Synopsis of “Tech Kids Love” by: Samantha Cleaver

This article presents many different possibilities for using Technology to enhance learning in the classroom. Many ideas can be overwhelming. Sometimes teachers will feel vulnerable with the students because of computer gliches and the vast learning curve for technology. One fifth grade teacher said “I do make more mistakes. But that’s okay. It is about letting the kids see you as a learner and there is a sense of co-creativity in the classroom. “This view gives us as teachers an opportunity to explore possibilities with less apprehension. Below is a list of some ideas that were presented in the article.

1-    Online Research Templates creates by teachers- www.Digital Pencil.org.

2-    Can Create Google websites (sites.google.com) to present research projects or use create a blog (www.blogger.com) to discuss a topic

3-    Teachers used Skype to combine classes together. This enables different views on subjects it also gives immediate feedback from person to person.

4-    There is an immediate response system for lessons using multiple choice questions. It is called Turning Point- www. Turningtechnologies.com

5-    Connect with other Teachers desiring to use technology in classroom or collaborate online use virtualteacherexchange.ning.com

6-    Students can use their imagination to retell stories or tales by creating Movies. This increases comprehension & fluency. Two sites that can be helpful are commoncraft.com & xtranormal.com

7-      Simplybox.com is used so teachers can compile links & images for students to use in their presentations.

8-     A great tool for discussion and brainstorming is to use a blog. The student can share information, pictures and videos. Use www.blogspot.com or you can use vimeo which is an educational video sharing website at vimeo.com 

There are many options for you to review, take the time to challenge yourself to start with one. Perhaps start with one for this quarter, or one for this semester or, even one for this year. Take the step into the teaching the 21^st Century student.

“Got Opportunity” by Russell Qualglia, Kristine Fox, and Michael Corso

“I’m not as smart as the Honors kids, so there is no point in trying harder.” “My teacher just doesn’t like me.” “School’s boring!” We have all heard the excuses. Imagine if instead of hearing our students complain about school, we heard them say, “My teacher believes I can succeed.” Or, what if our students said, “My teacher cares about me.” Wouldn’t we as teachers be blown away if one of our students said, “School is a welcoming place, and it is important to set high goals to learn.”

Not all students fit into the first category of complaining, failing students just as not all students will fit into the positive, achieving group of students either. There are definite gaps between those students who succeed with or without our help, those students who succeed with some extra help, and those students who fail no matter how much we try to help them. We, as educators, must bridge that gap. In their article “Got Opportunity,” Russell Quaglia, Kristine Fox, and Michael Corso identify three specific gaps to consider: the expectations gap, the relationship gap, and the participation gap.

More often than not, people only achieve what is expected of them. To close the expectations gap, Quaglia, Fox, and Corso recommend that teachers let each of their students know what he or she is doing well and then explain how the student can do better on the next assignment. The authors encourage teachers to hold students accountable, and to tell the students individually what is expected from him or her. (2)

“…Sadly, some survey results indicated that many students lack a solid, trusting relationship with a teacher….more than half of almost 500,000 students surveyed do not believe that teachers care if they show up…” (Quaglia, Fox, & Corso, p. 2)Statistics show that students who find some kind of connection with their teachers put forth more effort in their work. This effort is directly tied to the student’s achievement. To close the relationship gap, teachers should follow up with students who are absent (let them know they were missed), host lunches in the classroom, and ask students what their personal goals are.

The final gap that seems to directly affect student success is the participation gap. The authors write, “To close achievement gaps, schools must cultivate an atmosphere that connects students meaningfully to their learning – one that leads young people to learn content that’s relevant to them, encourages them to ask questions, and puts them at ease in taking risks.” (p, 3) Teachers can show students that we care about their opinions by discussing issues that are relevant to the students, welcoming all questions, and creating after-school activities that focus on the students’ interests. Our society has changed, and students learn differently today than they did in the past. By using technology and information today, we must apply relevant strategies to our teaching practices.

Bibliography

Quaglia, R., Fox, K., & Corso, M. (2010, November). Got Opportunity? Educational Leadership , 68 (3), pp. 1-5.

