Category: Educational Reform

Rethinking Recess

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

 

Since our five year old twins are preparing for their kindergarten year, my wife asked our soon to be fifth grader about the kindergarten schedule. Griffin is a school safety in the kindergarten rooms and pays attention to details. When the topic of recess came up he said, “When the classes are behaving they have recess after lunch and a recess later in the day.”  From 9 AM to 4 PM a group of five year-olds only has two unstructured play times? I am a bit worried.

We need to rethink recess! We need more! Why?

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” -Joseph Chilton Pearce

I know that excellent kindergarten teachers incorporate play into their lessons and give the students time to explore their learning in class. How can teachers take this to the next level? Here are a few ideas teachers should explore:

1. Unscheduled recesses: Why do schools assume ALL of a certain grade are ready for recess at the same time everyday. When a class is ready for recess the teacher can tell. They shouldn’t have to wait. Just go out and enjoy the break. It can be shorter or longer than the prescribed times published in the school schedule.

2: When class is misbehaving or off task, time for a recess: Student misbehave for a recess, usually it is due to boredom or too much time on task. David Garcia said ” kids need unstructured Time, when’s the last time you were comfortable in a 5 hour flight?” Classes need to design breaks and movement so that students don’t feel they are trapped in the plane of education all day. Going outside with unstructured time provides this for them. Having a bad back, I can’t sit much longer than 30 minutes, similar to many of our students.

3. Remember that recess is a NEED for our students not a privilege. Young students need to get outside and move. Making them sit inside as a punishment is only really a punishment on the teacher. Research shows that students will perform better the more they get out an move. Many teachers feel that that is for home, but we need to remember that most students spend too much time in front of a screen at home than playing outside. So fulfill the need in school. Please don’t take away this time as a punishment.

Let’s rethink recess for the good of our students’ learning! 

 

 

 

Hold it right there David C. Banks!

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

This morning a friend sends me a link to David C. Bank’s post in the Daily Beast entitled:”Why Middle Schools Should Be Abolished“. I was shocked an educator would write such a thing about any school level, let alone middle school which I hold dear to my heart. As I read the post, David does point out some challenges/needs for educators in the middle level but is focused on throwing out middle schools and combining them with High schools or elementary schools. He missed the opportunity to focus on the students needs and write about the need focus in the middle school level!

Here are a quote from the article really stuck out:

“One challenge is the ill-prepared teacher” – This is very true. Most states don’t have middle school certification programs. Teachers with elementary and high school certifications can all teach in middle school programs. States need to create a third level of certification so teachers are trained to teach this level. This does not mean the students should be lumped in the higher or lower level. I received a master degree in Middle Level Education Programming. All teachers in the middle level need to read “This We Believe” the position paper by the Association for Middle Level Education.

 

Later in the article David said “A teacher’s ability to relate to his or her students is not icing on the cake of serious academics—I believe it is the whole cake.” I totally agree, middle school is about relationships. (Well all school should be) Where is this not happening? I want to go help these schools become better rather than cut them out of the educational process.

I feel David is pointing out a larger problem that exists in our country today. Many Middle Schools are Middle School by name only. The function more like Junior High Schools. YES, there is a difference. If you read This We Believe, it is clearly spelled out. Middle Schools focus on team teaching. Making sure ALL students educational needs are met. Spending time with curriculum in all areas of learning: Physical, Emotional, Intellectual and Social. Dues to educational budget cuts around the country Middle School programs have been cut drastically.

Our society tends to focus on early intervention and college readiness. School districts feel judged by these programs so have spend the few dollars they have beefing up these programs. In my school district for example we have employed 11 staff members to help out with reading recovery and early reading intervention programs. These staff help the K-3 programs be successful. Our high school also has hired extra staff to help counsel students and prepare them for college success. This leaves funding short to middle level programming which David points out needs improvements.

I feel it is malpractice to propose abolishing an entire level based solely on achievement gaps and personal experience. David have you actually taught in a middle school? Have you read This We Believe? Please do if you haven’t. Don’t throw out the middle level for the reasons you state. It is an important time for our students. Insist that staff is trained properly. Middle Schools that are TRUE middle schools are Highly successful. Just look at the schools to watch list here in Michigan to see some great middle schools at work.

