Creating High Performance Learning Environments

Video 1: Roller Coaster Physics

Wow! What a neat way to teach physics! This is a great example of project based learning, and students seem to be very invested in creating their roller coaster. I am very impressed with how creative this teacher is, and I hope to be able to channel this much energy and creativity into my class. I also noticed that these students are incredibly well spoken and the dialogue between students is at a very high level. Students are using scientific words and are communicating effectively.

Academic Expectations

Ms. Migdol has high academic expectations for her students. This is shown through the dialogue between the students and the vocabulary that individual students are using. It is obvious that using technically sound vocabulary is a point that has been stressed to these students, and it is nice to see that the students seem to actually understand the words that they are using as opposed to shoe-horning the words in because they know it is what their teacher wants. The idea of “chimers” also helps create high academic expectations because students are expected to be able to chime in with the issues that their group has had when working on this activity and to be able to assist other groups in fixing their problems. I am impressed with how comfortable the students seem, both with the material and with each other. Of course, because this class has been with Ms. Migdol for quite some time (from what can be gleaned from the video), we do not see the academic expectations being set. We do, however, see them playing out quite nicely.

Behavioral Expectations

Behaviorally, these students are stellar. This, of course, means that Ms. Migdol did an excellent job setting up these expectations in advance. When individual students were talking, the other students actively listen and responded with constructive, well thought out responses. All of the students were actively engaged, whether they were speaking or not. Additionally, students moved from task to task with little to no distraction. I was very impressed, and I would like to know what kinds of strategies Ms. Migdol used in establishing these expectations.

Norms and Procedures

As far as norms and procedures are concerned, this particular video did not establish much. “Chimers” are clearly a norm for this class, and the procedure of actively listen is well-established. Additionally, because the transitions are so smooth, I imagine that some sort of procedure was set up in advance to create such a flawless transition.

Video 2: 3^rd Grade Chinese Math

I am not sure I like this approach. It seems like the students are just reciting multiplication tables (I think that is what they were doing), and I know from experience that the ability to recite does not equal understanding. This parroting is a basic level of understanding, and I feel like students may have trouble recalling multiplication facts outside of the “chant.”

Academic Expectations

The academic expectations in this video were a bit unclear to me. The goal of the class, it seemed, was to be able to recite multiplication tables. This, however, is not a terribly effect way to understand math. Sure, these students may be able to answer math questions on an exam, but what will happen to when they need to apply this knowledge in the real world?

After reading the article, “Explainer: what makes Chinese maths lessons so good?,” I felt a bit clearer about the expectations. In China, students participate in a rigorous, nine year math course that consists of four stages: “number and algebra”, “space and graph”, “statistics and probability” and “practice and applications.” Although this program is rigorous, if this lesson is any indication, I am not sure if it would be terribly effective outside of a testing environment. However, the expectation of outstanding test performance is set high and is met by many students.

Behavioral Expectations

Behaviorally, students seemed to just be expected to parrot the teacher for most of the lesson. However, once the teacher asked for volunteers, there was a large amount of side conversation going on. The teacher ignored it, so I assume this is normal for her class. Overall, the behavioral expectations did not seem terribly high. As long as students weren’t exceptionally disruptive, the teacher just continued with her lesson as if the kids were not talking. Ideally, higher behavioral expectations would be set so that learning potential could be maximized.

Norms and Procedures

The norms and procedures in this video were pretty clear. One norm was reciting multiplication tables. The procedure for that is students sit on the floor in front of the teacher and recite together whichever table the teacher chooses. Students seemed to be best behaved when enacting this procedure. Perhaps more procedure would be helpful in raising behavioral expectations.

Video 3: Whole Brain Teaching

Whole brain teaching is overwhelming. Honestly, as a student, I would really dislike something like this. For me, I need to be able to focus on learning the material, not on learning a bunch of movements that might eventually help me remember the material. That being said, I am going to try to have an open mind as I conduct my research on whole brain teaching.

