-Student data/ outcomes - Students averaged 70% on the most recent math test. These were way way below average; however, this may be due to the fact that I added high rigor math questions to the test that students were not accustomed to in past tests.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change - I will continue to push these higher rigor questions in our class. While test scores may go down, it is challenging students on a level that they will need to be on for high school. Additionally, if we can get them used to taking these types of tests, they will undoubtedly progress by the end of the year.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action - I will have to spend even more time on the higher order questions By doing so, students will learned higher rigor material but also be exposed to more realistic problems than mere computation. Rather than grade in class, I will continue to collect their homework and spend that time on higher order questions and problems.
-Plan for development/ solution - Opening - higher order problems (10 minutes) INM - new material taught on higher rigor using MCAS GP - MCAS based problem // IP - checkout and homework time.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes - I assume my students will still struggle on these tests but their time management to finish the tests in one sitting and the confidence gained to solve higher rigor problems will be the pay-off.
Michael Nguyen
Monday I had the opportunity to visit Milwaukee College Prep. It gave me a chance to reflect on my teaching practices and how they affect my students behavior and success in the classroom. It was interesting to see the impact of the overall school culture on the classroom and the students. Focusing on what I could change, I watched two teachers. One, who like me is teaching science without a real background in science, and a veteran teacher of science. It is really amazing to see that I am doing things right. Seeing their classrooms gave me confidence that I'm moving in the right direction with my students. The attitudes of the teachers were something to learn from. I gathered a lot of great ideas and I am slowly sorting through them. This week I've been sick so I had some days that weren't the best. I really saw my students turn around this week. I've been focusing on positive reinforcements this week and just staying calm throughout the day. I've seen a huge improvement in the culture of my classroom. My data this week is seeing improvements. In my 7th and 8th grade classrooms it is pretty straight forward. I've set up plans to reach those students who are still struggling with material and I've developed extension activities for my students who are excelling. I've been working on making sure that I am reaching all my students. It will remain something I keep working on.
- Emma Bradley
-Student data/ outcomes-Students' weekly quizzes went very, very well here at the end of the week. Room 302 averaged in the 90s and 304 in the upper 80s. It was a brief quiz because they also took their Unit 7 assessment this week. On those, results for both classes were in the 80s. Very happy with that -- particularly because a number of my "within reach" students really improved their scores. In science, weekly quiz averaged 76 percent -- not great, but a weekly quiz and I can make adjustments through the rest of the unit.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- My prioritized action to change for the week was for increasing the rigor of questions. I guess I didn't realize how much of a challenge this would be! I saw progress this week, but I want to keep going. We had a great discussion on Thursday about the planets, and I actually had to cut the questions off! "How did the Earth get its name?" "How long would it take a manned spaceship to get to Neptune and back?" In looking at photos of the planets... "Are those the moons of Jupiters?" "Were those craters caused by asteroids?" "I know Neptune is made of gas, but which gas causes Neptune to be blue?" I had to do some research doing my prep to answer the questions I didn't know!
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I want to get similar lines of questioning going in my math class, so I need to develop a plan for doing that in math. My students need to be able to have high levels of crtical thinking skills for 7th/8th grade and high school and college.
-Plan for development/ solution- Continue current action steps -- questions on exit slips. Additionally, we will be watching a 20-minute video this week, and students will develop questions from that. We are always asking... What more do you want to know?
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- I want to develop more critical thinking questions for my science unit assessments, and I think with our preparations in class, students will do well analyzing questions on tests.
Tom Schalmo
* I had several conversations about my teaching practice this week, and they've led me to the following analogy: finding your niche as a teacher is a lot like finding your niche in a pitching rotation in baseball. From tee-ball through high school, baseball was my sport. Although I was never a batting average or home run king, I developed into an commanding pitcher with great stamina sometime around freshmen year. Although I never really lit up the radar gun, I used a mixture of fastballs, curveballs, and change-ups with great control, which allowed me to always keep opposing hitters guessing. And I rarely needed relief. Had I reached a point in which I was not able to go back out to the mound (physically or mentally), a "set-up man," "closer," or other type of relief pitcher would have taken my place. These pitchers had fallen into their roles for numerous ability-related reasons: they threw "heat" (very fast), they threw somewhat wildly, and/or they had arms that recovered well on 24-hours rest (after throwing <30 pitches). If these relief pitchers were teachers, they'd be teaching on a block schedule in middle school or high school. They'd harness their energy and their ability to rejuvenate quickly from short, concentration periods of exertion to teach one block after another. The transitions times between block periods would be like the 24-hours of rest that relief pitchers get, and their energy-driven control of students (hitters) would be acceptable. Unlike self-contained teachers (starting pitchers), they wouldn't rely as heavily on drawn-out routines and procedures that work to create an illusion of fast pace that makes the day seem--and hopefully be--productive but comfortable. As great as 5th grade has been to me, I must recognize that my fit as a starting pitcher does not translate to my fit as a self-contained teacher. Enduring 6-blocks with the same students all day long is nowhere near as natural for me as going out to the mound for an entire ballgame. In the future, I'll have to look out for "relief," block period roles I can find to match my talent profile and thus best find my niche as an educator.
