Boosterthon FunRun Update!

Today was an exciting day at NeSmith Elementary.  The students participated in the Boosterthon FunRun.  Students from McClendon Elementary were also bused over to participate.  Everyone had so much fun. Boosterthon staff members made it so much exciting for the kids.  They played great music, danced, ran with the kids, and inspired the kids to keep going.  This fundraiser was a huge success, with our two campuses raising thousands of dollars to be used toward technology.  The Boosterthon team also brought us lots of character trait support, incluidng some awesome music videos. Overall, I would say this was one of the most successful fundraisers I've ever participated in, and it was probably also the most fun.
They also gave us one more night to collect pledges so if you haven't donated but you'd like to, please click here.  Your donation is greatly appreciated.
If your campus is looking in to new ideas for fundraisers, I recommend you visit Boosterthon's home page and see what they are all about.  It really was a rewarding experience for all of us.

My little runner, Imma

Imma completed 30 laps!

Reflection and Flexibility

A friend once told me that I think so far outside of the box, it's difficult for other people to see what I'm talking about because they can't see that far--the sides of the box are in the way. I think she was joking but I understand her point. Sometimes it is difficult to execute a plan when others can't always envision what we are talking about.  This late in the year, it is often easy to say, "I'll wait and change that next year."  My question to you is, "Why? If something isn't working, why would you wait to change it?  Change it now." In education, we are always asked to be flexible and we do a really good job of bending all sorts of ways to accommodate lots of people--students, parents, other teachers, administrators.  Are you being this flexible with yourself?  Here are some questions to ask yourself. If you take time to reflect on the answers to these questions, you might just find yourself way outside of the box as well.
1. What is working in my classroom?
2. What evidence is there to support the fact that it is working?
3. What is it about the way this process is executed that makes it work?
4.  Do I need to do any tweaking to make it even better?
5. What is not working in my classroom?
6. How do I know it isn't working?
7. Why isn't it working?
8. What would it look like if it was working?
9. Whose responsibility is it to change it so that it works?
10. What is preventing me from making those changes now?

What side of the box are you on?

These questions don't come from any leadership guru or educational genius. They come from me.  They are not a sure-fire, researched-based, be-all-and-end-all way to ensure your classroom becomes the Utopia we all strive for.  They are simply some reflective questions which may or may not get you a little closer to sanity, I mean,  a highly-functional, productive classroom.
I find myself often hemmed in by thinking things have to be a certain way, until I stop to question why things were  set up that way to begin with. If you really start tearing down walls and the restraints we have set around ourselves, you start to realize we are missing the solutions to a lot of problems that could potentially save us a lot of stress and problems if we could just see past the barriers.  I can give you an example of this. I worked at a campus where every year there was a struggle with what should come first, lunch or recess.  "Well, if they go to lunch first, they'll hurry through so they can play. But if they go to recess first, their hands will be dirty, etc."  The campus I am at now doesn't have a recess/lunch block at all.  Recess is scheduled at a completely different time. Someone along the way asked the question, "Why do these two things have to go together?  Because they always have?  Nah, let's do it differently."  Now, apply that same thinking to all of the other things we do a certain way just because that's how we do it and you'll see that much of what we do can be done differently--smarter, faster, better.
What areas would you like to improve?  Can you see any barriers you will need to get down?  Are you willing to be more flexible with yourself? Please leave a comment and thanks for reading!

What's the Word?

Just a quick post today, since we are all dreaming about the weekend!
I wanted to discuss word walls and some easy ways you can use them in your classroom to help support reading acquisition skills, writing, and vocabulary in every subject. Most of you probably have at least one word wall in your room.  How are you using them?  Are they a part of your direct teach lessons? Are students using them?  Are they just there?  Hopefully, this post will give you a few ideas for how word walls can be used.
The primary reason we have word walls is so that students can use them as a resource. If your word wall is in an area that is inaccessible to students,  you might consider moving it.  Kids should not only be able to see it, they need to be able to reach it.  They should be able to remove words, use them, and put them back.  I know this makes some elementary teachers cringe because they picture a disheveled word wall where everything is out of order and crooked!  But, that's what I love to see when I come into a classroom.  It shows me that the kids are using the word wall.  Magnetic words or Velcro are perfect because a student can take the word to his or her desk, use it for writing or whatever they need, and then put it back.  When a child actually has the opportunity to touch the word, carry it around a bit, use it, and then return it, they are more likely to own that word.  It really has a great impact on their ability to remember the words.
I also recommend you use it during your guided reading groups. I tell students that, if a word is on the word wall, they are responsible for it. If a student consistently gets stuck on a word in a guided reading book, and that word is on the word wall, I ask the student to go find it.  Again, more ownership.  I say things like, "This is your word.  You have to stick it in your brain so you can find it." We talk about the letters, the sounds, where we see that word and then the child puts it back on the word wall. Periodically, I will ask him or her about their word throughout the day so that they have constant reminders of what that word is, what it looks like, and why it is important.

