managing redos

I'm going to return to grading again this week, but focus on managing redos in your classroom. I read the article "Redos and Retakes Done Right" in the November 2011 issue of Educational Leadership, a well-respected journal published by ASCD, and it made me think about my current policies about redoing assignments. [on a side note, this is a great journal that you should subscribe to if you don't already!] Though I do now, I haven't always allowed redos. When I was first teaching, the policy on our sixth grade team was not to allow redos. But over time, we realized, as Rick Wormeli states in the article's headline, "Allowing students to redo assignments and assessments is the best way to prepare them for adult life" (p. 22). He outlines this philosophy with this story:

"Consider the Olympic runner poised to begin the race for the gold medal in the final heat. the pistol goes off, and the runners push their bodies to the breaking point, all of them dashing across the finish line within seconds of one another. Our runner comes in fourth, however, so there's no medal for him. Does he get a 'do-over' of that race? No - and that's proper at this level of competition. Remember, he's not in the learning-to-run stage of development; he's in the proficient-runner phase."

Wormeli goes on to discuss how sensible it is to expect different things of students at different points in their learning development, and that applying expectations of high levels of competency to students just learning new skills can be counterproductive.  That is not to say that we shouldn't hold students to high expectations - but we need to make sure they've had enough scaffolded support to reach those expectations. 

To think that by disallowing redos we are preparing students for the 'real world' just isn't accurate in thinking about how adults work and learn together. All jobs require practicing certain skills, whether it is for surgery, take-offs and landings, designing a new office building, or teaching algebra. We all get better with careful practice. And Wormeli points out that even high-stakes tests such as LSAT, MCAT, SAT, Praxis, driver's licensure can be retaken for full credit.

So if you decide to allow redos, how can you put that policy in place without making yourself crazy? Wormeli outlines some helpful tips for managing redos in your classroom. Here are a few of them:

1. Ask students who redo assignments to also submit an explanation comparing the two - what is different and what did they learn as a result of the redo?
2. Reserve the right to give alternate assessments/assignments if you think students might just memorize responses.
3. You can also make clear to students and parents that redos are permitted at teacher discretion.
4. After 2 or 3 unsuccessful redos, reconsider whether the student is ready for that content and/or if we haven't been able to come up with the right way to teach it. Return to it later.
5. If the same student is always asking for redos, investigate what might be going on - with their readiness for the content or issues at home. Something else might be going on.
6. Allow redos throughout the semester, but it's perfectly ok not to allow them the final week of the term. You'll be crazy getting grades sorted out, you don't need the added stress of dozens of redos to grade and recalculate.

I hope this is helpful in your thinking about grading policies and redoing assignments. How have you handled redos so far?

reflections on grading

Grades. Such a point of tension and anxiety for new teachers. Especially as many of you are now finalizing first semester grades for your students.

Grades can serve many purposes: evaluation of student learning, feedback to students and families, instructional planning for teachers, incentive for progress, and administrative purposes - matriculation, retention, transfers etc. And not all educators share the same philosophy on grades - some educators grade on effort while others see grades as evaluation of academic achievement only. These varied purposes and perspectives makes grading within a team/grade level and/or school difficult - when an A carries different meanings in one class from another.

Regardless of our philosophies on grades, students often think of grades as a mystery, not really understanding what a grade is communicating, if anything! I remember my first year of teaching, I was surprised to hear how varied my teammates' grading policies and philosophies were, and I hadn't really done a lot of reflecting on how I was grading and what purpose grades served in my own classroom. No wonder my students were stymied!

As you finalize semester grades, if you haven't already, talk with students about how their grades are determined. If you haven't had a chance, let them know specifically what they can do to maintain or improve their grades next time. This will vary depending on whether you include effort, growth, or completion of assignments or projects. And whether you allow redos (something I'll talk more about soon).

Perhaps your grading policies need revision based on your experience the first half of the year. And if you change something, be sure to communicate the changes to your students (and why the change). Parents are sometimes left out of these conversations, so let them in on the policies and any changes. The more clear you are with students and parents, the greater the chance that students will be able to attain the high standards you set for them.

References:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100053/chapters/What-Are-Grades-For%C2%A2.aspx
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct03/vol61/num02/Grading-Students-with-Disabilities.aspx

getting through disillusionment

Before break, I wrote about the frustrating and challenging phase that many new teachers experience: disillusionment. I wanted to return to this topic, because despite the challenge of this phase, there are things you can do to help you through it.

Some of the actions you can take I’ve already written about, such as observing a mentor or other experienced teacher. You could also observe and meet with an effective and motivated fairly new teacher, such as a second-year teacher, who is close enough to their first year of teaching to be relatable, but have some additional perspective and growth since then to share. A principal, curriculum director, or instructional coach can usually help set something like this up.