-Joe Cartwright P.S.-Hooray for baseball season being right around the corner!
*
Friday, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Milwaukee College Prep in the afternoon. It made me really think hard about school culture, and what a difference that can make. 100% of students at MCP are proficient or advanced on state tests, which is an amazing accomplishment. Watching the teachers use so many of the same instructional practices and behavioral systems, it made me crave the kind of consistency and mutual support that could happen in a place where everyone (teachers, administrators, staff, students, parents) is on board with the same mission. How would teaching low-income, minority kids feel different if I were doing it in a setting wherein I didn't have to waste energy convincing everyone around me that high achievement was possible for my students?? I have been wavering over the question of what setting in which to teach next, because I am worried about burning out if I stay where I am, but I do feel ideologically bound to stay serving this population. I have mixed feelings about high-performing charters, too, because while anyone is welcome to apply for a seat, there is some selection among families, even if it is self-selection. And what we really need is a system that educates every single kid. But the prospect of teaching in a school where high expectations are the norm might be too tempting for me to pass up.
-Aran
This week, I felt like I really noticed the benefits of having the flexibility to structure my own literacy curriculum and being able to focus on one strategy at a time. Last year, we spiraled strategies throughout the basal reader, and I felt like my students never really got a firm grasp on many of the reading strategies that we worked on, because we were always using them in bits and pieces. This year, I feel like my students really have a strong base in each reading strategy, and can use what they've learned to help them engage in higher order thinking, because each strategy builds on the last, and they are getting plenty of time to practice and improve. It was really fun having my students ask questions about Author's Purpose in a novel this week, because it was the culmination of some of the more metacognitive thinking that I've been trying to get them to do-- not just accepting the story the way it is, but really trying to think about why the author intentionally crafted it that way. That is what always made me love reading, and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
On a less positive note, I'm feeling kind of sad about my classroom culture this week... it just has not become what I wanted it to be this year. Although I feel that I am trying very hard to model good ideologies and behaviors for my students, it seems that they are constantly bickering with each other, and it really does detract from learning time, as well as causing many extra headaches for me and my students. I think that part of that might come from me needing to be more firm with certain behaviors towards each other, but I just find it so hard to manage students as learners AND as little people... it's a big responsibility, and it's definitely more challenging in 5th grade than it was in third. I am happy about the academic progress my class is making, but I would feel much better about it if I felt like they were making more progress socially as well.
Stephanie
After being observed this week and sitting down with my principal (my cooperating teacher), it became clearer that I've been pulling my kids along a lot lately in terms of behavior. I was having a lot of management issues with the boys in my classroom during lessons. I was having to have multiple side conversation with students throughout lessons about behavior. The boys in my room have been mimicking each other for attention. When one acts out, 3 or 4 more will start to became behavior issues. When this happens while I'm introducing something new and can't leave students on their own to work, learning has had to stop in my classroom somewhat frequently lately. It's really rustrating to feel like 2 or 3 kids can derail learning for an entire classroom. So, on Thursday since my EA was out sick, we sat down as a class and came up with a new list of class rules and discussed why we should have them / what their importance was. So far, it's been fairly beneficial. Most of the rules they came up with were similar to ones we already had. But, now when I have to hand out a consequence, I can remind the student in question that our class created these rules as a team and family and that they agreed to follow them. Attitudes for consequences have not magically disappeared but having the discussion definitely improved things and gave my kids some goals to work towards. If we follow the rules (particularly staying in our seats unless we ask), my students will be able to get up and get issue without signaling (holding up 2 fingers) and get a new pencil if theirs breaks on their own as well.
