Authentic Problems

As TeacherWife and I were talking to a Kindergarten teacher friend of our's, an aside comment came out:

...That is what I don't like very much about our math curriculum, it is difficult to integrate problem-based learning into it... and to connect the curriculum with authentic problems.

Ahhh, a problem I have been thinking about myself. The materials we use spiral quickly, which can be a good or bad thing (depends on your point of view). One view is that the quick spiral doesn't allow students to become proficient, let alone master, skills that they are faced with. Without proficiency, students will find trouble as they advance in their mathematical lives. But isn't the concept of mastery or proficiency a way of gatekeeping? The quick spiral gives students a chance to see that concept a myriad of times, and not simply in one concentrated effort.

The spiral was my issue, but I feel far better about it now. Where I struggle now is in connecting the materials (more specifically, the lessons as laid out) to an authentic problem. Part of the job, as a teacher, is to make kids care about what we are teaching. Why should I care about coins today, and polygons tomorrow?

All of this thinking comes as I am reading dy/dan's post about a ball hitting a can!

Slash and Burn

The State of Washington is cutting education funding, which is already lower (per student) than many other states. While it is a reality that the economy has tanked, should education be getting slashed the way that it is? I am not a budget expert, nor can I make any other recommendations as to cuts that I would make before cutting education. I just find myself scratching my head when we slash education funding, then complain about the education system that we have. I would also challenge those that think money doesn't make a difference in education. In this case it is money that is being used to reduce class size, which certainly matters (the difference between 20 and 24, or even 23 and 24 can be huge).

I also see this as problematic for those looking to get into the profession.... such as myself.

Spring Break, One Week Down!

Spring Break started as of 3:06PM on Friday. The first week didn't go too bad, although I have much to consider this week. What's happening this coming week?

• Marathon training started today, which means a solid 86 miles on tap this week.
• Reading, reading, and more reading! I plan to go through some reading, writing and science texts to see what I can integrate into my practice.
• Some classroom moving... I will post pictures later, but I plan to shift tables, desks and students with a hope of bringing some new life into the classroom (kids are tired of their table groups, and the space is a bit cramped).
• My Praxis exam next Saturday, which in Washington is called the WEST-E.
• Sleep!

I also have to say that I've been cleaning out my google reader only to find an article from the Seattle PI (now a web-only "paper"). In the article, the candidate for mayor says that a takeover of Seattle Schools could happen if improvement doesn't happen within 2 years. He goes on to say that takeovers have had great success in other cities... If we have solid critical thinking skills we can make statistics mean whatever we want, can't we?

Thinking Holistically

For every few steps forward there seems to be a step backwards. There are the moments where kids are persevering, using the strategies of careful readers by using picture clues and sounding out words they don't know. There are moments where kids have "ah ha" moments, and their head turns to the blank page before them and they start to write furiously.

For all of those moments there are the times when someone has grabbed another student (who happens to be a friend!). There are also the moments of "I'm done-ness" that pervade, and the times when folks seem to be in their own bubble, with their own agenda. Those are the moments that bring out feelings of frustration, and perhaps a little embarrassment.

Embarrassment? Well I feel that way because I think that I haven't been effective in setting expectations, being clear in expectations, or establishing a safe and caring learning community. If... if... Those are the thoughts I use to help fuel my planning for the next day, but they also need to fade in their intensity. You need to remember the former of those two experiences. I need to think about the fact that 2 of the kids I have struggled with the most since the beginning of the year have started their journey to meeting me halfway. Frustration and embarrassment doesn't get you very far anyway.

Rethinking My Thinking

I've slowly started to bring in new wrinkles to our literacy time. It is a bit of an ambiguous block of time that I slowly want to evolve into a Reader's Workshop, as we have a Writer's Workshop in the afternoon. The end of the reader's workshop involves sharing out about what you read with the class- new ideas, questions, things you didn't know, etc etc. I'm still in the beginning stages, but I like how it brings our kiddos together to talk to each other, something I wish we did more of.

Tomorrow I am going to add in a reading journal. The primary point is to have kids logging what they read during our reading block, as getting to everyone daily is not feasible (at least in an authentic, genuine way). We have some floaters in reading who skate a bit under the radar, and they haven't had any really accountability (Yep I'm reading, sure, yes, of course!). Gradually I want to add in a little bit of writing about questions they have, interesting things they found out, etc from the books they are reading. Why leave those things in the ether? We can also use it to make predictions about what will come next, as well as some comprehension monitoring. Will be a time suck? I am going to aim for it NOT to be. The goal is to get them in the habit or sustained reading, something we haven't fully developed yet.

I wasn't going to add new things... but you can't sit idle and watch the time spin off the clock. I'm rethinking my thinking.