Word walls should be accessible, kid-friendly, and organized 

There are all sorts of games you can play with the word wall during your literacy block, mini-lesson, small group, direct teach--basically anytime.  You can have students guess what word you are thinking of by giving them clues. You can do word sorts.  Have them sing the word wall.  We would sing, "I can spell "the."  I can spell "the." T-H-E, yes, I can spell "the." This same melody fits with just about any song. For centers, you can have them write the room, including the word wall.  Have them use the words on the word wall to make sentences.  They can take turn with a partner.  Word sorts work great here, too.  Have them take off a few rows and put them back on.  Anything that is engaging will go a long way towards helping them learn those words.
For vocabulary, I suggest a word wall for every subject.  Each time you have a new vocabulary word in science, it goes on the science word wall.  It doesn't have to be alphabetical.  In fact, it often helps if it is by unit. Rely on this word wall during your lessons. Point to it when you're using the word. Have the students create illustrations to go along with the word and hang those up, too.  It's okay to retire words from any word wall once your students don't need them any more but continue to make them accessible by hanging them on a ring or putting them in a basket so students can refer back to them.
Finally, I suggest you create a word wall for each student.  Just use a manila folder.  Each letter has a box and students can fill it in as they go.  Not every student will need every word but if you see that a student is consistently struggling with a word, add it to his or her word wall.  This is extremely helpful during writing when children constantly want to ask you how to spell a word and you are busy conferring with other children.  Write it on a sticky and have them transfer it to their word wall. Easy and effective.
I know there are many more great ways to use a word wall.  What are some of your favorite activities for word walls?

5 Ways an Instructional Coach Can Support You!

Whenever a parent or another adult asks me what I do, I always hesitate.  Most of the time they don't have any idea what a "Reading Specialist" or an "Instructional Specialist" is.  I get all kinds of questions. In fact, I usually just say, "I'm a teacher," and hope they don't ask what grade I teach.  But they usually do and then I have to try to explain, which I don't mind but people still usually don't understand exactly what I do. I can't blame them for not knowing.  I don't think we had any coaches or specialists in my school when I was a kid so they probably didn't either.  Though parents may not necessarily need to know what I do, teachers definitely need to know what a coach does and how coaches and specialists can support them in the classroom.  I have found that not all teachers are really familiar with all of the areas wherecoaches can provide support and many of them don't  ask.  So, this is a quick list of five ways teachers can utilize coaches and specialists to assist them in becoming even stronger teachers.

Like a sports coach, an instructional coach provides feedback and encouragement.

1. Coaches can offer feedback.  I've been teaching for a while now and if there's one thing I know about teachers, most of us are perfectionists.  We don't want to look like we don't know what we are doing and we don't want to be evaluated!  Luckily, coaches know this and they are never in a classroom to evaluate the performance of a teacher.  They can, however, offer some observational data that can be extremely helpful when a teacher is not sure s/he is using the best method to teach a specific skill.  Unlike most professions, we do not have the benefit of watching our colleagues work.  We don't have many opportunities to talk about the "how" of teaching because we are often talking about the "what."  A coach can come into a classroom, observe a lesson, and let a teacher know what went well and what he or she can do to make lessons even more powerful.  This should never be in a critical or judgemental way but in a constructive, positive conversation among colleagues.  If you feel like there is an area where you can improve, ask a coach to come and do an observation.  It's a great way to improve our craft!
2. Coaches can provide resources. This is one area where I feel many teachers do utilize their coaches. Personally, I try to have as many resources, or suggestions for where to look for materials, as possible so that, when a teacher comes to me and says, "How can I teach this?" I have something to give to them or a place to start looking with them.  I always assure them that part of my responsibility is to make sure they have everything they need.  Because I hate  dislike worksheets, I am very good at offering alternative methods of teaching and have collaborated with several teachers and teams of teachers to create lots of project based learning activities.  If you are looking for new and different ideas for covering a particular student expectation, consult with your coach!
3. Coaches are excellent collaborators! If you or your team are trying something new and you want input from an experienced teacher who has had the opportunity to visit lots of classrooms, ask a coach to sit-in.  Most coaches are very good at contributing to conversations without dominating the meeting.  If you want an expert opinion about whether or not a new approach or strategy is going to work, invite your coach to participate in your next team planning meeting.  You may even want to ask them to bring some resources or ideas with them. Or, if you just want someone to bounce ideas off of, coaches are great at that as well.  You should never feel as if an administrator or evaluator is present when your coach is attending your meetings because s/he is a teacher and is there to support you and your team.
4. Coaches can model and co-teach. Like our students, most of us learn best by watching and doing.  If you would like to observe another teacher but you can't leave your classroom, invite your coach to model a lesson for you.  It's a great way to see a fabulous teacher deliver a lesson without having to worry about finding someone to cover your class. Another great way to observe another teacher and still be with your class is to invite a coach to co-teach with you. Coaches love this because we miss teaching! We get to work with your kids and learn from you as well. I've never co-taught a lesson and not walked away with at least one great idea I learned from the classroom teacher.  Co-teaching is also great because of the collaboration that goes into planning the lesson and the discussion afterwards.
5. Coaches can work with a small group--in your classroom--while you are working with a small group. When I was a new teacher, I had no idea how to pull a guided reading group.  I went and observed an excellent teacher and it helped me tremendously.  As a coach, this is the area where I am most often asked to model and that's not surprising because it can be tough. If you have a coach available, ask him or her to come in and model a guided reading group, ask them to observe you teaching one, and then ask them to pull a group while you are pulling one.  Not only does it ensure more of your students are engaged while you are pulling a group, it also gives you the opportunity to watch the coach and adjust your lesson as you are working.  It' a fabulous way to learn from an expert while you are still teaching your own students.

