It's unfortunate that public discourse and political causes can create ill feelings between parents and teachers. The parent-teacher relationship is so important in the education and happiness of a child, that talk of this type of environment saddens me. I feel that I have always had positive relationships with the parents of the children that I teach, so this is not a personal story. Rather, I am referring to a larger political discourse of parents and teachers blaming each other and accusing each other of not caring, rather than working with each other.
It all comes down to the words we use with each other. I recently ran across this excerpt on the Music of Language, which aptly describes the power of the words we choose:
"When we speak or write, we use the vehicles of words to carry meaning, as well as energy, from ourselves to another person or group of people. We may be speaking to our baby, our boss, or to an audience of 500 people. We may be writing a love letter, a work-related memo, or an entry in our own diary. Whatever the case, each word we speak or write has a life of its own, a vibratory signature that creates waves in the same way that a note of music creates waves. And like musical notes, our words live in communities of other words and change in relation to the words that surround them. When we are conscious of the energy behind our words, we become capable of making beautiful music in the world. If we are unconscious of the power of words, we run the risk of creating a noisy disturbance.
Some of us know this instinctively, while others come to this understanding slowly. Most of us, though, speak without thinking at least some of the time, blurting out our feelings and thoughts without much regard for the words we choose to express them. When we remind ourselves that our words have an impact on the world, we may find within ourselves the desire to be more aware of our use of language."
Mutual respect and open dialogue are key in establishing a positive relationship between home and school, which ultimately extends to child. It's a delicate relationship -- not unlike any other relationship we choose to establish. The difference in this relationship is the focus. The focus is (or should be) on the child, not the adults. We each carry different pieces of the same puzzle and it's important to work together to put these pieces together to uncover the true picture of what the child needs. Teachers need to be willing to "hear" what a parent is trying to convey. Likewise, parents need to really listen to what the teacher has to say. Nobody is "right" or "wrong." We each have a different perspective which can help us see the whole child and what is best for them. It's when one party tries to force another party to see ONLY their perspective that conflict ensues and roadblocks are built.
Instead of trying to "control" others with our words, maybe we can use our words to create a peaceful relationship which can build trust and mutual respect. This is the only way we can effect change in education and in our world. Otherwise all progress is stalled with "noisy disturbance" and we are reduced to playing a control game which nobody wins -- including the child. We are all in this together. We all have a common goal -- to help a child grow and lead a happy fulfilling, passion-filled life. As adults, it is our duty to set the example and work "with" each other, not against. We can each do our own part. Hopefully, if we continue to stay on the course of mutual respect, all of the negative chatter will fall on deaf ears and go away.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
I-pad is the key to unlocking doors to engagement
I finally had the chance to use a classroom set of i-pads as a reinforcement to all of the math concepts my first graders have learned so far (see video below). Instant feedback to children is of vital importance when it comes to reinforcing a newly-learned skill. When there is only one teacher in the room, instant feedback doesn't happen often enough. Today, I had seventeen tutors in the room with me in the form of i-pads with fantastic math apps such as Telling Time and Penguin Math. Each app gives instant feedback to the child, letting them know if the answer was correct or not and allowing them to try again. The only job I had was in making certain that each student was exploring apps which were appropriate for their skill level (ie. not too hard and not too easy). So, in effect, each child had a customized activity in front of them according to their skill level. The rest was up to the i-pads! The kids had a great time and I am positive that they didn't even realize that they were reinforcing a learned skill. So much better than a worksheet!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
I-pad helps me teach parents teach their children
This past Friday was parent-teacher conference day. Since my first grade reading class is a class specifically designed to address the instructional needs of children who are below grade-level benchmarks, I was going to need help in convincing parents that their children were indeed making progress. The phrase "below grade level benchmarks," often translates in the mind of a parent that their child has a learning disability or is in dire need of a tutor or is struggling to the point of concern. All of this, of course, is untrue. In my opinion, my class seems to be filled with intelligent children who are creative, hard working and well-adjusted individuals who make some of the deepest higher-level thinking connections. However, today was a day in which I had to convince many parents of this. Society, I believe, has made many parents feel that if their children are "behind grade-level standards" today then they are doomed to struggle for the rest of their lives to catch up. It was my job to put these parents at ease so that they would not unconsciously transfer this anxiety onto their children. How could I do that? Enter, once again, my precious i-pad.