David I charge you to reexamine you post and see the need to make sure all middle schools are TRUE MIDDLE SCHOOLS. We shouldn’t abolish anything.  Hopefully other Middle School bloggers will also take their time to respond to your post and change your mind!

 

Student data and teaching ….

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

You hear it all the time, in all the media “Student data shows need for better teaching.” It is the mantra of many educational reformers today. I have struggled with this argument for years. When I talk to friends outside of the education field they buy into this argument. If students don’t perform well on a test then it is “the teachers fault”. Seems logical from a business perspective. When a business makes a product, they desire them all to come off the assembly line the same. If a sales man isn’t making sales or a company isn’t selling its product, then the person or company is at “fault”.

 

Problem is education is not a business. Students are not products but individual people with a variety of individual needs. Does our society want all of our students exiting schools to be the same? It seems that way right now with the testing culture that exists in our schools today. Maybe we need to take a step back and look at schools in a different light.

Instead of: 

Student data is to teaching as product sales are to company’s success

The analogy should be 

Student data is to teaching as crops growth are to farmers.

 Farmers grow crops similarly to how teachers help grow youths minds. Farmers look at the climate of the region pick best methods and choose crops. Similarly teachers see the environment students come from and pick lessons accordingly. The best farmer can loose a crop when unexpected events occur. Droughts, insect infestations, and floods are all possible outside influences that can cause a crop to be lost. The best teachers can not show students growth gains when outside events effect their classrooms. Deaths, loss of jobs and other social ills can effect student performance despite the quality of teaching. Farmers can help adjust environmental factors that affect their crops by watering dry fields, applying pesticides and building dykes. Schools systems try to adjust the environments for their students with counseling options but it is often hard to control these factors. 

Even this analogy has a weakness, farmers get to pick their crops for the environment. Teachers have no choice. They have to teach every student that walks into their classroom. Teachers give their “A ” game everyday to create an atmosphere for success and culture of learning.  

Society needs to be careful when using “learning” data to measure the teaching that is going on in the classrooms.  Incredible teachers are leaving the classrooms due the recent trend in using this data poorly. It is time for it to change. 

Feeling like a failure…is it valid?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

My district uses NWEA MAP scores to measure student growth. Our students take the test in the fall, are give a target to reach when they take the spring test. We have been using the Math and Reading tests for the past 3 years and this year we added the general science test. This week my classes took thescience test. We missed the growth target! One of my student growth data points will not be rated as effective. For me to have gotten effective 60% or more of my students needed to hit their growth target as projected by NWEA. We missed. I feel I have failed my class.

Or at least I did until:

A student took the 45 question test in 10 minutes and saw their test score jump 13 points!! Wait, What? I can’t read 45 questions in 10 minutes, That is answering a question about every 13 seconds is that possible with any accuracy? Yes, I know this student met their target, but it makes me question the validity of the test for every student. If someone can score higher by chance, can’t they also score lower? Should their be a way to make sure students actually read the test? Or is that one me monitoring 30+ students? (In fact this student tested 1 on 1 with another teacher because they we absent when the test was given) The fact is this student growth is reflected in MY teacher evaluation, it leaves me with a few questions.

 

1. Where do the growth targets come from? Not all students grow at the same rate so how in the world can NWEA project these targets? I have been told that they are calculated as the average growth for everyone that scores the same RIT score. IF so then 50% of ALL students will fall above and 50% will fall below as a law of averages.

2. What standards is the NWEA test based upon? I assume common core for ELA and Math, is it Next Gen for science? Surely not the Michigan 7th grade science standards that I am required to teach.

3. If students are above grade level, is it expected for them to grow? Teachers teach a grade level content standard, how can students grow in areas that are not taught as defined by curriculum? I know teachers need to offer enrichment opportunities in class but the dig deeper into curriculum not into high level curriculum that the NWEA test measures.

4. Do multiple choice test really measure knowledge? I often call them multiple guess tests. Most of my student love multiple choice because they can take a guess. They hate fill in the blank and short answer questions because that requires them to have the knowledge. I find it funny that a student who takes 30 minutes to try and unsuccessful complete a short answer test is done in 30 seconds with a similar multiple choice one! The new assessment for the common core are placing an emphasis on more open ended questions so why not NWEA?