Speaking of instructional coaches, if you are fortunate to have one or more in your building, they can be a tremendous resource. Are you nervous about an upcoming unit? Work with the coach and perhaps see if they can teach a lesson or two within that unit. Working with your students in your content can provide you an even more purposeful model than even observing someone else in your department, school, or district.

At the end of the week, make a promise to yourself to think about one success (however small) from the week, and write it down, perhaps in your lesson plan book, a reflective journal, or on a bulletin board at school and home. Something will have gone well every week, improving your math lesson from first to last hour, having a positive interaction with a particular student, you got those papers graded, or you had an effective team meeting. If you feel comfortable, share this success with a trusted colleague and make it a habit.

Something else you can do to work through disillusionment is to set a short-term goal – something manageable that you can accomplish in the next month or two. Find someone to help you set and check in about your goal – an administrator, a teacher, an instructional coach, or a friend from your preparation program.

Some people in this phase like to read inspirational books, such as The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer, Why I Teach by Ester Wright, or Teaching from the Heart by Sharon Draper. Others don’t find that particularly helpful. And that’s ok.

All that aside, it is still important to honor what you are experiencing. You don’t need to go through this alone, though, and in all of these ideas is the suggestion that you build a community around working through this challenge.

Anyone else out there have ideas for getting through this difficult phase in teaching?

***********

References:

http://www.veanea.org/home/1404.htm

student reflections on assessments

Welcome back! I'm sure you're fully back in the swing of things, but I do hope you had a lovely winter break full of family, friends, fun, and food.

I was at an elementary and a middle school on Tuesday, and even though it was only the first day back from winter break, the M word hung heavily in the air. What's the M word, you ask? Oh, you know it: MCA. Still months away, but once winter break is over, the pressure begins to mount as the date looms in the future. I am not an advocate of abandoning good instruction to "prepare for the test." Most of the research out there says that though kids need some refreshers and a small amount of time to practice good test-taking strategies, they don't need weeks and weeks of practice tests. That doesn't help.

But what can you do now to get kids thinking about the MCAs and their progress in your courses? Ask them to do some reflection.

Have students take a look at their recent assessments or assignments - recent MAP scores, a test, a paper they wrote, a lab report they worked on - and share the standards and objectives the assignment was designed to assess. Have students evaluate themselves on their work. Have them think about:

• What are my strengths relative to the standards?
• In what have I seen myself improve?
• Where are my areas of weakness?
• Where didn't I perform as I wanted, and how might I make those answers/areas better?
• What does this result mean for the next steps in my learning, and how should I prepare for that improvement?

This type of reflection can help you prepare for what you may need to review to make sure students are proficient and/or where you can go deeper. Also, it can inform upcoming conferences, end of semester report cards, or simply in your regular communication with students and parents.

One thing new teachers are often afraid of doing is being honest with students about their scores on assessments. But in order for students to feel some ownership and responsibility for their assessment scores, they need to understand them and know what to do to improve. Part of that improvement can be uncovered in their self-reflections and students will appreciate frank discussions of their progress. Instead of focusing on test-prep, focus on assessment for learning through formative assessments and reflections.

******************

Reference: Chappuis, S. & Chappuis, J. (2007/2008). The best value in formative assessment. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 14-18.

disillusioned

It is likely for many of you first year teachers that you are in a phase of disillusionment. This typically happens for first year teachers after a couple months of school and can last for quite a while. You may have been observed and evaluated by an administrator, which can add a lot of stress to an already stressful job, leading to uncertainty in your competence as a teacher. The reality of the commitment to teaching isn't always clear before you start teaching, and during the disillusionment phase, teachers can sometimes question their decision to become a teacher. You might have been sick once or twice (or more!) which compounds feelings of dissatisfaction. The needs of students feel urgent but classroom management issues might be getting in the way of accomplishing what you want to academically with your students.

What you need to know is that you are not alone. It might not help to know that others feel this way, but they do! I did big time in my first year of teaching, and still feel this way at times. It does go away, especially if you have a supportive network of folks to talk about this with - either at your school or friends from your preparation program, or friends who don't know teaching but know you and can provide some boosts to your self-esteem. But this feeling of disillusionment can be a very difficult challenge to get through in your first year of teaching. It is a very real and frustrating phase.

Winter break will provide you an opportunity to reflect and reset. You need some time to build yourself back up. Take lots of time for fun, and set some realistic goals for the spring, both professionally and personally.

I'm off next week, but will be back posting in 2012. Happy holidays, dear readers, and a warm, healthy, happy new year!