As I wrote in a previous blog, I had found an inexpensive recording app and downloaded it onto my i-pad so I could record my first graders reading and then re-play it for them to hear. I wrote of how the children would break into wide smiles at hearing themselves read and finally believe that they were indeed "readers." I also wrote of how the i-pad could be used to teach them strategies in decoding words as I could pause the recording and ask the children to ask themselves how they could have figured that word out. Now I was turning to my electronic friend to help me teach parents.
Concerned parents always come asking how they can help at home with their child's reading. I could verbally instruct them, but now I had a different strategy. Parents could now listen to the voice of their child reading on the i-pad while they followed along visually with the actual text that their child was reading. I could then pause the recording and feed the parents some prompts that they could use when reading with their child at home. Simple prompts that all reading teachers use, such as:
"Does that word make sense there?"
"What else can you do to figure out that word?"
"Try skipping that word, reading to the end of the sentence and then going back."
"Try breaking that big word down into a smaller word by covering some of it up."
"Do you see a smaller word in that big word?"
"Can the picture help you?"
"Use the picture and the letters-sounds together."
"Try re-reading that sentence again."
Parents were forever thankful. What seems like common sense to a teacher may not be so obvious to a parent who hasn't had training or experience. The i-pad was a wonderful way to give a 5-minute workshop to each set of parents who sat down with me to speak about their child's reading. I'm sure all teachers have given these types of mini-workshops to parents before without the aid of the i-pad or recording. The i-pad just helped to simplify the process that much more.
The best part was that I was able to e-mail these recordings of the children to their parents so they could use it at home with their child to see the pride in their child's face firsthand. Such an experience for a parent has to be priceless.
As I wrote in a previous blog, I had found an inexpensive recording app and downloaded it onto my i-pad so I could record my first graders reading and then re-play it for them to hear. I wrote of how the children would break into wide smiles at hearing themselves read and finally believe that they were indeed "readers." I also wrote of how the i-pad could be used to teach them strategies in decoding words as I could pause the recording and ask the children to ask themselves how they could have figured that word out. Now I was turning to my electronic friend to help me teach parents.
Concerned parents always come asking how they can help at home with their child's reading. I could verbally instruct them, but now I had a different strategy. Parents could now listen to the voice of their child reading on the i-pad while they followed along visually with the actual text that their child was reading. I could then pause the recording and feed the parents some prompts that they could use when reading with their child at home. Simple prompts that all reading teachers use, such as:
"Does that word make sense there?"
"What else can you do to figure out that word?"
"Try skipping that word, reading to the end of the sentence and then going back."
"Try breaking that big word down into a smaller word by covering some of it up."
"Do you see a smaller word in that big word?"
"Can the picture help you?"
"Use the picture and the letters-sounds together."
"Try re-reading that sentence again."
Parents were forever thankful. What seems like common sense to a teacher may not be so obvious to a parent who hasn't had training or experience. The i-pad was a wonderful way to give a 5-minute workshop to each set of parents who sat down with me to speak about their child's reading. I'm sure all teachers have given these types of mini-workshops to parents before without the aid of the i-pad or recording. The i-pad just helped to simplify the process that much more.
The best part was that I was able to e-mail these recordings of the children to their parents so they could use it at home with their child to see the pride in their child's face firsthand. Such an experience for a parent has to be priceless.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
My I-pad helps to change assessments into teaching again!
OK, let me begin yet another blog by admitting that I am not writing about anything that is ground-breaking or new and I am also assuming that many other teachers have probably already used the idea of recording children's reading on i-pads. But the elation I feel after having the dreaded feeling of losing teaching time to do assessments removed compels me to write!
None of us get into the teaching field because we LOVE to assess, but we all come to realize (begrudgingly) that it is an important part of the overall learning process. I think educators even changed the name from "test" to "assess" just to make ourselves feel better. With all of the other competing demands associated with education, actual teaching time has become a precious commodity. And there is nothing worse than witnessing a child not do well on an assessment, only to leave your side feeling deflated. Not only do I and all teachers feel incredibly sad for a child in such a situation, but I know that I also personally feel a sense of failure...that I didn't do my job well enough.
