mathteacher988

ESEA-Elementary and Secondary Act and my foray into conspiracy theory

I got interested in the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) as I researched “Rural Education Equity”. The ESEA was first enacted in 1965 and was reauthorized in 2002. The ESEA for all practical purposes replaces the now defunct No Child Left Behind Act.

ESEA has some come components that would help schools in rural areas. Schools in rural areas are often low-income or face other obstacles such as distance from resources, little or no access to the Internet and/or technology and little or no access to professional development for teachers. The ESEA may offer funds to close the learning and opportunity gap between better funded or centrally located students and their counterparts who live rurally and/or come from a family with fewer resources.

Now here is what surprised me, during my ESEA research I ran across a link to a video that connects Common Core teaching standards to the UN (United Nations), and the UN to NWO (New World Order). The speaker was convincing however, I need to add a disclaimer, I haven’t researched past this video yet. Do your own research – as will I- and tell me what you think of these connections or whether there are connections at all.

CLICK HERE, Youtube.com video titled Common Core: Based on UN Agenda 21, UNESCO Standards, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNeimlu9jxk

Until later, Mathteacher 988

Learning Outcomes and Backwards Mapping-McNeese

Some strategies teachers can use to make lessons more pointed and relevant to the goals of the standards is a technique called “Backwards Mapping” (McTighe, 2012). With this method teachers plan lessons with the end in mind. Teachers will create lessons and lesson activities that guide students to specific performance tasks and skills. Although we are hearing a lot about “backwards planning” now this is not a new strategy. According the Edutopia article “Common Core Big Idea 4: Map Backward from Intended Results” this strategy was introduced more than 65 years ago by Ralph Tyler (McTighe, 2012).

Another strategy is to plan lessons using the “Understanding by Design” method (McTighe, 2012). This method breaks the standards down into stages. The first stage outlines the desired results (goals and big ideas) of the standard. Stage two outlines what assessment tools will be used as evidence that the student goals have been met. Assessments can be both formal (tests, performance tasks, homework, etc.) and informal (observation, informal questioning, etc.). And stage three outlines the “Learning Plan” which describes what will be student learning experiences, how will the students be engaged or what activities will best help students acquire the skills or processes required by the standard.

For example, the Common Core Standard below

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.EE.B.3

Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals), using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies.

can be dissected and broken into proficiencies that students should achieve to meet this standard. The proficiencies will answer the “Student From there a teacher could then plan assessments that will help the teacher, and others for that matter, know that the students have met the standards. And finally the learning experiences or activities that help the teacher know the student has develop the knowledge and skills to meet the standard.

References

McTighe, J. (2012, December 6). Common Core Big Idea r: Map Backward from Intended Results. Teacher Leadership. Edutopia.

Wiggins, G., Wilbur, D., & McTighe, J. (2002). Understanding by Design: Overview of UBD & the Design Template. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Image- http://www.kickasscreatives.com/why-not-try-planning-your-project-backwards-seriously-give-it-a-go/

M6U2A3-McNeese- Pre-Assessment for Differentiation

assessment3

M6u2a3-McNeese-Pre-Assessment for Differentiation

Exemplar- Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality Annotated Teacher Work Sample EIGHTH GRADE ALGEBRA: EQUATIONS AND COORDINATE PLANES (DECEMBER 2003)

My topic– is solving multi-step equations including equations with a variable on both sides of the equal sign. In addition, students will learn how to create equations for a variety of word problems and solve these problem types.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.CED.A.1

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.CED.A.2

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.CED.A.3

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.CED.A.4

Pre-Assessment– 10 question quiz (Pre-Assessment) which includes four big objective questions from prior lessons and six questions covering the objectives of the new Unit. Questions from prior lessons will help ensure there are no gaps that need to be closed before starting a new unit. I will use questions from the prior unit’s summative assessment using different numbers or scenarios. I want to make sure students understand prior terms and definitions and are able to solve simple one-sided equations and create equations for simple word problems. In addition, I will include a self-assessment form for students to complete. This will allow students to see where they are and what areas need to be developed. This process will be repeated at the end of the unit as a comparison of student growth related to the new unit.

The pre-assessment showed students divided into three groups. Five students answered most, including the most difficult, of the pre-assessment questions correctly. Twelve students have some prior knowledge about the new topic but need to develop higher order thinking skills. And five students who appear to have limited knowledge about both the new topic and some prior material.

