Thursday, March 28, 2013

Take 2

     Should we allow students do-overs? Re-dos? Re-takes? Second chances?
     Here's one lady's answer: pretty much, yes.
     Here's one lady's reasons:

     First, you'll have to agree with me (and a bunch of educational researchers and writers) on what a grade truly signifies. A grade should denote a student's level of mastery of a standard (or standards). This is what a grade means in standards-based education. Are things like participation, attendance, effort, attitude, and responsibility important? Yes, definitely. Without a doubt. BUT, when we factor these into how we assign a grade to a student, we are muddying the waters. Now, the grade doesn't really tell us the level to which the student mastered the standard. It's trying to tell us a whole bunch of things and, most likely, failing to paint a very specific picture.

     Now, there are ways to still foster effort, responsibility, and attitude without including these factors in a grade. But, for today, let's just focus on how the above definition of a grade informs the idea of student re-dos and re-takes. If we are teaching in a differentiated classroom, we are honoring the idea that not every student is going to master a standard at the exact same time, right? So, if we give a test on day X, and some students get a D or an F on this test on day X, does that mean it's over for them? They'll never learn the concept or master the standard? If we are teaching in a differentiated classroom, we know the answer to these questions is no. Of course not. These students might master the standard with some extra support a few days or weeks from now. So, they should be given a chance at that point to demonstrate this mastery to us through a re-do. The re-do may or may not be the same exact test, but it is testing the students on the same performance standard. If they can't do it on day X, but can do it on day Y (or Z, or A...), then shouldn't their grade reflect when they can do it, instead of when they couldn't?

     Also, should the opportunity to prove mastery of a standard only be extended to students who get a D or an F? What about the student who got a B? Can't they have the opportunity, if they want it, to continue their work towards this standard and, when they've mastered it, demonstrate this to us? Should we ever turn down a student's wish to continue to work toward mastery? 

     I know there are lots of issues that arise when we start to think about changing our grading practices. And I know this one blog entry does not come even remotely close to discussing those issues. But thinking about why we give grades -- and how that "why" impacts our grading practices -- is a good starting point.

     Interested in thinking more about this? Contact me if you want to investigate your grading practices and what it would mean for your students to do re-takes. Take a look at Rick Wormeli's (2006) book, Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom.

     OR, (shameless plug alert!) you could sign up for my summer workshop (provided you teach in the same district as me) on practical approaches to differentiation in the classroom. I promise we'll get into the idea of grading and assessing in differentiated classrooms (and much, much more!).

Friday, March 22, 2013

Learning Contracts


     Some of the top questions raised when we think about differentiating in our classrooms are: “How do we meet with a small group of students while the rest of the class does…what…exactly?” “What do we do when some students inevitably finish a task before others?” There are lots of ways to answer these questions (shameless plug: you can hear about them all in my upcoming summer workshop on differentiated instruction!). This post is about one particular strategy I just discovered, thanks to Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson, authors of Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum (2013).

     Tomlinson and Eidson suggest the use of learning contracts (don’t you just love that phrasing?). I’ll go ahead and give you their exact definition:
“A learning contract is an agreement between a student and a teacher      regarding a task or project that a student will work on independently and with some freedom. Learning contracts often provide some degree of choice regarding specific tasks to be completed and the order in which they will be completed. This element of choice can help teachers address differences in students’ interests and learning profiles. Effective contracts focus on key understandings and skills that a student is to work with and provide information about the criteria for quality work. Learning contracts require teachers to match learning objectives with contract options so that students must practice and apply important skills” (p. 187)
What’s great about learning contracts is that, when introduced (as is recommended) at the start of a unit, they provide students with meaningful tasks to accomplish throughout the unit. These tasks are assignments students can work on when they finish other tasks early one day, or when you need to meet with a small group or one half of the class. The teacher and the student agree on the number of tasks the student will complete from the learning contract options (this works best when there’s lots to choose from, and lots of variety) and when the student will be done with each task. Students should fill out and sign a contract that includes items such as: the tasks they agree to work on, the dates due for each, and agreements to work on these selected tasks at various times during class without distracting peers. What I love about Tomlinson and Eidson’s definition is that it separates learning contract tasks from “busy work” by insisting that these tasks include “criteria for quality work” and that they “match [the] learning objectives” of the unit. And don’t even get me started on the element of student choice and student ownership implicit in learning contracts – how great is that? 

