Should a teacher answer the phone during class? At a small school like ours, the answer might be “yes”.

No one calls my phone during the day.  All of my friends are either associated with the school or keenly aware of my job as a teacher.  Plus, in the Netherlands, I just don’t use my phone much.  As such, I never bother to turn it off.  It sits quietly and happily in my bag all day long.

However, recently, it rang during one of my classes.  I was in the middle of guiding my IB students through some activities and they were working independently on and off.  My ringing phone was such a curious incident that I decided to check who could possibly be calling me.  I looked at the caller ID and noticed it was a parent from the school I know quite well because I teach one of her daughters, my daughter is friends with another of her daughters (who I also had as a student last year) and my husband has coached her youngest daughter.  I knew she would not be calling my phone during school time unless there was a need.  My students were working independently so I answered the phone.

Apparently, her daughter had left her sports uniform in the locker room at the school before the team had departed for an out-of-town basketball game.  This parent was on their way to the game but time was of the essence and they had not planned to stop by the school.  She was wondering if there was anyway I could help orchestrate getting that uniform to the front of the school.  No problem.  I sent one of the students, who was furthest along in her independent work, scurrying to the locker room to find the abandoned uniform and then take it to the front office where the parents picked it up a few minutes later and still make it to the game in time for their daughter to play.  All went smoothly and my student returned to the classroom within 5 minutes.

I realized such a scenario could only happen at a small school like ours.  We are located in the Netherlands so already the rules are different than in U.S. public schools based on cultural and political differences in the school systems.  Our high school student population is under 50 students.  We are a family.  Everyone knows everyone and they all are “there for each other”.  It felt absolutely good and “right” to have answered my phone that day during my lesson. I am so glad to be part of a school family such as ours.

Changes to the PSOW form

As I mentioned yesterday, I finished the grading of the internal assessments (IAs) for the biology students.  I still need to fill out the PSOW sheet for each candidate.  This sheet involved documenting every lab we did during the two year course including the hours spent on the lab, a brief description of the activity, and the assessments performed.

I keep a log of the labs in a sample PSOW form as we do them.  I simply add the data to the sheet and at the end of the two year course I just need to copy it for each student and fill out the final information (that student’s individual IA scores as well as the personal skills and manipulative skills assessments).  I usually do a quick look through my blog and double check that I haven’t missed anything.  I’ll need to especially go through my unit plans and make sure I have all of the ICT activities listed.  My system has worked quite well and usually saves me some time at this time of year.

However, this year there is a new form.  The thought of copying and pasting all that information over to the new form is overwhelming me.  I was going to do it tonight but, in the end, couldn’t face it.  I perused the IBO web site to see if there was any advice.  Nothing.   I did notice in the shared teachers resource site that someone has created an Excel file that, when filled in, will generate the new PSOW form for each candidate.  That took a lot of work!  I couldn’t determine if it will help me.

I recognize the need for progress and improvement.  However, because I don’t understand yet how these forms work (apparently they can be saved while you’re working on them but I couldn’t reopen and saved attempts) it is exceedingly frustrating.  Before expecting teachers to make changes I think trouble shooting should have taken place and clear instructions should be offered.  Is that too much to ask?

IA progress - Celebrate the gains

I just spent 5 hours on a Friday night finishing up the grading of the internal assessment (IA) lab reports for my IB biology students.   I feel like I’ll never master the art of grading IAs.  However, I try harder each year.  This year I had both the 2013 subject report and the IB guide open on my computer.  I also had my IB examiner material available.  I went back and forth between sample work and the descriptors to accurately determine “complete”, “partial”, or “not at all”.  I was as careful as I could possibly be, taking short breaks so I wouldn’t burn out or get tired on a specific paper. I documented, in a word document, the justification for each mark I gave.  I don’t think I could have been more thorough.

Part of me is relieved to be basically done.  Part of me is discouraged to realize major gaps persist in my students’ work. I wonder how graphs appear in their work that I never taught or modeled for them.  I wonder why despite my two-year effort to consistently teach, model and have them rework graphs until they consistently demonstrated proper data processing and presentation that when they wrote their final reports their graphs look nothing like what they’ve been producing for two years.  How can this be?  We spent so much time on uncertainties and yet several students didn’t even include them.  I spent so much time working with them to control variables in an experiment and then they don’t bother.  