The five higher level students’ works will include higher level activities such as performance/project based activities and assessments. Students will be asked to solve real-world applications. Formative assessments will include computer simulations and projects from Digital Youth Network – which includes game design. These students will also work with Carnegie Tutors which is a program allowing computer-based practice and teaching using real-world applications. Carnegie Tutor will allow students to learn and practice independently while I spend more one-on-one time with struggling students. I will also use a program called Mathalicious which helps students develop higher order, cognitive thinking skills as related to math. In addition, I would require these students to do more self-assessment, writing tasks, and self-reflections.

Differentiated teaching for the twelve students who have some knowledge about the topic, but need to develop higher order thinking will consist of small group activities, bookwork, real-world applications, development of mental math skills, use of math games (such as cool math and hooda math) and guided practice. Guided practices will be both teacher-led practices as well as computer practices using ixl.com. IXL.com is very useful to teach a specific skill or standard. This program is also common core aligned. Warm-ups will be designed to access prior knowledge and keep prior knowledge fresh in students’ minds. As this student group increases in knowledge and skill, practice using simulations will be included (Gizmo).

Differentiated teaching for the five students who identified as appearing to have limited knowledge about the topic will consist of small group activities, a lot of one-on-one teaching, math games, teaching videos (like Khan academy ), bookwork and computer simulations. Assignments will be broken into bite size chunks with plenty of opportunities to practice learned material. This group will benefit from many teacher-led guided practices, scaffolding activities, and assignments which allow for immediate feedback either from the teacher or from access to answers. Immediate feedback will help students avoid practicing a topic incorrectly.

Lucid Chart Outlining Differentiation Strategies

References

Assessing Prior Knowledge. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cmu.edu: Retrieved from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/priorknowledge.html

Differentiation & LR Information for SAS Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved from Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/lrtsas/differentiation/5-preassessment-ideas

Proprofs Quiz Maker. (n.d.). Retrieved from Retrieved from http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/

M5u1a4-Understanding and Applying Standards Reflection-McNeese

This week I learned how to Unpack a Standard, the Principle of Backwards Planning, how to create activities to meet Curriculum Standards but also meet the SMART objectives and Understanding by Design.

Unpacking a Standard asks teachers to look for key words within the standard to help us know what students are being asked to do, know, understand or learn. The verbs within the standard are usually the skills a student will need to meet the standard and the nouns can reveal the “big idea” or what should be the lesson objectives. Skills and objectives might be “students will solve multi-step problems with the verb solve as the skill and objective of solving multi-step problems.

Backwards Mapping (planning) teaches us to plan lesson with the end in mind. We should prepare lessons with learning activities that lead students to meet the objectives of a standard. Learning activities should also be learning experiences for students that they can take with them into the real world. And so I will use real world problems and problem based learning activities, which are vital tools, as an integral part of my lessons helping students prepare for higher education or a career.

The SMART plan asks us to design lesson activities which are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable for the audience

Relevant and results oriented and

Targeted to learner and desired level of learning.

What this means is lesson activities should be designed to help students meet a specific component of the standard and help students ultimately meet the objective. Being specific might mean a quiz, journal or homework. To make a task measureable a teacher might qualify the number of problems a student must get correct to meet the standard. Students must correctly identify 8 out of 10 fish species correctly.

Understanding by Design divides the lesson design into parts or stages. The three parts are Stage 1-Desired Results, Stage 2-Assessment Evidence and Stage 3-Learning Plan (Learning Activities). The plan is separated further into goals, what students will understand, essential questions, what students will know, what students will be able to do, performance tasks, other evidence and the specific learning activities.

I am redesigning an Economics lesson using the SMART goals, Backwards Planning and Understanding by Design. This week’s activities have helped me to refine my lesson plans and activities to make them more specific and goal oriented and to make my students more engaging for my students. My assessment tools are specific and measurable and are geared to help students have a better understanding of the real world Economics and to learn how Economics works in their own lives. I am excited to see how the revamped lessons work with my students.

References

Effective use of performance objectives for learning and assessment. (2005). Retrieved from ccoe.rbhs.rutgers.edu: http://ccoe.rbhs.rutgers.edu/forms/EffectiveUseofLearningObjectives.pdf

McTighe, J. (2012, December 6). Common Core Big Idea r: Map Backward from Intended Results. Teacher Leadership. Edutopia.

