Online vs Paper

     Online vs Paper the great debate!

Working with math teachers there is often the debate about how we should assess students' understanding.  Do we use paper only?  Online assessments only?  Or a combination of both? The problem arises that in math it is important that teachers are able to see students work and their process for solving problems.  Thus paper assessments are helping in this and allow teachers to provide feedback to students on not just their answers, but on their process and what misunderstandings they might have.  But all of our high stake assessments are online (Iowa State Test are online currently, and starting in the Spring of 2024 the full Suite of SAT tests will be digital).  

In my current district there are a couple different approaches:

The 6th currently does everything online for assessments.  They do have students do homework assignments in their consumable math books (paper), but assessments are all done online.  It provides students the practice on online assessments, but there is very little feedback from them.  They have all quizzes and tests done online, so students just know whether they got the answer right or wrong, and not necessarily where their mistake was.

The 7th & 8th grade math department is a combo.  They typically will have one or two quizzes on paper, but then the Unit Assessment is online.  I feel this combination works well as it provides students with the feedback during the unit.  Teachers can focus on the student work and their problem solving and provide feedback to students before reaching the end of unit assessment.  Then with the end of unit tests, it is more summative and being online and not having as much feedback for students is not needed as much.  This method also provides practice for students with how to take online assessments.

The 9th grade math department does only paper assessments.  Students do all their homework online, but then all assessments are done by paper.  This provides lots of feedback for the students with their learning, but doesn’t prepare them for taking online assessments.  The other down side to this is that the 9th grade team does not have data for their assessments.  

Now the real challenge comes next year as we realign the district and move 6th & 7th grade together and then 8th & 9th grade will be together.  I personally am a big fan of the combo, having the mid unit quizzes being on paper and providing feedback to the students along the way, but then having the unit test done online.  The online assessment prepares students for taking online tests and provides the team with itemized data to look at how students are doing by question and by standard.  What does your district do?  What do you think is best, paper or computer?

Taking Risk

I have always enjoyed being active and try to exercise regularly.  It's important to keep my body fit and health.  Recently I have also discovered how important it is to get my brain some exercise too.  Here's what i mean.

I am involved in a book study on Mindset by Carol S. Dweck.  It is early in my learning, but it is becoming clear to me that I have to work on building a growth mindset.  I have to make a shift in the way I think and react to things.  And that all means that my brain is going to have to start working out if I want to reach a growth mindset and the best way to workout my brain is to take some risk!
Growth mindset is about changing the way I look at failure.  It's about taking the risk of writing a blog post that is out there on the line for the whole wide world to read.  It's about stretching both my body and mind to reach for more. To brush myself off and try again when I get knocked down.  It's not that I can't do it, it is that I can't do it yet!

Recently, I have been challenged even more to develop a growth mindset.  As I further my own learning by taking additional classes, I have been challenged in my current class to develop a personal learning network with the help of social media.  This is hard for me as I have always been a very private person, and to put myself out there on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest has been hard for me.  But I am learning and trying to take risks.  It is all about working my brain to become a better educator and coach.

Coaching Analysis

 In this Blog post, I will be providing an analysis of how Albemarle County Public Schools meet the five Phases of Coaching.  Here is the video clip that I used in my review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0IrZ5jrvCo

Step 1: Establishing the Need.  It is always about getting the teacher to tell you what they need.

Step 2: Creating Partnerships.  In their plan for coaching they have coaches work together in teams at different buildings so that the learning at one building can be shared across other buildings around the district.  Each coach will serve 3 school buildings.  

Step 3: Target Differentiated Projects.  The process is about looking for what the teacher needs.  Those needs could be the coach modeling a lesson or maybe observing and providing feedback.

Step 4: Assess the Progress & Step 5: Reflect on the Integration.  Teachers can be observed working with the coach to implement strategies, and then reflecting with them about how the students engaged with the lesson.  The work with the coach can then spread across the district.

Final thoughts and Summary

I am intrigued by the idea of a coach working at multiple buildings to help support the growth of ideas across the district.  Currently in my district we have a math coach at the 6th grade building, I am at the 7-8 building, and then there is one at the high school.  We do meet periodically throughout the year to discuss ideas, but it would be powerful to rotate buildings and experience the teaching at each level.

My other thought was that at least in this video clip the coaching was very teacher-centered.  It was about meeting the needs of the teacher.  Hopefully they also have some student-centered coaching as well mixed in. 

Cellphones in Schools

Do you allow cellphones at your school? This question has been debated more and more lately.  On one side you have those that are for banning cellphones at school to help with bullying, social isolation, and to keep students focused on academics. The other side encourages teachers to utensil the cellphone as a resource tool for students.   But how do we balance the two?  It seems as if you can’t have one without the other.  At Southeast Polk Junior High we have a cellphone policy, in which students are not allowed to be on their phones during the school day.  We also have chromebooks for all students.  The most common issues with cellphones isn’t during classroom learning, but rather students on their phones during passing time and also at lunch.  So is this something we should consider allowing students to have access too during those times?  It is not distracting them from learning, but it does seem to cause issues with bullying and social interactions.  What does your school do?  Do you ban cellphones or do you allow it for part of the day? All day?

Technology Integration

How do we best integrate technology into our curriculum?  There are two popular frameworks for integrating technology; TPACK and SAMR models.  These two frameworks have different approaches to how educators integrate technology into their classrooms, but both have the common goal of getting students engaged with the digital world.  

TPACK: Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge

TPACK is a model that looks at the overlap of the three types of knowledge teachers have.  Their knowledge with technology, their knowledge of pedagogy, and their knowledge of their content.   It is then about finding ways to tie all this together.  This model is a holistic approach to the integration of technology.  It can allow teachers to really dig deep with their content and teaching styles to fully integrate their classrooms.  However, it can also be very time consuming and complicated to fully wrap all three parts together to implement.

SAMR: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition

SAMR is a model that can be used to identify current levels of technology integration and look at ways of increasing its effectiveness.  It can be implemented at different levels, which makes it an easy way of quickly getting more technology into the classroom.  The goal then is to build up to higher levels of integration as a teacher uses technology more and more.  

In my district we have been trained using the SAMR Model.  The training for SAMR was pretty straightforward and powerful.  We had an interactive session in which we got to see a comparison of each level of the SAMR model in action.  For example, for the substitution level we were shown a paper copy of a worksheet to complete and then in comparison, shown how to make that same worksheet digital.  I also think it is important not to overwhelm teachers when teaching new strategies.  If I was training staff on the SAMR model, I would do four mini lessons over the course of four weeks.  This would also staff to see how they could use each level of the SAMR model and then have a week to implement it before moving on to the next level.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both frameworks, but I believe that the SAMR model is more acceptable, and more importantly more feasible for teachers to implement.   It doesn’t require as much of an overall to a teacher’s curriculum and can be integrated at different levels at different places and pace.  

No matter which framework you choose, the end goal is to make learning more student-centered and more engaging.  Teachers need to continue to find ways to prepare students to be 21st century learners and that includes working, creating, and using technology.

Dream Conference

A conference that I have always wanted to attend is the NCTM National Conference.  As a former math teacher, and now the instructional coach for our junior high math department this conference has always been something I dreamed about attending.  It would be amazing to get to attend a conference completely focused on building math knowledge, skills, and implementation.  It should be a goal for every math teacher to try to attend one of these conferences.  

This conference provides an opportunity to learn about the latest topics and trends in mathematics.  It provides attendees with actionable strategies to bring back to their own school and classroom.  It also helps to expand your professional network by connecting with speakers and session leaders.  And finally, it will inspire you as your gain fresh ideas from speakers that have a passion for teaching mathematics.

Here are the details of this years conference:

Name: NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition: https://www.nctm.org/annualmeeting/

Costs: 

Registration Fees	Early-Bird by Aug 30,2023	Regular by  Oct 25,2023	On Site Registration
Premium Member	$359	$401	$441
Essential & Intro Member	$417	$459	$505
Emeritus & Life Member	$261	$287	$315
Student Member	$261	$287	$315
Group (5+)	$439	$474	$513
Non-member	$516	$558	$598
Non-member student	$310	$336	$346

Location:  Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C.

