Standard 10 Meta-Reflection: Technology

Standard 10 Technology: Integrates current technology into instruction and professional communication/collaboration activities where appropriate.

I developed a class website using the SWIFT template to communicate with parents and students. I upload electronic copies of assignments and projects for students to access if they lost their copy or for parents to access. I also provide a weekly homework calendar with our daily activities, special events and due dates. Lastly, I write practice quizzes for students to take preceding an assessment to aid in their preparation. This has proven to be a vital source of information for parents and students as well as a worthwhile communication tool for me. I update this on a daily basis during the school year and include assignments which require students to access the website.

Artifact: Class Website

This blog post for an educational technology shows how various internet-based applications could be used in the classroom to differentiate instruction. I have used some of these applications in my classroom such as Inspiration to develop flow charts for note taking and iMovie for student-created video projects. These applications help students to master technology standards in the context of content standards because they are used in the classroom daily and as options for project products.

Artifact: Differentiated Instruction with Technology

I also used a program called VoiceThread to demonstrate a technology tip for a collaboration and communication tool called Jing. I showed how this piece of technology could be used for educators to collaborate on a common assessment or for students to work on a project together using the internet. The opportunities for this program and others like it are endless given the appropriate technology.

Artifact: Technology Tip

Standard 8 Meta-Reflection: Exceptionality

Standard 8 Exceptionality: Addresses the unique learning and behavioral needs of all children, collaborating with other educators and professionals when necessary.

I completed a classroom inquiry project for my pre-assessment seminar as part of the professional certification process. My project focused on using multiple intelligences information to increase the effectiveness of student notes and studying. I began by assessing their learning preference using the VARK method. Once students understood their learning preference, they were given a handout on types of notes to take and ideas about how to study. We spent some time in the classroom practicing these skills before our next assessment. I conducted a student survey after the assessment to gauge students’ responses to this new technique. Students found their learning preference was assessed accurately but did not make any changes in how they took notes or studied. They found this information helpful and about half said they would make changes in the future. While there are some changes to make to the implementation of this technique, I found that by differentiating studying and note taking, I can account for a wider range of student differences. By collaborating with other teachers and specialists, this information could follow students from one class to the next and from one year to the next.

Artifact: Classroom Inquiry Project

The second artifact for this standard is a PowerPoint I created on the topic of students with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The PowerPoint included current research, practical classroom tips and a general definition of the disorder. While the strategies in the presentation were intended for students with ADHD, they can be used for all students as a way to increase attention and interaction in the classroom. A large piece of helping students with ADHD succeed in the classroom is communication with specialists, counselors and parents which is included in the PowerPoint.

Artifact: ADHD Presentation

The last artifact for this standard was a case analysis I conducted on the benefits and drawbacks for the inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The paper includes an overview of the pros and cons of inclusion, steps to be taken before and during inclusion and strategies to be used to make inclusion successful. An emphasis on collaboration among teachers and specialists was emphasized again to help these exceptional students succeed in the least restrictive environment.

Artifact: ED/BD Inclusion Analysis

Standards 6 & 7 Meta-Reflection: Communication & Collaboration

Standard 6 Communication: Communicates regularly and effectively with colleagues, parents and students through a variety of mediums.

Standard 7 Collaboration: Cooperates with other professionals to bridge gaps between schools and community and between departments/disciplines within schools.

The first artifact for these standards are two action plans I developed to increase communication and collaboration. The first action plan is to institute a quarterly email newsletter to be sent out to parents and guardians. Information such as important due dates, descriptions of projects and assignments, how to contact the teacher and how the parent can help their student succeed will all be included in the newsletter. The goal is to include parents in the daily activities of the clasrsoom so they can ask informed questions at night and assist students with their work. Paper newsletters and translated versions will be offered to those households who do not speak English or have access to the internet.

Artifact: Parent Email Action Plan

The second action plan focuses on collaboration within and between departments. Many teachers and departments teach in isolation and best practices are rarely shared. As a physics teacher, I could benefit from problem story strategies from the math department and vocabulary strategies from the English department. Critical Friends Groups (CFGs) seeks to provide a place and protocol for teachers to have difficult discussions in a safe environment. In our high school, 9th and 10th graders are put into smaller learning communities called PODs which consist of an English teacher, social studies teacher and science teacher. These three teachers would meet on a regular basis to discuss student work with the goal of improving the quality while promoting communication and collaboration between departments.

