Life-Changing Teachers

As the 2016-2017 school year rapidly accelerates to its final good-byes, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the never-ending To-Do list: lessons left to create, students suddenly motivated to pass your class, parents emerging from the dark, mountains of papers to grade, emails needing responses, boxes to pack, a room to sort, committee work a room to sort, committee work to finish, new classes to create…and the list goes on and on.

Sometimes you forget that your overwhelming efforts and late nights and too-little-free time weekends are absolutely worth it in the long run, for you have changed lives. You are the teacher who saved students from depression or shame or loneliness, or a belief that they couldn’t write or read or do math or be succeed. You are the one who first piqued an interest in robotics or nutrition or politics or theorems or literary devices or Raku pottery or rock-climbing or video filmography or French verbs or sight-reading music.

An Edutopia article titled “6 Traits of Life-Changing Teachers” by Betty Ray, shares the results of a 700-person Facebook survey that asked, “What are the standout qualities that make some teachers life changers?”

Their responses showed that life-changing teachers (like you!) share the following traits:

•          They possess a contagious passion.

•          They help their students feel safe.

•          They model patience.

•          They know when to be tough.

•          They believe in their students (and help them to believe in themselves).

•          They love their students.

To all of you who have changed one or more lives—and that’s all of you!—THANK  YOU. Thank you on behalf of the students, the parents, the grandparents, and all who are ever-grateful that their child’s life intersected with yours.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing some anecdotes of how Tahoma secondary teachers have changed lives.

Hang in there, and know that you have one of the most meaningful careers of all!

Moving from brain breaks to brain energizers

If you are a teacher who thinks that last week's subject, "brain breaks," is something that you and your students simply don't have time for in a crowded curriculum, you might, instead, want to think about them as "brain energizers.”

Finland is frequently touted as one of the top educational systems in the world. Interestingly, though, according to author Tom Rath in Are You Fully Charged?, elementary students in Finland get a 15-minute break for every 45 minutes in class. An American teacher who moved to Finland in 2014 reported that he eventually started "to test the 45/15 model" and found that kids returned to class with a "renewed bounce in their step...more focused on learning throughout the day" (61-62).

Likewise, Rath reports that a software application called Desk Time that tracks employees time use found that the most productive 10 percent of their 36,000-employee user base were those who worked for about 52 minutes and then took a 17-minute break.  They worked "with intense purpose," but then took a walk or tuned out to recharge themselves (62).

And while no one in education would be naive enough to recommend 15-17 minute breaks once every hour J, you might want to consider trying a brain energizer at least once during your class.  After the brain energizer, do you see more student engagement? More interest? More focus?  If so, maybe after Memorial Day, you could add a second brain energizer to your class period.  If it works in Finland and for adult employees, the results should be equally good in your classroom!

Here are three brain energizers to get you started, all from Energizing Brain Breaks by David Sladke. You might  ask an energetic, charismatic student to be the leader for each brain energiizer.

Letter Spots:
1. Stand up and find a partner.
2. Take a second and think of a word that involves the letters A,B,C,D, and E. Don't say your word aloud.
3. Here are the spot values: right shoulder = A, right ear = B, nose = C, left ear = D, and left shoulder is E.
4. Without talking, the first person will make a word by touching a few of their own letter spots, and the second person will have to say each of the letters out loud, and then say the word.
5. Once the first person has given a word, switch and have the next person give a word.

Bizz-Buzz
1. Stand up  and get in a gorup of two, three, or four.
2. The goal is to count from 1-40 using the following rules: Say "Bizz" for every multiple of 5 or every number that has a 5 in it. Say "Buzz" for every multiple of 7 or every number that has a 7 in it. You will also need to say "Bizz-Buzz" when the number is a multiple of 5 and 7. (Example--first person says "1," next person says, "2," next person says, "3," then next says, "4," and next person must say "Bizz.").
3. Continue until you get to 40, following the rules above.

T Stretch
1. Stand up, and put your arms straight out at shoulder height like a T.
2. Keeping your arms straight, try to bend down to touch  your left hand to your right toe. Your right hand should be high in the air. Hold for a count of five, and return to standing.
3. Now bend and touch your right hand to your left toe for a five count. Repeat.  Be careful not to hit the person next to you when stretching.

Incorporating Brain Breaks

It’s spring, and the weather is stunning, and teachers are packing and the walls are bare…so, how do you maintain student engagement, motivation, and mood?