Academic Expectations

I am not sure exactly how whole brain teaching helps academically. To me, it seems like a lot of parroting and little to no application of material. The ability to repeat what someone has told you does not mean you have learned the material. I nanny a three year old on occasion, and he can sing the ABC song. Does this mean he knows the alphabet? No, not at all. He cannot recognize letters or sing the song slower than he originally learned it. My biggest concern with whole brain teaching is that it will lead to the kind of learning that is only useful on the test. That being said, all of the students are able to parrot correctly, from what I could tell, showing that whole brain teaching at least has that level of academic expectations. Overall, the research on whole brain teaching seems almost too good to be true. I would like to see more research on students applying the concepts they learn via whole brain teaching in different settings and in real life.

Behavioral Expectations

I was actually very impressed with this class behaviorally. I am surprised that whole brain teaching works so well with older students. It seems to me that they would feel talked down to, but from what I could tell, that was not the case at all. In fact, it looked like they were enjoying the lesson. They all were respectful of the teacher and of each other. I think that because the lesson was so high energy, students had less time to think about acting out behaviorally. Overall, I would say that behavioral expectations were high for this group.

Norms and Procedures

Where do I begin? Whole brain teaching is all about norms and procedures. The general norm seems to be “repeat whatever the teacher does.” Some offshoots of that include teaching each other and repeating with actions. A few procedures shown in the video include speed-reading and teaching each other. When the students did speed-reading, they were reading sight words, according to the comments on the video. This seems like it would be effective, but it ultimately seems a little young for this group of students. When the students taught each other, the procedure involved parroting what the teacher had just taught them It concerns me that the students did not even rephrase what the teacher said, but rather repeated everything word for word and gesture for gesture.

Setting High Performance Expectations in My Classroom

Ideally, my approach will look the most similar to that in the first video about project-based learning. I liked how engaged the students were with the material, and I would like to find a way to incorporate that into my own classroom. One thing that I would like to implement from whole brain teaching is the sheer energy that the teacher brings to the classroom. If the teacher is that excited, it has to be really hard not to care about the topic. In my classroom, I will establish high standards early and develop norms and procedures along side my students to create a respectful, upbeat environment that is conducive to learning. In order to reach all of my students, I will use differentiated instruction. Students are often on such different levels that it is important to plan ahead for the need for differentiation. Behaviorally, I will expect my students to follow the norms and procedures we came up with as a class, and I will hold them to that. I will use transition techniques like we learned about in the last module to help my students successfully keep up this standard of behavior even when we are moving from one activity to another. Ideally, I will use a blend of the many approaches we have learned about to create a classroom environment that leads to learning and respect.

Biffle, C. (n.d.). Whole brain teaching: Research. Retrieved from http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=222:research&Itemid=137

Chen, C. (2013, June 13). 3rd grade Chinese–math class. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g

Mackens, R. (2011, May 31). Whole brain teaching Richwood High – The basics. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be

Teaching Channel. (n.d.). Roller coaster physics: STEM in action. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

Wei, K. (2014, March 25). Explainer: What makes Chinese math lessons so good? Retrieved from  http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-makes-chinese-maths-lessons-so-good-24380

Reflecting on High Expectations

The United States ranks relatively low in academic performance when compared to other countries in all three of the main subject areas tested (math, reading, and science).  This is odd at first glance, especially when one considers that the United States spends much more on education than most countries. For example, the Slovak Republic, a comparable performer on international tests, spends $53,000 per year per student while the United States spends $115,000, all while achieving nearly the same international ranking. This is troublesome as an aspiring teacher in the United States. Obviously, something that schools are doing is not working, and throwing more money into education is not going to be a quick fix.

            Another important note is that data trends in United States student performance show no significant changes over time. This is troubling because schools have been implementing new methods of teaching and new standards. The fact that there has been no significant change in student performance shows that what schools are doing is not working. In order to compete internationally, the United States needs to make significant, research-backed changes to the curricula in schools along with the way material is being delivered.

            Because of the United States’ financial resources, the country has the potential to become a top performer. Only three countries outspend the United States on education, so having enough money is not the issue. If the United States could change their approach, or even more strictly police the implementation of strategies like Common Core, their overall performance could skyrocket. Of course, this is much easier said than done. Obstacles like income disparity by district or even by state stand in the way of equitable education for all. The differences in performance between the states is much larger than it should be, especially considering that everyone is supposed to be teaching to the Common Core Standards. The United States needs to do a realistic overhaul of the system, creating a easily enforced plan for how to improve schools.