Synopsis of “Releasing Responsibility” by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey


SCENARIO: Students in a 4th grade class…8th grade…11th grade…walk into the classroom and the assignment is neatly written on the board:

Due at the end of the hour:
Read Part 12B and answer questions on page 123

Don’t we want our students to interact with the material and learn to be responsible for their own work? Solo work…assignments given where students individually engage with the subject matter should be planned and assigned well after the teaching process has begun. Once students have been “hooked,” teacher explanation has begun, notes have been given, modeling has taken place; then, students are ready for “independent” learning. In other words, Fisher and Frayer (2008) suggest a variety of teaching strategies must take place before we ask students to “read” and “do” on their own. “These supports include models of the kind of thinking they will need to do, access to academic language, peer collaboration, and guided instruction” (p.33). A study was referenced that showed teachers often ask students to take responsibility for the learning process “prematurely.” Many teachers assign homework because they run out of time in class. Independent work should be reserved for review and reinforcement of concepts –not new concepts. By planning steps in the learning process to define academic terms, facilitate student thinking through guided instruction, and collaborate ideas, students assume responsibility for their learning and gain confidence to take risks. This in turn scaffolds the process of student understanding before they complete tasks independently.

“Well-structured independent learning tasks are the ultimate way to build self esteem through competence…the purpose is to refine skills and become experts” (p. 37).


Reference: Fisher, D., & Fray, N. (2008). Releasing Responsibility. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 33-37.

Success with Less Stress

Success with Less Stress

Homework, classwork, quizzes, tests, projects, deadlines, Help! That is what students are screaming. They are stressed out! According to Conner, Galloway, and Pope (2010) students are more stressed out over schoolwork and its pressures of the college admissions process and standardized tests than divorce or family illness (p 54). Students have reverted to dealing with their stress by cutting themselves, using illegal stimulants, becoming sleep deprived, and consuming alcohol. The problem of overstressed students can be lessened if schools devise a strategy to help ease the stress. Some strategies that Conner (2010) discussed are changing the schedule (p 57). Adding more free periods or a modified block schedule can allow more time for the students to work easing their stress. Another strategy is to have more staff training and development to conduct workshops on engagement and alternative assessment. Also, altering exams and exam times is a strategy that can help reduce student stress. “More than three-quarters of these sophomores and juniors [surveyed] agreed that rescheduling exams from after the winter break to before the break reduced their stress (Conner, 2101, p57). Parents, schools, students, and federal policies all have a role to play to help ease student stress.

Conner, J., Galloway, M., & Pope, D. (2010). Success with less stress. Educational Leadership, 67, 4, 54-57.

More Time, More Learning

There have recently been public debates over lengthening the school calendar. "With President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan now challenging educators to move beyond a school schedule and calendar developed for a farm and factory era, expanded learning time is moving to center stage." (Gabrieli 40) Some schools in the United States have already adopted schedules that increase the school day by 60%!

Is it successful? Clarence Edwards Middle School in Charleston, Massachusetts adopted an expanded learning time schedule three years ago. (Monday through Thursday, students start school at 7:20 and end at 4:00. On Fridays, the school day ends at 11:40 a.m.) In that time, their scores have soared...whereas before Edward's students' scores lagged far behind the state average, they now are 60% higher than the state average. The students spend the extra time at school being tutored in the subject in which they struggle the most. Also, the school is now able to offer almost twice the previous level of instruction in science and social studies.

Is expanded learning time right for everyone? No. This type of schedule is mainly targeted for middle-grade students in high-poverty schools.

Ten Keys to Success:

1. In order for expanded learning time to be worth your while, you must increase the schedule by 300 hours a year or 1 hour and 45 minutes a day! Some schools go an extra month in the summer as a way to expand the schedule.

2. Schools must redesign the entire schedule by lengthening core subject by 30 minutes or so. Also, schools can expand time for lunch and recess.

3. There must be a balance between academic time and time for teachers to collaborate with the students individually.

4. Prioritize and focus. Schools often mess up by trying to do too much in that time. Be careful not to allow too many electives to interfere with students mastering the most important areas.

5. All students must follow the same schedule, not the same classes. The students' classes should be individualized, but all students should follow the same bell schedule.

6. Involve the community. Plan with the community leaders when designing the school schedule. Assess the needs of the community.