One of my students wrote the following beneath a graph, “The error bars show the margin of error the data has, they show how accurate the data is and how much u can trust the data collected".  I wanted to scream.  Since when do scientist "trust" anything? And the use of "u" is priceless.  After two years in both IB English and IB Science, this was the product?  I cringed to think of submitting the work feeling it somehow is a reflection of my abilities as an IB biology teacher.

In the context of my IB examiner training agenda, I was reading through and assessing submitted papers from May of 2013 to compare my marks with those of a moderator.  Suddenly I was actually comforted.  Some of those reports make my "u" student appear a genius.  Furthermore, my "u" student has finally written a lab report that, indeed, in many ways has surpassed all his past attempts.  I realize my students do have a sound grasp of the scientific method relative to many others out there.  So, even though I see major omission and mistakes, I realize they have learned.  I realize they have progressed significantly in the last two years.  It’s time to recognize and celebrate the gains.

Where's the Contents page?

“Look at this!  There is this huge picture on the front and yet this magazine is nothing about that!”  Two students approached me with the same observation almost simultaneously.  I responded, “You need to check the contents page to determine on what page the article is printed” 

“Where’s the Contents page?”

I felt hopelessly dated as my students thumbed through the National Geographic genuinely clueless as to how to find the cover page article embedded deep within the monthly periodical. 

I had instructed students to take a “National Geographic” from the stack of science-based issues situated on the shelf beneath the fish tank.  They were to leaf through a magazine searching for any article that might be linked to global warming.  My intentions were to have them see how pervasive the effects of global warming might be by immersing themselves in some great photography and evaluating whether the scenes/people/organisms in the images might be affected by climate change.  I didn’t think it would evolve into a lesson on using a magazine! 

I actually had to explain that they needed to look at the first couple of pages of the magazine, locate the Contents page, and search for a title that matched the cover on the front of the magazine.  This task required several seconds of processing to make a connection between the images on the cover accompanying the headline “Saving the Alps” to the title of the article listed inside as “Meltdown in the Alps”.  It was fascinating.

It was evidence of how the world of reading, education, and knowledge acquisition is rapidly evolving.  My students know the power of the Internet and the method of finding the newest and latest information.  Why would they ever have need to refer to a magazine?  Well at a minimum, they were enthralled with the images and the turning of the pages today.

Improve teaching with formative assessment for IB Students

Last week I gave my IB students a series of activities to complete in order to gain understanding of concepts in our genetic engineering topic.  They viewed videos, performed interactive tutorials, pasted tables and diagrams that they had to assemble, and completed some sequencing tasks.  With each activity they had to demonstrate knowledge in a written form.  Today I had to make the decision to continue with the topic of cloning or to review some of the topics from last week.

I put together a set of questions in a PowerPoint document (one question per slide) that would help me identify what percent of the students had mastered each concept.  As Dylan Wiliam counseled us in that workshop I went to a week and a half ago, I built each multiple choice question by identifying and including incorrect answers that would result from misconceptions.  I made sure there was more than one correct answer such that if a student picked both correct answers, it would be a demonstration of understanding.  There was no way to just guess a correct answer.  Any non-multiple choice questions were answerable with less than three words.  

Today at 14:00:

The students enter the classroom and I give them 10-minutes to review their notes from the previous activities challenging them to quiz each other on the concepts in an effort to confirm and seek understanding. 

14:10

The “whiteboards” (a clipboard with a piece of white paper overlaid with leftover laminate from the lamination machine) and markers come out of the box.  Interests peak as the students eagerly await receiving their marker, whiteboard, and “eraser” (a ¼ of a paper towel).  A bit of nervousness emanates from the students as they process that they will be individually responsible for writing down something pertaining to the content.  They recognize that this clearly is not a pair or group activity.

14:11

A barrage of questions comes my way: “Are we being tested?” “Oh no, this is going to be hard” “What types of questions are you going to ask?”

“Should I start with an easy one?” I query.  An emphatic host of “yes” responses reply so I quickly insert a multiple question that I am 99.99% confident everyone will correctly answer. 

14:12

We begin.  Thankfully everyone is on board with question #1 so I can proceed. 