Reflections Eternal

The first full day is in the books. No one got hurt, no one got lost, kids were engaged, and kids were happy. Student teaching is an odd land where the classroom is in the control of someone new while still being the classroom of the master teacher. To help kids meet the learning objectives, you need to be sure you are clear about your expectations (or so I feel).

Crafting and demonstrating expectations in timely efficient way is an art. I bogged down while spending additional time in being clear with expectations. For the most part, it was effective as I'd say that 75% of the kiddos met those expectations and worked hard throughout the day. The other 25% weren't quite with it, and struggled to acclimate. I think some of that is pushing boundaries to see if I would push back or if I would relent. Another part of it is being clear, direct, and continuing to repeat those directions and expectations to them. They're kids, not robots, and they need many reminders.

Instructionally I felt ok. I was able to get through 4 reading conferences, and feel like I have a good idea where they are. Some other kiddos were tying up a literacy project, so the entire literacy block doesn't feel cohesive. Math was fantastic, and is probably where I feel the most comfortable currently. I was successful in integrating the virtual manipulative for money, which rolled straight into my own spin-off of the Everyday Math activity for the day. Writing is still a work in progress, which isn't surprising. Alas...

I live to give it another go tomorrow with the wealth of today's new found knowledge.

Booting Up

Full time student teaching begins tomorrow. I'm excited, a bit nervous, and as ready as I am going to be. My plan is to get in early, make sure I've get everything needed, and just roll with it.

Integrating Technology

I hope to integrate some technology into my teaching this Spring. We only have one student usable computer, but that isn't a big deal to me. I am excited about the kids creating, or at least creating the audio for, a podcast. I'd like to make a series of them that could go on the school website. This will likely be related to an All-About unit that I want kids to write. The other option is during a poetry unit. I'm also considering using tech in a PhotoStory way, which would be to have student artwork on screen with voice (re: student) narration to the artwork.

I want to use the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives during math in our math opening too! I have a wiki that I've "started" but I don't have any content yet. The model I'm using is here. It is a project to be worked on over the next few weeks.

As TeacherWife told me yesterday, you will have a ton of ideas but you'll likely only get a chance to implement some of them in this short period. Those are the words that I need to keep in mind when I worry that I'm not meeting my own expectations.

Structure or Content?

The past two days off have given me plenty of time to read. A colleague of mine said that it was break, and time to take a second or two off from schoolwork. While I agree, I also think that change needs to be thoughtful and planned. In other words, in order to make change you need to know what you are talking about. Just having a cool idea doesn't cut it.

All the reading has put me at a bit of a crossroads. Student teaching is 8+ weeks. Factor in Spring Break, which starts a week from tomorrow (Friday). Now this is supposed to be your classroom, but you are stepping into someone else's turf where the kids have had 20-25 weeks (115-120 days) of a similar style/routine. Where do you make the changes you want to make?

As I talk this out with TeacherWife (as I'll now affectionately call my wife), I keep finding myself in a bit of a bind. I want to bring in some Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop elements that are at least slightly different. But I also want to bring in some new content, particularly raising the amount of non-fiction being seen and discovered. If you bring it all in at once, it could be a disaster. Where to go? My first week is going to be about getting acclimated as well as keeping a similar schedule (few add in's). But I am planning to bring in some writing at the end of the day, to start building their sustained writing. I am also planning to bring a shared reading/poetry part into the end of our literacy block. Small steps, not giant bounds.

Reader's Workshop

I am considering some changes, alterations, to our Literacy time. The first change is in the name... While it seems aesthetic, I want to change the name to Reader's Workshop. Literacy is broad word, and one that I am not sure all kids really get. The word ends up being a catchall, when what we are doing revolves around reading. So the renaming places the emphasis on reading, something all kids know.

What will happen during Reader's Workshop? Let me say that I've been re-reading Regie Routman's Reading Essentials, and going through Growing Readers by Kathy Collins. Both use similar concepts. Currently we have a block of 75 minutes, and the time is spent with students reading just-right books. The books depend on their level... so some are reading out of a Houghton Mifflin basal reader. Others are reading books like Junie B Jones, or the Dragon Slayers Academy. Guided reading happens while students read, and then there are some extension activites such as grammar worksheets, spelling, etc.

I want to keep spelling as part of word study, but wrap that into the end of the morning meeting time (Use it to introduce words, have students looking for patterns, and uncovering meanings). The guided reading I want to retain, at least partially, as well.