            Of course, this is much more complicated than just an international ranking or even the overall approach to education in the United States. Changes need to be made at the level of individual schools in order to increase academic expectations and motivation of students, teachers, schools, and even parents. Take McNair High School, a low socioeconomic high school, in Atlanta, Georgia. Students have little to no motivation to learn. They see themselves as trapped in their situation, and no matter what teachers tell them, they do not see education as a way out. Behavior issues plague the school, escalating as far as fights that end up hospitalizing students. Issues outside of school affect school performance and ultimately even the moral of the school is a whole. Teachers are overworked and overwhelmed and are often left wondering if what they are doing is making a difference in these kids’ lives. One teacher at McNair High School shared with me that there has not yet been a day this school year where she has not been sworn at and called horrible names. These teachers are given few resources to help kids who are five or more grade levels behind where they are expected to be. The culture of the school is sort of a “good enough” mentality, and students are pushed through grades even when they have not mastered material. Parents have much larger life issues to worry about than how their child is doing in school. The entire culture of the school is a mess, and in order to truly make any sort of change to academic expectations, the culture of the school needs an overhaul. In contrast, Northfield High School in Northfield, Minnesota is a relatively well of high school and is one of the highest performing in the state. Students are motivated to learn, both as internal motivation and because education is something that is valued in the community and by their parents. Northfield has two great private liberal arts colleges, so students aspire to attend schools like those, knowing that they will have to be great in order to get in. Teachers push students to be the best they can be and do not give good grades for “good enough.” They set high expectations for behavior and academics, and they follow through on those expectations. The culture of the school is one of growth and learning, which has really contributed to Northfield High School’s success.

            Ultimately, despite the culture of the school and country as a whole setting the stage for students, individual teachers need to set and maintain high academic and behavioral expectations for their students. If students are held to a higher standard and are able to see their work paying off, they are more likely to care about their education. Using strategies like Project Based Learning to get students invested in their learning can really help turn the culture of a class around. If students feel like what they are doing is worthwhile, they are more likely to put in 100% to their work. Additionally, if expectations for behavior and academics are created with the students, students are more likely to hold themselves accountable for their performance. Teachers need to recognize the position that they are in. How they approach their classroom and the expectations to which they hold their students have a huge impact on how students will perform. It is important to have strategies in place that hold students to these high standards, including things like only accepting completely right answers and stretching knowledge beyond the subject at hand. When teachers can successfully implement these strategies, a culture of learning is created, and students are more likely achieve higher outcomes.

References

Teach Like A Champion. (n.d.). Setting High Expectations. Retireved from          http://teachnowprogram.com/activity/candidate/id/672

United States. (2012). Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.          Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012- results.htm

Weisenthal, Joe. (2013, December 3). Here's The New Ranking Of Top Countries In      Reading, Science, And Math. Retried from            http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-rankings-2013-12

Setting High Academic Expectations

The following Prezi includes three strategies for setting and achieving high academic exceptions and why each strategy matters, along with a brief summary of how I will approach setting high expectations in my classroom. Enjoy!

http://prezi.com/fk_fzna0ertq/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

The Gradual Release of Responsibility Method

Overview
One way to help students understand the procedures that you identified in Activity 1 is to teach them the procedures and let them practice them so that they become the regular routine in the classroom. Periodically through the school year, you may have to re-teach a procedure. One way to teach and reinforce the procedures is to use the gradual release of responsibility model that is described in the Required Study section of this activity. That model is also referred to as the I Do It, We Do It, You Do It Together, You Do It Alone Strategy. This strategy is also effective in teaching content and skills throughout a school year.

For this activity, I did not have access to a classroom or a group of children, so I used college students that I gathered from all over the United States. We met on Google Hangout, and I recorded our session. Please bear with the technological difficulties we had throughout the video. I taught a lesson on iambic pentameter, including how to identify and produce this particular meter.

Reflection on the Gradual Release of Responsibility Method:

I was pretty nervous going into this activity, largely because I had to do this activity is a bit of a non-traditional way. Not only did I not have access to a group of kids this week, but I also needed to complete the activity on Google Hangout, a medium with which I am not terribly familiar. I did log on and practice using Google Hangout a few times throughout the week before my scheduled “class” to make sure that things would run smoothly.