The responses are instantly so informative, yielding not only misconceptions but deep thought processes and a clear indication that some students had sought for deeper understanding while completing the activities I had assigned them. Following the exposure of each misconception, I engage in discussion and additional formative assessment questions to ensure that I can move forward. 

14:25

We are on question #4.  I make the decision to put the cloning topic on hold until tomorrow. 

The students are engaged.  They are intense.  They are thoughtful as they choose their responses.  I can imagine the neurons firing in their brains as some of them recognize more than one correct answer but struggle with actually writing down TWO answers. 

15:05

We make it through the questions before class is over and I recall the whiteboards and markers.  The students place the supplies in the box and comment on how productive they feel.

15:07

One students states, “That was really good” and I respond, “Yes, it really helps me see what level the students have achieved in their understanding” to which she replies, “And it helps me see where I am at”. 

Another unexpected outcome of formative assessments has revealed itself.

15:15

I excitedly share the success with my colleague that attended the workshop with me.  She describes the achievements she has experienced with the “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E” cards with her classes.  We revel in the power of formative assessment and brainstorm additional ways of maintaining the practice in our classrooms.

15:30

I feel elated.  I’m grateful to be a teacher.  I rejoice at the prospect of improving myself as an educator.   I’m pleased that I have a whole list of improvements to make in my classroom after I’ve mastered the techniques of formative assessment that I’m currently working on.  I find it strangely comforting to know that there is a plethora of untapped ideas that I can try in my classroom that will assist me in developing into an exceptional teacher. 

Viva Voce for the Extended Essay: A Great component of IB

“Are we being graded on this?” a student timidly queried as he entered the room with his lab report supported tenderly in his hands.  Apparently our response was reassuring and he and the other two sat down with relaxed smiles on their faces.

Today my colleague and I administered the viva voce for three seniors who completed an Extended Essay (EE) in Science.   We had a chemistry and two biology EEs.  They shared with each other the results of their experiments and then answered our questions.  They were very open and reflective about the EE process.  All of them felt proud of the work they had done. They commented on how this was the largest project they had ever participated in and how satisfying it was to have completed a research experiment that spanned nearly a year.  There was definite relief in the room as they carefully slid their hard work into the bright yellow cover sheets.  I told them the current 11th graders were selecting their advisors and topics this week.  What was their advice for these students?  Start early!  Get the data collected THIS YEAR (as opposed to in the fall of the new school year).  Keep track of sources from the beginning, maintaining a running bibliography throughout the process.  Good advice.

It was wise to combine the three students as it created a relaxed yet formal environment where they could sincerely share their experience in the presence peer support.  The conversation was much more natural and flowing as compared to the viva voce I had completed last year with a single student.  The meeting provided needed closure for both advisor and student.  This is a critical and valuable piece of the EE experience in the IB and I encourage all teachers to give appropriate time for this process.

It also confirmed a value of the IB program.  As I've posted about before, I am evaluating the IB experience from perspective of parent this year.  On February 22 I posted about the EE being a definite element of the IB that is worth it.  Today, it was clear to me that this EE experience provided growth and development for these students.  Additionally it was an opportunity to complete a long-term, in-depth project that left them with a huge feeling of accomplishment.  It is an experience I am glad that both of my teenagers are participating in. 

Teaching the Scientific Method

Sometimes I wonder what is being taught in science classes around the world.  Each year we receive transfer students in every grade arriving from nearly every continent on earth.  I teach 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade Science thus, I have contact with practically every secondary student in our school.  My colleague and I took the IB lab report rubric for internal assessments and reduced the requirements gradually for each grade level down to 6th grade.  Thus, students attending our school from 6th grade on will have solid preparation in the scientific method and in lab reports by the time they enter the IB program.

For an overview of the expectations at our school, students entering 6th grade are expected to have a basic understanding of what it means to perform a “fair test” in science and to properly graph the results.  Some have an understanding of hypothesis.  By the December of 6th grade students are expected to be able to construct a research question in the “How does [independent variable] affect [dependent variable]?” format, to form a hypothesis in the “If [independent variable] affects [dependent variable] then increasing/decreasing [independent variable] will increase/decrease [dependent variable]”, and to identify the variables (independent, dependent and controlled with units).  Furthermore, they learn to put together a proper research report including the materials, procedure, raw data, processed data, graph, results, and conclusion.  They are introduced to designing experiments.  In 7th grade they are expected to create their graph in Excel and provide at least one weakness with suggested improvement regarding the experiment.  Their designs should include five values of the independent variables with three trials.  In 8th grade they need to include a trend line and at least three weaknesses with improvements.  In 9th and 10th grade they are practically completing IB quality labs as they add error bars to their graphs, descriptions of their calculations, and a thorough conclusion and evaluation.