According to Judy Willis, MD, in “Using Brain Breaks Restore Students’ Focus,” “Brain breaks are planned learning activity shifts that mobilize different networks of the brain. These shifts allow those regions that are blocked by stress or high-intensity work to revitalize. Brain breaks, by switching activity to different brain networks, allow the resting pathways to restore their calm focus and foster optimal mood, attention, and memory.”  She adds that middle and high school students need 3-5 minutes of brain break following 20-30 minutes of focus.

So, what are some quick and easy brain breaks to build in to your lesson plans?

• Lead students in mindful breathing or meditation
• Read aloud to class a short passage from a relevant, engaging book or article or poem
• Have students do some stretches, or move to a different part of the room
• Lead them in singing a song relevant to content
• Create a classroom-appropriate limerick or poem together dealing with the content
•  Have students pretend to jump rope
• Ask students to share with their partners a personal connection to the learning
• Have a two-minute music break--even better if the music can connect to the content
• Have students toss a beach ball to the next person who is going to respond to a question
• Have students move, or act as if they were a biological process, a mathematical process, a social studies concept, a literary character, etc.
• Ask students to stand with a partner and perform an energizing brain break (example: Lap Tap: stand up, take right hand and tap a slow beat on left thigh, tap right foot  to the ground faster than the right-hand tap, then switch sides. Last, tap opposite thighs with hands and then tap both feet faster than hands).  This is from the book Energizing Brain Breaks by David Sladkey, which contains 49 additional energizing movements and challenging physical maneuvers. You might also ask your Health and Fitness teacher for movement ideas.

·          

Differentiation through Flexible Seating

The article “Optimal Seating Plans? Letting Your Students Choose”, by Emelina Minero, is a case study of a California high school that has embraced the idea and technology of flexible seating which has led to variety differentiation opportunities in their high school.

They have categorized four different seating arrangements that help kids make the decision of what seating arrangement will help them be the most successful. Each one of these seating arrangements has it’s own differentiation potential. Since it’s spring time now and a sense of trust and respect for the classroom as been grounded, and teachers have a clear picture of the needs of their students, this would be a really interesting next step to try this in a classroom.

Independent Work Time: This is a time when kids are not in need of collaboration and work solely by themselves. The teachers in this video and article have them facing a wall so that there is little to no distractions. This also signals to the teacher that this student has a plan and they are working to meet it. Individual desks or tables work well with this type of seating plan.

• Differentiation Potential: In this seating arrangement, students who are more self-directed learners can work by themselves to accomplish the learning target and success criteria. Many students prefer to work alone because it creates a more focused environment which makes them feel more successful. The teacher could easily come and peek over their shoulder to check in to provide feedback. 

Collaborative Work Time: Students are seated at the front of the room with room enough for 4-5 students to sit and work together. There are usually more than just one table so the collaborative groups aren’t so big that students get off task. These groups have a goal they want to achieve and work together to gain better perspective and understanding of the task. Small tables or a few desks pulled together to form a table would work well with this type of seating plan.

• Differentiation Potential: This seating arrangement is meant for those who work better in a more collaborative setting. Kids who need this type of seating benefit from bouncing ideas off of one another and to receive peer feedback. This is also easy for a teacher to monitor and to have quick check-in conversations with the group as they progress through the task. 

Mini-Lesson Work Time: This seating arrangement is usually one small group who would like some one on one time with the teacher to ask questions and practice a skill they have deemed they need help on. A teacher could also create this group based on assessment data they have received and now have an opportunity to work closely with them to ensure they are leaving the mini lesson with a better understanding and practice. A small table or a few desks pulled together to form table would work well for this type of seating.

• Differentiation Potential: This seating arrangement is most beneficial for kids who have been absent or have not shown growth on a particular standard. The teacher can provide a pre-teach or re-teach model and additional practice for those who need it. This could also be a check-in time for students who want or need a one on one conference with their teacher about their progress. 

Whole Group Work Time: Students in this configuration are usually facing one another in a large circle. This arrangement is great for whole class discussion, such as a Socratic Seminar. In the video a girl makes a comment that sometimes it's easier to understand a concept when you are able to make eye contact. Possibly not having any tables, but a circle of chairs would work well for this seating arrangement.

• Differentiation Potential: Students hearing other students ideas is one way for them to comprehend a concept or skill. This seating arrangement is also for those auditory and verbal students who learn best when they can share their thinking aloud. This is also a great opportunity for the teacher to identify and address misconceptions the class as a whole may have.

Even without the fancy tables, many teachers could make these types of seating arrangements in their classrooms. Might take some imagination, but kids might think it neat to come into a room that has been totally rearranged! Offering them the seating choice might also up their engagement level as the sun starts to make its way to the Pacific Northwest!

Giving Effective Feedback

We all know how challenging it can be to give and receive even the best-intentioned feedback. Here are some hints to improve your feedback to students (and maybe they’ll work in your personal life, as well! J).

We took most of these hints from “Why Giving Effective Feedback is Trickier Than It Seems” by Katrina Schwartz, who draws much of her information from Susan Brookhart, author of How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students.  You are welcome to read Schwartz’s blog, but if you are overwhelmed right now, you may want to read the Brooke/Bridget condensed version here J.

According to Schwartz, Brookhart, Brooke, and Bridget:

• Teachers must figure out what is worthy of feedback and when to give it.  This is also called finding the leverage point.  Too many teachers try to close EVERY gap in the student’s learning with one round of feedback. Instead, consider: What is the ONE change or strategy that will MOST greatly help the student to master the skill?  Focus on THAT skill or strategy, and you can add others later. 
• Imagine your supervising teacher telling you during student teaching ten things that you were doing wrong. You might have run as fast as possible away from a career in education.  Even worse, imagine your spouse giving you a list of ten behaviors you need to change!  

·      When evaluating  student work, descriptively praise the work’s strengths and then give 1-2 suggestions aligned with the learning target and success criteria.

•        Example: “Great use of evidence from multiple texts to support a solid claim.  How might you include more reasoning or elaboration to show your reader how your evidence supports your claim? For example, you could add some at the place I marked.” 

·        If a teacher gives feedback on aspects not aligned with the learning target, such as grammar errors on a science lab (not part of the rubric), then feedback becomes about pleasing the teacher and not about learning, according to Susan Brookhart.

o   While many of us can’t stand careless spelling or punctuation errors, if it’s not part of the rubric, it shouldn’t count against the student.  Save yourself valuable time and angst, and mark only rubric-related issues.

·       Give the feedback at a time when students can act immediately on it, not at the end of a unit or essay. Susan Brookhart says, “If they’re not going to be able to use it [feedback],” it’s a waste of time – yours and theirs.” However, delayed feedback can be useful if students are returning to the work to revise it. This extra review will help them to retain the information.

o   We always felt like teacher failures if we didn’t write extensive comments on summative assignments, but the truth is that most kids looked at the grade and either recycled or filed the assignment.  If the learning will continue, and students will revise or revisit, then give feedback, but if it’s a one-time assignment, just complete the rubric (even if you feel guilty).

·       Connect the feedback to an important future skill so that students care about it and understand how it might transfer.  Example: “Creating a stronger argument by considering counter-arguments will help you to ask for a new position or a raise at work, or ask your parents to drive you somewhere somewhere they don’t want to go!” 

o   Better yet, ask students how they see this skill transferring to the future—they may have even better examples.

·        Feedback such as, “Add more here” does little to help most students. It is better to provide sentence starters or meet with them to ask how they might add more. 

o   As an example, you could write, “Another concern is that…”

·        The best feedback is differentiated, as ALL students who struggle should also be held to high levels of thinking.  Sometimes we give lower-level feedback to lower-level students, which keeps them from growing.

o   Don’t fall into the trap of commenting on appearance or structure for your struggling students. Honor their thinking by commenting on it.

·       The ultimate goal of feedback is not only for the student to grow, but to help the teacher understand more about how the student is thinking. This allows the teacher to vary his/her instructional strategies to reach more students.

o   Giving the same repeated feedback quickly shows us that there is a common misconception we need to address (even if we've taught the concept brilliantly, but they somehow failed to learn it :-)).

·       Surveys of students show, according to Brookhart, that students want feedback they can use and the opportunity to use it.  The more practical and applicable, the better!

o   It’s kind of like teachers who say, “Give me a tip that I can use tomorrow in my classroom.”  Students also want immediately useful strategies for improvement.

Quick Check-Ins: Student Choice with Formative Assessments- Part 2

Classroom Scenario from Mike Anderson’s Blog:

“Across the hall, Chris’s colleague Aaron Hall is also using choice for a quick check-in. While Chris offered choice to allow students to differentiate according to challenge level, Aaron is going to use it to differentiate based on interest and background knowledge. His class has been studying the human body in science, and he wants to see how well students understand how body systems work together. He offers students the choice of four similes to complete: “The human body is like a (sports team, grocery store, jazz band, or coral reef) because __________.” Students are encouraged to pick a simile that will best help them demonstrate some of the key ideas they have been studying.”