Wiggins, G., Wilbur, D., & McTighe, J. (2002). Understanding by Design: Overview of UBD & the Design Template. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Image-http://www.kickasscreatives.com/why-not-try-planning-your-project-backwards-seriously-give-it-a-go/

M5U1A2- Standards and Backwards Mapping-McNeese

For example, the Common Core Standard below

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.EE.B.3

References

McTighe, J. (2012, December 6). Common Core Big Idea r: Map Backward from Intended Results. Teacher Leadership. Edutopia.

Wiggins, G., Wilbur, D., & McTighe, J. (2002). Understanding by Design: Overview of UBD & the Design Template. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Image- http://www.kickasscreatives.com/why-not-try-planning-your-project-backwards-seriously-give-it-a-go/

M4m5a1-Apply Class Rules and Procedures-McNeese

Applying classroom rules and procedures is a delicate balance of positive reinforcement when students are following the rules and procedures of the class and creating consequences when students are not behaving as expected. Positive reinforcement is a strategic tool that can be used to create a class climate that runs smooth and a class that encourages learning for all students. Consequences should not be associated only with poor behavior. Consequences are the result of both good and not so good behavior. When students behave according to the class rules they may be rewarded with something they like or something that motivates them and misbehaving has a consequence a student may not like very much. But when and how should consequences be applied in the class?

Positive reinforcement will start with being choosy about which rules and procedures are most important to the success of the classroom (Raffaelli, 2014). Rules should be limited and it helps to let students provide input when deciding the class rules and procedures (Marzano, 2015). Besides limiting the number of rules, a teacher should also choose his/her battles wisely (Raffaelli, 2014). Limit battles to misbehavior that has to be handled and handled immediately. This doesn’t mean the teacher doesn’t discipline except for really poor behavior, what this means is that the teacher should choose when to correct and go through lower level disciplinary action to asking the student out of the room or involving other staff.

In addition, I will do all I can to help my students and myself save face offering students the opportunity to diffuse the situation themselves. Being sarcastic or demeaning does nothing to create a positive classroom environment. The teacher needs to keep calm and relaxed in the classroom. Knowing when and how to use consequences will be aided if we can put ourselves in the shoes of our students (Raffaelli, 2014). If possible teachers can ignore misbehavior, not giving energy or time to poor behavior. But if a teacher cannot ignore the behavior she should start the intervention using: close proximity, a look, whispered correction, etc. Ultimately a teacher may need to remove the student by having the student step outside or sending the student for an office-referral, involving parents, creating a behavior contract, assigning a student to detention, or other strategies.

Parents will be a key part of monitoring and controlling student behavior. Parents can be involved in the education of their students by accepting invites that let them sign in to LMS systems or behavior management systems where their students are enrolled. Class Dojo, a classroom behavior management system, allows a teacher to monitor student behavior, award both negative and positive points, and the program allows parents to monitor student points and behavior.

The main thing I will do to curb misbehavior in the classroom is to have high expectations for my students. I will also challenge my students which should limit behavior problems. In addition, I will break tasks into bite size chunks so large tasks will not seem so daunting and students can get intermediate satisfaction from completing tasks as they go.

When I do have to discipline a student who is not responding to the more surface disciplinary tools, I will need to separate the student from the classroom. The student can be asked to step outside and wait for the teacher to discuss the student behavior or if the teacher is busy the student can be sent and/or escorted to an area to wait (the office, another teacher’s classroom, the dean’s office, etc.). Finally, and most important, being humble for a teacher is important. Teachers should be able to apologize just like they would require of their student and admit when we’ve made a mistake.

References

Marzano, R. (2015). The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107001.aspx

Raffaelli, L. (2014, August 20). the Dos and Don’t of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips. Edutopia. Retrieved January 2, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/dos-and-donts-classroom-management-your-25-best-tips

M4u1a3-Establishing a Positive Classroom Climate-Why Should we and How can we?-

McNeese blog-Word Press
Establishing a positive classroom climate for me starts with self-assessment. I need to know how I feel about my students and how I feel about myself. I should look at my interactions with my students. Are there students that rub me the wrong way? Do I have cultural biases? And if so, why? I am an African-American, woman. And even that title kinda irks me. I’m from the era when I was a black-woman and I tend to like this title, but I digress. Whatever the reason for any biases or stereotypical thinking, my priority is to correct that thinking if it is negative or false. Correcting the situation may include acting the part initially. I may have to grit and bear it when dealing with some students until my feelings match my actions.