Enter the $.99 voice memo app on my i-pad.
While doing the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) with each student in my first grade class, I decided one morning to upload an app which would allow me to easily and inconspicuously (I thought) record the children reading passages. My initial thought was that it would help me with replaying the child's reading if I missed a miscue or even help to clearly illustrate a child's reading strengths and/or weaknesses at parent-teacher conference. What I didn't realize was the teachable moments and smiles it would provide. Not to mention the ease.
First of all, never think for a moment that a first grader misses a trick. They knew that I was recording them. Some liked the idea. Others got nervous. I explained to the ones who got nervous that I would erase the recording if they didn't like how it sounded. Well, never let it be said that a six year old doesn't like to hear his/her own voice. They instantly became the star of the show. Even if they weren't reading all that well, they developed wide grins just hearing themselves on the recording. Nobody wanted to delete themselves from this rectangular recording device. Many even asked to see how I was storing the recordings.
The best part, however, was the teaching that I could do after each and every assessment with each child. We would listen to the recording while following along in the book. When we got to an error, I would easily pause the recording and ask the student what strategy they could have used to figure out that word. They always knew! And they inevitably corrected their miscue without much or any guidance from me! The look of pride on their face when they did this was well worth the $.99 I shelled out for this app.
Of course I couldn't just stop at one assessment. The children begged to read and record another book. So I would take out the alternative book at the same level and administer the test and the recording again. They always did better! The moment they would finish the second book, they would beg to hear themselves again.
In the end, the kids left my reading table feeling proud, I left feeling satisfied that I didn't just do a round of torture and the areas in which each student needed to address were noted by all. Yes, students were leaving assessments actually learning something about their own reading...and feeling good about it!
Again, I know this is not a new concept. But the i-pad made it incredibly simple to pause, replay or record and immensely convenient to file and store. All this for under a dollar.
None of us get into the teaching field because we LOVE to assess, but we all come to realize (begrudgingly) that it is an important part of the overall learning process. I think educators even changed the name from "test" to "assess" just to make ourselves feel better. With all of the other competing demands associated with education, actual teaching time has become a precious commodity. And there is nothing worse than witnessing a child not do well on an assessment, only to leave your side feeling deflated. Not only do I and all teachers feel incredibly sad for a child in such a situation, but I know that I also personally feel a sense of failure...that I didn't do my job well enough.
Enter the $.99 voice memo app on my i-pad.
While doing the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) with each student in my first grade class, I decided one morning to upload an app which would allow me to easily and inconspicuously (I thought) record the children reading passages. My initial thought was that it would help me with replaying the child's reading if I missed a miscue or even help to clearly illustrate a child's reading strengths and/or weaknesses at parent-teacher conference. What I didn't realize was the teachable moments and smiles it would provide. Not to mention the ease.
First of all, never think for a moment that a first grader misses a trick. They knew that I was recording them. Some liked the idea. Others got nervous. I explained to the ones who got nervous that I would erase the recording if they didn't like how it sounded. Well, never let it be said that a six year old doesn't like to hear his/her own voice. They instantly became the star of the show. Even if they weren't reading all that well, they developed wide grins just hearing themselves on the recording. Nobody wanted to delete themselves from this rectangular recording device. Many even asked to see how I was storing the recordings.
The best part, however, was the teaching that I could do after each and every assessment with each child. We would listen to the recording while following along in the book. When we got to an error, I would easily pause the recording and ask the student what strategy they could have used to figure out that word. They always knew! And they inevitably corrected their miscue without much or any guidance from me! The look of pride on their face when they did this was well worth the $.99 I shelled out for this app.
Of course I couldn't just stop at one assessment. The children begged to read and record another book. So I would take out the alternative book at the same level and administer the test and the recording again. They always did better! The moment they would finish the second book, they would beg to hear themselves again.
In the end, the kids left my reading table feeling proud, I left feeling satisfied that I didn't just do a round of torture and the areas in which each student needed to address were noted by all. Yes, students were leaving assessments actually learning something about their own reading...and feeling good about it!
Again, I know this is not a new concept. But the i-pad made it incredibly simple to pause, replay or record and immensely convenient to file and store. All this for under a dollar.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Loving my i-pad in the classroom!
I love using my i-pad in the classroom sooo much that I want more of them! I know I may be a little late to this game and that many teachers who are reading this are most likely beyond what I have to report, but I am so excited that I have to report anyway!
Recently our district gave all Kindergarten and Grade One teachers an i-pad. We were given it primarily to use with our class for a universal screening test called Dibbles. While administering the test is taking some getting used to, I have to say that I am having absolutely no trouble getting used to finding ways to use my i-pad in the classroom. I'm new and just beginning to experiment, but I can already see that elementary classrooms everywhere can benefit from having more of this type of technology in their room.
Instant Engagement!
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to receive the adaptor which allows me to project children's books (which I have purchased through i-books on my i-pad) onto my Interactive Whiteboard. Viola! I had an instant big book for $3.99 (versus the traditional $24). But there are more benefits than merely the cost. Since my Smartboard is bigger than a big book, all the children in my class could see the words of the book as I read it. Being actually able to see the words is an easy way to increase engagement. What's more is that I can highlight words on my i-pad which I want to emphasize (in this case, repetitive sight words) for the children to read with ease.
Targeted Instruction
I work with a classroom of students identified as needing targeted instruction in reading. These are first grade children who struggle with reading but have no identified processing difficulties. They just need an additional boost in reading instruction. The i-pad and Smartboard allow for me to target my instruction. After reading the traditional version of The Little Red Hen yesterday to the class, I found an electronic easy-reader version of this story adapted and illustrated by Gloria Lapin, a retired elementary teacher (http://primarilyreading.com). She creates beginning reading comics. I projected the beginning reading comic version of The Little Red Hen for the students to read. They COULD read most of the words of this easy reader, allowing them to enjoy the story even more and feel successful. Not only that, but they enjoyed the comic book style of the story. This also allowed me to begin a discussion on how different versions of books tell the same story and have the class compare/contrast the two different versions. I doubt I would have even found this book if I didn't have an i-pad with i-books on it. Instant engagement, instant enjoyment and instant interactive lesson! The hat trick to successful learning.
Increasing Fluency In a Fun Way
The i-pad can be used for so much more, I know. I can't wait to explore having interactive stories in the listening center and using the i-pad to record children reading to themselves. Reading, listening to themselves and then reading again will inevitably be a fun and engaging way to increase the fluency of these students (and all students) -- not to mention how much easier and efficient it is to use the i-pad than using the traditional tape recorder.
This experience has lead me to explore how i-pads are being used in other first grade classrooms. I was informed that there was a first grade teacher in Rochester, NY who uses a lot of technology in his classroom to help teach reading. His name is Richard Colosi. After viewing his website, I am further convinced that i-pads are meant for elementary classrooms. Check out his website at www.richardcolosi.com I can't wait to learn even more from him.
I am becoming so greedy! Now I want a class set of i-pads!
Recently our district gave all Kindergarten and Grade One teachers an i-pad. We were given it primarily to use with our class for a universal screening test called Dibbles. While administering the test is taking some getting used to, I have to say that I am having absolutely no trouble getting used to finding ways to use my i-pad in the classroom. I'm new and just beginning to experiment, but I can already see that elementary classrooms everywhere can benefit from having more of this type of technology in their room.
Instant Engagement!
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to receive the adaptor which allows me to project children's books (which I have purchased through i-books on my i-pad) onto my Interactive Whiteboard. Viola! I had an instant big book for $3.99 (versus the traditional $24). But there are more benefits than merely the cost. Since my Smartboard is bigger than a big book, all the children in my class could see the words of the book as I read it. Being actually able to see the words is an easy way to increase engagement. What's more is that I can highlight words on my i-pad which I want to emphasize (in this case, repetitive sight words) for the children to read with ease.
Targeted Instruction
I work with a classroom of students identified as needing targeted instruction in reading. These are first grade children who struggle with reading but have no identified processing difficulties. They just need an additional boost in reading instruction. The i-pad and Smartboard allow for me to target my instruction. After reading the traditional version of The Little Red Hen yesterday to the class, I found an electronic easy-reader version of this story adapted and illustrated by Gloria Lapin, a retired elementary teacher (http://primarilyreading.com). She creates beginning reading comics. I projected the beginning reading comic version of The Little Red Hen for the students to read. They COULD read most of the words of this easy reader, allowing them to enjoy the story even more and feel successful. Not only that, but they enjoyed the comic book style of the story. This also allowed me to begin a discussion on how different versions of books tell the same story and have the class compare/contrast the two different versions. I doubt I would have even found this book if I didn't have an i-pad with i-books on it. Instant engagement, instant enjoyment and instant interactive lesson! The hat trick to successful learning.
Increasing Fluency In a Fun Way
The i-pad can be used for so much more, I know. I can't wait to explore having interactive stories in the listening center and using the i-pad to record children reading to themselves. Reading, listening to themselves and then reading again will inevitably be a fun and engaging way to increase the fluency of these students (and all students) -- not to mention how much easier and efficient it is to use the i-pad than using the traditional tape recorder.
This experience has lead me to explore how i-pads are being used in other first grade classrooms. I was informed that there was a first grade teacher in Rochester, NY who uses a lot of technology in his classroom to help teach reading. His name is Richard Colosi. After viewing his website, I am further convinced that i-pads are meant for elementary classrooms. Check out his website at www.richardcolosi.com I can't wait to learn even more from him.
I am becoming so greedy! Now I want a class set of i-pads!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Responsible For Happiness
Our district recently lost the life of one of its high school students. No matter the cause or reason for a life cut short, the loss of a child is impossible to understand. "Why?" is the question that gets turned over and over in your head without an answer.
A student's death ultimately stops an educator in their tracks. It forces many to begin to question the reason we work with kids at all. Sometimes we are forced to unearth what is really important in a student's life -- beyond preparing them for the next grade or for a life beyond graduation or for a life as a twenty-first century citizen. What about the life that they are living now? Today. Now. The present moment.
Although I didn't know this student who recently passed in our district, his untimely departure made me recall a day eleven years ago when I got the phone call that a former student of mine had been killed in a car accident (I'll call him John). John was in fourth grade...ten years old...when he was taken from this Earth. I was his first grade teacher three years prior. Hearing that he was no longer with us made me recall his year with me.
John was a lively boy with unlimited energy and curiosity and a bright smile who couldn't grasp reading no matter the approach. Being a new teacher, I thought I could solve this through hard work. I was going to stay "on him" and not let him slip through the cracks. I would work with him in the early morning when he came to school early. He just wanted to unwind with his friends through free play on the rug, but I would call him up to my table to do some extra reading or writing or word play. I would read with him at snack time instead of allowing him to sit and chat socially with his peers. I would send home extra work and then do it with him in school if he didn't finish it at home. I think that I had good intentions as an overzealous new teacher, but they were very misguided. I really thought that by working him hard now, he would be better prepared for the "future." Little did I know that his "future" would end before mine and that he would be the best teacher that I ever had.
I cried at his funeral for many reasons -- his family's pain, the loss of his young best friend and...my failure. I had failed at providing him a happy place to learn and thrive. I was so focused on his "success" that I actually contributed to his failure of a happy first grade year. Nor he nor his family ever intimated that I had made him unhappy in his first official year of school, but I know better. And my teaching has not been the same since. This little boy's departure literally changed the way that I would teach from that day forward. I am not the same teacher or the same person.
Now of utmost importance to me is the happiness of my students. I make a conscious effort to create a space in which kids can be happy learners and not just learners. No longer will I skip singing that song that they love because I have too much too "cover." No longer will I not take the time to ask them what's really wrong when they show frustration (I have found that it is rarely an academic reason). No longer will I start a day without gathering them together as a community to set a tone of happiness. They are children first and students second.