Ideas for Implementation:
1.”Practice, practice, practice.”
Sometimes providing choices to students can be overwhelming because they don’t know what to choose. Making this type of assessments part of your classroom routines can help kids get the practice they need. It might be a good idea to have a menu of formative assessment choices that kids can go to if they get stuck or don’t know what to choose.


2. “Don’t force it.”
There might be a time that one type of assessment is appropriate to get the data you need from you students. Don’t force something to provide choice if it doesn’t makes sense to you or your students.


Strategies for the Classroom:
1. “Alone or Together: Students will list questions they have about a topic being studied. They can brainstorm questions either alone or in a small group, whichever they think best.”

Bridget and Brooke say:

If students are working alone and aren’t comfortable asking questions in front of the class you could let them record their them on a sticky note or a sheet of poster paper. This strategy could be used in pairs up or groups of 3. Many times if groups get too large, there are only a few people actually thinking and making meaning.

2. “Highlight an Example: If students have been working on a variety of problems or examples, at the end of the period they choose one. You decide what the focus will be: One they are proud of? One that was hard? One they aren’t sure about? Students can explain their choice, jotting a sentence or two on a sticky note and attaching it to the problem.”

Bridget and Brooke say:

We really like this strategy for three reasons. One, it’s a great way for kids to determine their level of understanding. Two, it’s a great way for kids to reflect on their learning in a quick and simple way. Three, it’s also a great closure activity. One suggestion we would make is to have the kids write their example on the sticky note along with a reason why they chose this example and then hand it to you on their way out the door. This way you have what you need right in the palm of your hand and you have a fairly good understanding of where kids are feeling successful or challenged.

Quick Check-Ins:Student Choice with Formative Assessments

Classroom Scenario from Mike Anderson’s Blog:

“Chris Ward’s fifth graders have been practicing long division for most of the period. While some understand it well, others are still struggling. Tomorrow, Chris wants to offer appropriate choices to enable students to practice what they need, so today she’ll use a quick check-in—a simple formative assessment—to determine those choices.There’s a dilemma here, however. If she uses an assessment targeted at the middle of the group, she’ll miss key information. She already knows that some students can easily compute 453/7 and others will find it overwhelming. So she offers students a choice. She writes three problems on the board—453/7, 625/5, and 4,357/18—and says, “For today’s math exit ticket, you’re going to choose a division problem to help show where you’re at. There are three on the board for you to choose from, and you may also create your own. Solve a problem that feels just right for you—one that is challenging enough to give you a push and that you think you can solve successfully. This will help me plan for tomorrow.” Offering a variety of problems, she gains a broader understanding of how she can set up tomorrow’s math work to be appropriately challenging for everyone.”


Ideas for Implementation:
1."Create good choices. Choices should align with learning goals and success criteria. They should resonate with students—matching success their varied interests, needs, and abilities. These check-ins should involve light prep on your part and about the same amount of time for students to complete."


2. “Help students choose well. Give students some guidance about which choice might be best without overly directing them. A teacher might say, ‘Think about which of these choices will best help you highlight your understanding of the topic we are learning. For example, you might choose one that matches your interests.’ Another example of what a teacher might say is, ‘If one of these problems seems to match up with how you’re doing on the topic, you might pick that one. If you think making one up will best help show your level of understanding, that also might be a good choice for you.’”


Strategies for the Classroom:
1. “Key Idea, Question, or Challenge: Students write a key idea they’ve learned, a question they have, or something they’re finding challenging.”

Bridget and Brooke say:
Using the scenario above, a teacher could ask kids what was a key idea or way of solving this math problem. Kids could ask a question about the steps to solving this type of math problem. Or, students could explain how challenging solving the problem was. 

Based on their choice of how they express their understanding you will find that it's a bit easier to inform your instruction for the next period. To help students choose well, you may have them try another way of expressing their understanding if they are using one of the three choices more than once or twice. For example, "I see you've been asking a lot of questions about what we've been learning. Have you considered writing down a key idea or something you find challenging?"

2. “T or V: Students can choose to summarize information using either a T-chart or a Venn diagram, whichever will best help them communicate their understanding.”

Bridget and Brooke say:
Using the classroom scenario, the teacher could use the Venn Diagram to have students compare the different fractions OR create a T chart that has the equation on one side and the steps to solving it on the other.

Since T-Charts and Venn Diagrams ask kids to do different thinking skills (categorizing and comparing respectively), you might find it interesting to see why and how they will categorize or compare. This gives kids a way to show you their perspective on the learning they have done. It can show you where kids may need support, too.