So, when I get new middle school students who can’t follow any aspect of the scientific method I am perplexed.  When I get a transfer high school student who doesn’t know how to formulate a research question or identify variables, I am stunned.  How can a middle or high school student never have been exposed to writing a research report? In my opinion every scientific investigation should be framed by the scientific method.  In middle and early high school students should be immersed in the process in nearly every science class.  Gone are the days of lectures.  The science classroom should be a place of regular scientific discovery in the context of the scientific method.  

Short teacher statements yield student discourses

In the workshop last weekend, Dylan Wiliam would have us discuss at our table, then vote with our fingers, then he would draw out responses from the audience with statements, “You chose option A”.  I didn’t even notice what he was doing until he spelled it out for us.  He claimed that if you just make a statement, people will spill out what they are thinking. I wasn’t totally convinced even though I had evidence from that day suggesting that his claim was valid.

However, when I tried it in the classroom I was stunned.  I gave a series of multiple-choice questions and the students chose “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D” (or a combination of the letters) then I would simply state a student’s choice(s) and low and behold, they just offered their entire train of though in selecting that answer.  It was incredible and it gave me an instant view into how their minds were working.

At our faculty meeting this past Monday my colleague and I presented a teaser on what we learned at the Dylan Wiliam conference.  During the presentation we had teachers do some finger voting.  I then looked at individuals and stated how they voted.  The adult faculty responded the exact same way as the students did!  Each person immediately plunged into the reasoning behind their voting!  It was so enlightening. 

Given the immediately results of attempting this technique in the classroom, I do believe I will be able to make it a consistent part of my teaching.  Indeed, statements and restatements yield revealing discourses by our students.

Are rubrics the best technique for obtaining quality?

I sure didn’t have rubrics as a student.  I don’t recall exemplars either.  How did we know what to do?

Things have changed.  Most of my colleagues are intent upon delivering clear expectations to the students.  It seems obvious, right?  In order to produce quality work, students need to know what is expected.  The main technique now seems to be the rubric.  Rubrics are important to me and I provide one with each assignment.  I try to be as clear as possible so students know what they need to do to master the task at hand.  I do joint constructions.  I provide exemplars.  But, maybe this is all wrong.

Dylan Wiliam (in the workshop I attended last weekend) shared the idea that we, as teachers, need to teach students to have a “nose for quality”.  Our goal is to have students actually think like artists, mathematicians, historians, and scientists. Dylan referenced a quotation by Michael Polanyi, “The aim of skillful performance is achieved by the observance of a set of rules which are not known as such to the person following them”(1) Dylan further went on to describe a study done on goal keepers in the game of football (soccer), a study which I have not yet found myself to read.  If the study did take place, the eyes of the keepers were tracked to see where the focus was.  Apparently, every goalie focused not on the ball but on the hips of the player kicking the ball.  It was actually the position of the opposing player's hips that would determine where the ball would go.  The goalies didn’t even know they were doing this.  This practice (or rule) resulted from their experience, not from anyone telling them what to do and certainly not from a rubric. It makes me rethink my purpose in handing out a rubric. 

I need to find time to make sure that my students truly understand the criteria for success. Then, I need to help my students actually internalize the material.  Ultimately, I might reach a point where quality doesn’t have to be defined because it is known.  For now, however, my starting point is the rubric.  As I become a better teacher, I look forward to when I can report on how my students have evolved into learners who have, indeed, developed a "nose for quality".

1) Polanyi, M. (1958). Personal knowledge; towards a post-critical philosophy.. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (31).

Soaking Students

Today I took my IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) students outside to collect some water and soil around our school grounds.  The plan was for the students to perform pH, nitrate, ammonia, and dissolved oxygen tests on the samples to ascertain the health of the surrounding canal water and soil.  Additionally, they will determine the Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the water.  Furthermore, they will calculate the Trent Biotic Index of the canal water.  Thus, they will have personally experienced every aspect of Topic 5.2 of the ESS course.  Sounds reasonable, right?  I thought so!