There are lots of ways Instructional Coaches and Specialists can support you and help you grow as a teacher. I have often heard teachers say they don't want to ask for help because they are afraid they will look like they don't know what they are doing.  This is far from the case. The best teachers continuously look for ways to grow and they take advantage of the resources they have available to them. If you have an expert in your building, why not utilize that person and ask for their guidance?  A good coach will be excited to work with you and your kids.  We love talking about teaching, sharing resources, collaborating with other teachers, working with kids--and teaching! Don't be afraid to start a conversation and see where it takes you!

Teachers--in what ways have you utilized an Instructional Coach?  What was the result?
Coaches--How else can teachers use you to strengthen their teaching skills?

Why Skill Builders Works

I had a great conversation yesterday with my principal about Skill Builders.  We talked about why it works, why it's tricky, and why some love it will other teachers really don't like it.  I have experienced Skill Builders on grade-level teams as well as a campus wide program, and I really think it can be instrumental in meeting the specific needs of individual students--if it is implemented with fidelity.
Like all things in education, I'm sure there are other names for Skill Builders so let me define exactly what I am talking about.  In my experience, Skill Builders involves dividing students into groups based upon which student expectation each child has not mastered.  So, teachers examine current data carefully, assessments, running records, etc., and determine which student expectations need to be covered.  Keeping in mind that, in most cases, all of the students will need to be in a group, teachers choose or are assigned a skill that they will teach in their Skill Builders group. Since on-grade-level students and above-grade-level students will also need to be in a group, it is not just the low student expectations that will need to be assigned to a teacher.  Depending upon the number of teachers involved in Skill Builders and the number of students who are below-grade-level, there may be several low groups, a middle group and a high group.  Teachers need to look at each student's data and determine which group will most closely fit what the student needs to know next. The trickiest part is making sure that the lower-level students are in small groups.  If they are not, it will be much more difficult to make an impact on their learning.  When possible, make your higher level group(s) the largest so that they can work on an Inquiry Circle Project or some other type of project based learning activity.  This allows one teacher to have several students authentically engaged while the other teachers are working with students who really need more individualized attention.
Once you have determined which students belong in which groups, be conscientious about assigning teachers to the groups.  If you have a teacher who really rocks phonics, put her with the low group. If your have a teacher who works really well with gifted and talented or higher achieving kids, give her that group.  When possible, attempt to match your lower students with teacher who are not their homeroom teacher.  Sometimes these children benefit most from hearing another teacher explain the skills they are missing. If they are in a group with their own classroom teacher, they may be missing out on an opportunity.  Sometimes this will be unavoidable but it is something to consider.
It is important that all of the teachers have input into the lessons for each group if they have a child that will be placed in that group.  Ultimately, the teacher who is pulling that group of children will need to decide how she is going to address her student expectation but if the other teachers are not aware of what each group is working on, this can cause problems with overlapping lessons, guided reading books being read more than once by the same students, and too many projects for your higher kids.  When your team meets, talk briefly about what you are doing or make your plans available for others to see in a shared folder.
These groups also need to be very fluid. If a student masters a skill quickly, move that child to another group.  If you find that a child is struggling in one of the higher groups, perhaps there is a group focusing on the skills he needs work in.  In order for Skill Builders to be successful, it must be flexible and teacher have to communicate.
It is also essential that teachers communicate about student progress and what they are seeing in their groups.  As a Reading Specialist, I work with students from every single classroom on my campus. I am constantly communicating with teacher and letting them know how their students are doing in my groups.  We must discuss the child's progress so that we know what he or she is responding to and what skills or knowledge I am seeing that perhaps the classroom teacher hasn't seen, or vice versa. You would probably be very surprised to know how often I see something the teachers don't see or a child will be able to complete a task for a teacher but not for me.  Children are little enigmas!  Without constant communication, Skill Builders will not be as successful as it could be.
It is certainly much more simple to implement Skill Builders on a grade-level basis.  For example, the first grade team at our campus is currently implementing Skill Builders.  They meet every week for their Professional Learning Team and one of the things they talk about is their Skill Builders groups.  If they need to move students, they do so. If a teacher has a concern about a student, they can discuss it. If a teacher needs to select a different student expectation, she has her teammates to help her look at the data, decide what to cover next, and help her plan her lessons.  For this team, it doesn't take long for them to do any of these things because the work extremely well together, they communicate professionally and they own all kids.  This is the philosophy that must be adopted for Skill Builders to work well.
When attempting to implement Skill Builders campus wide, this is much more difficult.  Scheduling has to be considered.  Skill Builders cannot happen when a grade-level is at lunch, special classes like music, or at recess.  Likewise, teachers have to be able to communicate with colleagues in other grade-levels, which means there most likely will not be a shared planning time. Administrators will need to build this time into the teachers' schedule, either on an assigned meeting day or as part of their contract time.  Lesson planning is more difficult because students are covering various materials in their classes.  Logistically speaking, it is more difficult. Students may not know how to get to their Skill Builders teacher's classroom.  All of these things must be considered--but it can be done.  I've actually done it myself!
I served as summer school principal at a 3-5 campus and we implemented campus wide Skill Builders. I felt that it was very successful and the students loved it.  I did a lot of work on the front end to try to ensure the success of the program. I knew I had four weeks so I had a precise number of days.  I planned all of the lesson for the reading groups ahead of time. I looked at the student data, divided the students into groups, assigned the student expectations to teachers, and created folders with all of the lessons they needed, plus some extras just in case.  I asked the Instructional Specialist at the campus to do the same for math.  I believe all of this work before school began was very important to the success of the program.  The end result was that every educator on our campus (myself included!) spent 30 minutes in the morning in Skill Builders group for reading and 30 minutes in the afternoon in Skill Builders for math. I used the Library Media Specialist, the Instructional Specialist, the Special Education teacher, the Instructional Aides, everyone who could teach was teaching.  The kids had a passport and they earned a stamp each time they attended.  The kids looked forward to going to Skill Builders because we made it fun, it was timely for each of them, and no one was bored.  Everyone was learning exactly what he or she needed to learn at that moment.