I am sure we have all run across a student that we had to “tolerate” until we were better able to understand them. Just last year I had a student that used to bug me because he was always walking around and making noise. Then I read an article and learned that he is just a kinesthetic learner. Duh? I watched him and he thinks by moving, tapping, talking, etc. All the stuff I wanted him to stop. So I made changes, I now let him help me in the class. He passes out material, explains things, erases the board, helps others, etc. What is so valuable about this lesson is that I can now see how very bright this young man is and let him grow as a leader that paces around the board room as he explains a deal, or the doctor performing brain surgery or the game designer he says he wants to someday be.

The point is that every student has a right to quality teaching and a quality education and it is my job to make sure this happens. I need to keep track of my behavior and feelings. I need to ensure that I am upbeat and that I don’t bring my outside life into the classroom. Keeping myself healthy and fit goes a long way toward creating a positive atmosphere in my classroom. I like that my students know I value my health and well-being as much as I value theirs.

If I find I am struggling with relationships with certain groups of students I must seek help. Approaching other teachers, deans, and/or principals is a good place to start. Build professional relationships with sources and resources both in and outside of the school. Teachers should build networks of allies that have common goals for an equitable education for all students. ELL teachers are a great resource for teachers of ELL students who want to learn about student culture. Teachers can participate in events, groups or committees in the communities of their students. And teachers should continue the conversation about equitable educations for all students outside of the school and with friends, family and other contacts. We have to be the spokespeople for these issues.

And finally, professional development is a good option. We are required to take continuing education classes so taking classes that increase awareness of groups we are not familiar with is a good investment. Most schools have connections to training for both teachers and students that help teachers become familiar with diverse student types. Teachers can also do their own research about groups they are interested in by reading journals, books, reading blogs, and following Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. And Teachers can simply ask students about themselves and their families. The main thing is that teachers be open to learn about their students and interested in what interest them.

Creating a positive classroom climate doesn’t have to be difficult. Many of the strategies are intuitive. Smiling, appropriate touch, encouraging speech (both by students and teachers), humor and enthusiasm are strategies that are without doubt both effective and doable for most teachers. However, sometimes we don’t think of tools and strategies that, while very practical, are often ignored by teachers when setting up their classrooms. Even veteran teachers sometimes ignore classroom setup.

Teachers should: consider the movement and physical layout of the classrooms and set-up the room to create an easy flow throughout, place materials that will be used daily in places where it makes sense and decide exactly which materials and/or equipment will be left out for students to access and which materials/equipment will be controlled by the teacher and/or a student monitor. Knowing where everything is helps student feel at ease and in control. Everything in its place also helps students understand organization and neatness. In addition, when considering the physical layout of the room the teacher has to decide where the “front” of the class is and how best to arrange desks so that every student can see the board and teacher.

To create a positive classroom climate teachers should also consider the roles and responsibilities of the students (Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education, 2014). Consider student jobs, how they will be assigned, what the job entails and of course students will need to practice these jobs. Assigning jobs can be an opportunity for Problem Based Learning (Project Based Learning in the Blended Learning Classroom, 2014) using real world applications. For example, for older students you assign a job, the teacher could tell them the goal of a process or procedure and let the students design the process or procedure (with younger students teachers can add constraints to help students design a process or procedure).

Teachers’ number one goal should be to provide safe environments for students to learn. This should be evident. No one can learn or flourish if they don’t feel safe. Safety includes both physical safety, social safety and emotional safety (Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education, 2014). Teachers should do all to prevent bias, discrimination, bullying and negativity in the classroom. Teachers can participate in anti-bullying campaigns, hang posters that are relevant and build awareness of areas which affect feelings of safety by students.

Once we know some strategies that allow us to create a climate of anti-bias in the classroom and school, we need to implement these strategies and assess for effectiveness. Ongoing reflection and learning (Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education, 2014) should be a continued practice for the classroom teachers. Journaling, teacher meetings (both informal and formal), and further training should become a staple of tools for active teachers. Any self-reflection tools the teachers is comfortable with and that are valuable for self-assessment can be used. In addition, these same tools can be effective tools and strategies for the students own self-reflection of their learning, learning processes, and personal growth.
But, Why? Why do we care if we have a positive classroom climate? “I am not here to be their friend, right? Yes and no. Developing a positive classroom climate is the most important thing a teacher can do to create a learning environment that actually helps students learn to the best of their ability and according to their learning styles and modalities. Creating a positive classroom climate helps students feel comfortable to “explore issues of personal and social identity” (Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education, 2014, p. 8). Creating a positive classroom climate is a model for student interactions in the future.