So, we eagerly headed outside equipped with labeled containers for their samples.  The students divided the labor equally and set to work.  One student jokes, “I’ll collect the water because maybe I’ll fall in again”.  I am not amused because he actually did “fall” into the canal water in the autumn when we were doing another experiment.  I recollect seeing him stroll towards me on the wooded pathway that fall day.  I wasn’t sure what I was observing so I turned to the other students and appealed, “Please tell me that David is not walking towards me in his underwear”.  The students solemnly confirmed that David was, indeed, walking towards me in his underwear.  I did not want a repeat event. 

Fortunately, we collected the samples without further ado and returned to the classroom for testing.  However, upon viewing the test instructions, the students realized that they actually needed more canal water.  Guess who volunteered to round up more water?  That’s right, David.  I hesitated but a colleague who had stepped into the room volunteered to accompany David to help him retrieve the water.  I felt assured with this plan and stayed with the other students while they prepped the rest of the lab.  A few minutes later, my colleague returned with the pitcher of water but not the student.  “David fell into the canal”, she reported, “and has gone to the shower room to clean up”.   Really?  Really?  Really?  Should I laugh or should I be furious?  I was battling both reactions in that moment.

Shattered beakers, cracked test tubes, broken thermometers, fractured syringes, splattered solutions, spilled powders, all kinds of random, unthinkable messes and even fires can be part of my job.  However, today, the drenched docent was my limit.  Thankfully, it was Friday afternoon.

Will I return on Monday with a full lab agenda for the week?  Of course! Despite the untidiness and chaos associated with guiding MS and HS students through the scientific method, it’s worth every minute!  Will I return to the canals for further investigations?  Absolutely.  But without David.

Teacher Training, the CGC, and Questioning

We, the teachers, were actually given homework!  Before today’s staff meeting we were to read the brochure for the Common Ground Collaborative (CGS) and watch the eight short videos from the International School of Brussels (ISB) on the CGC.  Additionally, we were to take a short survey regarding our frustrations with curriculum and take a look at the ISB Facebook page to get a feel for the culture of the school.  I took my homework assignment seriously and completed all the tasks with diligence.  I was left with a series of questions and dutifully wrote them down.   Isn’t that what I expect of my students?  I hope they’ll come to me for clarification.  I figured I could get answers to my questions from the guest who would be directing our workshop and who happens to be one of the creators of CGS himself.  If we’re considering adopting CGC at our school, it seemed to me that we should be able to resolve concerns we might have regarding making what appears to be a major change.  That sounds reasonable, right?

So, I listened to the presentation.  The guest was amiable and appeared to have an unpretentious thoughtful manner coupled with a sense of humor.  I enjoyed the event more than I anticipated.  However, all the information was very superficial and my questions were burning within.   Finally there was an opening and I launched into what slowly became an interrogation.  I was consumed by my hunger for dialogue regarding standards based assessment, formative assessment, rubrics, teacher support, teacher training, the organization of sharing and the method of collaboration.  I couldn’t stop raising my hand with more questioning.  Finally he said, “Your questions are hard” and then to our director, “Who is this?”  And ultimately, “You can’t ask any more questions”.  And he was serious!  I attempted a couple more times and each time he said I wasn’t allowed any more time.  There was humor in his approach but I have to admit, I felt a bit brushed off.  I wanted answers and here was the topmost source!  How could I let the opportunity pass by?  He did spend some time with me at the end of the workshop and I was able to obtain more answers and understanding. 

In the end, I think I’m “on board” to give this program a chance.  I like the idea of global collaboration.  Furthermore, I see a need for consistency in language and curriculum approach in the international schools.  Quality control in the sharing process is an imperative that the CGC strives to adhere to.  The ultimate objective of an organized bank of high quality ideas is, indeed, appealing.  It is comforting to envision holding on to all of our good ideas and units and plans but having a resource to refer to in order to fill in gaps.  Additionally, ISB and the CGC are both based on standard based grading which is a direction I hope our school will head.

On a final note, however, I hope that I never stop a student’s questioning.  It is inquiry and the desire to know more that drives good dialogue and discussion, ultimately leading to learning.

!AISR's GOT TALENT!