If you build it, skills will come! (Pic courtesy of Builders London)

I will say that many of the teachers did not buy-in to the program and that was probably the only unsuccessful part of the experience. What I found was that the teachers that had worked with me before loved it and saw great results.  They were on the same page as I was. Some of the other teachers, mostly those I didn't know as well and those who were unfamiliar with the program were much more skeptical. Some of them felt that it was a "waste of time" and  didn't understand why we were going to "all this trouble." The bottom line is, Skill Builders will be as successful or as unsuccessful as we want it to be.  It is all determined by our attitudes and the amount of work you and I are willing to put into it.
In order to put a Skill Builders program in place for your team or campus, I believe you need to keep these key words in mind:
Communicate--with your team, with your administrators, with your students.  You can never communicate too much!
Plan--look at your data carefully and create a plan for implementation.  Who will teach what?  Where will they teach it?  How will the students get to their Skill Builders class?  Where will new students go?  When will we have Skill Builders?  How will this affect our previous schedule?
Be Positive--if you go into it with a stinky attitude, you will get stinky results. Believe in it, make it fun, and your kids will love it!
Believe in it--If you truly believe we own all kids and that we need to meet the needs of each student just in time, the question shouldn't be, "How can we do Skill Builders?" it should be "How can we NOT be doing Skill Builders??"
If you have implemented Skill Builders or a similar program on your campus, we would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or message me! If you are excited about trying this on your campus, we'd love to hear from you, too!

Boosterthon Fun Run: Your Donations Are Much Appreciated!

Our school, NeSmith Elementary in Community ISD is participating in a Fun Run to collect money towards new technology for our classrooms.  We firmly believe that, in order to prepare our 21st Century Learners for the future, we need to provide them with the newest technology available.  