            Overall, I think my lesson went pretty well. The approach might be a little young for the age group with which I was working (college students), but it ultimately felt pretty natural. I actually used to teach college students twice a week in supplemental instruction sessions, and I found myself using a lot of the same techniques in this lesson. One thing that I did that may have seemed especially out of place was have students count the syllables on their fingers. Honestly, I think that is a great approach no matter how old the students are. It helps the students keep track of their counting and helps avoid mistakes.

            As far as the approach itself is concerned, this is a very natural way of teaching for me. In my experience, I have tended to cut out the “you do together” step, so my approach has looked something like this: First, I give an example. Then, we work together as a full class. After that, students get to practice on their own. I actually really liked having students work together because it gave them a chance to test their understanding by explaining the concept to others. This is a valuable learning tool, and I plan to continue to use it in my future teaching. Another thing I liked about this approach is that my students did not feel like they were just tossed into a new topic without any guidance. Gradually releasing responsibility to students allows students to ask questions and try out their ideas before they are completely on their own.

            If I were to do an activity like this again, I would make sure that everyone’s microphone works! It was unfortunate that one of my students could not get his working, but we worked around it. He typed in a chat box, and I did my best to read what he was typing out loud to the group. Additionally, I would ask the students to evaluate each others work after the “you do alone” portion. This would be much easier to do in person where I could partner students up, but I think it would be beneficial to have them check each others work before sharing with the larger group.

            All of that being said, this was a good experience. Ideally, I will be able to work with students closer to my target age range on the next few activities, but considering I had to complete this activity non-traditionally, I think it went well. I do need to get more practice teaching while being recorded because being recorded still makes me nervous. I know it is not really any different, but it is still something I need to get used to. I will be sure to practice that prior to entering the classroom for Module 8.

Managing Smooth Classroom Transitions

The annotations below are based on the following video:

0:35 - Ms. Noonan mentioned embedding content in classroom management strategies. This sounds like a great way to keep students focused on the material while still creating order in your classroom. As a future ELA teacher myself, I’m really looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.

1:03 - The first transition that Ms. Noonan used was “Word of the Day.” This is definitely a content based transition, and it really seemed to get the class’s attention. I like that the students got to choose the actual word. That is a great way to keep them thinking about the material even when you are in between lessons. It also looked like she picked a student at random to choose the word of the day, which is a good way of keeping students on their toes.

1:27 - In addition to just reviewing a word that is relevant to content, Ms. Noonan uses the word to transition her class from sitting in their desks to sitting on the carpet. This particular part seemed a little forced, but it also seemed to work well for her class. I do like that she works to use the word throughout the day so that students get used to hearing the word in sentences.

2:39 - Although it seems a bit repetitive to use the same word to signal everything throughout the day, it does seem like the students like the routine of knowing that they have to wait for the word. Because I am going to be working with middle school students, a lot of this seems a little young for them.

3:09 - That is such a cool idea! This transition, the “Grab Bag Quiz,” allows Ms. Noonan to ask her students review questions for any subject and gauge their understanding. Additionally, this allows the kids to get a little competitive, hoping to be the first one the answer the question so they can be dismissed first. This is definitely something I could see working with middle school students, especially if you wanted to dismiss students by group or by row. It could be turned into a semester long competition if you wanted, giving students something to work towards. This transition really seemed to grab the kids’ attention, and I think it would work on many different grade levels.

3:55 - Ms. Noonan makes a great point about students modeling good transitions for their peers. By sending students to their desks in small groups, Ms. Noonan allows her students to take charge of their own transition, cultivating an environment where good transitions are rewarded with positive feedback and the privilege of getting to do things first. This is something that I think would work best in elementary school, but I could see it working in middle school as well in some sort of variation. Perhaps in terms of dismissal? Or getting to do something first, be in pick out a book from the class library or have access to a computer or tablet?

4:18 - Another great point. This definitely serves as an incentive throughout the day. I think that for older students, the incentive might need to be greater than just getting to go to their desks first, like I mentioned above. However, for younger kids, this really seems like it works. I like this idea for a transition because it can function as both a transition and content review.