What I want to do is add in an Independent Reading time. The idea comes from Routman's Reading Essentials, which is that in order to become better readers and writers we need to read and write more. Much of this needs to be independent, and with just right books (in the case of reading). During that time I will do formal/informal assessment as well as meet with guided reading groups. I also want to add in Partner Reading time. This will be when they are retelling what they have read to an assigned partner. This will help them talk about books, work on comprehension, and interact with each other about texts. I will also have some whole group instruction prior to reading time- the goal being to model strategies, and demonstrate what careful readers do...

Other thoughts I'm having are about including reading centers. These would be around like-topics (different non-fiction topics, or character study, etc) and involve students of like ability and interests looking at different books (above and below their level) to practice the skills careful readers use. I still have more to add, and more to flesh out. But I am excited about where I want to go...

Back to Basics

I took a week off from blogging. Between completing projects for our Literacy and Science classes, I needed to finish a lesson and management plan for our Winter Seminar. Altogether, I spent a good 2+ days in front of the computer (hours-wise, not figuratively). What is next?

Student teaching starts on March 23rd (5 days and counting). There is a two day rest bit from the classroom, which gives me a chance to observe a friend's Kindergarten classroom (a veteran teacher of 20+ years), and finish reading Growing Readers by Kathy Collins. My goal is to have a good idea of the ideas I am going to try and implement, and the units of study I want to investigate in the next 8-10 weeks. There are some things I will keep the same (either because they need to stay that way, or want to), and there are some things I will need to teach. But I have some freedom...

The hope is to blog more in the next weeks, using the blog as a reflection tool... and a way to stay engaged. Let's hope it works!

Assessment and forms

Today we explored seeds. The exploration was fairly successful, as judged by the engagement and ability to reach the objective. I still struggle when it comes to evaluating student work though. Above is an example, and perhaps it is one of the pitfalls of the form. It doesn't lend itself to multiple entries. Clearly the form doesn't lend itself to much more than a few things in each box (fewer the further right you go). I should have gotten rid of it and made my own.

But does filling in boxes mean you've met the objective? Well they can identify characteristics accurately of the various seeds. Did each get multiple characteristics? Yeah, kinda. The bottom one was a sunflower seed. Black, white and tiny are good characteristics. What about oval, rough, bumpy, salty? I am left trying to figure out whether the quality is there, or if it is that I want to raise expectations of what can be done?

Read Books, Get Inspired

I'm in the midst of reading The Year of the Dog (children's book by Grace Lin), In Schools We Trust for a second time (by Deborah Meier), and Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough. Also on my list is Coraline by Neil Gaiman (children's book). I am really excited about the Year of the Dog, and wish I had more time to get through the other books I have. There is a short block of time between the end of the quarter and student teaching, and hopefully I'll make my way through at least one book.

All of the books make me really reflective about reading instruction. Some of the best instruction in reading is just letting kids read. Do they need to be shown how to use fix-up strategies? Yes, of course they do. Do they need to be shown how to use comprehension strategies? Yes, of course they do. Even more, they need shared/guided practice using those assorted strategies in becoming better readers.

But what good are those strategies if you don't want to read? I wish every kid loved to read, but that is like asking for root beer lakes and cotton candy clouds. Utopia is hard to find. Kids need practice, on their own, with books that they enjoy. They need a chance to search for books that are just right, and a chance to sit down and stick their noses in those books. Without the time dedicated to sustained reading, even at the 1st grade level, students won't have the independent practice important to their growth. I want a little less basal reader practice, and more independent reading.

Practice Makes Perfect

Our students will not become better readers because we create fabulous projects and centers, give them lots of paperwork, and grade lots of papers. They will become better readers if they receive excellent instruction and have lots of time to read and talk about books.- p 202, Regie Routman, Reading
Essentials

I love that quote from Regie Routman. In order for our students to become better at what we want them to do, they need more time doing it. This is akin to how you get better at virtually anything (although I could be wrong, and there probably exceptions to this). You get better not through learning isolated parts, or sections of the whole, but through practicing the actual act it is that you want to improve at.

This has started me thinking ahead to two weeks from Monday when student teaching starts. How am I going to make my kiddos better readers, writers, mathematicians and scientists? I think it starts by modelling what they need to do, and what is expected of them, and then circling back to those things over time. I have some ideas that I want to bring into the classroom, and hopefully I'll get a chance to see how they work.

Tunnel Vision

Our cohort gets together on Wednesday's and Thursday's for classes, with those days featuring long 8 hour sessions. Towards the end of the sessions someone mentioned how the other cohort thought that we were... the dot dot dot is because my mind started to tail off, as it usually does, with respect to the other cohort. Am I glad that there are others seeking entrance to the teaching profession? Yes, as the teaching profession needs good people, with good ideas, and a willingness to create safe and caring learning environments. I'm not thrilled to be competing with them for positions when hiring starts, but competition is a good thing as well.