If you are able to assist in any way, your gift will be sincerely appreciated.  Any amount that you are able to pledge will be helping us tremendously.  You can pledge per lap or a flat amount.  If you use the link below, you will actually be supporting my own daughter, Imma, who is in kindergarten this year. Imma is amazing proof of what technology can do to help children learn.  From the time that she was 18 months old, we knew something was different about our daughter.  Through years of therapy, evaluations, research, and support from our friends and families, we struggled with trying to find a reason why Imma was hardly speaking and was having difficulty with so many aspects of life that the rest of us take for granted.  Partially because of the constant use of an iPad, and thanks to the amazing support of spectacular teachers and therapists, Imma has made dramatic progress.  Though it was initially suspected that she might be autistic, we have now determined that this is most likely not the case. Imma has benefited greatly from having an iPad to use but not every child is so lucky.  We as teachers know that many children learn best from videos, songs, and games.  Providing more children with iPads and other technology increases our chances of creating life-long learners. If you follow the link below and pledge to sponsor Imma, you are helping all of our students to succeed.

The FunRun is next Wednesday, March 27th.  If you would like to donate, please do so before that date.  You will receive a personal thank you from me and from Imma!

Please click here to visit funrun.com and pledge.  Again, even $1 flat pledge is very much appreciated!

Imma at 1 year, before we knew there was anything "different" about her.

Imma at 2 years old.  She seemed to be slipping away.

Imma at 5.  She has made dramatic improvements!

Imma's iPad is her constant companion.  We would love to give other students the opportunity to use an iPad to help them learn.

You can also manually type this address into your browser:

http://s.funrun.com/YDS4Ak

Time is Marching On

Twelve.  The magic number is twelve.

If you work in Community ISD, or most of Texas, you have twelve weeks left.

Twelve more Mondays, twelve more Fridays.

That's about sixty days.  Sixty more chances. Sixty more opportunities.

These children will never be yours again.  You will never have another chance to teach these children what they need to know.  If you don't use your time wisely, those opportunities might be missed.

You will have another class next year, more students to teach, to get to know, to learn from.  But these children will belong to someone else.

How many weeks do you have left?

What else do you need to teach them?

What else do you need for them to know?

When you think about the time that you have left with these students, how do you want to spend it?  Do you want them to be excited, engaged, enthusiastic?  Do you want them counting down the days for other reasons--because they can't wait for summer and no more school?  Or would you rather they were counting down the days so that they understand the importance of each one?

Sure, everyone is excited for summer break--vacations, time with family, a chance to play a little more (sleep a little more!) but summer also means the end of a long, hard year of learning. It is a transition period.  When we learn to let go and our excitment grows for our next class of students.

But between now and that final day, we still have a lot of word to do.  A lot!  Have each of your students made at least one year worth of progress? Have each of your student met his or her full potential?  How much more growing can these little flowers do before the bell rings for the final time?

When they walk out that door for the last time, wouldn't it be nice to know you gave it everything you had? Wouldn't you like to know there is a bit of sadness in their hearts because they know they are no longer yours?

Ah, but there's the real  trick.  The secret. They really are yours forever.  You've left a little bit of your heart and soul in each one of them.  They may not ever realize it, but you know.  You've left your mark, your imprint, your passion for learning with each of them. They'll move on but they are stronger, smarter, better people now because of the time they spent with you.

So take advantage of these 12 weeks, these sixty little days. They will be gone oh, too soon.  Take a moment, look around, enjoy their smiling faces, and teach your heart out.  You can do it! We're in the homestretch now. The marathon has become a sprint.  Keep running until the very last second.

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the $15 Target giftcard is . . .  Valery Medford, #4!  Congratulations, Valery!

5 Inspirational Quotes for Teachers

Something for you to ponder over the weekend and inspire you to return when the break is over. :)

The greatest sign of success for a teacher . . . is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."

--Maria Montessori

The great end of education is to discipline rather than to furnish the mind; to train it to the use of its own powers rather than to fill it with the accumulation of others.

--Tyron Edwards

Treat people as it they were what they might be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.

--Goethe

It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted.

--Linda Conway

Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.

--W.B. Yeats

Specific Questions for Classroom Management

Yesterday, I discussed the importance of asking our students introspective questions when we are assisting them in correcting misbehavior.  Today, I would like to talk about 4 specific questions that you can use to improve the over-all environment of your classroom. I wish I could take credit for them, but these four questions originate with Capturing Kids' Hearts by Flip Flippin.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend a training session, I highly recommend you go.  CKH totally transformed my already well-managed classroom and made it an even more engaging place for my students to learn and feel connected to each other. 
CKH isn't just about discipline or behavior management, it's about building relationships. If you look at classrooms where teachers are highly-effective, where students are authentically engaged, and where data shows high-leveled thinking is occurring, you will almost always see a teacher who has very strong relationships with all of her students.  This doesn't happen by accident and it doesn't happen because we want it to. It takes conscious effort on our parts and a lot of work. It takes time. We cannot expect for these kinds of relationships to come without a lot of work on the front end.  CKH gives a lot of suggestions for activities and team building games that we can incorporate into our classrooms to help create this environment.  In fact, they suggest you don't even start on the curriculum until week 3.  That's right, 2 weeks at the beginning of school just working on getting to know each other.  Some teachers--and certainly some administrators--may think that's crazy but the time that is missed with the curriculum at the beginning of the year is more than made up for when the teacher doesn't have to waste time redirecting, going back over things students missed when they were misbehaving, spending time "waiting" on students.  It's shocking how effective this strategy can be when it comes to transforming a group of students into a functioning family.
One of the key elements of the CKH philosophy are the Four Questions:

What are you doing?