     Below, I’ve listed some ideas for learning contract tasks. Learning contracts are great for including assignments based on multiple intelligences and learning styles, so you’ll notice this reflected in this list. ***Please note: learning contracts should list specific criteria for each option presented. I have not included criteria in the list below as I simply want to share what types of tasks may be found on a learning contract. ***A second note: I’ve included examples from several content areas and from several grade levels, K-12. ***Ok, just one more note: Some teachers prefer to further differentiate learning contracts by typing up two different lists of tasks – one geared towards the advanced learners and one geared towards those who are novice learners of the particular subject.

     So, without further adieu, here are some ideas (many of which can be found in the 2003 Tomlinson & Eidson text):


·      Make an ABC list (or book) of plants. Use books in the classroom to find the names of plants that begin with each letter of the alphabet.
·      Draw and label the plants we cannot eat. Why can’t we eat these?
·      Measure the plants in the classroom, and make a graph showing their heights. Which is the tallest plant? Which is the shortest one? Do you think that will change? Why?
·      Write a song about plants, what you like about them, and why they are important.
·      Using information from resources provided in the classroom, as well as various travel brochures provided, create a travel brochure about our community. Your brochure should make people outside of our community want to come visit it…
·      RAFT writing tasks -- the possibilities for these are almost endless! (See my previous post about RAFTS: An Alternative to White Water RAFTing.) Seriously, I can't recommend these writing opportunities enough!
·      Invent a game to help teach children about lines, angles, polygons, circles, polyhedrons, congruence, and symmetry. Write a manual for parents and teachers that explains the rules and procedures for playing the game and discusses the benefits of playing the game…
·      Research geodesic dome buildings. Draw a picture or build a model of a dome building and write three or four paragraphs discussing dome buildings, answering the following questions…
·      Using pictures from magazines and newspapers, find and label objects that represent the different types of lines, angles, and shapes that we’ve studied…
·      Create a Private Investigator Poster about Macbeth. Draw his profile, police line-up style, and label him with “Checks Out” traits (his good points) and “Warning Signs” traits (his weaknesses).
·      Create a metaphor for Macbeth: Macbeth is a __________ in these three ways…Give three text citations to back up your argument.
·      Discuss what you see as the most compelling or significant scene in Act I. Cite specific textual examples that support your claim (using diction, figurative language, motifs, scansion).
·      Translate a Shakespearean scene or soliloquy into contemporary English.
·      Draw a concept map showing the major hurdles le petit prince had to overcome in the novel and the major hurdles you (or adolescents in general) have to overcome during this time of your life.
·      Listen to excerpts from Gustave Holst’s The Planets. Create and record brief soundscapes of what at least three of the planets that le petit prince visited might sound like. Write a CD liner-note explanation of your soundscapes to make the link between the music and the stereotype represented by the planet’s inhabitant(s).
·      Design a map that illustrates le petit prince’s journey (physical, emotional, or spiritual) throughout the book. Annotate the map so we can see the importance of the “places” you chose to include.
·      Find and illustrate a set of quotes by le petit prince. Annotate the quotations, explaining their significance to the themes of the novel.
·      Design a cartoon that illustrates your journey as a water droplet. Include an appropriate caption(s).
·      Create a fictional story about the journey of a water droplet.
·      Draw an accurate version of the water cycle that includes all steps. Be sure to show the processes that get a water droplet from one step to another.
·      Create a local version of the water cycle. Be sure to include the names of local rivers, bays, oceans, mountains, and so on.

    
     Cool, right? I’ll wrap up with just one last shameless plug: if you like the above ideas, and want more, more, more (and if you teach in the same district as me!), then please sign up for the summer workshop I’m offering: A Practical Approach to Differentiation in the Classroom. Tell your friends! 

Friday, March 15, 2013

Write On

     Remember the days when your punishment for misbehaving in class might be to write "I will not ______" statements over and over and over again, ad infinitum? (No? Me neither. I was a pretty good kid. But bear with me here. I'm making a point...)




     Although it seems like these types of punishments are behind us (which is good, since Bart never really seemed to learn his lesson, now did he?), there's another type of repercussion for bad classroom behavior I'd like to discuss that also involves writing.

     Throughout my career in education, I've witnessed the following type of scenario many times. Young Bob or Sue acts up in class. Young Bob or Sue gets several warnings from the teacher. Young Bob or Sue continues to act up in class. Teacher pulls young Bob or Sue aside and delivers the repercussion: you must write a letter of apology (a paragraph about what you did wrong, an explanation of your behavior and how you will improve, etc.). Now I am all for setting behavioral expectations in our classrooms, and following through with students when they are not meeting those expectations yet. But fellow teachers, I must implore you: Don't make writing a punishment. The underlying, hidden message this sends to the misbehaving student (and to his or her peers looking on, as well) is "You've done something wrong and the best way I can punish you for this is to make you -- gasp -- write a paragraph! Because we all know that writing is a horrible, awful task that no one would ever want to do, so that's what you get for acting up." 

     Please understand. I know that no teacher actually thinks that writing is a punishment. And any teacher who requires a student to write as a consequence for misbehaving does not actually have the above thought process. But we have to be careful in thinking about how our messages may be received (consciously or subconsciously) by our students. And none of us want them to associate the act of writing with something negative. Let's vow not to do this and to make it as antiquated a notion as poor Bart writing all those "I will not ____" statements up on the chalkboard. Let's explore other ways to set behavioral expectations and to work with students who don't meet those expectations in our classrooms.




Tyler, Jimmy. "Bart writing on chalkboard." Photo. Flickriver.com 17 Apr. 2012. 15 March 2013. <http://www.flickriver.com/photos/14531705@N00/4529445838/>.



Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Double Dipping

     Normally I hate double dipping. You know, when you're at a cocktail party having a lovely, sophisticated time, and you sample the to-die-for hummus or salsa or buffalo chicken dip (whatever floats your boat, readers) and then someone comes along, dips their chip in, takes a bite, then goes in for more. The double dip. I believe there's a Seinfeld episode devoted to this travesty.
   
     Thankfully, I'm not about to commit that kind of double dip. No, no, no. I just want to share with you all a resource I typed up for a few teachers I'm working with as instructional coach. It's a bunch of tips for calling on students (especially those reluctant participators) that can help alleviate the anxiety many teachers have about calling on students who aren't raising their hands. After typing it up, I realized -- hey, I bet my blog readers might want to check this out, too. (Be warned, though...some of the items on the resource are also things I've already blogged about on here. Repeat alert!)

     So, I'm double dipping -- using a blog post to share something I had compiled for a different audience. (But, hey, at least I didn't totally cheat and post this as my only blog entry this week, right?)

     Enjoy!

    
Tips for Calling on Students
(especially those who aren’t raising their hands…)
Compiled by Elizabeth Bettencourt, Sharon Public Schools

·      Foster “accountable talk” in your classroom. Model for students what this looks like by using the following examples, and also expect your students to adhere to “accountable talk” when interacting with their peers in a class discussion:
o   Press for clarification & explanation: “Could you describe what you mean?”
o   Require justification of proposals & challenges: “Where did you find that information?”
o   Demand evidence for claims & arguments: “Can you give me an example?”
o   Interpret & use each other’s statements: “David suggested . . .” (Fisher & Frey, 2007, p. 23).

·      Use value lineups. Ask students to evaluate a statement (“I fully understood last night’s homework,” “I will use this tool in the ‘real world,’” “I think this battle was the most significant in WWI,” etc.) and to line up according to their degree of agreement or disagreement with the statement.
o   After forming a single line, you can ask students to “fold” the line in half so that the students who most strongly agreed and disagreed are now partners, ready to discuss the reasons for their positions with one another (Fisher & Frey, p.25).
o   You’ve given students a chance now to think through their ideas, thus building their confidence before “putting” them “on the spot.” Now’s the time to “cold call” on students to either share why they stood where they stood in the line, or to share what their partner’s ideas were.

·      Ask students to share a partner’s idea. The above example is only one of many opportunities where you can help out a reluctant participator by asking him to share someone else’s ideas (this alleviates the concern some students may have about the accuracy of their own ideas, but doesn’t let them off the hook of participating in class). Using Think, Pair, Share is another easy-to-facilitate way to build students’ confidence about their ideas enough to share them, or to give them the opportunity to share a peer’s ideas. Here, students think and/or write a response to a question you’ve provided, then pair with a peer to discuss their ideas, and then share with the whole class. The teacher can circulate during the “Pair” portion of the activity, listening in to students’ conversations. If you hear a student – especially if he or she is a reluctant participator – share an idea you’d like the whole class to hear, you can give that student a “heads up” that you’ll call on them in a little bit to share that idea with the whole class. You’ve boosted their confidence to share because now they know their ideas are valid, and you’ve given them some time to get ready.

·      Try out the Whip Around. At the end of a period of instruction, the teacher poses a question or a task, asking students to make a list of at least three items (“List three things you struggled with today,” “List three traits of this character,” etc.). When students are done with their list, ask all students to stand. Then, randomly call on a student to share one of his or her ideas. Students should check off any items on their list that are shared by other students (this eliminates repetition) and sit down when all of their ideas have been shared, either by themselves or by a peer. Continue to call on students until all are seated (Fisher & Frey, p.34).

·      Determine the response format of a question and who will provide it before asking the question. “Will it be a choral answer, where all students respond together? Is it a partner discussion question? If so, the teacher should preface the question itself with information about the response format so that students know what they will do with the question before it is asked. If it is to be answered by an individual student, teachers should announce the student’s name before asking the question. This alerts the learner to the expected response. . .” (Fisher & Frey, p. 39).

·      Provide “wait time,” or as others call it, “think time.” Three to five seconds is commonly accepted as the amount of time students need to digest the question and to think of their answer.

·      If a student is unable to answer a question, stick with him or her! Use the following types of question scaffolding to help the student get to a response (Fisher & Frey, pp. 39-40):
o   Reception scaffolding – direct a student to the information necessary to answer the question (“Look at the graph on page 252 of your textbook”).
o   Transformation scaffolding – provide a way of structuring the information to help the student develop an answer (“How does the largest bar on the graph on page 252 of your textbook help you to find your answer?”).
o   Production scaffolding – provide the student with a way of producing an answer (“Use the largest and the smallest bars from the graph on page 252 of your textbook to compare the amounts used”).
o   Use a combination of all three types of scaffolds in succession if needed! Stick with that student!

·      Hold students accountable for participating in class. If a student responds to a question incorrectly or incompletely, check back with the student later to make sure he or she now has the correct answer. If students are “going around the room,” each sharing something (their thesis statement from a first draft, their opinion on last night’s assigned chapter, their idea for a marketing product, etc.), and a student does not share (this could be due to a lack of confidence, an incomplete homework assignment, etc.), ask that student to continue listening as his or her peers share. Let that student know that you will be coming back to them later to share something they heard a peer say that they liked or agreed with and why. Set the expectation that everyone’s voice in this class will be heard.

·      Use response cards. These can be pre-printed or write-on.
o   Pre-printed response cards already have responses written on them. These responses could be as simple as “yes” and “no,” that students hold up in response to questions from the teacher. Or they could be more specific, such as “potential energy” and “kinetic energy,” that students hold up in response to examples of energy provided by the teacher. In this format, all students respond, and the teacher can ask follow-up questions to a student based on his or her response. Again, the student’s confidence has been built prior to being called on, and he or she has had time to think through his or her answer.
o   Write-on response cards are blank (mini white boards work well), and students write a quick response on them to a teacher’s question. For example, a teacher could ask his third grade students to write three-letter words using a particular set of letters. As with the pre-printed response card examples above, the teacher can ask follow-up questions to a student based on his or her response (Fisher & Frey, pp. 46-48).

·      Use audience response systems. These new technologies can be utilized in the same ways response cards are used as questioning techniques (see above).

·      NOTE: All of the above tips for calling on students are not only great ways to set the expectation that every student’s voice should be heard, but they are also excellent tools to check for understanding with every student!



Reference
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. Checking for understanding: Formative assessment techniques for your    
     classroom. ASCD: Alexandria, VA.

Monday, March 11, 2013

An Alternative to White Water RAFTing

     Confession time: I'm sometimes a little bit of a wimp. So, even though part of me thinks white water rafting would be a wonderful experience (beautiful surroundings, bonding with family and friends, teamwork, the wind in my hair), a larger part of me thinks white water rafting would be a terrifying experience (the raft tipping over, powerful currents sweeping me away, rogue waterfalls). And so, alas, I must tell you: I will probably never go white water rafting.

     BUT -- here's the great news. I love plain old RAFTing! And you can join me on the adventure . . .

     A RAFT is a type of writing response that can be used in any content area at virtually any grade level. It's a great way to infuse some creativity and fun into how we check for our students' understanding. Here's how the acronym breaks down:

Role (what is the role of the writer?)
Audience (to whom is the writer writing?)
Format (what is the format for the writing?)
Topic (what is the focus of the writing?)

     And here's how it works. Let's say a third grade teacher wanted to know if students understood a recent lesson on the life cycle of insects. She could assign students to write in the Role of the butterfly to the Audience of a scientist in the Format of a letter regarding the Topic of its experience with complete metamorphosis. In order to write from the perspective of the butterfly itself explaining its metamorphosis to a scientist, the student needs to be able to understand a lot about this topic. And so the RAFT can help us check for understanding of content learning.