Summary of Ms. Noonan’s Transition Strategies

Ms. Noonan discussed two teaching strategies that she uses in her classroom. The first is called “Word of the Day,” and it is a transition that is used throughout the day that helps create a sense of routine for students. “Word of the Day” starts by the teacher asking a student to select a word of the day from any content area that has been covered in class. In the example in the video, the word was “quixotic,” meaning impractical. Once the word is selected, the teacher says the word aloud signaling to the students that it is time to all go sit on the rug, at which time they learn about the word of the day, including what it means, where it comes from, and how to use it. From there, the day resumes, and the word of the day is used to signal that it is time to end one activity and begin another. This strategy seemed quite effective for Ms. Noonan’s students, but they did require some reminding of how good transitions look when this transition was used. This transition would likely work best with elementary school children because older students may feel talked down to. However, a word of the day is a great idea, even for older students, and could be used to help create a sense of routine.

The second transition that Ms. Noonan used was called “Grab Bag Quiz.” Of the two transition, this one seemed to be the most effective with this group of students, and I think it would be effective with a variety of grade levels. For this transition, the teacher poses questions to the class and dismisses them by group as they answer questions correctly. The only restriction on the questions is that they must cover content that has been covered in class at some point during the year. Other than that, it can come from any subject area and require any length of answer. This activity really engaged students in the transition process and served as a clear break between one activity and the next. “Grab Bag Quiz” functions as follows. The teacher poses a question to the class. Students raise their hands, and the teacher calls on them. Once a student gets the questions correct, their group is dismissed to their desks. The students then model an appropriate transition to their still-waiting classmates. The quiz continues until all students are seated at their desks. There are many variations that a teacher could do on the particular transition, including awarding points based on when students answered questions and creating a competition. This could also be used as an end of day dismissal strategy or to allow students access to privileges. One of the things that makes this strategy so effective is that students become competitive, wanting to answer questions correctly, which drives them to pay more attention in class. Additionally, this transition functions as a review of content, efficiently using class time.

Transition Strategies for My Classroom

Because I am going to be teaching middle school students, a transition like “Word of the Day” likely would seem a bit condescending, which is something I absolutely want to avoid. I do think that “Grab Bag Quiz” would work well as a dismissal activity, but because there is generally less movement in a secondary classroom than in an elementary classroom, I do not think it would be terribly successful during lessons. However, in my research, I found two strategies that really help with time management in the middle school ELA classroom, one of which is a transition. The transition I found is to use a timer and decide on a set amount of time for an activity. If it is a short transition that needs to take less than 30 seconds, give them 30 seconds on the clock and make it a race. If it is an activity that will take, say, 20 minutes, set the timer for 20 minutes and periodically remind them how much time they have left. This allows students to monitor their own progress (all students should be able to check the timer), and it cuts down on the number of times students ask how much longer they have to work on a particular activity. An additional classroom management tip that I stumbled across was having students use simple signs to signal what they need. If they need help, they put one finger up in the air. If they need to use the bathroom or get a drink of water, they put two fingers up. If they need to sharpen their pencil or get some sort of classroom supplies for what they are working on, they put three fingers up. This cuts down on the amount of time spent discussing things like using the bathroom and sharpening pencils while still alerting the teacher to the students’ needs and allowing the teacher to say that it is not a good time for the student to leave their seat if, say, the teacher is about to give directions. I think that both of these strategies, coupled with a dismissal version of “Grab Bag Quiz,” would work well to help transition through the middle school class period.

References

Hopf, W. (n.d.). Strategies to improve transitions and time management [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/improve-transition-time-management#video-sidebar_tab_video-guide-tab

Noonan, M. (n.d.). Ms. Noonan: Managing transitions [Video file]. Retrieved from https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/platform-videos/M4U3A2_MsNoonanManagingTransitions.mp4

Establishing Norms, Rules, and Procedures in the Classroom

The following Prezi was created by Mark Adams and me (Elisha McLaughlin). The basic idea of our presentation is to compare and contrast how teachers go about establishing norms, rules, and procedures for their classrooms based on grade level. Mark is a kindergarten teacher in Istanbul, and I am an aspiring middle grade English/language arts teacher in North Carolina.

http://prezi.com/xv--uj1oy5pi/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Developing Positive Relationships with Students

The following is a Prezi that I created on developing positive relationships with student through fostering relationships, my personal introduction to my students, and social and emotional support. This is only my second attempt at creating a Prezi, but I think it looks pretty great! Please feel free to leave suggestions!

http://prezi.com/ytyb7g1xe7xr/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy