Improving Behavior

For me, a new teaching year has begun giving me opportunities to experiment with different methods for encouraging excellent academic behavior in my students.  Last year, I simply posted on my class bulletin board a list of names of students who were maintaining an 85 or higher average.  Students who are doing better this year than last year have been requesting that I post the list this year so they can finally see their names on it!  ( And so I will have to do that.)  But I have been trying new things. I divided each class into two to three teams with the highest two or three scoring students as team captains.   The teams gain points from their quizzes and tests scores.  After each test, the team with the most accumulated points gets ice cream at lunch.  I am hoping teammates will encourage and help each other reach higher heights.  Teams also can earn or lose points based on group classroom behavior. Team captains have special privileges such as permission to leave the class for bathroom or water fountain breaks, exemption from having to show their work on homework, and early dismissal if they have completed all their assignments.  So far quiz and test scores are almost entirely in the A range which is a great improvement.

Another way that I am positively reinforcing behavior is taking photos and videos of students and including them in emails to all the parents.  I recently took a photo of seventh-grade students who score 100 on a quiz and sent to all the parent.  Beyond that, I try to praise neat work, perseverance, helpfulness, and self-control verbally.  Last week, at an after school sports event on campus, I had to tell a student that he, as a middle school student, was not allowed to be at the event without his parent.  I instructed him to wait in the late stay classroom until his parent arrived.  The student left immediately and reported to the classroom.  Last year, he would have responded very angrily to such redirection.  So I made sure to tell him later that he responded well and that I was proud of him. I gave him no points or ice cream just well deserved praise.

For academic behavior that is unacceptable, I am traditional in my approach.  I do not accept homework that is messy, or incomplete.  I reward such work with a zero.  The work of students who get C’s or lower on quizzes or tests is examined closely for clues to what is lacking in their understanding.  Then, I take the student aside and reteach them.  Concerned parents are reassured and given details of corrective steps I have taken. And of course, they are given a low grade which shows them they will have to work hard to get their overall grade to improve.

My method for curbing negative non-academic behavior has not changed.  Students who talk while I am lecturing, who respond disrespectfully to me or another student, or engage in “horseplay”, receive a strike for each offense, written by their names on the whiteboard.  Three strikes on one occasion lead to a private conversation with that student about his or her behavior.  Three strikes on another occasion lead to a conversation with the student’s parent about the behavior.  Three strikes on a third occasion lead to a discipline write-up and a meeting with the dean of students who determines the appropriate correction.  Students who have had behavior issues last year are written up after the second occasion.

I generally do not use the three strikes method or disciplinary forms for misbehavior in the lunchroom, however.  Students who are too loud, overly active, who pop bags, throw food, etc. usually get assigned cafeteria clean-up.  If the behavior of an entire table is unacceptable, that table is moved near me for a week or more, so that I can more closely supervise them.  These methods are very effective for curbing negative behavior in the classroom.

With each new year, there are opportunities to improve as a teacher. I am pleased so far with the improvements that I am seeing in my students’ behavior.  Hopefully, you will see success in your corner of education as you experiment with new methods in the areas needing improvement.

Creating High-Performance Learning Environments

In this blog, I will consider three classroom learning environments to determine how they contribute to high student performance.  I will reflect on what I do to create a high-performance learning environment.

Video 1: Roller Coaster Physics .

In this video, we see that the teacher, Donna Migdol of Oceanside School District, New York, has high academic expectations of her fifth-grade students.  One would assume that a fifth-grade S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) teacher would believe her pupils were very capable. She gave them a group project (PBL), designing a styrofoam roller coaster that was both fun and safe.

Migdol communicates high confidence in her students during the chiming sessions.  At the beginning of the week, each team selects a student to be their chimer.  The chimer reflects on last week’s design difficulties.  Then the rest of the students chime in with suggestions for solving those difficulties.  Migdol doesn’t interject her solutions into the dialogue thus showing her confidence in the collaborative abilities of the students.  Migdol uses the vocabulary of physics and expects the students to do likewise (e.g. potential energy, kinetic energy).  And she gladly provides a very limited number of construction resources and plenty of constraints because scarcity and difficulty make students better problem solvers.  In addition to all these, Migdol asks questions that require critical thinking on the students’ part.

Although behavioral expectations aren’t mentioned, clearly the teacher assumes that the students will be kept busy and out of trouble by immersion in this rigorous and fun group project. Collaboration is a norm of this class, and all follow procedures such as the procedure of taking notes on the computer simulation results and determining improvements for future success.

Video 2: Third Grade Chinese Math Class

(& Kan Wei’s  What Makes Chinese Math Lessons So Good)

In the second video, we hear primary students reciting math tables and (possible) math rules.
In his article, Kan Wei explains factors in Chinese math instruction that lead to high student performances.  Basically, students are called on constantly to demonstrate the correct way for solving various math problems.  Wei says that students develop and prove their answers to problems while standing in front of the whole class, take grade-level tests every two to three week, answer “why”, “how”, and “what if” questions, and strictly follow the proper mathematical formatting of answers.  The pressure of high expectation is a norm of Chinese math students.  

Video 3: Whole Brain Teaching Ridgewood High - The Basics

Whole Brain Teaching

In this third video you can see a noisy but fun learning environment. Whole Brain Teaching incorporates movement, gestures, choral repetition, educational games and many other techniques in classroom instruction.  As the name implies, this method’s goal is to stimulate as much of the brain as possible during a lesson, similar to the way video games engage the whole mind.  The more the student is immersed in the subject while simultaneously being unaware of this, the more like play and less like work the educational process becomes. Boredom is not the norm for the method.  Grabbing and keeping the students’ attention is the norm.

Reflection

As I compare the three learning environments, I see a similarity between the first two approaches.  Both operate under the assumption that students are capable of demonstrating high levels of conceptual understanding.  The first class does it by applying what they have learned to a project- or problem-based lesson.  Students collaborate and are almost entirely dependent on each other to develop solutions.  The second class is drilled to the point that each individual can demonstrate a high level of proficiency through various assessments.  Teachers teach detailed lessons in both classrooms and expect a lot in return from their pupils.

I also see a similarity between the first and third environments. The third classroom operates under the following assumption: the degree to which students remain engaged in the learning environment is directly related to how interesting and stimulating the presentation is to the whole brain. I would say that the first environment shares this assumption because it incorporated the use of project- or problem-based learning activities.  The Roller Coaster project (including the use of the computer simulation) is an incredibly interesting learning experience.

Summary

My approach to creating a high-performance learning environment more closely resembles the Chinese math approach.  I work example math problems of increasing complexity on the whiteboard.  I have students compete to solve problems at the front of the class.  I also test them every two to three weeks.  Because I do not give makeup work or extra credit assignments, my students know they have to pass my tests.

I do not drill my students repeatedly like in the Chinese math video, however.  I should though!  Students seem to quickly forget the rules for adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing negative integers and other concepts.  They need these concepts permanently etched in their brains, and the sooner the better.

Having said that, I would prefer my teaching style to become more like the first video.  I want to give more engaging assessments like project- or problem-based lessons.  A blend of rigor and fun seems better than what I currently do.  Some of my students are turned off to my teaching style, but they would be more engaged if given a choice of projects to complete.  Perhaps this would enable those students to meet the high expectations I have of them.

Establishing a Positive Classroom Environment for Students from Diverse Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Groups

     Before I became a math teacher, I wanted to work outside of the United States. To better prepare me for such work, I got a master's degree in intercultural studies.  I am now discovering that cultural sensitivity is important in classrooms across America.  What are some things a teacher can do to establish a positive classroom environment for students from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups?  I've included some ideas about this topic in this blog.

      According to Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education (2016, p. 9), how you setup your classroom can help establish a positive environment for students from diverse backgrounds. Are decorations in the class reflective of different cultures?  Do posters depict people from various ethnicities?  Are desks isolated or grouped for student interaction?  Can your students recognize anything in your room from their culture?



