Prior to this class, I had engaged in unpacking standards to align assessments and lessons. It was refreshing to know that other teachers are engaging with standards in the same manner, as I have felt this is the best way to ensure meaningful and intentional instruction. At my school, we have used a similar protocol to the one presented by the Imperial County Office of Education’s (n.d.) video. The protocol adapted from Public Schools of North Carolina (2012) calls for one to identify nouns, verbs, and big ideas.
In the beginning of my career, I found standards to be overwhelming and cumbersome. As I learned how to unpack standards, they became manageable and eventually enjoyable. Unpacking standards takes time and a lot of foresight. It is something that needs to be done long before you begin teaching a unit. Although cumbersome, the payoff is great because you see students’ work truly transform into work I never think I produced when I was their age. The reason why I believe I never produced as high quality work as my students, is the difference in intentionality that has taken place over the years in teacher planning. In Grant Wiggin’s (2005) overview of Understanding by Design, we see teachers used to plan lessons and assessments based on the activities. This did not lead to broader understandings of how the content or skill taught was significant to learning. Now, we start planning from the standard. The standard describes the skills we need our students to develop and apply. Then, we plan how to assess these skills. From there, we plan the activities and lessons that will guide students towards mastery of the standard. One aspect of Understanding by Design that I appreciate is the identification of “big ideas”. The “big ideas” helps teachers guide the work being produced and helps students make sense of the world around them outside of the day to day activities. Providing students tools and skills to make sense of our world is precisely why we are teaching. The reason why I will continue to unpack standards and backwards plan is to ensure that I provide my students opportunities to develop tools and skills that will help them question what they see and seek answers to problems that observe. References: Imperial County Office of Education. (n.d.). How to Unpack a Standard. Retrieved from https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org/portal/default/Content/Viewer/Content?action=2&scId=100028&sciId=829 Public Schools of North Carolina. (2012). Unpacking the Common Core. Retrived from http://www.tangischools.net/ciweb/unpackingpowerpoint.pdf Wiggins, G. (2005). Understanding by Design: Overview of UBD and the Design Template. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzYfzjQoASL_M3A1Ykd1M2t6cUk/view
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I’m currently teaching third grade general education in a bilingual school that focuses on sustainability and project based learning. Are curriculum is rooted in the Common Core State Standards. One of the standards we teach is
W.3.1Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. W.3.1.A Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. W.3.1.B Provide reasons that support the opinion. W.3.1.C Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. W.3.1.D Provide a concluding statement or section. I chose to develop this standard into a unit because it is one that I have to teach next semester. Also, the standard has many components that must be unpacked across several lessons. To demonstrate mastery of the standard, students must demonstrate the following proficiencies:
When I envision my perfect classroom, I picture every child dutifully working in a group, asking questions to one another, writing down questions, reading, etc. This scene is not always the norm, so what does a teacher do when students are off task and when norms or rules are broken? A mix of positive praise (reinforcement) and a consequence (punishment) for desired and undesired behaviors are said to be the most effective in increasing wanted behavior. My classroom would include both.
When students are hard at work I will make sure to reinforce what I see by naming the specific behaviors I see. This could be simply putting pencils away during a transition or quiety sitting in a lesson line. I would further emphasize and praise how these behaviors help us uphold our classroom norm of “being productive”, which means the more you do get yourselves ready for a lesson then more material we learn. I would make sure my praise is for specific behavior that is tied to students’ academic or social achievement, not purely for teacher recognition. This caveat is important because research shows that providing incentives or reinforcers for behaviors students are already espousing can lead to a decrease of these behaviors. Ensuring students know why these behaviors are helpful to their personal and community learning, might counteract the negative effects. Consequences for undesired behavior or breaking classroom norms would be consistent and immediate. If in a lesson, any distraction would be an immediate trip to “take a break”- a chair near the lesson area where a student can reflect and self-regulate and rejoin the group when ready. If the undesired behavior persists (i.e. continued talking during taking a break), the student would be sent to a “buddy room”- another teacher’s classroom- for deeper reflection and a second opportunity for self-regulation. The student then returns to the class when they feel they are ready to engage in the lesson. All this is couched positively, so that student recognize that disengagement is normal, but we must be proactive in reengaging in our learning. If a student breaks a norm involving another student or incomplete work, a series of “logical consequences” would begin. These may be seen as negative consequences by the student because it would force them to fix the problem created. An example could be finishing work before moving on to the next activity, which may lead to completing work at home or using a student’s free time to complete the work. If arguing with a peer, it would mean using a strategy to solve the issue or making the situation right- not just an apology. If the argument led to physical aggression it would also involve a communication home. The following a flow chart of my consequences. Going into my third year of teaching my own classroom, I decided it was time to be officially credentialed. Due to my M.Ed. and Praxis scores, I'm considered highly qualified and am able to teach in most DC schools, but I feel as if taking classes toward a teaching credential would cement my claim as a full fledged teacher. Also, learning is always fun.