5. Do these test scores correlate to content mastery? Is there evidence that doing will on MAP tests means students DO know the content knowledge?

I know these are changing times. Teachers are responsible for making sure our students grow. I KNOW every single student in my class grew in many different ways this year. I have their classwork to prove it. I hope the laws will be fixed so teachers like me don’t feel like FAILURES.

I will continue to strive to be the best teacher I can. I don’t want to resort to teaching to the NWEA (or any test) just to keep my job, I personally feel that would be educational malpractice.

What looks best on paper… doesn’t always turn out best….

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

As a NFL fan, this time of year is the best time of year. The air-waves are full of pundits, sharing their opinions about how prospective players will perform in the “league”.Hope abounds for all teams future.  Pundits all project where many of the players will be drafted, based upon previous performance and combine results. Players get a paper rating based on all of the measurables the NFL or pundit values. Often players receive many different ratings from the pundits.  Teams complete their own ratings and select players based upon their criteria. Some players live up (or down) to their “paper” rating, while many surprise even the best scouts predictions, by not living up to expectations or exceeding them.

Education has now started playing this “rating” game. Test scores are used to predict how students will perform in their future. Teachers evaluations are now being based upon these scores. Predictions of outcomes are used to measure success, not true successes. This can be dangerous. Just ask the teams that drafted: Ryan Leaf, Charles Rodgers, Brian Bosworth, Tim Couch, etc. They received rave reviews after the draft but on the field the players faltered. Every classroom has at least one student who does well on the test but fails to produce on other class activities. These students might need help with social skills or task completion skills vital to being successful in life but not measured on tests.

On the other hand we have hidden gems, those that exceed the projected performance. Some students struggle on tests, but always produce great results on projects and participate in every way possible. Theses students cry when they receive poor test grades and ask for re-take and redo opportunities often. The NFL comparisons are Tom Brady (6th round pick) Shannon Sharpe (8th round) and Richard Dent (8th round) all pro-bowlers or future pro-bowler. They have the immeasurables.

Test have yet to be able to measure: determination, heart and will to succeed. Our students all have these traits to some extend or another. Education needs to remember that our students are so much more than a test score. What their paper states might look great or bad. Teachers need to help it improve but not make students feel it determines their future. Teachers need to remember what looks best on paper isn’t always best. Albert Einstein did not do well in school, but he turned out okay! The “Unabomber” did great in school, yet ended up a serial killer.

Snow days should = e-learning days everywhere!!

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Winter 2014 is going to be one for the ages. Students will talk about this year to their children: “I remember the winter where we didn’t have school!” School is an important part of children’s lives. Attending school helps students develop socially, physically, emotionally and academically. States feel school is SO important that they have mandates for the total number of days (and/or hour) a K-12 student attends during a given school year. When weather inhibits students ability to attend school, the educational process is disrupted.

Current practice in most states is to build in a few “snow days” to the calendar. When the weather requires more cancellations that normal, districts have to be creative in making up missed time by adding minutes to the day or days to the calendar. Does this work? probably not! Adding a few minutes to the remaining school days, does not make up for a missed day of learning. By adding days to the end of the year or canceling breaks, districts run the risks of students not attending due to pre-planned vacations over the breaks. Teachers also make plans for school breaks, whether it is a vacation of their own or scheduling professional development.

One district in Illinois, has come up with a creative plan to make every day count to its fullest. Using today’s technology tools, schools can turn snow days into e-learning days. Many teachers are already using the technology to keep absent students up to speed. Shouldn’t we just extend the expectations to “snow days”? States need to recognize that learning is not school dependent. Educators need to foster their relationships with students and parents by communicating learning expectations for working from home. Parents want/need activities for their students to complete when at home. Just look by looking at parents’ comments on Facebook, one can quickly notice a need for a blended learning approach to “snow days”.

Educators need to let their legislature know that we can make everyday count, Even when the students are working from home.

Update:

Here is another example of a district using e-learning days!

Or when technology might not be at home Blizzard Bags are discussed here.