     In my class, I like to praise students with expressions from French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  No, I am not fluent in any of these languages, but I do dabble.  When introducing algebra, I like to emphasize that this was a great contribution from Arabic culture to the rest of the world. When I take a trip out of the U.S., I try to show my classes photos of my experiences. These are ways I try to promote diversity.  Teachers can do things like find out students' favorite meals and holidays from their cultures and work these things into assignments or class activities.



     There are a lot of simple things that teachers can do as well to create a welcoming environment in their classrooms for all students. Teachers can encourage positive interactions. Greeting students at your classroom door promotes positive interaction. Having little conversations with students about their interests also goes along way, especially for those who may feel left out due their ethnicity or other perceived differences that they may have. 

     Teachers can promote introductions. It is natural to allow students to introduce themselves at the beginning of the school year.  A good activity for students is to group them based on some commonality (birth place, number of siblings, birth order, favorite subject, etc).  Despite our ethnic, social, and economic differences, we really do have a lot in common.

     Teachers can also help prevent intimidation. Avoiding classroom confrontations helps the teacher/student relationship.  Speaking privately to a student after class about his/her behavior is a good practice. Another good practice is for teachers to proactively send notes home about good behavior in class. "A teacher might discipline herself to make one phone call home per day about some student’s positive behavior" (Marzano, 2007, p. 139).

     Preventing intimidation includes anti-bullying strategies. Bullies can single out students who are different from the other students. All students, especially those from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups need their teacher's assistance to create a more sensitive classroom environment. Teachers need to be fully aware of their school's Anti-Bullying Policy and respond immediately to bullying in accordance with that policy.  A teacher could proactively start the school year with a talk regarding the pain caused by words and actions intended put down others.  Often bullies have been bullied. Allowing students to share their stories of being bullied can sensitize other students to the pain it inflicts. At that time the teacher could explain strategies for dealing with bullies and encourage bullied students not to remain silent.

     This school year be aware that the more you establish a positive, welcoming environment in your classroom for students of diverse backgrounds, the better they will learn and the stronger your community will be.  Celebrate diversity.

References

Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education. (2016). Retrieved July 31, 2017, from
        http://www.tolerance.org/critical-practices

Marzano, R. J. (2010). The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for

       effective instruction. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum 

       Development.

Technology and the Near Distant Future of Education

Technology is constantly advancing and changing everything around us including education.  In a few years, students will truly be learning all the time, everywhere.  As I read online articles regarding teaching in the future, they made references to flipped classrooms, cloud-based learning, further gamification of education, augmented reality, virtual reality, and holograms.  Imagine being able to take an immersive virtual tour of the Smithsonian Institute and being able to ask your virtual tour guide any question you want and get instant accurate answers?  Technology will give us very rich personalized learning experiences anytime and everywhere so that students can learn more, faster, sooner and all OUTSIDE the classroom.  Students can then come prepared to school to build and create things as well as to solve problems.  Classroom time will be devoted almost entirely to hands-on, collaborative application of learning.  Students can experiment, build with 3-D printers, and invent solutions to real problems.  The classroom of tomorrow will be a high-tech vocational research experimentation laboratory.

As students learn more at younger ages, teachers of today who teach high school may only be qualified to teach middle school tomorrow.  Teachers will have to take tech-heavy continuing education credits in order to keep developing the skills that their students are hoping to master.  The saying “Those who can do; those who can’t teach” will cease to be said as teaching becomes doing.  The future is exciting but demanding for teachers.  Teachers will only survive if they continue to learn.

References

How Technology Will Shape Teaching in the Future. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2017, from

https://www.educationcity.com/blog/how-technology-will-shape-teaching-future

Poh, Michael. (n.d.). 8 Technologies That Will Shape Future Classrooms. Retrieved June 26,

2017, from http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/future-classroom-technologies/

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (January 2016)  Future Ready

Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education. Retrieved June 26,2017 from

https://tech.ed.gov/files/2015/12/NETP16.pdf.