Students worked in groups of 3 or 4 to prepare a musical number that they could present to parents, staff and peers.  As we neared performance day, class time was given from other classes enabling students to perfect their number.  One group actually composed their own piece.  Others created arrangements for known pieces and several prepared a familiar song, as the populace knows it.

This morning they nervously waited their turn on stage but each group, as soon as they began their performance, appeared to proceed with ease.  It was amazing.  Drums, keyboard, vocal, and guitar – they tackled it all.  Then, the judges posed questions to the group that centered on the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) theme that pertained to their group (either adaptability, competition, or community) and related to their band experience.  They consulted with each other and answered individually providing reflective insight as to how these themes related to them.

I was asked to be a judge.  I settled in on “Vicki Pinaj” and in preparation I viewed several video clips of Nicki Minaj as a judge on American Idol.  I secured a blue wig from a colleague and some outrageously long, hot pink, feathery earrings from my daughter.  I purchased some fake eyelashes (a first for me) to top off my costume.  This morning it took me about 40 minutes to put those silly things on my eyes, and I was only successful after recruiting the help of my daughter and her friend.  However, once I was properly outfitted, I walked into that room with a whole new attitude.  It was so fun!  I truly enjoyed displaying an alter ego.

The best part of the morning was watching these courageous middle school students stand up to perform.  Furthermore, the music was actually good and enjoyable to listen to.  One parent said, “This is such an amazing feature of this school – that this was a safe enough place for all of these students to rise and perform was incredible”.  She continued to reiterate how rare and amazing it was.  I have to agree.  The scene today was special and it was largely possible because of the family like atmosphere generated at our small school.

Should we repeat the event again next year?  Absolutely!  Parents, staff, and students were thrilled with the outcome.

Formative assessment in Science

A couple of days ago I wrote that I was at a conference over the weekend titled “Formative Assessment” by Dylan Wiliam.  In the context of that workshop Dylan shared with us over 65 techniques for completing formative assessment in the classroom.  He then challenged us to select one to three techniques that we would implement in the classroom over the next year.  I took the challenge and integrated formative assessment into my classroom this week.  It did extend the lesson time by 30 minutes but it was worth it. Here is a summary of the experience:

I used:

-       Whiteboards for students to individually commit to answers and for me to complete formative assessment on where the class was to determine where to take the lesson.

-Questioning for diagnostic assessment AND to promote discussion

-       Finger voting for students to individually commit to answers in order for me to determine understanding.

-       Hot seat questioning to help a student correct misconceptions

-       Restatements of how a student voted.  Just like in the videos, my students responded to these restatements with an explanation of their train of thought in arriving to their conclusion.  I did not have to ask a single question.  I just had to wait for their response.  Amazingly, they continued to talk until they felt they had completely explained their thinking.   I uncovered so much information but most importantly how their brains were processing information that day.  It was electrifying.

My students:

-       At first were unsure about this new process, asking, “Is this a test?” and furtively looking their peers’ whiteboards

-       Then the fear departed and an excitement to participate and understand entered in.

-       No longer were students concerned with what others were writing.  They were focused on their engagement with the concepts.

-       They inadvertently exposed misconceptions

-       They equally were able to inadvertently clear up misconceptions

-       My students LEARNED!

-       My students developed understanding!

-       My students progressed!

-       And, as a total bonus, they enjoyed the process exclaiming, “That was fun”

Now I am confidant they all know what diffusion and osmosis are and can clearly describe the difference. Furthermore, they are truly ready for an osmosis lab during their next class.  And, I am determined to continue implementing these techniques into all my lessons until they are second nature.

Second Update on our journey towards SBG

Our goal was to let the staff see for themselves that a change in our reporting system was necessary.  We were hoping that they would approve a move by our focus group to rewrite the report cards.  We handed out copies of several report cards from the school.  Teachers eagerly poured over the documents in groups of two or three.  I heard exclamations such as, “I had no idea they were all so different”, “I’ve never seen these before”, “There is no consistency”, “Even the descriptors are different!”  And on it went.  Every group could be heard reaching a consensus that a change needed to be made.

So, we took a vote.  Fortunately the staff voted unanimously in favor of reworking the report cards.  It felt like a small victory. 