What are you supposed to be doing?

Are you doing it?

What are you going to do about it?

These are the original Four Questions recommended by CKH.  I actually ended up modifying the last one because it worked better for my little ones but certainly,"What are you going to do about it?" works well for thousands of teachers.  I ask,  "Can you fix it?" instead and that usually does the trick.  The premise is that, we want students to know that they are making bad choices, that they are missing out on what they are supposed to be doing, that they have come to school to learn and to do their work and that if they are doing something else, that's not acceptable. In order to be affective, the questions have to be asked in a calm tone, they must be answered, the teacher cannot stray from the questions when they are being asked, and the teacher must ask all four of them each time in the same order.  In my classroom, it got to the point where the student would see me coming and start asking them themselves or would answer them all at the same time.  They knew exactly what I was going to say and, perhaps more importantly, they understood why.

It's easier to teach a student once you've captured his or her heart.

I've never taken just this one component of CKH and tried to apply it in a classroom where other key components, such as a Social Contract, morning greetings, and warm fuzzy circles were not also implemented but if you are having difficulty keeping your students on-task, try implementing this strategy and see if it helps. I would like to discuss the other elements I listed above in upcoming posts so that those teachers who cannot attend CKH can still hear some of their great ideas. It will definitely not be the same as attending training but it can go a long way toward improving the management of your classroom.

One more thing, in order for these questions to create results, there are two things that must take place, and they are both on the teacher-end. 1) You must have relationships with your students.  If you don't have a good relationship with your students, then start there.  Get to know them, let them know you care about them. Take time to talk about the things they are interested in. 2) You must believe in the power of the questions and you must follow through. If you half-heartedly rattle them off and don't wait for answers, then, no, it's not going to work.  If you truly believe that asking your students reflective questions about why they are off-task and how they can rectify this problem will assist them in growing as students and individuals, then the questions will work.

If you've been to the training or if you have experience with this sort of strategy, please leave a comment. We'd love to hear from other educators!

Ask the Hard Questions

I had a conversation with a student today that made him a little uncomfortable.  I'm okay with that because it also made him think.  Hopefully, the questions I asked will make him a bit more reflective, which will in turn change his attitude and make him a better student.  We'll see--it usually takes more than one such conversation to bring about such a metamorphosis, but perhaps we are at least on the right path now.
As teachers, we often feel we are supposed to have all of the answers, that we should never have to ask tough questions because we should just be able to tell people--students, parents, other teachers (spouses!) what to do, how to do it, how it happened, how it is, etc.  However, I have found that asking questions is generally much more powerful, much more likely to get the results we want, and in the end, it goes a lot farther in building a trusting relationship with both students and adults alike.
The child I was referring to was in trouble--again--for kicking another student.  He is what we sometimes refer to in education as a "frequent flyer" i. e., he spends a lot of time in the office or in "time out".  He consistently makes the wrong choice when he is put in situations where he could potentially make a better choice. He is always seeking attention, usually the negative kind. He's smart so he knows that if he changes the subject or if he gives an alternative answer to your question you might lose focus and let him off the hook.  He was not expecting my series of questions today and it threw him for a loop and ultimately brought him to tears.  Children with these characteristics don't usually like to be introspective, they don't want to reflect.  They just want to blame other students, the teacher, their parents, anyone but themselves, feel sorry for their punishment, and then act out again.  We need to find a way to change this and I think asking the right questions might be a good starting point.

There's a balance between too stern and too friendly  and asking the right questions doesn't mean you have to act like this teacher. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