Dates: October 25-28, 2023

Target Audience: K-12 Math Teachers, Math Coaches, College Math Professors, and Administrators

ISTE Student Standards

Technology advances more and more each day, as we teach and educate students we have to make sure that we are finding ways to meet ISTE Standards.  We need to make sure that we are finding ways to bring the ISTE Standards into our classrooms. “The ISTE Student Standards aim to empower student voice and ensure that learning is a student-driven process.  Regardless of your role in education, student-driven experiences are essential for authentic learning.  The ISTE Student Standards act as a road map to elevate student learning and assessment” (Thompson, 2021). 

At Southeast Polk we are committed to engaging all students in learning a challenging curriculum which includes learning and implementing technology.  In the last several years we have added PLTW courses to our curriculum.  Next year all 6th grade students will take Design and Modeling, all 7th grade students will take Automation and Robotics, and then all 8th grade students will take Medical Detectives.  These PLTW courses are specifically aligned to hit several of the ISTE Student Standards.  An example of a PLTW task that students will complete in Automation and Robotics is building and programming a car to drive 20 feet as fast as possible, stop, and back up as close as possible to a line.  This task hits on ISTE 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.7.  

Standard 1.3 Knowledge Constructor: Students engage in real-world tasks and challenges that require a group collaboration to solve.  The car build is just one example of this.

Standard 1.4 Innovative Designer: Test and retest multiple attempts at trying to get the best outcome.  Students use problem solving skills to test theories on the best type of car to build and on timing and speed in the computer program.  

Standard 1.5 Computational Thinker: The car build requires students to break the problem down into components, the programming, the gear ratio, and the design of the car. Students have to be able to work with each component and develop descriptive models to meet each part.

Standard 1.7 Global Collaborator: All the PLTW courses are big on students working collaboratively as a team on projects.  This is just another example as each task requires students to assume roles and responsibilities within the team to work toward a common goal.

The PLTW courses are great opportunities for students to engage in the ISTE Student Standards.  I would encourage other schools to also consider looking into how they can offer these courses at their buildings.  A big key for us at SEP is that all students get the chance to experience these courses in 6th-8th grade.  This gives students the chance to experience PLTW courses and ISTE, and then as they go into high school they can elect to explore other PLTW courses.  

As far as the remaining standards, 1.1 and 1.6 are standards that are evident in most classes.   As SEP has transitioned to standards referenced grading, having students show their understanding in multiple ways has been a key part of that transition.  This idea fits into these standards.

Standard 1.1 Empowered Learner: Is about allowing and helping students choose tools and technology that will help them achieve their goals.  At the Junior High we have students set personal learning goals, track their progress, and reflect on their learning goals at the end of each quarter.

Standard 1.6 Creative Communicator: Students are always working in their classes on creating original works with digital resources such as visualizations, models, or simulations.  

Finally, Standard 1.2 Digital Citizen is the last standard to mention.  At the Junior High we feel this is important enough to set time aside to ensure all students are learning about Digital Citizenship.  During our Flex Time (similar to a home room) students engage in lessons that focus on positive, safe, legal, & ethical behavior when using technology.  We have created lessons that all teachers share with their flex class during the first couple weeks of the school year, and then also later in the year review.  We also spend several lessons around social media and online interactions, and what it means to be a digital citizen when using social media.  

These are some of the ways that Southeast Polk Junior High has worked to implement ISTE Student Standards.  It is something that we will continue to focus on and I can envision it as something we implement more and more as technology continues to grow and expand.  Hopefully these ideas will provide you some ideas on how to engage students with ISTE Standards. 