************
References: http://newteachercenter.org/blog/phases-first-year-teaching

planning for (and being) a substitute

Tis the season for nasty colds and stomach bugs. And that means sub plans. Second semester of my first year of teaching, I was teaching 7th grade Spanish I part time in a middle school. To make ends meet, I did a lot of subbing in the school. When teachers in the building had appointments or meetings and needed to miss an hour or two, I'd fill in. When I showed up for my first day on the job, the secretary asked if I would be willing to sub for F&CS (I wasn't sure what that was, as Family and Consumer Science was Home Ec back in my day), and being the willing and excited new teacher, I said absolutely.

It was the first day of the 6th graders' cooking unit. They were to make baked apples. Apparently, the group had gone over the recipe for several days, watched a demonstration, and today they were to do it themselves. So, I went over the recipe one more time and let them loose. When I look over at one group's table, I see a 6th grader, holding the apple IN HIS HAND, using the serrated knife to cut it. After yelling "Freeze!!" and providing some reteaching of how to cut an apple (on a cutting board!), there were few other mishaps. No one lost a finger, but I think I lost a few years of my life in the scare it gave me.

This was, perhaps, not the wisest lesson activity to leave for a substitute. In my year of subbing for everything from 8th grade algebra, to 6th grade PE, to band, to tech ed, I learned a lot about myself as a teacher, as well as some helpful dos and don'ts when leaving sub plans. Here's some advice for planning for and being an effective substitute.

You probably had to create a substitute folder at the start of the school year to give to the secretary for those emergency situations when you're gone and it is unplanned. And likely what is in it is no longer helpful. Now is a great time to review the folder you made at the beginning of the year.

Some key forms/info to have readily available (on top of your desk and labeled or attached to lesson plans is best):

• seating charts
• key contacts (main office, attendance, nurse, as well as the nearby teachers)
• evacuation plans for fire drills, lockdown procedures, tornado plans 
• a master list of the weekly pull-out schedule (i.e. which students leave when and where do they go?)

One thing that can really help you out if you need to leave sub plans is have a set, typed description of the routines for the room. All that hard work you've done to have a predictable routine for the students? That will pay off big time when you have a sub. Some day you have a few minutes to spare (ha!), sit down and type out those routines in detail. Then keep this file handy to attach to any specific sub plans.

Speaking of lesson plans, think about what will be reasonable for someone else to accomplish. You might think twice before leaving a complicated lab or baking project, but keep kids working on the content of the class. When kids are bored, they are more likely to be antsy.

Another helpful thing to do is assign a substitute helper in your class. Maybe it's a rotating job for your students, but this can be really helpful in ensuring that the day goes smoothly. Have kids take over the attendance, lunch count, etc and then that can just continue when you're gone.

And one other thing - have pens, pencils, bandaids, hall/nurse passes, and paper clips readily accessible. I got in the habit of always carrying these things with me when I would sub, because it was amazing how often I'd go into a classroom and couldn't find a single thing to write with! 

For those of you that are doing the substitute teaching, here are a few additional resources:

There is a professional organization for substitute teachers: The National Substitute Teachers Alliance. I don't know a lot about the organization, but if you are currently or plan to sub it might be worth looking into. You can also find more resources to help substitute teachers here.

EducationWorld has some helpful articles. There's one with some general substitute teaching advice, several mini-lesson plan ideas, and some suggestions for games.

As a sub in the building, it can go a long way to introduce yourself to the teachers in classrooms near you. If you make a good impression, they are likely to request you as a sub. And it can help you out if you get into a bind with something throughout the day. Eat lunch in the lounge and meet the other teachers. This is a great opportunity to network. Stop in and introduce yourself to the principal. If interested in the school as a place of potential employment, see if there are opportunities to volunteer, teach after-school classes, or other ways to get involved. Go to PTA meetings. Do whatever you can to show that you are interested in the school community.

Classroom teachers know that there are issues every day. So don't feel compelled to write at the bottom of the sub plan, "Everything was great! No problems!!" Teachers want to be able to follow up on what happened when they are gone, so leaving them with a detailed note about what was accomplished, who was helpful, who needed extra redirection, and what didn't get done. Teachers will really appreciate the extra time.

A final plea from teachers leaving their room to a sub: do the best you can to follow the plans. We all know that some days despite best efforts, things just aren't going to happen they way you planned. But it is frustrating to come back from being gone to find out that the students watched "Shrek" and "Cars" and didn't accomplish anything in the careful sub plans that were left. This doesn't mean that if the day is a disaster that you should just keep plugging away. Part of being a good teacher and sub is being flexible. But when teachers leave plans, they are hoping that a solid effort will go into following them.

What other advice do you have for planning for or being a substitute teacher?

your turn

As I'm planning for the posts for the next few months, I'd love to be responsive to what you, dear readers, are concerned about and interested in learning about. For the most part, I've been going on what I hear from the new teachers that I work with and what I know about new teacher concerns. But I know you have ideas about what you need and are interested in learning more about.

So, this week, I want to hear from you. Post a comment with your ideas for future posts. I will work on answering them within the next few months.