Friday was my big science fair day where students worked on their projects in groups and I walked around and check in with their progress. in past years, it seems that the teacher did most of the work for science fair projects. I did this huge led up to set up teh expectations that this was their projects, they would be showing the school what they knew about the scientific process and put it into action. There have been a few rough patches but I felt like the expectations have held. Some kids showed up without their supplies so they were given other assignments to do. I was really impressed by my students ability to stay focused and help each other out when they were done with their experiments. Everyone was doing something and everyone was on task. There were no huge issues and everything went off pretty well. I want my students to have the best science fair projects but I also want them to make mistakes so they can learn from these mistakes. I've checked over everything and had them turn in their work at each step so I could correct and add. I walked around Friday and checked in with all the students. I want them to experience and learn from doing, then I want them to be able to compare their findings with other similar experiments and possibly be able to think about what they did wrong or what they would change next time. So, I'm okay with letting them work through the process on their own and re evaluate, etc. I know that their projects may not be absolutely perfect but they will have learned about the process and what is really important in the end. I wonder if this is the right approach. Should I stop them when they are not doing something correctly, or should I let them find out on their own so they can understand why that was maybe not the correct step?
- Emma
This week was an interesting week of reflection on both this year of teaching and lasts. Something that I've struggled with throughout this year is the fact that, on many levels, I felt like a stronger teacher last year than this. It's sort of been a theme that has always lingered in the background as I go about my work. Even though I definitely know in many ways I am better this year, it's a self-doubt that plays in the back of my mind. In our student teaching seminar, we discussed teacher burnout and how to avoid it. For me, my students have always motivated me to work harder, push that extra hour, or revamp this lesson plan. And, although I love my kids and want the very best for them, I really truly liked my students as people more last year than this, and I find it difficult some days to find the motivation for that one extra hour when I'm exhausted from the attitudes of the day. It also did not help that grades were due this week for 3rd quarter, and once again, my students' math scores were not where I would like them to be. While I know their are external factors like many of them jumped from 1st grade math to 3rd grade content in second grade (we accelerate one year), I am not comfortable relinquishing my responsibility and my power over their learning to this factor (even while administration says it will take more time to catch them up). And, we went to the zoo on Thursday - a trip I also took with my 1st graders last year. The experience was fine, but I found myself continuing to compare my 2 classes and my experiences with each. I loved our zoo trip last year and how eager my kids were to learn. This time around, some were eager and some were moody for no good reason at all and left me feeling emotionally defeated. I have a clear plan set up with the help of my program director to increase our math mastery, which I think was really the root of my negative feelings this week. So hopefully with progress being made, I can be more accepting of the teacher I am at this very moment and the people my kids are. - Sarah Vester
I came down with symptoms of a cold on Wednesday and immediately called on TheraFlu to ward off full-on sickness. While the fix worked overnight and I felt better on Thursday morning, signs of a cold still pressing surfaced during the school day on Thursday. I made it through Thursday afternoon with my students and Thursday evening with an exam at Marquette (yuck!), but my whatever virus I'd contracted was coming on with full force. I felt like crud on Friday morning, but I knew that with my school being strapped for bodies after a veteran teacher quit two weeks ago, they'd likely have to call a third party sub provider; in my mind, the consistency my kids would have with me at the helm, even if irritable, would far outweigh the personal/health benefits of taking the day off. I don't know if I was smart or not here, but I acted according to my own principles--which have guided me to miss only one day of school in two years, for the TFA Summit--and my best judgment of what would be best for my kids. As expected, misbehaviors were irritating me more than normal. I can say with confidence, however, that I did a satisfactory job being patient with my students when they misbehaved, simply stating my observations and assigning consequences as I normally would have. Until about 1:00 p.m. One of my very strong-minded students was having a decidedly bad day. From the moment she walked in, she showed disregard for one of the most fundamental rules of my classroom and the school: the uniform policy. After compounding that initial disobedience with 8+ (documented) other misbehaviors, the redirection