- Sarah Vester
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change - I will continue to push these higher rigor questions in our class. While test scores may go down, it is challenging students on a level that they will need to be on for high school. Additionally, if we can get them used to taking these types of tests, they will undoubtedly progress by the end of the year.
-Teacher action to change to impact student action - I will have to spend even more time on the higher order questions By doing so, students will learned higher rigor material but also be exposed to more realistic problems than mere computation. Rather than grade in class, I will continue to collect their homework and spend that time on higher order questions and problems.
-Plan for development/ solution - Opening - higher order problems (10 minutes) INM - new material taught on higher rigor using MCAS GP - MCAS based problem // IP - checkout and homework time.
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes - I assume my students will still struggle on these tests but their time management to finish the tests in one sitting and the confidence gained to solve higher rigor problems will be the pay-off.
Michael Nguyen
Monday I had the opportunity to visit Milwaukee College Prep. It gave me a chance to reflect on my teaching practices and how they affect my students behavior and success in the classroom. It was interesting to see the impact of the overall school culture on the classroom and the students. Focusing on what I could change, I watched two teachers. One, who like me is teaching science without a real background in science, and a veteran teacher of science. It is really amazing to see that I am doing things right. Seeing their classrooms gave me confidence that I'm moving in the right direction with my students. The attitudes of the teachers were something to learn from. I gathered a lot of great ideas and I am slowly sorting through them. This week I've been sick so I had some days that weren't the best. I really saw my students turn around this week. I've been focusing on positive reinforcements this week and just staying calm throughout the day. I've seen a huge improvement in the culture of my classroom. My data this week is seeing improvements. In my 7th and 8th grade classrooms it is pretty straight forward. I've set up plans to reach those students who are still struggling with material and I've developed extension activities for my students who are excelling. I've been working on making sure that I am reaching all my students. It will remain something I keep working on.
- Emma Bradley
-Student data/ outcomes-Students' weekly quizzes went very, very well here at the end of the week. Room 302 averaged in the 90s and 304 in the upper 80s. It was a brief quiz because they also took their Unit 7 assessment this week. On those, results for both classes were in the 80s. Very happy with that -- particularly because a number of my "within reach" students really improved their scores. In science, weekly quiz averaged 76 percent -- not great, but a weekly quiz and I can make adjustments through the rest of the unit.
-Student action progress/ Prioritized student action to change- My prioritized action to change for the week was for increasing the rigor of questions. I guess I didn't realize how much of a challenge this would be! I saw progress this week, but I want to keep going. We had a great discussion on Thursday about the planets, and I actually had to cut the questions off! "How did the Earth get its name?" "How long would it take a manned spaceship to get to Neptune and back?" In looking at photos of the planets... "Are those the moons of Jupiters?" "Were those craters caused by asteroids?" "I know Neptune is made of gas, but which gas causes Neptune to be blue?" I had to do some research doing my prep to answer the questions I didn't know!
-Teacher action to change to impact student action- I want to get similar lines of questioning going in my math class, so I need to develop a plan for doing that in math. My students need to be able to have high levels of crtical thinking skills for 7th/8th grade and high school and college.
-Plan for development/ solution- Continue current action steps -- questions on exit slips. Additionally, we will be watching a 20-minute video this week, and students will develop questions from that. We are always asking... What more do you want to know?
-Anticipated change in student data/ achievement outcomes- I want to develop more critical thinking questions for my science unit assessments, and I think with our preparations in class, students will do well analyzing questions on tests.
Tom Schalmo
*
I had several conversations about my teaching practice this week, and they've led me to the following analogy: finding your niche as a teacher is a lot like finding your niche in a pitching rotation in baseball. From tee-ball through high school, baseball was my sport. Although I was never a batting average or home run king, I developed into an commanding pitcher with great stamina sometime around freshmen year. Although I never really lit up the radar gun, I used a mixture of fastballs, curveballs, and change-ups with great control, which allowed me to always keep opposing hitters guessing. And I rarely needed relief. Had I reached a point in which I was not able to go back out to the mound (physically or mentally), a "set-up man," "closer," or other type of relief pitcher would have taken my place. These pitchers had fallen into their roles for numerous ability-related reasons: they threw "heat" (very fast), they threw somewhat wildly, and/or they had arms that recovered well on 24-hours rest (after throwing <30 pitches). If these relief pitchers were teachers, they'd be teaching on a block schedule in middle school or high school. They'd harness their energy and their ability to rejuvenate quickly from short, concentration periods of exertion to teach one block after another. The transitions times between block periods would be like the 24-hours of rest that relief pitchers get, and their energy-driven control of students (hitters) would be acceptable. Unlike self-contained teachers (starting pitchers), they wouldn't rely as heavily on drawn-out routines and procedures that work to create an illusion of fast pace that makes the day seem--and hopefully be--productive but comfortable. As great as 5th grade has been to me, I must recognize that my fit as a starting pitcher does not translate to my fit as a self-contained teacher. Enduring 6-blocks with the same students all day long is nowhere near as natural for me as going out to the mound for an entire ballgame. In the future, I'll have to look out for "relief," block period roles I can find to match my talent profile and thus best find my niche as an educator.