Allowing Students to Use Mobile Devices to Achieve Learning Objectives

What a great time of year!  I am enjoying my summer break after my second year of teaching.  Looking ahead, I am excited about making small changes to my classes next year that I hope will yield positive results.  After two years of math textbooks and lectures to students sitting in perfect rows, I’m ready to start applying what I've learned from the TEACH-NOW teacher certification course. Allow me to tell you about these small changes and the part that mobile devices play in them.  Perhaps these changes will work for your classroom too.

First, I want to flip my classroom a few days each week. (For a brief explanation of the flipped classroom watch The Flipped Classroom Explained.)  At least two days a week, my eighth-grade pre-algebra students will get their math lesson (video) at home on their computer or mobile devices.  They will come to school the next day and collaboratively work to solve word problems related to the math concept they learned the night before.  I hope to gain more time in class to assist students who need it.  I also hope my students will begin to see that their phones and tablets can educate them and not just keep them socially-connected and entertained.

Second, I want students to use their mobile devices in the classroom occasionally as they work problems.  Students can access quizzes online at Quizlet and other sites and work together to solve them.  They can also review videos (while using earphones) as they do their classroom work.  Students zone out at times during my lectures and then ask me to repeat what I just said.  Mobile devices allow you to play a video lecture over and over again without making others listen to the same lecture again.

Third, I want to utilize mobile devices in project-based activities or short assignments.  I look forward to sending students on a geometry scavenger hunt through the school using their camera phones.  Students also may be given a choice to submit a reflection as a document or a video. These changes will be experimental and incremental, but I hope to build on them the following year.

What are some things I need to keep in mind to make these changes work? For in-class mobile activities,  I should plan a prep day when students will bring a mobile device to the classroom (with headphones) to see who does and doesn’t have one.  I should test the wi-fi that day also to see if everyone can connect.  I need a plan to allow students to share devices (if practical) or have spare devices for those who don’t bring one. For the flipped learning, I need to have a workaround for students who do not have internet access.  At this point, I will simply instruct them to read the lesson in the book the night before. By planning ahead, achieving learning objectives by using mobile learning can work smoothly.

References

Bergmann, John. (2016, July 10). The Flipped Classroom Explained.  Retrieved June 26,
       2017, from http://www.jonbergmann.com/the-flipped-classroom-explained/
Daccord, Tom. (2012, September 27). 5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make With iPads 
       (And How To Correct Them). Retrieved June 26, 2017, from 
       http://www.edudemic.com/5-critical-mistakes-schools-ipads-and-correct-them/
Dunn, Jeff. (2013, February 4). The Teacher’s Quick Guide To Digital Scavenger 
       Hunts. Retrieved June 26, 2017, from http://www.edudemic.com/
       the-teachers-quick-guide-to-digital-scavenger-hunts/

Special Education Resources

What resources are available for a teacher like me in Macon, Georgia, to address the needs of potential special education students in my classroom?  To answer this question I started by visiting the Bibb County School District website where I found helpful information.   Jennifer Mellor is listed as the executive director of the Special Education department or the Program for Exceptional Children as my school district calls it.  Additionally, the names, titles, and contact information are listed for 19 other staff members in this program.  Of particular interest to me were links to powerpoint presentations that offer differentiation ideas for teaching math and other subjects to special education students.

         Communicating the Language of Math through Adapted Literature gives various children’s book titles and explains the math concepts that can be taught through reading them.  It promotes learning math through literature as a practical and motivational avenue that creates positive attitudes toward math.  The list of books includes such titles as Alice in Wonderland, How to Eat Fried Worms, and Red Badge of Courage. (It says Lewis Carroll’s book is useful for teaching the concept of telling time!)

Another powerpoint link, Supporting Multiple Disabilities through Differentiation, states that differentiation is “providing interrelated activities that are based on student needs for the purpose of ensuring that all students come to a similar grasp of a skill or idea.”   It also indicates that differentiation not only allows the inclusion of special ed. students, but also gifted and culturally diverse students helping achieve classroom heterogeneity. Some differentiation strategies for teaching math are utilizing visual and graphic descriptions of math problems, demonstrating and encouraging thinking aloud in math, and giving peer-assisted learning activities.