they were met with, and my humane request for "a little respect," I informed her that she'd have to serve a penalty. She chirped, "I'm not doing nothing!" to which I responded, "I can show you each misbehavior that I've noted, if you'd like." When she had the nerve to say, "Yeah, show me," I came unglued. Not only was she feigning unawareness with her misbehaviors (she lated admitted her behaviors to a supervisor), but she was making a public spectacle during precious class time. I wasn't standing for it, and I reamed her out and told her to "get out of my classroom"... This was the third time I'd ever yelled at the top of my lungs like that and, while I don't really regret it (in light of the fact that that's the antithesis of the way I treat my students, and the other two instances of my yelling like this conveyed a certain message that resulted in positive turnarounds), it shook me. I hate yelling like that. Even more, I hate that that might have been the only way to send the message to my other students that I cared. Considering how abrasive this student is--my other two "yellees" were simply undisciplined workers who needed to be steered away from chronic 5th grade goofiness--I'm not really looking forward to folding her back into the class. I'll definitely apologize for my reaction, but given that I don't expect the student to make any concessions during conversation, I almost feel as though I have to simply devise and lay down a "Student Will... | Mr. C Will..." behavior plan on her desk before Monday morning. We'll see.
-Joe
*
-Student data/ outcomes- Student mastery was very high on this week's math quiz and science test. Students averaged 85 percent on their science test and the classes averaged 87 and 83 percent on quizzes.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- The parent I mentioned last week came in and observed my class this week, so I feel better about that impression/relationship. My student action I continue to push was discussed at our TFA session on Friday: pushing students to be well-rounded students, not just well-rounded math and science students in my class.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I will be putting a much greater emphasis on students taking their whole day seriously and how to become better students, not just emphasizing work in my classroom. Action steps below...
-Plan for development/ solution- 1) Student-teacher conferences to emphasize all subjects, not just my own. 2) Conference/collaborate with other 6th grade teacher. 3) Developing mini-lessons on time management, importance of education as a whole, etc.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- Students will be performing better in their other classes and will be able to articulate why their 6th grade education as a whole is important, not just math and science class.
Tom Schalmo
-Student data/ outcomes- In history, student open-ended answers and checks for understandings have been much more comprehensive and detailed. My history class is the "low" ability group that I have in the day. At the beginning of the year, students oftentimes answered questions in one to four word answers. Now, they restate the question and answer wholly.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- My checks for understandings have gone on way too long lately. I will revert back to my old ways and fixate on students who do not understand the key point and have them work it out to the class's dismay that their classmate has not picked it up.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I will refer to my uncommon schools training and use the fast-paced no-opt out. Students who do not understand will have to listen to other classmates answer the question then rephrase it in their own words.
-Plan for development/ solution- Clearly-written out CFUs are particular parts of the lesson.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- Students will continue to have strongly written responses but be more clear and concise with their answers.
Mike
This past week flew by! We have been reading Romeo and Juliet, and over the past two weeks, we have been working to write a modernized version of a scene from the play. On Thursday, my students acted out their scenes for the class - it was so much fun to see them embrace this opportunity to express their knowledge and skills in a different format. It was a really powerful experience for me - I was reminded of the importance of providing different opportunities to demonstrate mastery, not just in ELA.
-Chelsea
This week, I decided to pass out novels for students to work through in their leveled reading groups, instead of just reading with me when I pull them aside. It was awesome to see how motivated and inspired they were by these high quality texts I had picked out for them, and fun for me, because many of the texts were books I had enjoyed as a young child as well. I was reminded that having ownership over your learning (for example, setting goals for how much you want to read in a week or having to manage your time for how to complete a large amount of work in a week) can be a real motivator for students, while actually being less labor intensive for a teacher. I felt good about this being a positive step towards getting my students to be the "independent thinkers" that I envisioned when writing my big goals, and I hope that they are able to translate this enthusiasm to books of their own choosing.
