surprised that 3rd and 4th graders didn't know their vowel sounds. I am quite sure all of the kids in my room know them. We chant the "5 most important letters in the alphabet" as I call them everyday. We talk about how just changing one of them can make a whole new grown up word. That we really have to pay attention to the sound that we are making and hearing. They know these 5 letters are called the vowels. At this point in the year when I say, "It's time to chant the 5 most important letters in the alphabet, the...." I get a groaning response of, "vowels" because they all know them. I wonder if this wasn't done with this group or where do they lose this basic knowledge in the older grades?

At this same meeting our principal suggested trying to work the specials schedule so that next year there was a common literacy block in the morning for the whole school for as many days a week as possible so that we could blur the lines of the classroom. The idea he had was that we could use this block as a way to shift kids around to different teachers with their own expertise in a certain area of literacy and teach those kids that need that kind of instruction. We had a few who didn't think 4th grade boys, who already feel down about themselves, would appreciate being in the same room as a 1st grader. That it would make them feel even worse. Others I could tell just didn't want that "floating" classroom idea of students coming in and out based on need. My angry questions in my head when listening and observing this was, "Do you not care about the education of kids? Are you so scared to change your routine that you would rather teach these kids less so you are comfortable in what you are doing? Be the ADULT!" For those 4th grade teachers I understand their concerns, but you could use those 4th graders to teach the 1st graders the skills that they also need to improve on. They would learn it more deeply and the 1st graders would be learning with their buddy and not even know it. Are their risks and kinks that would need to be worked out...sure. There always are, but you have to start trying.

Again I go back to my recurring question it seems, "What is it going to take to make the change?" Does it take a principal not willing to hear no? Does it take the right kind of staff to make the change? Why do we wait for those "right" people? Where is common sense? Why does the fear of change grab a hold of the mind more than the greatness of change?

Effective Teacher and Teacher Evaluation

I am a member of the MEA Instruction and Professional Development Committee. I have greatly enjoyed my time on the committee and being a part of this committee often keeps me on top of the latest news in education. Here are a few "did you knows..." I learned at my last meeting this past Saturday in Augusta.

Did you know that there is a teacher incentive fund rolling into the state? This fund will be distributed to 5-10 districts to create an alternative pay schedule (i.e. performance pay). Eeeks!

Did you know there is a teacher evaluation bill that will remove the firewall currently written in state law that prohibits the tying of teacher performance to student test scores. This is because of Race to the Top. Have you heard about that? Apparently to receive funds for this (not so bright) program, you have to be able to tie teacher performance to student tests scores. Maine is trying to get funds through this national program. Eeeks!

Did you know that the Common Core Standards are nearing their final stages and will be released to the public for public comment soon (only the language arts and math). Maine has signed on. What does this mean for curriculum? The Common Core Standards are standards, but don't standards drive curriculum? What does this mean?

Did you know that 10 persistently low performing schools in Maine will be receiving notification soon and that have 4 options to improve their schools. Do you want to know what those 4 options are:
1. Fire all of the staff
2. Fire 1/2 of the staff
3. Fire leadership with significant staff improvement plan
4. Transformative model - basically a charter school within the system

Lots to think about. The committee's major charge this year was to kind of preempt the removal of the law that prohibits tying teacher performance to student test scores by coming up with a definition of an effective teacher and a teacher evaluation system. After much hard work, here is what we came up with.

Teacher Effectiveness: That the MEA believes effective teachers enhance student achievement when they:
1. have high expectations for all students;
2. apply knowledge of the content taught and how to teach those subjects;
3. acknowledges participation in professional development;
4. encourage positive academic, attitudinal, and social outcomes for students;
5. use a variety of resources, including available technology, and appropriately selects from them to plan and structure engaging learning opportunities;
6. monitor and evaluate student progress, adapting instruction as needed through a variety of appropriate measures and multiple sources of evidence;
7. create a learning environment that recognizes and supports individual differences; and
8. collaborate with teachers, administrators, other professionals, students, parents and guardians.

Teacher Evaluation: that the MEA believes a comprehensive teacher evaluation system involves teachers and stakeholders in developing one that:
1. focuses on teacher growth and effectiveness;
2. uses a combination of measures to evaluate multiple dimensions of teaching;
3. acknowledges participation in professional development;
4. recognizes use of best practices in pedagogy and content as stated in current literature;
5. recognizes collaboration with teachers, administrators, other professionals, students, parents and guardians;
Furthermore, the system must use current best practices for evaluation that
6. involve multiple observations by trained professionals during the school calendar year resulting in formative feedback;
7. require a minimum of two appropriately trained evaluators to ensure support, fairness, and equity;
8. identifies trained, mutually agreed upon mentors and other targeted resources for teachers to improve their instruction;
9. distinguish among teachers by grade level and content area; and
Finally, and evaluation system MUST NOT be based solely on teacher performance, value added measures or any single measure of student achievement.

Thoughts?