Reference

Thompson, V. (2021, July 27). Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences Using the ISTE 

Standards. ISTE Blog. 

https://www.iste.org/explore/iste-standards/create-meaningful-learning-experiences-using-iste-standards

Continuing Education

 

Welcome back to my Coach's Corner Blog.  It's been a few years since I have posted.  It is amazing how fast time flies.  I have now been in the role of an Instructional Coach for 9 years.  I have learned a lot in my time in that role, and I have grown as a leader in my school.  But despite all that, I still value the importance of continuing my education and learning and growing as an educator.  So with that, I started taking some online teacher leadership classes through my alma mater, Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.  I have enjoyed the program, and I am now on my fourth course through the program.  This fourth course is about technology coaching and leadership, so as part of the requirements I will be posting again on the blog some of my learning and sharing about my journey as an Instructional Coach.  I hope this can help other educators gain some knowledge and learn something as well.   

Brain Workout

I have always enjoyed being active and try to exercise regularly.  It's important to keep my body fit and health.  Recently I have also discovered how important it is to get my brain some exercise too.  Here's what i mean.
As part of my professional learning this year I am involved in a book study on Mindset by Carol S. Dweck.  It is early in my learning, but it is becoming clear to me that I have to work on building a growth mindset.  I have to make a swift in the way I think and react to things.  And that all means that my brain is going to have to start working out if I want to reach a growth mindset.
The purpose of my training will be so that I can instill and develop a growth mindset in the students and teachers that I work with.  My first several workout are going to be about really understanding what it is to have a growth mindset.  I have discovered that I didn't have a clear picture of what it was exactly to have a growth mindset.  My first thought when I was hearing about developing a growth mindset in students was that it was about building relationships with students.  It was about taking the time to get to know the students, greeting them in the hallways, showing them respect in and out of the classroom and truly taking an interest in their lives.  While this is definitely and important part of education, I realize now that this is NOT what it means to develop a growth mindset.  Growth mindset is about changing the way I look at failure.  It's about taking the risk of writing a blog post that is out there on the line for the whole wide world to read.  It's about stretching both my body and mind to reach for more. To brush myself off and try again when I get knocked down.  It's not that I can't do it, it is that I can't do it yet!

Recently, I have been challenged even more to develop a growth mindset.  As I further my own learning by taking additional classes, I have been challenged in my current class to develop a personal learning network with the help of social media.  This is hard for me as I have always been a very private person, and to put myself out there on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest has been hard for me.  But I am learning and trying to take risks.  It is all about working my brain to become a better educator and coach.

Commitment

It's that time of year again, back to school.  All the training, preparing, and motivational speeches are done, the students are walking through the hallways and into our classrooms. There are going to be things that we didn't get training on, there are going to be things that we were not prepared for, and those motivational speeches are distance memories.
My goal and hope for this year, is that no matter what the day brings that I commit to a promise I made to always give each day my very best.  Yes, some days my best will be a little less than others, but if I commit to giving everything I can on that day, then I will know I have fulfilled my commitment.

Commitment, what is it?   According to the dictionary, commitment is defined as:
-a promise to do or give something
-a promise to be loyal to someone or something
-the attitude of someone who works very hard to do or support something.

One of those motivational training's that we did for our teachers this year was about making commitments.  A renewed commitment to collaboration, a commitment to putting students first, a commitment to learning.  As I mention, when things get crazy it is hard to remember back to those big speeches, but my goal as an Instructional Coach will be to keep teachers focus on the commitments, the promises, they made.