-Stephanie
I have done and re-done many reflections this week for Sue Lehmann, so I am going to simply post one here that I have found to be the most useful recount of a successful classroom practice. Solidifying this has helped me to know what to keep and what to do differently next time. Here goes:
This year, I developed a vision that included this teamwork and respect, and broke these concepts down into two things I wanted my students to be able to do in any setting – present or future. These are based on beliefs I hold about what my students must be able to do in my room that will transfer across environments and develop into life skills. First, my students must be able to work with any other student. At the beginning of the year, I set this up by seating students in partners and switching desks around every week, which was more than my students were accustomed to changing. I did not seat students together at random; rather I carefully chose partners based on what I observed as social and academic strengths and weaknesses in the classroom and on the playground. I was proactive in making it clear that only positive interactions were appropriate, and reinforced this with a weekly meeting about what teamwork was and why it was important. Teamwork discussions were infused with references to the strength necessary to disprove the statistic of Milwaukee Public School students’ High School and College completion. In the early winter, I began allowing students to pick their partners for certain activities, but first I required them to think of four people in the room they would love to work with, so that “best-friend-itis” did not cloud their vision of why teamwork is important. To my delight, my students not only reacted entirely positively to whomever I seated them with, though I am still always thoughtful about partnerships I assign, but they can now articulate why it is important to be able to work with anyone in the room in a way that assures me they will carry this message with them to other settings. Second, I need my students to be able to respectfully advocate for themselves. I know it is essential to their future academic success, and therefore we devote time to explicitly developing this skill. Respectful self-advocacy means different things in different situations to my students. We use the concept in resolving conflicts with peers and adults. The practice began when I created a peace corner in my room for students who have arguments. The posters in the peace corner include instructions for a dialogue in which students must articulate how they feel and the specific event or behavior that made them feel that way. The second person must listen, restate, and help come up with a solution to the problem. These steps are very empowering for my students and have helped create a safe learning environment. Students also must advocate respectfully for their learning, which requires that they be able to talk in certain ways to their peers during group and partner work as well as to adults. We developed the rule that during any group or partner work time, every member must be heard and acknowledged at least once. Some groups increased this to twice of their own volition. When my students began to ask me excellent questions about their learning, I realized that it was essential for them to continue to be able to do this. So I have begun weekly conversations with them about how to respectfully ask future teachers about their instruction in ways that will push them to consider alignment with the standards and academic rigor. We reinforce this with role-play and reflection. I know that if I can send my students away from this year with these skills, I will be setting them up for success in the future because they will be able to rely on each other, and they will be able to set the tone of communication with any new teacher or peer they encounter.
- Emma
This week was an interesting week of reflection on both this year of teaching and lasts. Something that I've struggled with throughout this year is the fact that, on many levels, I felt like a stronger teacher last year than this. It's sort of been a theme that has always lingered in the background as I go about my work. Even though I definitely know in many ways I am better this year, it's a self-doubt that plays in the back of my mind. In our student teaching seminar, we discussed teacher burnout and how to avoid it. For me, my students have always motivated me to work harder, push that extra hour, or revamp this lesson plan. And, although I love my kids and want the very best for them, I really truly liked my students as people more last year than this, and I find it difficult some days to find the motivation for that one extra hour when I'm exhausted from the attitudes of the day. It also did not help that grades were due this week for 3rd quarter, and once again, my students' math scores were not where I would like them to be. While I know their are external factors like many of them jumped from 1st grade math to 3rd grade content in second grade (we accelerate one year), I am not comfortable relinquishing my responsibility and my power over their learning to this factor (even while administration says it will take more time to catch them up). And, we went to the zoo on Thursday - a trip I also took with my 1st graders last year. The experience was fine, but I found myself continuing to compare my 2 classes and my experiences with each. I loved our zoo trip last year and how eager my kids were to learn. This time around, some were eager and some were moody for no good reason at all and left me feeling emotionally defeated. I have a clear plan set up with the help of my program director to increase our math mastery, which I think was really the root of my negative feelings this week. So hopefully with progress being made, I can be more accepting of the teacher I am at this very moment and the people my kids are. - Sarah Vester