Now, we will create a uniform reporting system that appears visually similar in both elementary and secondary school.  The most exciting thing for me, however, is that it gives us an opportunity to separate the learning behaviors from academic achievement.  I cannot wait to see a draft of that in print!  It finally feels like we are on our way to standards based grading, even though I know the journey is a long one.

Teachers are doing their best

I just spent two days in a workshop by Dylan Wiliam on Assessment for Learning.  The focus, in the end, was formative assessment and we were left to choose from a list of over 35 strategies to improve formative assessment in our classrooms.  We were challenged to select one to three techniques to focus on and develop over the next year in our classrooms.

I am excited to try a couple of new techniques in my classroom (and report on them here), however, a message delivered in the workshop that continues to ring true for me is that teachers are doing the best that they can and they are doing a good job.  After all, there isn't one teacher that is deliberately participating in activities that inhibit learning.  All teachers, are, however, inadvertently applying techniques that aren't most effective in increasing achievement of their students.  Additionally, the nature and role of being a teacher is constantly changing as students and learning styles evolve over the years.  We have no idea what kind of world our students will actually be entering when they leave the workforce.  We don't know what options for jobs they will have.  There will probably be jobs and opportunities available to our students that don't even exist now.  We don't even know what we are preparing students for!  Given these variables, we as teachers, even the very best, always have room to become better and to find ways to most effectively help our students to progress in their learning.   

If I focus each year on just three strategies for increasing learning I gained this weekend, I have ten years of improvement before me.  And there are over 300 such strategies! How incredible it would be to have teaching learning time built into our schedules where we could learn about new strategies and plan to implement them in our classrooms.  If we had the opportunity to reflect regularly, make adjustments, and constantly improve our teaching, imagine how amazing we would all be!

While yes, curriculum, methods of reporting (i.e. digital), web sites, technology, schedules, course offerings, etc. are all important, if I owned my own school, I think I'd focus on teacher development.  Developing the best possible teachers who are always increasing their skills would make an incredible school.  If teachers were constantly becoming more skilled the results would be better education, happier more fulfilled teachers, and students who are learning.

Do high school students need school?

An idea was expressed today in the workshop that after the age of 14 or 15 it isn’t necessary for students to have social contact in learning.  It was further suggested that the trend of high education will be towards online learning and that high school teachers will eventually merely help students source their education.   I’m not sure if I agree with this for several reasons.

First of all, not all students are independent, online learners.  For the students at our school completing online classes, it is difficult to stay current with assignments and manage their online workload.  Additionally, they simply do not enjoy those classes.  They would much rather sit in a classroom with peers and a teacher.

Furthermore, I remain unconvinced that simulations and virtual labs are even remotely like “the real thing”.  There simply is nothing like wrapping your own hands around a pig's heart and performing the dissection.  Nor can a computer give the same experience of handling dialysis tubing, tying it up, filling it with starch solution, and setting it in a beaker of iodine solution and then observing the drastic color change as the iodine diffuses across the semi-permeable membrane. It just isn’t the same to use a flat screen as it is to do it yourself.  It just isn’t.  And for now, I have not seen any evidence that can convince me otherwise.

Additionally, don’t human beings need some social contact?  Don’t human beings need to be encouraged to be compassionate individuals with feelings?  Isn’t that what partially sets us apart from other species?  Don’t students need to be around other humans to foster the essence of what makes us human?    

Maybe time and/or technological advances will persuade me otherwise but tonight I am convinced that there remains a purpose and a need for high schoolers to attend school and interact with other people in the context of their learning. 

Why does professional development feel like a sacrifice?

Why must professional development sometimes feel like a sacrifice?  I really enjoy professional development and I select ones that I’m particularly interested in.  However, either you must miss teaching days and go through the hassle/stress of arranging your classes for a substitute.  Or, you must take weekends and/or holidays to complete your professional development and you are left feeling somewhat robbed of needed “time off”.  Either way, it’s a sacrifice.

It’s Friday night and I just drove 4.5 hours with a colleague to get from the Netherlands to Luxembourg for a conference on “Assessment for Learning”.  I am enjoying the trip with my colleague and I am eager for the information to be gleaned from this conference.  However, I have missed two basketball games of my teenagers and I will be working all weekend.  We drive home on Sunday evening following the conference, just to get up early on Monday and face our regular week without having had any recovery time from this week.  It will be a bit rough!  However, hopefully it will be worth it!  I’ll report tomorrow.