Where I'm going with this is the idea that teacher certification requires blinders. You can't worry about the other 30+ people in the other cohort. You also can't necessarily be bent out of shape by other people in your own cohort. We're all on individual learning journeys. I liken it to running a marathon, something I have done 5 times. We're all in a race together, agreed? We're all going towards the same finish line, no? If I start to worry about the person next to me, seeing them pass me at mile 18, should I worry about them? Probably not. My use of extra energy here will likely hurt me a few miles later (when I want to draw on energy I have already used!). What do you do then? You continue with the plan you have (assuming you have one), and go at a pace that is suitable. At this point, it isn't worth it to worry when I don't have the time or energy to expend. I've got too much else to do. Student teaching starts March 23rd.

Content Knowledge Flowing Like a Wide River

I am wrestling with the notion of depth vs breadth. I worry about having strong pedagogy, and having strong practice, but lacking strong pedagogical content knowledge. More specifically, I worry that I won't really know enough within given content areas to help my kiddos along. I know that you continue to learn, but that doesn't give me much consolation at the onset.

This all comes from a conversation about math curriculum, and knowing what to skip. A colleague was saying that she was unsure as to why the master teacher skipped a section of a lesson that my colleague thought was important for the content knowledge for students. How do you know when it is appropriate? How do you know that your kids won't be lost by skipping that section?

Blinded by Science!

I have become increasingly enamored with teaching science. I was never a huge science person in high school or college, but do have a passion for learning. I enjoyed Physics, and I liked Biology and Chemistry because my friends were in the classes. As a whole though, science wasn't very memorable.

Ah, but now I am teaching science... and I love it. In fact I want more time for it. Lately we have had a whopping 35 minutes. (dramatic pause)... I know your head is a little sideways right now, or you are scrunching your face up into a nasty sour and confused look, as 35 minutes isn't enough! Tell me about it.

Today our 1st and 2nd graders got as far as gluing in their focus question (What do all living things need to live?), compiling a list of living things (including coyotes, trees, AND some non-living things accidentally) and drawing the living thing of their choice. They then drew the surroundings, and what it needed to survive. Things I learned...

• Pigs eat food (specifically garbage) and use mud so as not to burn their bodies
• Plants need food, in particular that Miracle-Gro stuff
• Lizards like water
• Oxygen is the forgotten, perhaps assumed, part of what living things need

Moments in Time

There were two moments that stuck out today. The first came in math where we were working on "Attribute Rules." Each student had either a circle, rectangle, square, triangle or hexagon. The shapes were different colors, thickness, and proportion. We were going through what a hexagon was... a shape with 6 sides and 6 corners. I proceeded to draw a hexagon, but inverted from the one the student was holding.... the chaos that ensued! "No that isn't a hexagon" "It can't be." I asked each for a thumbs up or down about whether they thought it WAS or WASN'T, and had them give reasons why... "It isn't because it doesn't have 6 sides." Count them, "One, two, hey wait a minute, it has 6 sides... and there are 6 corners." The aha moment was priceless!

The next moment was when we finally booted up the teacher workstation (cpu) that sits next to the document camera. I feel like a threshold was crossed by simply pushing the ON button. We've now got one functional, Internet ready computer in the classroom. I've also got my Stereo cable so that we can plug the computer into the speaker system (not to mention an Ipod, etc). Oh the places we'll go! (Sorry, no links today, just text!).

Math and Democracy

In our Math Methods course on Wednesday I was struck by a statement from our professor. To paraphrase: the curricular materials are a guide for the material that needs to be covered, but it isn't the bible; you can supplement and teach in many ways to meet the needs of your kids assuming you cover the same content. I'm sorry if that doesn't do the actual wording due diligence, but that is how I internalized it.

That led me to a Saturday morning conversation with my wife, a 2nd/3rd grade teacher. I told her what I learned, as state above, to which she said that it depends on where you are (good point). If you are in some districts, say Bellevue, you are expected to stay close to the script. Teachers essentially become actors in a play of content dispersal, and the art of teaching is reduced to the act of reading a set of cue cards.

What does that have to do with me? Well I am reading through the lesson for tomorrow, Attribute Rules in Everyday Math's 1st Grade Lesson Guide. Much of the lesson has the teacher directing students, instead of having the teacher set up an environment where they can explore and classify shapes. Why have the teacher tell the students with red shapes go to a place in the room? Why not instead have the students try to work out what is in common, and classify? Why not seek more student input, and get them engaged in the process? There are certainly some great parts of the lesson guide, but I wish there was a more concerted effort to have students share their ideas with their peers in small/whole group settings.