There is even a link to elementary, middle school, and high school curriculum resources.  I downloaded the zip file for middle school and found the sections for science full of interesting pdf’s.  Unfortunately, the math resources were non-existent but the special education department’s website had already provided me with great math resources.

Bibb County School District’s website also provides a link to the Georgia Department of Education Special Education Services website.  This is the part of the GDOE that assists local school districts in serving students with disabilities. “These services focus on enhancing student achievement and post-secondary outcomes through implementation of regional and statewide activities for students, families, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders” says this website.  It had the following interesting graphic:

There is a section with answers to frequently asked questions which are divided into the following categories:

• General Questions
• Evaluation and Eligibility
• Individualized Education Program

If you are a new teacher like I am, you may wonder what the referral process is for special education.  On the Special Education Service section of the GDOE website, there is a link to the Special Education Rules Implementation Manual.  In Georgia, we have the Georgia Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions.  All public school students start in Tier 1 but if a student is struggling with his or her studies he can be moved to Tier 2 where the student's need is addressed by proven strategies that help most struggling students.  If when the student's progress is evaluated it is found to be still lacking, the student advances to Tier 3 where a student support team does more in depth need analysis and application of scientifically proven strategies for improvement.  If after further evaluation the student is not showing adequate progress, the student will be referred to special education testing with parental approval.  If testing is approved and the student is determined to have a disability an individual education plan will be designed and implemented with parental approval.  This will place the student in Tier 4.  Public schools have the option but not the obligation to pursue the overturning of parental disapproval if they feel it is best.  Here's my impression of the pyramid.

As a private school teacher, I wrongly assumed that Tier 4 students in Georgia could only have their needs met in a public school.  However, after interviewing my private middle/high school registrar I learned otherwise.  I asked her if she had ever recommended that one of our students be evaluated by the local school district for a learning disability and if the parents had followed through with her recommendation.  She indicated that the school had made many such recommendations and parents almost always do get their child tested.  She responded to my question regarding what determines whether a student should be referred by saying that depends on the evaluation by the student's teacher in consultation with our school resource teacher who has specialized training in special education.  I assumed that once a student is diagnosed with a disability that the student would leave our school in order to implement the IEP he or she receives.  But the registrar said that if our school and resource teacher can implement the IEP, the child is able to stay.  At times the student only needs longer testing time, oral testing rather than written exams, or extra help with reading.   The registrar even volunteered that some Tier 4 public students can request a transfer to our school, and the Georgia Department of Education will assist with tuition costs.  However, students who are assessed with a disability after first attending our private school do not qualify for any state tuition assistance. I also spoke briefly with our school's resource teacher who confirmed that our school does not have the resources to serve the needs of many special education students and therefore is not able to enroll many.

My search for special education resources yielded me a number of interesting finds.  I hope they are helpful to you.  If you have some resources that you can share with me, please leave me a comment.  Thanks!

Looking at Technology and Education through the Eyes of National and International Organizations

Technology is Transforming Teaching

    I am a new educator who is almost fifty years old.  When I received my undergraduate degree, computers were only glorified typewriters.  When I received my graduate degree, the internet had become very useful for doing research for papers.  Decades later, I am taking a teaching certification course that has exposed me to the larger role technology now plays in education.  I will share some things I am learning as I come to terms with the impact that technology is having, can have, and should have on teaching.

    Technology is transforming how educational institutions around the world conduct business.  NAFSA (National Association for Foreign Student Affairs) surveyed hundreds of undergraduate and graduate schools and programs across the globe.  Sixty percent of those who responded are using technology to build a virtual community, fifty percent advise their students using technology, and forty percent communicate with their colleagues through technology (How Social Media Technology Being Used).  According to the National Education Association (NEA), in the U.S.  “great strides have been made in infusing technology into schools and into the instructional process. . . Yet, despite the overall progress, many schools are not making full use of technology as a component of comprehensive school reform” (Technology in Schools: The Ongoing Challenge of Access, Adequacy and Equity, p. 1 ) Do we need to do more than just provide computers to schools in order to experience the full benefit that technology has to offer education?  Yes, we need to do much more.