-Joe Cartwright
P.S.-Hooray for baseball season being right around the corner!
*
Friday, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Milwaukee College Prep in the afternoon. It made me really think hard about school culture, and what a difference that can make. 100% of students at MCP are proficient or advanced on state tests, which is an amazing accomplishment. Watching the teachers use so many of the same instructional practices and behavioral systems, it made me crave the kind of consistency and mutual support that could happen in a place where everyone (teachers, administrators, staff, students, parents) is on board with the same mission. How would teaching low-income, minority kids feel different if I were doing it in a setting wherein I didn't have to waste energy convincing everyone around me that high achievement was possible for my students?? I have been wavering over the question of what setting in which to teach next, because I am worried about burning out if I stay where I am, but I do feel ideologically bound to stay serving this population. I have mixed feelings about high-performing charters, too, because while anyone is welcome to apply for a seat, there is some selection among families, even if it is self-selection. And what we really need is a system that educates every single kid. But the prospect of teaching in a school where high expectations are the norm might be too tempting for me to pass up.
-Aran
This week, I felt like I really noticed the benefits of having the flexibility to structure my own literacy curriculum and being able to focus on one strategy at a time. Last year, we spiraled strategies throughout the basal reader, and I felt like my students never really got a firm grasp on many of the reading strategies that we worked on, because we were always using them in bits and pieces. This year, I feel like my students really have a strong base in each reading strategy, and can use what they've learned to help them engage in higher order thinking, because each strategy builds on the last, and they are getting plenty of time to practice and improve. It was really fun having my students ask questions about Author's Purpose in a novel this week, because it was the culmination of some of the more metacognitive thinking that I've been trying to get them to do-- not just accepting the story the way it is, but really trying to think about why the author intentionally crafted it that way. That is what always made me love reading, and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
On a less positive note, I'm feeling kind of sad about my classroom culture this week... it just has not become what I wanted it to be this year. Although I feel that I am trying very hard to model good ideologies and behaviors for my students, it seems that they are constantly bickering with each other, and it really does detract from learning time, as well as causing many extra headaches for me and my students. I think that part of that might come from me needing to be more firm with certain behaviors towards each other, but I just find it so hard to manage students as learners AND as little people... it's a big responsibility, and it's definitely more challenging in 5th grade than it was in third. I am happy about the academic progress my class is making, but I would feel much better about it if I felt like they were making more progress socially as well.
Stephanie
After being observed this week and sitting down with my principal (my cooperating teacher), it became clearer that I've been pulling my kids along a lot lately in terms of behavior. I was having a lot of management issues with the boys in my classroom during lessons. I was having to have multiple side conversation with students throughout lessons about behavior. The boys in my room have been mimicking each other for attention. When one acts out, 3 or 4 more will start to became behavior issues. When this happens while I'm introducing something new and can't leave students on their own to work, learning has had to stop in my classroom somewhat frequently lately. It's really rustrating to feel like 2 or 3 kids can derail learning for an entire classroom. So, on Thursday since my EA was out sick, we sat down as a class and came up with a new list of class rules and discussed why we should have them / what their importance was. So far, it's been fairly beneficial. Most of the rules they came up with were similar to ones we already had. But, now when I have to hand out a consequence, I can remind the student in question that our class created these rules as a team and family and that they agreed to follow them. Attitudes for consequences have not magically disappeared but having the discussion definitely improved things and gave my kids some goals to work towards. If we follow the rules (particularly staying in our seats unless we ask), my students will be able to get up and get issue without signaling (holding up 2 fingers) and get a new pencil if theirs breaks on their own as well.
- Sarah Vester