7. Use and incorporate data-proven techniques in the classroom. Allow for extra tutoring sessions with students.

8. Offer enrichment activities that both expose and enrich.

9. Teachers and professionals should collaborate. Teachers should collaborate with one another.

10. Teachers and students should show a positive attitude toward working together to achieve success.

All in all, where there has been a need to do so, and when done properly, there has been success by expanding the school schedule. The biggest hurdle when developing an effective expanded learning time schedule appears to be balance of academic instruction, enrichment activities, resources, and extracurricular activities.

5 Hallmarks of Good Homework

EL
September 2010
Vol. 68 No.1
Meaningful Homework

There are five key factors to consider when assigning meaningful homework to students. The factors to consider are the purpose, efficiency, ownership, competence, and aesthetic appeal.

Beginning with purpose, it is our goal to give students methods to do homework that is purposeful to them, methods that work for their learning style. For example, instead of assigning spelling homework to write the words three times each, a better assignment might be to create your own method to practice spelling words such as use Scrabble tiles to spell the words or create a puzzle using the words. Instead of assigning science homework to write definitions to the 15 vocabulary words, an alternative might be to write sentences or a story using the vocabulary words. Finally, instead of assigning 20 math problems for homework, all focused on the new skill taught, consider assigning 3 problems to practice the new concept, and 10 problems to practice previous skills taught.

Homework assignments should be efficient. They should demonstrate evidence of learning without requiring excessive amounts of time to complete. Instead of assigning projects like dioramas, models, and posters, an alternative way to demonstrate learning may be to have students write a diary entry illustrating the concepts studied in a unit.

Teachers should give students ownership of their homework, to promote their motivation to do the homework. If the class is doing a report on a country, students may feel ownership of their assignment when allowed to chose their own method of presentation, such as creating a Power Point presentation, a travel brochure, or a traditional research paper.

To help students feel competent in completing their homework, differentiate assignments so they are at the appropriate level of difficulty for individual students. Struggling students may require fewer questions, less complex problems, or less reading.

Finally, homework assignments should have aesthetic appeal. Five-page worksheets look boring and tedious. Students are more motivated to complete assignments that are visually uncluttered. The use of graphics or clip art make tasks look inviting.

Students may be more motivated and successful in completing homework when the elements of purpose, efficiency, ownership, competence, and aesthetic appeal have been incorporated into the assignment.

Flagged for Success

“FLAGGED FOR SUCCESS”

A red flag early warning system enables a teacher to CATCH students before they free fall into failure.

Can students fall through the cracks without notice?

How could this happen?

Do I need to set up RED FLAGS – to make sure I do not miss ONE?

The answer to these questions is YES, YES, YES!

Robyn Jackson, the author of this article set a standard of 75% as her red flag to begin a watch – thus an intervention began.

An intervention is any type of class help/ study strategy / review package/ teacher attentiveness / that can aid the student in achieving success.

The THREE types of students to be flagged:

1. The quiet downward slide – “Ben got a 74 and was a good kid…but now his homework began to falter…concern. After looking into it further Ben’s home life was falling apart…divorce and anger were affecting his studies.” Intervention is the love a child needs to help them gain back what has been lost. Follow- ups and careful attention is a wonderful intervention that goes a long way.

2. The uncooperative and disengaged – the student who is challenged from the beginning; will they pay attention; will they give up? They are the students who fight the help, they look to avoid your assistance; but with persistence you can reach them.

3. The far behind student – this is the student who sets off all red flags – does bad in class, tests, homework and so on. This student takes our best effort to get him on track – intervention and follow-up after follow-up. Will they use the strategies you offer to help them achieve? Some students need help just to pass – are you willing to put in the effort/love?

Rules for Establishing RED FLAGS

· You want a clear signal – make a cutoff point where there is no question that they need intervention. (% Grade)

· NEVER ignore a red flag – once established – follow through.

· Red flags should focus on academic concerns, not on student behaviors – this is another topic on discipleship. You will find when an academic concern arises, a life / spiritual struggle could be involved as well.

Personal note – EVERY student is precious to us – that is why we TEACH…because we love what we do and who they are. A RED FLAG is a sign from God to help us help them…AMEN!