We had a good discussion. Every time he answered my question, I asked him a new one.  "What happened? Why did you kick her? What else could you have done?  How would that have been different?  What other choices could you make?  Whose fault is this?  Why is it your fault and not hers? What would have happened if. . . ." etc. until he finally had no alternative but to admit he made a poor choice and that things would have turned out differently if he would have gotten help from a teacher instead of taking matters into his own hands.  Kids want to tell us what happened, they don't necessarily want to admit they did something wrong, but they will admit it when you ask the right questions and leave them no other choice.  It turns out this kid is actually pretty sad and probably needs a mentor or someone to make him feel better about himself. Now that we've gone through the fire together, I think we'll have the kind of relationship that allows me to help him.  The last thing I said to him was, "I'm going to be tough on you because I care so much about you and I want you to be successful.  You can do better and I'll be here to help you make better choices."  I'm sure it will be two steps forward and one step back, but either way we are making progress.
When we ask students to explain what happened, what choices they made, and why they made them, we teach them about accountability and responsibility.  As a classroom teacher, I always made a point of getting a response from a student before I moved on.  There was no shruggy-shoulder or "I don't know" in my classroom. If they don't know why they did something, they are apt to do it again.  But most of the time they do know.  They just don't want to think about it or admit that they did something wrong.  We need to have these discussions with students so that we can help them to grow.
When you find yourself in a situation where a child has made a poor choice, don't just ask a string of questions and either answer them yourself or let them drift off into outer space, let the child answer you.  "Why did you do that?" (wait for an answer, demand an answer) and go from there.  You'll be surprised at how much of an impact this can really make on both behavior and the environment of your classroom.

The Cacophony of Guided Reading

Often, when I have observers, I get feedback expressing disbelief that I could possibly listen to the tin of my guided reading groups all day long, reading along in disharmony and various speeds and rhythms and walk out the door as fully sane as I walked in that morning.  And to the unpracticed ear, I can understand why people would say that.  Most reading teachers get it--they, too, can listen to multiple children read different sections of text at different paces and not be any crazier for having done so--but teachers of other subjects, some administrators, and occasionally the reading teacher with a different preference often has difficulty following along and wonders how I can do it.
I prefer to let each child read at his or her pace, aloud, so that I can hear them and correct errors, or assist as they work through unknown or difficult words. I know there are various philosophies of how best to conduct a guided reading group, but here are my thoughts as to why doing it this way yields the best results.
1. Every child is reading the entire time.  There's no "follow along" as someone else reads. Each child is responsible for decoding every single word in the text.  Therefore, they spend a longer amount of time actually reading, which, as we know, is the best way for them to grow as readers.
2. There's not as much "listen and repeat." When student are choral reading or reading as a group, they tend to echo the person next to them. If the person next to them is a faster reader, they're going to be way ahead and this gives each reader a lesser chance of echo reading.
3. Each child can read at his or her own pace.  There's no waiting around for someone who isn't as quick or trying to rush to keep up and making a ton of errors. Each student can read as quickly or as slowly as s/he needs to.
4. Students who get finished can move on. There are several ways you can handle this.  If a child gets finished, I usually have them start over and work on fluency.  However, you could let them move on to comprehension either by asking them some questions quietly or having the questions already written down and letting them answer in a journal.  Alternatively, you could just have a standard journal assignment for your guided reading groups so that they know when they are finished, they have to write about whatever the topic is that you generally assign.  Either way, they haven't wasted a lot of time waiting on someone else to get finished.
5. I can still hear everyone and work with each student.  When a child is reading in my group and they need help, they put their hand forward so that I know they need my attention. Otherwise, I am taking turns listening to each student and helping those who need help.  If I get a single that a child needs my assistance I can help them and then allow them to continue.  At first, some students need reminders as to why it is important to single for help when they are unsure of a word. Sometimes they just want to skip over the word and pretend they read it. I can usually catch this and then we talk about why they shouldn't do that. I don't expect to be able to help every student decode every word but when a child needs help, they have to feel comfortable asking me for it.
I have observed some amazing teachers who do not run their groups the same way that I do and I think that's perfectly fine.  One great teacher I know has the students read silently until she taps them and then they read aloud for a page or two while she listens.  The other students can still signal for help but it's much quieter.  I think variations on this are great and they can still be very helpful in growing our students as readers. What I think we need to reconsider are Round Robin reading groups, Choral Reading, and Popcorn Reading.  Research shows that students do not learn reading skills as quickly in these situations so if we know better, we should do better.
If you work for CISD and you would like some pointers on your guided reading groups, please invite me in. I'd love to help! If you work elsewhere, please feel free to email me any questions.  My reading groups have great results because of the strategies I've learned to employee over the years but I could not have developed them if it hadn't been for the great models, coaches, and administrators that worked with me to make the changes I needed to in order to help my students become more successful.

Guided Reading books from one of our many kits

Designing More Engaging Lessons

Yesterday, I discussed the importance of making lessons engaging and relevant to our students.  I talked about the different levels of engagement that Schlechty identified in Working on the Work and how you can tell what at which level each of your students is engaged.  Today, I'd like to dig deeper into Schlechty's book and discuss the 10 qualities teachers need to keep in mind when designing lessons so as to create work that is meaningful, relevant, and engaging to students.

Love this!  Doesn't this just hit the nail on the head?  Cartoon courtesy of jeffersonchae.wordpress.com.