The posts you'll see are for my classes through TeachNow, so forgive me for my lack of eloquence and precision in writing. I'm anticipating rushing through many as I balance WORK, FAMILY, CLASSES, and everything else life throws my way. Thanks! -Victor The following are observations from the three videos I viewed on setting high expectations. Each video was created in a different context, but there are strategies from each that I see reflected in my classroom or that I can incorporate.
Roller coaster physics Roller coaster physics was a video that shows teaching physics through project based learning. Project based learning provides opportunities for high performance expectations because it a more engaging way students can learn and apply content standards. In this example, the teacher models using key vocabulary words, in particular how to use them in the contexts of the project. The modeling leads students to use the vocabulary words in their conversations with peers and in their writing. Behavior expectations are high because students are politely collaborating with each other when building the roller coaster. Every student was on-task throughout the duration of the class. This was in large part due to the high level of interest the project brings to the teaching of the content standards. Also, each student had a role within each team which made them accountable to others. The norms and procedures were necessary to keep students engaged. There were many clear procedures students needed to accomplish before engaging with materials. Each student was expected to contribute to the learning in a variety of ways. First, the “chimer” protocol is a structured way to have students participate in a conversation. Each student has to listen to what others have to say to then respond. Before moving on to build the roller coaster, each student had to do an individual sketch which then is discussed with their groups. Chinese Classroom Based on the video, it seems that lessons are taught whole group on the rug. All students were following along. They were choral reading the math problem and the teacher did not move on to the next one until all students said the problem correctly. This showed very high expectations because in that the teacher expected every student to participate. Another way students stay engaged, is that the teacher cold calls students. This motivates students to follow along and not engage in disruptive behavior. In older grades, competition is very strong among students. Students have to test into honors and have to continuously test to stay in the honors classes- this is a norms/procedure that students seem to respond to well. There is a lot of homework that students do at home. Another procedure is that students are tracked into science or liberal arts, this allows students have deeper knowledge about their area of study. But this limits students ability to understand other areas of life. This can also limit students’ motivation if they are tracked into an area they are not interested in. Whole Brain In whole brain teaching, there are movements and words associated with teaching points. The teacher does the movement and students repeat the movements and words. Every student was repeating them. There are two protocols students follow when learning material, including “crazy professor”. In this protocol, students review work while doing the movements taught. In “super speed reading” students practice reading sight words as fast as they can to a partner. This style of teaching incorporates kinesthetics, which can help students remember information and lends itself to high academic expectations. Behavior expectations are high because students spend time reviewing the rules by repeating them with movements. Students also stay engaged because they have to repeat the instructions out loud as a class. Although, repetition may be needed for some students, I question whether the students are asked to repeat the rules and instructions out loud as a way to show compliance or if this is meant to further academic learning. Summary I teach in third grade in an urban setting, where 30% of my students are Latino, 40% White, 20% Black, 10% of other races. Thirty to 40 percent of my students are on free and reduced lunch. The learning environment that I would create would incorporate some kinesthetics similar to whole brain teaching. I would ensure to incorporate movements that can help student remember a concept. The more comprehensible input I provide the more opportunities students will have to understand. Incorporating the standards within a project, like in the roller coaster physics video, is something I will continue to do. Projects will more likely engage students because it is more authentic and hands-on. The protocols for conversations and job roles are things that are important to have, so that students are successful throughout the project. Modeling vocabulary and requiring students to use vocabulary in their work is something I would also incorporate. My classroom would be less like the classrooms in China because I wouldn’t want students to view education as a competition- this may disengage my students who are already having academic difficulties. I would focus on having a growth mindset, which is contradictory to the tracking of students model that China has. |
AuthorDon't judge me for these blog entries. I find these topics important, but teaching and going to school is hard. Archives
February 2018
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