Artifact: CFG Action Plan

The third and final artifact is another way to seek communication and input from parents regarding their students. I developed a parent and student survey to gain information about students and open the lines of communication. This survey is sent home with students the first week of school and they are awarded points for returning it. I work hard to make sure I receive a survey back from every student and follow up on questions I may have. These surveys influence how I group students for projects and seating arrangements, how I differentiate instruction and how to interact with them in the classroom. They also provide me with information about how their parents see the student.

Artifact: Parent/Student Survey

I analyzed the context of my school given the community it is in. Using state published data on test scores, demographics and other information, I provided a snapshot of the school’s student population. Utilizing OSPI’s nine characteristics of good schools, I evaluated the school pointing out areas where it excelled and areas it was deficient. This analysis determined the focus for my two action plans.

Artifact: Action Plan Context

Standard 2 Meta-Reflection: Learning Environment

Standard 2 Learning Environment: Creates and maintains school-wide and classroom environments that are safe, stable and empowering.

I analyzed a hypothetical student who had behavioral management issues in the classroom. Using human development and learning theories, I made suggestions about how this student could overcome these problems and achieve at a higher level in the classroom. I used Bandura’s social learning theory to provide insight into what caused this student’s behavior and what could be done to overcome it. Three areas I identified were gender roles, self-regulation and self-efficacy. These concepts, along with united and committed teachers, administrators, counselors and parents, could provide this student with the opportunity to grow and experience academic and social success at school. This artifact will serve me well in the future because it enables me to look beyond a problem student and see the root causes. I have the vocabulary and knowledge to interact with counselors and other specialists to develop a sound learning and behavior plan for students which will create safe, stable and empowering learning environments.

Artifact: Case Analysis Paper

A secondary artifact I created was an overview of social learning theories with an emphasis on John Locke. I conducted an overview of his learning development theory while focusing specifically on repetition, imitation and reward and punishment. My understanding of this theory along with others better equips me to understand how my students learn in the classroom and where each student is at developmentally. I can differentiate curriculum, assessments and pedagogy to reflect each student’s unique development. John Locke’s theories are particularly helpful because they focus on the entire range of a student’s life where other theories only cover the early years of development up to the primary grades.

Artifact: John Locke Reflection

“What I Learned” About What Knowledge Is of Most Worth?

I learned that hands-on instruction is important and even vital in some disciplines, verbal instruction should not be less important. Many teachers see hands-on and verbal instruction as an either/or argument. In his essay, “The School We Need”, Hirsch argues, “The difficulty with the premature polarization of this issue lies in its disparagement of the verbal as an essential and even dominant focus of schooling. In human beings, an essential residue of understanding is the ability to speak or write about what one has experienced.”

As a science teacher, I know the power of hands-on instruction through labs, activities and demonstrations. While this is a vital and necessary piece of science education, the power of verbal instruction should not be forgotten. Students need to debate and reflect verbally about the concepts being experienced in order for them to make connections to the real world and past learning. Not all students process verbally so written expression should also be offered. The point is hands-on instruction is not an end, it is only the gateway to deeper learning. Concepts become lasting memories through verbal and written reflection.

The question I have about this is what do teachers do with the students who cannot focus long enough to write even a paragraph on a lab experiment or have a quick discussion with a classmate? Classroom discussions tend to involve four to five students and the teacher while small group discussion rarely stay on task long enough for meaning to be reached. Is there a time-sensitive way for students to engage in deep reflection?

Action Plan

These are two action  I created for Kentridge High School to address areas of need in communication and collaboration. Some context is given about the school and it is evaluated using OSPI’s 9 Characteristics of Effective Schools. This is the culminating assignment for a class on collaboration and communication.

Ryan West- Action Plan

PLC + UbD

Professional Learning Communities and Understanding by Design are two current trends in education which have more in common than it might appear. The All Things PLC website gives a concise overview of PLCs which reveals many similarities with UbD curriculum design and both strategies, when used together, can greatly improve student learning. I would like to share two ways UbD and PLCs work together and one way UbD can be improved to match PLCs.

Shared mission, values, vision, and goals: The creating of statewide EALRs and GLEs has greatly increased the use of shared goals in classrooms, schools and districts. Teachers have a similar target they are aiming towards and this also allows for more collaboration and sharing of UbD unit plans. Our school has a common pacing plan which further allows us to collaborate and develop effective lessons and units.