Students will learn how to cooperate and how to work with others, learning community building skills (Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education, 2014). Students will learn concepts of fairness, equity, and respect for others. In a positive classroom climate students will learn it is ok to fail at something and try again. And students will learn how to support each other, how to search and find appropriate solutions for problems they encounter and how to create their own positive climate wherever they have a need.
Sounds easy huh? NO. Start small. Find a goal for your classroom, choose a few simple strategies to implement, and monitor their effectiveness. Every teacher can start with the classroom layout. Configure your room to make it easy for you and your students to move around the room. You need to be able to see and get close to every student in your room and from any area in the classroom. You can use one of many free software programs that will allow you to create a blueprint (map) of your room. Next think about roles and jobs for your students and how they will be performed. Write up a quick job description and revise as you reflect on whether the description works or not. Then try out the strategies you decided to implement. You can then steadily add strategies to your rotation and remove strategies as you choose.

The key element is reflection and monitoring. Know what is working and what is not. Eventually you will have an arsenal of tools to use that have become second nature to both you and your students.

References

Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education. (2014). Teaching Tolerance: A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Project Based Learning in the Blended Learning Classroom. (2014, Sep 19). http://www.youtube.com. Retrieved Dec 13, 2015, from https://youtu.be/9ydndLS-O3Q

Creating High Performance Learning Environments Discussion-m4u3a2-McNeese

Creating High Performance Learning Environments-m4u3a2-McNeese

Scenario 1 Roller Coaster Physics (Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action, n.d.)- In this Scenario Teacher Migdol has students working using Problem Based Learning. The students are 5^th and 6^th graders designing roller coasters. Not only are they learning Physics they are learning planning skills, collaborative skills, and developing cognitive thinking skills. The students are busy making and learning by doing. They have assigned roles and predetermined list of tasks and objectives.

Teacher Migdol does have high Performance expectations. A teacher that has high expectations will make sure students know what the end product should look like (Hattie, 2014). And a teacher with high expectations will make sure the constraints and parameters of the learning activity are clear. Teacher Migdol can be heard giving students the constraints of the experiment. In addition, Teacher Migdol has high ambitions for her students she purposely limits the constraints to make the problem more challenging. She is challenging them with content that is usually for higher academic grades. For example, physics is usually taught in High school and I never took physics until college.

Another indicator of Teacher Midol’s high performance expectations is her use of the “Reflect and Practice” strategy outlined in Lemov’s Teach Like a Champ and her use of Self-Reflection tools. Both tools to develop academic success. Teacher Migdol has the student complete a reflection paper at the end of the experiment. In addition, Teacher Migdol asked students to demonstrate learning a component of high performance expectations.

Teacher Migdol also has high behavior expectations. One of her goals is character development and socialization skills. Teacher Migdol describes how students are learning communication skills, leadership skills, and collaborative skills. Teacher Migdol encourages team building skills which is key for success after k-12 school.

Some of the Rules and Norm in this scenario are Teacher Migdol models expectations. Teacher Migdol makes her expectations specific and clear. Teacher Migdol has clear rules that students respect everyone and clear rules and procedures for communicating.

In Scenario 2 (3rd grade Chinese-math class.avi, 2011) the teacher is conducting a lesson on multiplication. The students have learned a song (chant) where students learn the multiplication table by rote memory. She then quickly goes to another topic subtraction.

This teacher demonstrated some strategies used by teachers with higher student performance expectations. She used a strategy used in the “No Opt Out” method (Teach Like a Champion Right is Right, 2015). She called on students that did not have their hands raised. This strategy helps the teacher include all students in the learning task, especially low performing students who are not likely to have their hand raised.

I did not see much evidence of high performance expectations. I did not see her do some things I would have expected to see like checking for understanding or having the students complete problems themselves, practicing their new knowledge. Instead the students involvement was almost passive simply watching the teacher demonstrate.

I did not notice high behavior expectations in this clip. The lesson did not seem particularly challenging. Students’ behavior requirement were to spit out the information students had previously memorized. Norms and procedures exhibited here are students are to raise their hands to answer.

Scenario 3 (Whole Brain Teaching Richwood High-The Basics, 2011) the teacher is teaching a math lesson using Whole Brain Teaching Techniques. I did not notice anything that stood out indicating this teacher has high performance expectations. Although the teacher used strategies to improve student learning these strategies are common and are not necessarily developing higher order thinking.

In addition I don’t think this teacher had high behavior expectations either. Although it was clear she definitely had behavior expectations I would not consider them high. I have seen WBT used with all ages of students but I am unclear how this learning developing the behavior of successful people. WBT appears to be a wonderful tool for classroom management however, I don’t see the connection to High behavior expectations.

The norms and procedures she used were modeling expected behavior, establishing routine, her students practice behavior, and the teacher’s expectations were specific and clear.

Setting high performance expectations among my students

For my 10^th grade school students I will create learning environments that stimulate cognitive thinking skills by implementing Problem Based Learning into my classroom on a more regular basis. I plan to schedule at minimum one to two projects per month. Or perhaps one project per unit. I don’t want to be too ambitious until I know what I am doing. In the Space Probe (Project Based Learning in the Blended Learning Classroom, 2014) video the teacher mentions PBL lessons require more classroom management which appears to be true so I need to be prepared. My 10^th graders are asking for a challenge, at least some are, and I want to create a sense of excitement with this particular class. They are at diverse levels and I struggle to provide content in a way that is intriguing for all levels of students. And unlike the Chinese 3^rd grade (3rd grade Chinese-math class.avi, 2011) teacher I plan to teach using more than rote memorization.

Something in particular that I need to do to create a learning environment that is student directed is to believe better of my students. I need to develop and increase my own level of high expectations for my students. I admit I have rejected some lessons or activities because I doubted to ability of my students to successfully complete the challenge. Shame on me. After viewing this week’s videos, the roller coaster video in particular (Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action, n.d.), showed me even these very young students understand these complex theories and are applying what they’ve learned. Although we can argue that the younger you start the better. My students have been denied this type of education at an early age. In fact most of my students have huge gaps in their knowledge because of high teacher turnover and other reasons.

I hope to create a learning environment that mirrors the excitement of the roller coaster students, even my 10th graders. In addition, I hope to create a learning environment where my students are learning real world skills just as the roller coaster students were learning the skills of a scientist. I hope PBL will give students an opportunity to sample careers and see what they like. I had no idea what my major in college would be until my senior year. My time in college allowed me to sample a variety of study areas until I found the one I loved. I hope PBL will do the same for my students.

References

3rd grade Chinese-math class.avi. (2011, Jun 12). http://www.youtube.com. Retrieved Dec 13, 2015, from Retrieved from https://youtu.be/h7LseF6Db5g

Hattie, J. (2014, Aug 29). Teachers as Change Agents. http://www.youtube.com. Retrieved Dec 13, 2015, from https://youtu.be/7XWMAteuaks

Lemov, D. (2015). Teach Like a Champion: 62 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley brand.

Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action. (n.d.). Teaching Channel. Retrieved Dec 13, 2015, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

Teach Like a Champion Right is Right. (2015, Nov 9). http://www.youtube.com. Retrieved Dec 12, 2015, from https://youtu.be/8P1o8y9ZXWY

Whole Brain Teaching Richwood High-The Basics. (2011, May 31). http://www.youtube.com. Retrieved Dec 13, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be

Planning for English Language Learners

McNeese-Mod 2-Unit 5- Activity 3

This week’s blog covers some strategies to teach English Language Learners (ELL) at four levels of Learners. Our first group is students whose English is Limited receptive and productive English Skills. These students do not feel comfortable interacting with Native English speakers. Under the classifications offered by CA ELD (California Elementary Development) these students are “Emerging” students. These students will need substantial linguistic support. Focus on increasing interaction, these students can be isolated by a language barrier. Use group work as a strategy to help these students feel a part of the class and students will start to pick up English words. Group partners could be students in their same level but more fluent however, the ideal group partners are ELL learners who are in a later stage of proficiency. Use Think Pairs and Circle Chats (Here for more info)

The second ELL student group is also under the “Emerging” category. These students have Basic English communication skills in social and academic contexts. These students can benefit from the strategies used above however start grouping these students with more fluent English speakers. Allow students to connect students’ home language with the English language. Also, this level learner could begin to use symbols and drawings to convey their thoughts, particularly useful for Math content. (Here for more info)

The next level up toward English proficiency is the “Expanding” level according to CA ELD. Within this level students start to learn and communicate about a range of topics and academic content areas. These students will need moderate linguistic support. In this phase encourage students to communicate and reason out loud. Have students explain reasoning processes when solving math problems or writing about topics in social studies. In addition, stress vocabulary. Have students write, read and speak the vocabulary of the content topic.

The next level up is the “Bridging” level. At this level ELL students can communicate effectively in a social and academic setting with various audiences on a wide range of familiar and new topics to meet academic demands in a variety of disciplines. This level is the bridge to English proficiency. At this level students need light linguistic support. Continue to work on vocabulary and word problems explaining the meaning of each word. Focus on reasoning skills not accuracy. Support complexity of math language with these more advanced students and plan interactions between these students and students in the Emerging level.

The most important strategy for all ELL levels is having high expectations for all students in your class and school. Other strategies are inclusion of all ELL students in all events, flexible grouping and using comprehensible content for all students. Get to know as much about your students as possible: their needs, English levels, and their culture. Include the whole school as a tool for developing language skills and inclusion for students. Find strategies that work across proficiency levels and across grade levels to create a starting arsenal of tools to help ELL students.

References

Increase student interaction with “Think-Pair-Shares” and ” Circle Chats”. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/increase-student-interaction-think-pair-shares-and-circle-chats

Math-Instruction on english language learners. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/math-instruction-english-language-learners

Special Education Referral Process-McNeese mod 2-unit 4-act 3

McNeese –Small School Special Ed Referral process 11/13/15

Hi all. In this blog I talk about the Special Education referral process in my little school. To learn the school’s process for special education referrals I interviewed both the school principal and the special education teacher. A little background. My school really is small. K-12 we have about 30 students. We do have a Special Education Teacher on campus but, she is working as a general education teacher. We seldom have any special education students, let me revise that and say, we seldom have diagnosed special education students. There may be undiagnosed special education students which is why it is so important that teachers learn as much as we can about the subject and learn to detect problems early. The school’s principal told me the administration’s directive for special education is to mainstream special education students whenever possible.

Just last week during one of our teacher meetings we discussed a student that we might need to keep our eye on. How the process unfolds in our school is someone will notice something is not right with a student or perhaps the student is struggling in school. Our special education teacher says some of the signs that a student is struggling are: poor grades, emotional issues, violent, sullenness, prior diagnoses, laziness, etc. If a student is struggling we, as a school, try to help the student in house. We have a SST team (student success team) which will meet and formulate a plan for the student. Even for this informal meeting the parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Our superintendent takes charge of the IEP process, from the first indication a student may need help and throughout the process, either returning a student to normal curriculum, revising the student’s curriculum or some other intervention.

SST will try to find causes for the student’s struggles. Struggles may be caused by environmental issues such as a new move, problems in the house, sickness, language problems to name just a few. The team also needs to review the background of the child and look for past records of special education intervention. The team is looking for the why and from there they will suggest interventions. The SST will then suggest interventions such as accommodations, modifications or any other assistive tools or technology a student may need. Again, the parents are always encouraged to attend and the SST tries to schedule meetings that fit with the parents’ schedule. Alternative forms of teaching are tried before a formal IEP and during the IEP process.

Some alternative methods of teaching before and during an IEP are alternative testing methods such as oral exams, breaking lessons into mini-lessons allowing students to break tasks in to smaller bite-sized units, use reflection tools such as journals, and using revoicing/rephrashing with students such as ELLs. There may also be a need for assistive technology. The teacher will need to understand how to use these assistive tools for the best teaching benefit and so the teacher can assist with technical issues that may arise.

While the goal may be for every student to be mainstreamed it is not the most practical goal. There are many problems to settle. Liability if someone, student or worker, is hurt during an interaction. What if a student is violent or inappropriate around others? That student is not likely to be able to socialize in a healthy way with other students. Also students with severe mental or physical condition could not be cared for properly. My principals tell me of a former student who is severely handicapped. When this happened before the school had to pay for the cost of an in-house facility that specialized in this student’s condition. For me, I have to be honest and say I am not equipped to handle special education students yet. That is why this teaching program is so useful. This program is teaching me very practical tools and lessons that will help me be a better teacher.

Well thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week. Matteacher988