You Bring the Talent

I have coached junior high girls track for the past 10 years, it's "funtastic"!  Honestly, I do enjoy it, especially when we have a season like this year.
We had 7 junior high meets, this year our girls team won 4 of those meets and finished 2nd in the other 3.  We also broke 5 different school relay records, some of which we broke several times with different girls running.   And maybe even more amazing, we didn't set any individual records, it was all done through a team effort!  Why am I telling you all this?  Well because of what the girls were willing to do to be successful.  We had a group of girls that were focused on what they could do to make the TEAM successful.  In typical junior high fashion, everyone wants to run the shortest race possible, for some a 100 yard dash is too long.  But this season we had girls that were willing to try any race, they would come and ask us coaches what race the team needed to try and get some points in: the 800, 1500, 400, shot put, etc.  They wanted to help the team in whatever event they could.  And because of their willingness to try different events, we discovered hidden talents that the girls themselves didn't know they had.
So how does this relate to instructional coaching and education.  Well, for me personally this year I have discovered my own hidden talents.  I have discovered that I do have a creative gene, THANKS MOM!  My mother was an art major and taught art for 20 years, but I never really thought of myself as being creative.  I am a math nerd, all about facts, numbers, and spreadsheets, which I do love, don't get me wrong.  But this year my creative gene was put into action, and I surprised myself with how creative I could be.  It all came about as our Instructional Coaching team was looking for ways to get staff more engaged and excited about attending PD. We have been working on making Professional Development more personal for staff by focusing it around a learning goal in 1 of 6 areas (The BIG 6) that staff feel will best help them implement high impact instruction.  We also wanted to get away from the same sit and get type of PD in which staff tune out and don't enjoy.  We tried our best to come up with clever engaging actives to help staff get more out of the professional learning.  We did a game show themed PD, The Praise is Right, when present info to staff on developing a growth mindset and praising the progress of the learning, not the outcome.  We did a Star Wars themed PD on May 4th, May the Fourth Be With You, when we introduced the idea of using video to set student focused goals.  We did a scavenger hunt using ipads and an app called Layar.  It was fun to see teachers racing each other through the hallways!  So I feel like our efforts to make PD more engaging for staff is working, we still have areas to improve in and work on, but who knows, I might discover even more hidden talents as we plan and create PD for next year.  It has been a great two year as an Instructional Coach, and I have learned more about education, teaching, and myself then I had ever learned in my classroom.  
So now the question comes to you.  What hidden talents do you have that you aren't using yet?  What can you bring to the "team" that will help us be more successful?

So get ready, the talent search is on, and YOU BRING THE TALENT!!!!

New idea:  TALENT SHOW themed PD coming Fall 2016?!?!  TBD....  The possibilities are endless!

Superhero Team Up

Avengers

Justice League

X-Men

Guardians of the Galaxy

In my last blog post I was reflecting on how we as educators need to work together as a team in order to become an expert.  This, along with the new superhero movie that is the beginnings of the justice league, got me thinking about superhero team ups could be a metaphor for teachers.  So hang on for a ride through my wacky brain.

Every superhero has their unique set of skills that are their strengths, aka powers.  But each hero also has their weakness, their kryptonite.  Therefore, the idea and creation of forming a superhero team.  The idea of having a team of uniquely skilled people working together, complementing each other, balancing each others strengths and weakness to form an unbreakable, unbeatable force that always conquer evil.

Most teachers are in education because they have a passion for working with the youth of the world in efforts to make a difference (#whyiteach).  Each individual teacher has their unique set of teaching powers that they used to reach students on a daily basis.  However, it is a long often unthankful task, which can cause even the strongest Superteacher to lose hope.  Each individual teacher also has some weakness in their teaching, whether it be working with the latest newest technology, creating differentiated lessons, attending professional development with a growth mindset, or sharing ideas with other colleagues.  

But what if, like the Avengers or the Justice League, teachers teamed up with each other.  Building off of each others strengths and weakness.  A teacher that struggles with using technology joins a team of new young teachers that grew up on tech.  A teacher that struggles with differentiating teams up with a special ed teacher who has to differentiate on a daily basis.  However, in order for the super team to happen, like the actual super team, each individual member must be willing to be vulnerable, open, honest, and trusting.  Because until they can do that, the is no team.  So while I am on the topic, here are some thoughts about teamwork.

1. It's all about teamwork.  Sometimes you are the superhero and sometimes you are the sidekick.
2. You have to work hard at being a great sidekick and teammate.  I tell this to my athletes that I coach all the time.  When we work hard to be a great team member we make everyone around us better.
3. It's not about who is the superstar.  It is about making sure that everyone on the team is valued and important.
4. Great teams have a great culture driven by great leadership.   Relationships are meaningful and teammates are connected.  The collective attitude is very positive and everyone on the team works hard to accomplish the mission.
5. One person can't make a team, but one person can break a team.  Make sure you don't let the "dark side" sabotage your team.  Stay positive.
6. Team beats talent when talent isn't a team.  The ideal behind creating a superhero team is that together they are stronger than any one individual superhero no matter how powerful they are.
7. Unity is the difference between a great team and an average team. 

You and your team will face challenges daily.  You can settle for average and choose the path of mediocrity and attempt it on your own or you can take on the evil as a team of superteachers and battle for a chance at greatness.  It's a choice you make, "With great power, comes great responsibility."  Which path will your superhero take?

NOT an EXPERT

Let me make this perfectly clear, I am NOT an expert!  I am not an expert teacher.  I am not an expert instructional coach.  I am not an expert brother, son, or man.
 
But my goal of this blog post is to show others that the biggest part of the instructional coaching program is about learning from our mistakes, and also maybe more importantly, letting others help us and learn with us through our mistakes.  So often teachers feel like they have to tackle this challenge on their own and that they can't let others know about areas they are working on or areas that they are struggling with.  This has been developed by years of teaching in isolation.  The goal of instructional coaching is to break down that isolation and to develop a team of teachers, that together as a team can become an expert.

I believe one of the best ways to do this is by allowing others to see our mistakes.  So that is why I have linked my teaching evaluation video.  This has been one of the biggest helps to my growth as an educator.  We don't get to "see" ourselves teach too often.  Yes, we can reflect on a lesson. I thought this lesson went really well...until I watched the recording!  In the lesson I was co-teaching with another math teacher, as the instructional coach I was going to model how to use Mental Modeling.  After the lesson, I thought I did a great job with my mental modeling, it wasn't until I watched the recording that I realized I made some grand mistakes.  I started off good, with using my "I statements" and explaining my thought process behind how I tackle new problems.  But as I went through the lesson, I stopped using the "I statements" and even at one point was asking questions that I was then answering myself.  It was confusing to the students, was I asking them a question or not.  At one point, a couple of hands even went up to answer the question I had asked, but I just kept on talking, answering the question myself and the hands slowly went back down.  Students were confused if I was instructing them, or if I was mental modeling my thinking because I had stopped using authentic "I statements".

What I am trying to get across is the idea that we are not alone in this journey.  Let others know we are not perfect, we have areas that we are strong in and areas that we are working on.  We should let each other know what are strengths and weakness are so that we can work together to support each other.

One of the great parts about my role as an instructional coach is that I have 3 other coaches to work with.  We each have our own set of skills and areas that we are strong in and areas that we are weak in.  But what has helped me grow is that I know I can trust them to help me with my weaknesses.

We should work together as a team, encourage others when they are struggling, celebrate successes together, and combine all our strengths and weakness in order to be an EXPERT TEAM of EDUCATORS.

Research Study

The pressure to provide high quality instruction that reaches all students may be greater today than ever before.  Teachers are challenged daily to deliver lessons that are engaging, thought-provoking, aligned to standards, differentiated, and will improve student test scores.  One word, WOW!

I recently just completed my master's research paper: What Impact does an Instructional Coach have on Teachers Incorporating Professional Development into their Teaching, in which I looked how my role as an instructional coach has helped the teachers I work with to better implement and incorporate teaching strategies into their classrooms.  If we are going to provide high quality instruction described above, Instructional Coaches are going to lead the way! Check the link to my presentation on some of my findings.

Research Presentation

It's a Long Road

The school year started with me not sure exactly what laid ahead.  I was beginning a new career in a new program as an instructional coach.  I was leaving everything I knew and loved to take on a role that wasn't even really defined yet.

But, after completely my first year as an instructional coach, I can truly say it is the best job I ever had.

I have taken the first steps, and I am very excited about what lies ahead on my journey.
Things I enjoyed this first year:
1) Building better relationships with staff.  In years pass I never really had the need to leave the math hallway.  This year, I was always out and about the building popping into many different classrooms and getting to know a lot more of the staff.
2) Still teaching and working with students and staff.  Opposite of what many people thought when the position was created, but I actually spent a lot of time in classrooms co-teaching with several different teachers, leading lessons, filling in and covering classes, and of course teaching/leading professional development for staff.  I also worked weekly with students struggling in math, something that wouldn't have been possible without my position.
3) Learning!  I learned so much from observing my colleagues.  My fellow coaches would agree, that if we did go back to regular classroom teachers we would be so much better from all that we learned through watching some of the amazing teachers that we have.

Things I didn't expect:
1) Books, so many books!  I would have never expected to get so many resources.  The running joke was that they should have given us an office key and bookshelf when we accepted the instructional coaching position.
2) Lots of meetings.  I have probably attend more meetings this year then all my teaching career combined.  But many of those meetings were very important and helpful to my role as instructional coach.  For example, we would meet once a week with the coaching team and administration.  Those meetings were key in helping support our teachers.
3) "I'm FINE"  The phase most often heard by coaches in efforts to support our teachers.  I was surprise by the resistance of staff to want to work with a coach and how many teachers felt like the instructional coaches were there to evaluate them.  BUT...

It's a long road, and the journey has just begun.  The first steps have been taken and we are looking ahead, and the future is filled with promise.  I am excited about the journey that lies before me!

Getting Closer

In order to make progress, we first have to be willing to make change.  Change is tough, plain and simple!  It is very easy to continue doing the same thing year after year, especially in education. But you have to be willing to ask yourself, are you really providing the best opportunities/experiences for your students?

In reflecting on my own teaching experience, I have never really had the chance to get stuck in a routine as I was making changes fairly regularly.  I have been in 4 different educational roles in my 12 years of teaching and almost yearly changing curriculum or level.  I have found this to be very rewarding and although there can be great rewards with teaching the same level/same curriculum for many years, that's just not my style.  I need a change of pace, a new adventure, a new challenge ever so often.  That was one of the driving forces behind me apply and taking this role as an Instructional Coach.  I wanted a new challenge, a change of pace.

In reflecting on the past year in this new role, specially this last quarter of the school year, it has been inspiring to see other teachers realize the progress that can be gained through even a little change.  Recently we had teachers reflect about something that went well this year through professional development.  It was rewarding reading the different comments that teachers had written and exciting to see how they noticed that with a little more effort and working on just even one specific goal (teachers created a SMART goal for the 4th quarter) that student achievement can be affected for the better.  Teachers were asking themselves if they were providing the best opportunities/experiences for their students.

It is not ALL there yet, but we are closer then we were before we had Instructional Coaches, and it is really exciting to look ahead at where this program can take our teachers and our students in the future!

TEACHCENTER

 

 TEACHCENTER

Working along side my partner coaches here at the Junior High, we have created and launched our own website, TeachCenter!  We were looking for a way to offer support and resources to help our teaching staff learn and grow.  It's kinda fitting that since we are "Coaches" everything has got a sports theme to it.

I hope that as we continue to grow and add to our website, that it will give others ideas, inspiration, and support as we teach and inspire the youth of today.  

March Madness

Sports fan or not, it seems like everybody follows NCAA March Madness.

Some Elite Stats to ponder:
$12 Billion: Worldwide wagers on the NCAA Tournament
$1.9 Billion: Hourly wages lost to unproductive or distracted workers during the tournament
19%: Increase in Pizza orders among losing fans vs winning fans

But all this thinking about talking about March Madness got me thinking about how can I apply March Madness to Teaching.  So here are my Final Four Teaching Lessons Learned through March Madness.

1) Brackets - like teaching - are never perfect

Don't get obsess about trying to be perfect.  Accept failure as a valuable learning opportunity.  Take time to reflect on what happened and how you can improve next time.  Each year, each class, each student provides the opportunity to try again.  Practice, Practice, Practice...we are always learning and improving.  Because guess what?  Nobody picks the perfect bracket because it's essentially impossible: the odds are one in 9.2 quintillion!

2) Quality Matters

Yes, there are long shots that pull off upsets, but the truth is no 16th seed has ever defeated a No.1 seed, and no 15th seed has ever won two consecutive games.  In general, good teams, like good teachers are the best bets.

When it comes to teaching, don't just worry about getting students to pass a Post Test, focus on teaching them that understanding the concepts and Standards are how they can become successful.  

3) Don't underestimate the Underdog

Every year there is that team that is the "Cinderella of the Ball"  and the underdog that nobody picked.  The lesson here is that we can't underestimate ourselves.  Belief in yourself will help you to overcome many obstacles (#SEPJHDaresGreatly).  Find what you like to do, what you are good at and it will increase your chances of success.  No matter how big the challenge, or how far you are behind, the "Underdog" never gives up, and never loses faith.  The only way you lose in teaching and life is if you quit on yourself.

4) Social Competition

One of the greatest parts about March Madness is the Bracket Challenge.  Many conversations are had on topics ranging from: Comparing brackets, Celebrating victories, Consulting each other in defeats.  What would happen if we had these kinds of conversations about our teaching and lessons.  Teaching can not and is not an isolation occupation.  One thing I have learned this year is how much teachers need to communicate and discuss with each other.  Even the littlest thing for one teacher could be a life saver for another, and if we close our doors and keep to ourselves because we are FINE, then we are missing out on one of the greatest parts of teaching, aka the Bracket Challenge.  The joy of the Tournament!

Math Problems vs Life Problems

One week away from Spring Break, and I don't know who is more excited...the students or the staff!  Both are climbing up the walls, ready for some nicer weather and a break away from work.

But as I think about the upcoming break, (and I do feel that staff probably need it more then students maybe it's the "winter blues" but there is definitely a negative vibe in the air as we are heading into Spring Break) I can't help but wonder, if we approached our Life Problems more like Math Problems we would have a better attitude towards school and would we not want to take a Spring Break.  Like Math, if we can teach kids not to always focus so much on the problem and freak out about how complicated it LOOKS, but rather focus their attention on how to reach the solution.  When teachers do this students discover that they are capable and maybe even enjoy math.  It's that fear, which leads to a negative attitude towards math.  But if a math teacher can connect and show a student that math problems aren't the end of the world, and if broken down into simpler steps can be accomplish, that negative attitude can be converted.
So let's start teaching all teachers how to do Algebra....or using Instructional Coaches to show teachers that students aren't getting worst, education isn't falling apart.  Things may look scary and complicated, but working with an instructional coach, can show you how to break that complicated problem into simpler steps in order to gain the most out of your students and also grow and learn as a teacher and individual.  Let's start converting those NEGATIVES into POSITIVES! Turning those scary, complicated Math Problems into Great Accomplishments!

What Were You Thinking

What were you thinking

Is this a Question or a Statement?

For some reason I here those words and think back to my childhood.  It makes me think of times when I was in trouble and getting scolded by my mother for something that I had done that was probably (definitely) not the brightest thing to do.

But what if we as educators took that phrase and used it on a regular basis in our classrooms?  Not for students that are misbehaving, but what if we asked this question in a positive educational context?  What would happen to the learning in our classrooms?

How often do we ask our students the following:



"What were you thinking when...                  You worked through that problem?"

                                                                         You solved that equation?"

                                                                         You composed this essay?"

                                                                         You created this project?"

                                                                         You played that guitar piece?"

                                                                         You wrote this blog post?"

Is it the fact that the phrase "what were you thinking" has such a negative picture in our minds that we don't want to use it in our classrooms?  I know that I didn't ask these questions nearly enough in my own classroom.  Why didn't I let my students learn out loud?  Is it that fact that we don't know where the conversation could go and we are afraid to get off track?  I know that I was always worried about making sure that I got through all the content that need to get covered, and although I wanted to pursue other topics, timing and pacing (I felt) didn't allow.  But imagine what could have been DISCOVERED if I had!  Instead of worrying about covering the content, what would have happened if I let the content reveal itself through the questioning of the students.

During our Instructional Rounds last week one of the areas of focus that was discovered was improving questioning.  Questioning Strategies that would and could lead to further and deeper discussions.

Imagine some of the conversations, discussions and LEARNING that would happen in our classrooms if we simply asked, "What were you thinking?"