Welcoming Neurodiversity into the Classroom

Today we had a visiting student.  He and his family are considering our school.  He has a “neurodiverse” mind.  I am an advocate of supporting and embracing the neurodiverse minds in our classrooms, as I truly believe they have a place in our society.  I know their unique approach to problems and scientific methodology enhances the classroom experience generating fascinating discussion and a creative approach to setting up experiments.  Thus, I welcome diversity in my room.

This student, within five minutes, had touched nearly every “interesting” item in the classroom.  It was difficult for him to focus on the science experiment the others were designing and carrying out.  A learning support teacher was accompanying him and her full-time attention was required to help him stay on task.   His mind went in 100 directions as he was faced with each task within the experimental procedure.  He made a myriad of fascinating connections that he had to share.  Some comments fit with the direction of the objectives while others, at the surface, seemed to take us far off task.  However, with the patient guidance of the learning support teacher, we could see the logic of the connections.  Additionally, she was able to help him stay focused in such a way that he could achieve the objectives of the lesson.  In the end it was a win-win situation in which everyone benefitted.

Dyslexic and autistic minds as well as other neurodiverse “conditions” that seem to find themselves mainstreamed more and more frequently in the classroom are challenging while simultaneously rewarding to the class.  I find that it is so much easier on all involved to have support in the classroom when mixing extremely different minds.  With proper support each type of mind benefits from the presence and perspective of the other minds.  While at times it is exhausting, in the end, I am thrilled to have neurodiversity in my science classroom.  Neurodiversity brings positive energy, more engaging discussions, opportunities for growth in collaboration between students, opportunities to gain appreciation for other minds, unique perspectives, and simply stated, a stimulating environment.  However, proper support is essential for the maximum benefits to occur.

First update on our journey towards SBG

Our focus group for Standard Based Assessment and Reporting had another meeting today.  We looked at five of the current report cards our school uses (apparently there are 23 on file!) between elementary and secondary schools.  It was astounding how much inconsistency there is and how meaningless the report cards appear to be when stacked up next to each other like that.  It is clear we need to rework the method of reporting at our school.

We additionally followed up on our faculty meetings in the secondary and elementary schools.  Clearly the elementary school teachers were more receptive than our divided (or should I say divisive) secondary teachers. 

I also shared with the focus group my experience in showing one of the teachers from the “include behaviors in the grade” camp how I manage reporting learning behaviors in my grade book without processing them in the final grade.  Upon seeing my reporting system this teacher responded very positively, “Oh yes, I could totally go for that.”  We concluded, in our focus group, that the secondary teachers might be more open to the SBG if they could be assured that behaviors would, indeed, be assessed and reported on, even if the behaviors did not affect the actual grade of the student.

We have decided that we will divide our focus group into two teams.  One team will create a streamlined report card that will work throughout the elementary school.  A distinct feature will be a column for achievements (based on the standards) and a column for learning behaviors.  The other team will create a reporting system for the secondary school that also separates achievements from learning behaviors (or, as I prefer to call it, “Employability Skills”).  Armed with more effective reporting systems, we will once again approach the staff in an effort to move in the direction of standard based assessment and reporting.  

Deep Approach to Learning: Derive it yourself!

I just read two articles on deep versus surface approaches to learning: “Deep and Surface Approaches to Learning” by Jenni Case and “Deep, surface, and strategic approaches to Learning” by Jack Lublin.

Jack Lublin gives a list of characteristics of a deep approach to learning that includes “interact vigorously with the content”.  To me this actually means having the students engaged with the content.  Today, in IB Biology I was supposed to cover the Hardy-Weinberg principle.  The IB students need to be able to “explain how the Hardy–Weinberg equation is derived” (Assessment statement D.4.1).  Well, is there a better way to learn how to explain it than to actually derive it oneself?  So, I put together a series of guiding questions and problems to help them derive the Hardy-Weinberg equation themselves, additionally determining, on their own, the assumptions that needed to be made in order for the equation to work (assessment statement D.4.3).  Their response?  “This is so cool.”  Additionally, as they then moved into using the equation to tackle questions regarding allele frequencies (assessment statement D.4.2), they manipulated the equation with ease.  The equation, its use, and the assumptions were not just a formula and material to memorize; but rather combatively it all became a principle they truly understood.