Ultimately, I have learned firsthand that children learn even more when they are happy and have reduced stress. Sounds logical, right? Scientific studies prove what I have been witnessing for the past ten years or so and I am so happy that there is evidence to prove what I feel to be true -- that happy children not only learn better, but they live better. I believe that a happy child is more likely to find and pursue his/her passion with unyielding persistence -- persistence that is motivated from something within them and not from an external factor, such as grades, honors, rewards or praise.
I'm not saying that I no longer need to instruct well. I am saying that the best instruction in the world falls upon deaf ears if a child is unhappy. We need to prepare a child's mindset (the soil) before we can even think of planting the seed of learning. Some come with the soil already tilled. Others need our help. Are teachers now supposed to be responsible for a child's happiness? I say yes -- whenever and wherever it is possible.
A student's death ultimately stops an educator in their tracks. It forces many to begin to question the reason we work with kids at all. Sometimes we are forced to unearth what is really important in a student's life -- beyond preparing them for the next grade or for a life beyond graduation or for a life as a twenty-first century citizen. What about the life that they are living now? Today. Now. The present moment.
Although I didn't know this student who recently passed in our district, his untimely departure made me recall a day eleven years ago when I got the phone call that a former student of mine had been killed in a car accident (I'll call him John). John was in fourth grade...ten years old...when he was taken from this Earth. I was his first grade teacher three years prior. Hearing that he was no longer with us made me recall his year with me.
John was a lively boy with unlimited energy and curiosity and a bright smile who couldn't grasp reading no matter the approach. Being a new teacher, I thought I could solve this through hard work. I was going to stay "on him" and not let him slip through the cracks. I would work with him in the early morning when he came to school early. He just wanted to unwind with his friends through free play on the rug, but I would call him up to my table to do some extra reading or writing or word play. I would read with him at snack time instead of allowing him to sit and chat socially with his peers. I would send home extra work and then do it with him in school if he didn't finish it at home. I think that I had good intentions as an overzealous new teacher, but they were very misguided. I really thought that by working him hard now, he would be better prepared for the "future." Little did I know that his "future" would end before mine and that he would be the best teacher that I ever had.
I cried at his funeral for many reasons -- his family's pain, the loss of his young best friend and...my failure. I had failed at providing him a happy place to learn and thrive. I was so focused on his "success" that I actually contributed to his failure of a happy first grade year. Nor he nor his family ever intimated that I had made him unhappy in his first official year of school, but I know better. And my teaching has not been the same since. This little boy's departure literally changed the way that I would teach from that day forward. I am not the same teacher or the same person.
Now of utmost importance to me is the happiness of my students. I make a conscious effort to create a space in which kids can be happy learners and not just learners. No longer will I skip singing that song that they love because I have too much too "cover." No longer will I not take the time to ask them what's really wrong when they show frustration (I have found that it is rarely an academic reason). No longer will I start a day without gathering them together as a community to set a tone of happiness. They are children first and students second.
Ultimately, I have learned firsthand that children learn even more when they are happy and have reduced stress. Sounds logical, right? Scientific studies prove what I have been witnessing for the past ten years or so and I am so happy that there is evidence to prove what I feel to be true -- that happy children not only learn better, but they live better. I believe that a happy child is more likely to find and pursue his/her passion with unyielding persistence -- persistence that is motivated from something within them and not from an external factor, such as grades, honors, rewards or praise.
I'm not saying that I no longer need to instruct well. I am saying that the best instruction in the world falls upon deaf ears if a child is unhappy. We need to prepare a child's mindset (the soil) before we can even think of planting the seed of learning. Some come with the soil already tilled. Others need our help. Are teachers now supposed to be responsible for a child's happiness? I say yes -- whenever and wherever it is possible.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Asking Kids How They Learn
I think most teachers already realize that it's important to engage their students and that a student's learning engagement actually bumps up student achievement significantly. However, if they are at all like me, then they also need to be reminded of what works for kids. What is the best way to be reminded of this? By asking kids! Find out how kids best learn by asking the kids. What an amazing concept, eh?
I was fortunate enough to be part of a "Look to Learn" walk-through training this past week. Our district is training both teachers and administrators to go into classrooms for quick 4-minute snapshots of the "learning" (not the teaching) happening in classrooms. By asking the students themselves to explain what they are doing and why they think that they are doing it, you get a wealth of information. It was extremely enlightening -- and not at all evaluative. I only found myself evaluating one teacher -- myself.