I came down with symptoms of a cold on Wednesday and immediately called on TheraFlu to ward off full-on sickness. While the fix worked overnight and I felt better on Thursday morning, signs of a cold still pressing surfaced during the school day on Thursday. I made it through Thursday afternoon with my students and Thursday evening with an exam at Marquette (yuck!), but my whatever virus I'd contracted was coming on with full force. I felt like crud on Friday morning, but I knew that with my school being strapped for bodies after a veteran teacher quit two weeks ago, they'd likely have to call a third party sub provider; in my mind, the consistency my kids would have with me at the helm, even if irritable, would far outweigh the personal/health benefits of taking the day off. I don't know if I was smart or not here, but I acted according to my own principles--which have guided me to miss only one day of school in two years, for the TFA Summit--and my best judgment of what would be best for my kids. As expected, misbehaviors were irritating me more than normal. I can say with confidence, however, that I did a satisfactory job being patient with my students when they misbehaved, simply stating my observations and assigning consequences as I normally would have. Until about 1:00 p.m. One of my very strong-minded students was having a decidedly bad day. From the moment she walked in, she showed disregard for one of the most fundamental rules of my classroom and the school: the uniform policy. After compounding that initial disobedience with 8+ (documented) other misbehaviors, the redirection they were met with, and my humane request for "a little respect," I informed her that she'd have to serve a penalty. She chirped, "I'm not doing nothing!" to which I responded, "I can show you each misbehavior that I've noted, if you'd like." When she had the nerve to say, "Yeah, show me," I came unglued. Not only was she feigning unawareness with her misbehaviors (she lated admitted her behaviors to a supervisor), but she was making a public spectacle during precious class time. I wasn't standing for it, and I reamed her out and told her to "get out of my classroom"... This was the third time I'd ever yelled at the top of my lungs like that and, while I don't really regret it (in light of the fact that that's the antithesis of the way I treat my students, and the other two instances of my yelling like this conveyed a certain message that resulted in positive turnarounds), it shook me. I hate yelling like that. Even more, I hate that that might have been the only way to send the message to my other students that I cared. Considering how abrasive this student is--my other two "yellees" were simply undisciplined workers who needed to be steered away from chronic 5th grade goofiness--I'm not really looking forward to folding her back into the class. I'll definitely apologize for my reaction, but given that I don't expect the student to make any concessions during conversation, I almost feel as though I have to simply devise and lay down a "Student Will... | Mr. C Will..." behavior plan on her desk before Monday morning. We'll see.
-Joe
*
-Student data/ outcomes- Student mastery was very high on this week's math quiz and science test. Students averaged 85 percent on their science test and the classes averaged 87 and 83 percent on quizzes.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- The parent I mentioned last week came in and observed my class this week, so I feel better about that impression/relationship. My student action I continue to push was discussed at our TFA session on Friday: pushing students to be well-rounded students, not just well-rounded math and science students in my class.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I will be putting a much greater emphasis on students taking their whole day seriously and how to become better students, not just emphasizing work in my classroom. Action steps below...
-Plan for development/ solution- 1) Student-teacher conferences to emphasize all subjects, not just my own. 2) Conference/collaborate with other 6th grade teacher. 3) Developing mini-lessons on time management, importance of education as a whole, etc.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- Students will be performing better in their other classes and will be able to articulate why their 6th grade education as a whole is important, not just math and science class.
Tom Schalmo
-Student data/ outcomes- In history, student open-ended answers and checks for understandings have been much more comprehensive and detailed. My history class is the "low" ability group that I have in the day. At the beginning of the year, students oftentimes answered questions in one to four word answers. Now, they restate the question and answer wholly.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- My checks for understandings have gone on way too long lately. I will revert back to my old ways and fixate on students who do not understand the key point and have them work it out to the class's dismay that their classmate has not picked it up.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I will refer to my uncommon schools training and use the fast-paced no-opt out. Students who do not understand will have to listen to other classmates answer the question then rephrase it in their own words.