    The national ratio of U.S. students to computers in public schools is 3.8 to 1, but it is not known what percentage of those computers are actually available in classrooms rather than allocated to a computer room (Technology in Schools, p.1).  Also, the presence of computers and computer related technology does not mean that they have software for different grades, that technical support is readily available to troubleshoot issues when they arise, or that teachers are properly trained to use the technology that is available.  And what exactly do we want to accomplish with the wonders of information and communication technology? The NEA’s vision for technology and teaching is expressed in the following terms, “The technology environment of today's public schools should match the tools and approaches of the work and civic life that students will encounter after graduation.”  Towards that end, they have the following policy recommendations.

1. Improve access to technology

2. Increase Internet access, address software issues, and expand
technical support

3. Expand professional development in technology

4. Capitalize on teachers’ and students’ enthusiasm about technology  

5. Involve educators as advocates (Technology in Schools, p.3)

   Interestingly, studies show that when educators and students engage with technology their enthusiasm, motivation, and interest in what they are doing go up (Technology in Schools, p.2).  Therefore, the NEA supports incorporating in teacher training programs the use technology for instruction (Positions on Technology and Education).

    However, Austin Beck believes that technology has the ability to transform teaching in even greater ways.  On a blog post on the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) website, he states, “Often, when schools adopt technology in the classroom they implement a software that is extremely aligned with their standards and that takes students on a very linear path through the subject they are learning” (Beck, 2017)  My whole educational experience was “linear”. While such a traditional and narrow approach to learning is needed in some ways, Beck (and apparently the CCSSO) believes that technology can expand what we can accomplish through education.  He believes technology “. . . should not create an education model that focuses on a few cognitive outcomes while leaving behind other critical outcomes like exploration, collaboration, problem-solving, engagement, and self-regulation” (Beck).
The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) released a report in 2014 called "Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students’ Learning". Research was reviewed regarding students who were likely to fail or drop out of school due to various reasons (e.g, pregnancy, necessary employment, lack of supports for learning English). When technology was used in a more linear way, presenting knowledge and then testing the comprehension, the results were not much more promising than non-technological approaches. "However, other approaches have been more productive. Research has indicated three important variables for success with at-risk students who are learning new skills: interactive learning; use of technology to explore and create rather than to 'drill and kill'; and the right blend of teachers and technology" (Using Technology, p.6).

As I reflect on the NAFSA survey of international schools and the NEA technology policies, I can see that they recognize that teachers and students need to know how to use technology. However, CCSSO’s vision of technology in education and SCOPE's report cause me to realize that we are still at the beginning of the technology in education revolution.  We are not talking about new ways of doing the same old thing.  Technology is transforming the way we learn and the outcome of learning, and today’s educators need to prepare learners to fully engage their world with the help of technology.

Reference List

Beck, Austin. (2017). The Future of Learning Technologies and Open Educational

      Resources. Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Resourhttp://www.ccsso.org/

      Resources/Programs/OER_Home_/OER_Blog_-_January_2017.htmlces/

      Programs/OER_Home_/OER_Blog_-_January_2017.html

National Education Association. Positions on Technology and Education. Retrieved from

      http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB19_Technology08.pdf

National Association for Foreign Student Affairs. How Social Media Technology Being Used.

      Retrieved from https://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ea_tech_report_how_used.pdf

National Education Association. Technology in Schools: The Ongoing Challenge of Access,

     Adequacy and Equity. Retrieved from  http://www.nea.org/home/58795.htm
The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. (2014). Using Technology to
Support At-Risk Students’ Learning. Retrieved from
https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/scope-pub-using-technology-report.pdf