The first design focus Schlechty discusses is Content and Substance.  We know that our students need to be challenged and that we need to raise the level of questions we are asking and, therefore, the answers we are getting, so as to prepare our students for the future.  In order to elevate the thinking of our students, we must design lessons with the end in mind. If we want our students to think critically, our lessons have to be designed in such a way that analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information is built in to the lesson.  Through the use of rich text, project-based assignments, cross-curricular lessons, and materials that build upon our student's background knowledge and increase their levels of understanding, we can design lessons full of substance that cover the curriculum in a way that does more than allow us to check something off of our list, rather we will be able to see a true understanding of the concepts in the products our students create.
These types of lessons often take more planning on the front-end but less work from the teacher on the back-end.  More student involvement equals less work for you!
Product Focus takes the first design quality a step further and emphasizes that students are almost always more engaged when they are working on a project.  If students are given the opportunity to research an idea that is interesting to them and then use that information to create a product of their choosing, they are far more likely to be authentically engaged through-out the process.
Our students should never have to guess why they are learning about a particular topic and they should especially never have to guess what they are learning about!  In the past, I have walked into classrooms and been very unsure what the objective of the lesson was. When I have asked students what they are learning and why they are learning it, they are often unclear.  Let's not keep it a secret from our students, rather, let's make sure we have an Organization of Knowledge that is apparent to our students and to anyone who walks into the classroom.  This would also include tying ideas together across subject areas every time it is appropriate to do so.
Using rubrics, checklists and models can help develop Clear and Compelling Product Standards. It is even more powerful when students are allowed to help create these rubrics and checklists.  Students need to be aware of what the end result is supposed to look like and they will do even more work if they are challenged to go above and beyond.
Our classrooms must be environments where students feel both physically and emotionally safe.  They have to know that others are not going to make fun of them when they fail.  If we can create this type of an environment, our students will be assured that they have Protection from Adverse Consequences for Initial Failures.  They must also feel that it is alright in your eyes if they take a risk and they are not successful.  The use of sarcasm or teasing can often make students feel that it's not okay to try and fail and this prevents them from taking risks.  We can help build an environment of safety by using a Social Contract, which students must sign stating how they will treat others--with kindness, respect, dignity, and fairness.  Likewise, we can encourage students to use kind words and be helpful to each other.  This will allow students to feel more comfortable with their risk taking both socially and academically.
Affiliation is another way of looking at cooperative grouping or projects where students depend on others to complete the assignment.  Much the way that students become loyal to a sports team, they can create a bond with each other that encourages engagement.  Project based learning is an amazingly powerful tool that teaches the types of skills students will need in the workforce--the ability to work together, to communicate effectively, to delegate, and to synthesize various information from multiple sources.  Giving groups a team name and allowing them to socialize and focus on getting to know each other better is a great way to encourage affiliation.
Another way to encourage students to do their best and become authentically engaged is through Affirmation.  This includes praise from the teacher, other students, and other adults like various staff members, parents, visitors, etc. If students know their work is to be displayed or viewed by multiple people, they are more likely to put in extra effort.  Portfolio based projects are an example Schlechty gives that provide opportunities to design lessons highlighting affirmation.
We all know that students love to have the opportunity to choose, so the next design quality, Choice, is no surprise. Likewise, it is not difficult to work some sort of a choice into most lesson plans. Whether you are letting students choose something complicated like a topic for a project or an end product, or something simple like which chair they would like to sit in to complete an assignment, choice is an important way to create an environment where students are happy and engaged.
Students also love Novelty and Variety. There are hundreds of apps and computer programs that we can use in our classroom for legitimate teaching purposes that provide novelty and variety for our students. Try to work as many different technological programs into your lesson plans as you can.  But that's not the only form of variety we can employee.  Costumes, props, artifacts, samples, videos, songs, all of these things go a long way in building higher levels of engagement in our students.
The final design quality is also one of the most important. It's Authenticity and it's vital not only to encouraging engagement but to ensuring students understand the relevance of what they are learning. If we do not allow students to create products that are meaningful and relevant to them, we will not be able to teach them at the level they need in order to be successful.  Whenever possible, place an authentically engaging activity in your lesson plans in place of a menial task like a common worksheet.  In fact, replace all menial tasks with authentically designed activities and you will see that the level of authentically engaged students in your class will also increase. It just makes sense that authentically designed lessons will breed authentically engaged students.
I challenge you to use at least three of these qualities in your lesson plans the next time you sit down to plan. When you are planning with your teams, pull this list out.  Talk to them about ways you can all incorporate some of these qualities into your lesson plans.  If you hear someone suggest a worksheet, be ready with a more authentic lesson or activity instead.  Let us know how this affects the level of engagement in your classroom and the student learning outcomes.  We would love to hear success stories of how you've taken a not-so-engaging lesson and turned it into something amazing.