Collaborative teams focused on learning: The emphasis of UbD is clear from the beginning. The first step in unit planning isn’t the daily activities but the goals, enduring understandings and standards. Then assessments are developed and finally lessons are created to support those assessments. The focus is on learning a small number of significant ideas.

Results orientation: UbDs work ends when the unit has been designed. There is no emphasis on re-evaluating the unit after it has been taught or analyzing data from the assessment. This is a key aspect which could improve the unit for future years. UbD would be greatly improved by a focus on data and results.

Communication Lessons Learned

For my reflection this week, I would like to share a few lessons I learned the hard way regarding communicating with parents. While they were frustrating to go through, I became a better teacher and communicator and I hope others can learn from my mistakes.

1. Proactive communication saves time. As a beginning teacher, my focus was on instruction and not student learning. I naively believed students and parents who were failing would seek help on their own. When grades were sent home,  I discovered that these parents and students had no idea how poorly they were doing and were upset with me. Now I contact parents and students quite early and offer solutions to raise their grades. I put the burden on them so I don’t create extra work for myself.

2. Email is not always best. I have sent out a few hasty emails to parents that have been taken the wrong way and resulted in some long and nasty replies which happen to be CC’ed to my administrator. Now, I either CC my administrator first so they are on board from the beginning or I call the parent to talk. It is too easy to misunderstand meaning through email. Many times, after a parent writes an angry email, they are much nicer over the phone because they don’t have a computer to hide behind.

3. Collaborate with a team. Many problem students have Special Education teachers or ELL teachers who work with them on a much more regular basis. Counselors also tend to know the students and their family much better while ELL teachers can be more culturally sensitive. I begin communication with parents many times but talking to other teachers and counselors first.

Communication with parents can be incredibly frustrating and time-consuming as I learned from the discussion this week. Websites such as SEDL offer good solutions for a variety of situations. When teachers are proactive, don’t use email too much and involve their colleagues, communication can be extremely productive and effective.

Bringing Hedgehogs to School

In Jim Collins bestseller, Good To Great, he discusses common practices of successful companies. One of those is called the Hedgehog Concept. The idea is that hedgehogs choose one thing to be good at and put all their energy into that which ensures their survival despite being small and otherwise defenseless. Collins argues that weaker companies are involved in too many ventures and haven’t found the one thing they can be the best at. Schools function in the same way. OSPI lists a “clear and focused goal” as one of its Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools.

There are many goals in a school. As we have seen in our weekly discussion on these topics, departments, grade levels and even teachers all have different goals for students. The federal government has dictated some of these goals through standardized testing, NCLB and AYP. It is easy for schools to become disullusioned and fractured with so many objectives. Our school is going through a valuable and necessary process of creating a common mission statement and school-wide goals as part of the accreditation process.

A recent staff development day began by looking at raw data from student, teacher and parent surveys regarding a variety of topics. We also analyzed test data and school demographics. This provided us with a big picture of our school’s successes and shortcomings. The second half of the day was spent reworking our mission statement and goals to account for what was discovered in the data.

The objective of this day was to come up with our Hedgehog concept. What can Kentridge High School, given the faculty, students, and community, do best? We did not finish this work but I am excited about what we have discovered so far and hope we can come to a consensus in the next six months about what our Hedgehog concept will be.

Teacher-Teacher Communication

A wise middle schooler once said, “communication is key in any relationship or game”. She was referring to a casual game of volleyball at the time but her statements is still profound. Communication is such an easy topic yet difficult to truly undertake. As the article this week said, true communication happens very often but when it does, student learning is greatly improved.

Throughout our class discussion this week, many examples of communication were cited. After school programs and teacher collaboration were two of the more hotly debated topics. Teacher collaboration is important but many times it is restricted to teachers within the same subject and never crosses over to different departments. Kentridge High School places most freshman and sophomores into “pods” which are groups of 90 students who have the same three teachers for the core subjects, english, science and social studies. This allows the teachers to communicate regarding students and work together with the counselor and parents to help the student succeed in their early high school years. Another way I have seen inter-departmental collaboration have a positive impact on student learning is when a coach approaches teachers regarding a failing athlete and together they develop a plan to get the student back on track.

High schools are renown for being these segregated places where teachers rarely talk to one another. As we have learned this week, when teachers go out of their way to communicate, students benefit and learning improves. The key is not just communication but authentic, real communication without prejudices, agendas or egos.