I participated in these learning walk-throughs under the guidance of an amazing instructor, John Antonetti. My eyes were opened to the many ways in which I can improve student engagement in my own classroom as I looked for the following eight engaging qualities occurring in other classrooms:
(1) Personal Response
(2) Clear/Modeled Expectations
(3) Emotional/Intellectual Safety
(4) Learning with Others
(5) Sense of Audience
(6) Choice
(7) Novelty/Variety
(8) Authenticity
I was fortunate enough to be part of a "Look to Learn" walk-through training this past week. Our district is training both teachers and administrators to go into classrooms for quick 4-minute snapshots of the "learning" (not the teaching) happening in classrooms. By asking the students themselves to explain what they are doing and why they think that they are doing it, you get a wealth of information. It was extremely enlightening -- and not at all evaluative. I only found myself evaluating one teacher -- myself.
I participated in these learning walk-throughs under the guidance of an amazing instructor, John Antonetti. My eyes were opened to the many ways in which I can improve student engagement in my own classroom as I looked for the following eight engaging qualities occurring in other classrooms:
(1) Personal Response
(2) Clear/Modeled Expectations
(3) Emotional/Intellectual Safety
(4) Learning with Others
(5) Sense of Audience
(6) Choice
(7) Novelty/Variety
(8) Authenticity
I went into some classrooms in which the students were very engaged and others in which students were compliant but not otherwise engaged. (To be engaged, a lesson needs to provide 3 of the 8 qualities listed above). In my learning walk throughs, I found that the students often knew the objective (or had clear/modeled expectations) but lacked other engaging qualities. This lead me to wonder if my students were actually engaged in my own classroom ... and how often? I'm talking about real engagement that creates an excitement to learn and do more -- even if the teacher leaves the room. I think we all know that, even as adults, if you really love to do something, you can do it for timeless hours without being told and want to continuing doing it well after the allotted time is up. Isn't that what we ultimately want for our students? To engage them so well that they can't help but to want to continue to learn more?
Of course there will be always be teacher-directed moments when a concept or activity is being introduced. That is also necessary to teaching. But I'm not talking about teaching here. I'm speaking about learning. Learning how to create learning. Thinking about thinking. You know, fun metacognitive stuff.
Learning walk-throughs are truly enlightening for the teacher(s) participating in the walk-through. I received the ideas, motivation and energy to create a better learning environment for my students. My thinking started to shift away from my instructional methods and move more toward the levels of engagement in which I am or am not providing for my students. Engagement is at the forefront of my mind when I go to plan my lessons now. It was always there, but I can't honestly say that it was always at the forefront. Now that it is, I plan to keep it there by continuing to do walk-throughs. I will voluntarily use my planning time to do walk-throughs simply because I believe it will help my planning. It is time well spent and well served.
My biggest take away from the day was the idea that we will learn our craft as teaching professionals by interacting with each other across disciplines and across grade levels with common expectations -- not by closing our classroom doors and practicing in isolation
My biggest take away from the day was the idea that we will learn our craft as teaching professionals by interacting with each other across disciplines and across grade levels with common expectations -- not by closing our classroom doors and practicing in isolation
Even as I see real value in participating in learning walk-throughs, I know that some teachers may not. Some may say that they are disruptive and may become evaluative in nature. Well, let's look at this from a perspective in which fear has been removed. Fear that the learning walks "may" become evaluative in the future. Fear that all teachers will be forced or mandated to do learning walk-throughs. Fear that we are bothering the teacher in the room in which we are performing the walk through. Fear that going into a room for a four-minute snapshot rattles an experienced, skilled teacher who already has the utmost confidence in his/her abilities.
In one entire day (from 7:45 - 2:00), I walked through classrooms in the High School, the Middle School and my own elementary school. Not once did we speak about the teacher or the teaching going on in the classroom. It was all student-oriented. It was not evaluative. It was not judgmental. It was a learning tool for my own teaching. What a great learning experience.
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