     The above example of a RAFT prompt comes from Fisher and Frey's (2007) Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom, a great book I wrote about in my last blog entry as well. Here are a few more examples of RAFT prompts from this text:


For 6th grade social studies...
R: Marco Polo
A: Potential recruits
F: Recruitment poster or brochure
T: Come see the Silk Road!



For high school geometry...
 R: Scalene triangle
A: Your angles
F: Text message
T: Our unequal relationship


     Happy RAFTing!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Good Things Come in Threes

     Okay, okay. Yes, I have also heard that celebrity deaths come in threes as well, but I just figured this was a more chipper way to think about the power of the triumvirate. Who wouldn't rather be optimistic? Spring is in the air, the days are getting longer...let's focus on the positive, people!

     This week I'll be sharing with you my top three takeaways so far from a new book I just started reading yesterday (I only got to page 42, so I'm sure there's much more to come!). It's by the dynamic duo of Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey and it's entitled Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom (2007).

     Here we go:

Takeaway #1

     We should all be learning from our colleagues, the physical education teachers. When it comes to formative assessment, they've got it down. Think about it: a physical education teacher teaching her students how to play badminton "would not wait until the final score of a match to determine whether the athlete understood badminton" (Fisher & Frey, p. 12). She'd be watching her students in action throughout the unit, assessing who needs more training in skills like arm and trunk action, working with students who didn't have effective strokes yet, perhaps coaching them individually or in small groups while their peers continued to practice. But how many of us in other content areas sometimes wait until the final test of a unit to determine whether our students understand the content? 
     Let's take a page from physical education teachers' playbooks. Let's try to consistently observe our students in action, whether that action be working out a complicated math problem, writing a thesis statement, or drawing a landscape. Let's get right in there with them, in real time, while they're in action, and conference with them, coaching those who need it. According to so much of the research that's out there, we'll see stronger performances on our summative assessments.

Takeaway #2

     Whip it good! Here's a really cool idea for a summarizer that lends itself to checking for understanding in a group setting and to formative assessment. Fisher and Frey call it the "whip around" (p. 34). Here's how it works. As a closure activity at the end of a lesson, the teacher poses a question or a task requiring students to make a list of at least three items (i.e., what are three things you learned about this character today? what are three examples of transition metal elements from the periodic table?). When they're done, students stand up (I love it already! So many of our students really need this kind of physical opportunity). The teacher then randomly calls on a student to share one of his ideas. The rest of the students listen, and check off any items on their own lists that are said by another student and sit down when all of their ideas have been shared with the class, whether or not they were the one to share them. The teacher continues to call on students until no one is left standing (Fisher & Frey, p. 34).
     Here's how this assessment is formative. As the teacher listens to the ideas being shared, she can determine "if there is a general level of understanding or if there are gaps in the students' thinking" (Fisher & Frey, p. 34). If there are said gaps, then teacher knows what information she will need to review to make sure her students understand it. 

Takeaway #3

     Last but not least, how about a little scaffolding talk? Fisher and Frey (2007) break down three types of scaffolding teachers should use when a student is unable to respond to a question the teacher has asked him or her orally in class. (I love it already, because I am a huge fan of "sticking" with a student if he or she can't answer a question. No need to abandon them; these are great opportunities to teach them and to build their confidence!) Here are the three ways to scaffold in this situation, according to Fisher and Frey (pp. 39-40):
  • Reception scaffolds: Direct the student to information necessary to formulate an answer ("Look at the graph on page 252 of your textbook").
  • Transformation scaffolds: Provide a way of structuring the information to help the student develop an answer ("How does the largest bar on the graph on page 252 of your textbook help you to find your answer?").
  • Production scaffolds: Provide the student with a way of producing an answer ("Use the largest and the smallest bars from the graph on page 252 of your textbook to compare the amounts used").

     Instead of just asking the entire class "Does everyone understand this?," getting a few nods from some students, and moving on, we need to think about the multiple ways to really check for understanding. The above three are just the start! If you work in the same district in which I'm an instructional coach, and you want support with this, let me know.


(Did you notice how checking for understanding and formative assessments can lead right into differentiated instruction? I'm going to throw in a shameless plug here to conclude: For those of you who teach in the same district as me, I'm offering a summer workshop on differentiated instruction. Sounds fun, right???)