-Plan for development/ solution- Clearly-written out CFUs are particular parts of the lesson.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- Students will continue to have strongly written responses but be more clear and concise with their answers.
Mike
This past week flew by! We have been reading Romeo and Juliet, and over the past two weeks, we have been working to write a modernized version of a scene from the play. On Thursday, my students acted out their scenes for the class - it was so much fun to see them embrace this opportunity to express their knowledge and skills in a different format. It was a really powerful experience for me - I was reminded of the importance of providing different opportunities to demonstrate mastery, not just in ELA.
-Chelsea
This week, I decided to pass out novels for students to work through in their leveled reading groups, instead of just reading with me when I pull them aside. It was awesome to see how motivated and inspired they were by these high quality texts I had picked out for them, and fun for me, because many of the texts were books I had enjoyed as a young child as well. I was reminded that having ownership over your learning (for example, setting goals for how much you want to read in a week or having to manage your time for how to complete a large amount of work in a week) can be a real motivator for students, while actually being less labor intensive for a teacher. I felt good about this being a positive step towards getting my students to be the "independent thinkers" that I envisioned when writing my big goals, and I hope that they are able to translate this enthusiasm to books of their own choosing.
-Stephanie
I have done and re-done many reflections this week for Sue Lehmann, so I am going to simply post one here that I have found to be the most useful recount of a successful classroom practice. Solidifying this has helped me to know what to keep and what to do differently next time. Here goes:
This year, I developed a vision that included this teamwork and respect, and broke these concepts down into two things I wanted my students to be able to do in any setting – present or future. These are based on beliefs I hold about what my students must be able to do in my room that will transfer across environments and develop into life skills.
First, my students must be able to work with any other student. At the beginning of the year, I set this up by seating students in partners and switching desks around every week, which was more than my students were accustomed to changing. I did not seat students together at random; rather I carefully chose partners based on what I observed as social and academic strengths and weaknesses in the classroom and on the playground. I was proactive in making it clear that only positive interactions were appropriate, and reinforced this with a weekly meeting about what teamwork was and why it was important. Teamwork discussions were infused with references to the strength necessary to disprove the statistic of Milwaukee Public School students’ High School and College completion. In the early winter, I began allowing students to pick their partners for certain activities, but first I required them to think of four people in the room they would love to work with, so that “best-friend-itis” did not cloud their vision of why teamwork is important. To my delight, my students not only reacted entirely positively to whomever I seated them with, though I am still always thoughtful about partnerships I assign, but they can now articulate why it is important to be able to work with anyone in the room in a way that assures me they will carry this message with them to other settings.
Second, I need my students to be able to respectfully advocate for themselves. I know it is essential to their future academic success, and therefore we devote time to explicitly developing this skill. Respectful self-advocacy means different things in different situations to my students. We use the concept in resolving conflicts with peers and adults. The practice began when I created a peace corner in my room for students who have arguments. The posters in the peace corner include instructions for a dialogue in which students must articulate how they feel and the specific event or behavior that made them feel that way. The second person must listen, restate, and help come up with a solution to the problem. These steps are very empowering for my students and have helped create a safe learning environment. Students also must advocate respectfully for their learning, which requires that they be able to talk in certain ways to their peers during group and partner work as well as to adults. We developed the rule that during any group or partner work time, every member must be heard and acknowledged at least once. Some groups increased this to twice of their own volition. When my students began to ask me excellent questions about their learning, I realized that it was essential for them to continue to be able to do this. So I have begun weekly conversations with them about how to respectfully ask future teachers about their instruction in ways that will push them to consider alignment with the standards and academic rigor. We reinforce this with role-play and reflection.
I know that if I can send my students away from this year with these skills, I will be setting them up for success in the future because they will be able to rely on each other, and they will be able to set the tone of communication with any new teacher or peer they encounter.
-Aran