Friday, December 26, 2014

Report shows unequal distribution of highly qualified teachers


The Education Department recently published data showing an unequal distribution of Highly Qualified Teachers. Naturally, there is a gap between the schools with the Highest and Lowest percentage of impovershed students in many of the indicators. In short, less qualified teachers are more likely to teach in High Poverty and Minority Schools. You can find the report Here. The Huffington Post has a nice visual layout of the data and you can find it by clicking Here. After reviewing some of the data and reading the HuffPost Article, here are some of my thoughts:

1. The notion that First-Year teachers are not good is False

Newer teachers can be valuable assets to a school. I have trained 2 Student Teachers, and they have proven me correct. Given the constantly changing climate in education, it is a blessing that we have people willing to enter this profession. Although 1st-year teachers have much to learn, they CAN get better. Just as we want students to learn and grow, so should all teachers.

2. This report seems to negate the training and influence of the school leaders

As I go through Twitter, I see thousands of Educational Leaders spreading their words of wisdom. It seems we have many knowledgeable and capable people in these positions in schools around the country. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has changed the position of school administrator. Instructional Leadership is a very important aspect of the position now. As the Instructional Leader, the school administrator is supposed to chart the course that leads to student achievement. Therefore, isn't it possible for the Instructional Leader to train a newer teacher and help them transition to "Master Teacher?" I believe strong leadership as well as training CAN reduce the affect that Growing Pains may have on Student Achievement. Lastly, this report doesn't mention anything about the qualifications of the Administrators.

3. The literature is clear that schools with higher needs experience more teacher turnover

Inevitably, these High-Needs schools have to fill more positions with newer teachers. It is important to mention that these "High Needs" include behavior issues, lack of administrative support, and less autonomy. These issues CAN be addressed. However, this is not always the case. Dealing with these issues is hard work and it requires people to change. This isn't easily accomplished and that is why turning a school around is so challenging.

States must come up with a plan to alleviate the unequal distribution by the middle of 2015. It will be interesting to see what happens. Perhaps, very little. After all, this has bee a topic of research over the past decade.

Posted on 6:07 AM | Categories:

Friday, November 7, 2014

Reasons why reading to your children is a habit worth keeping (Article Review)


Everyone is familiar with the highly quoted statement that claims future prison population is predicted utilizing 3rd grade reading scores. While there are some who question the validity of this statement, it is undeniable that it is challenging to close that gap once it has been identified in the 3rd grade. This makes sense being that students are expected to be exposed to grade level material while at the same time, catch up to the level of material. This is challenging, but not impossible. The solution lies within one special habit. This habit is the cure to those winter, spring, and summer breaks within the school year. In many instances, this habit doesn't cost a dime.

Schools around the country encourage this habit often. However, I feel that the message is to important to grow stale. I came across this wonderful article that talks about this habit. I encourage my readers to read this article because it defines reading to your children as a habit. This is so appropriate. Habits are what make us who we are. A habit of reading, or lack thereof, can impact the future of a child significantly.

Here are a few reasons the author gives to parents to encourage them to continue the habit:
  1. Students who read 20 minutes per day score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests vs. students who read for 1 minute per day score in the 10th percentile on standardized tests.
     2.  Reading with your child, or alongside your child, models a love of reading for your child.

     3.  Students and children listen better and longer and develop a wider vocabulary.
 

Saturday, June 21, 2014

How to view Failure


Due to the fact that we are all perfectly imperfect, everyone will taste failure at some point. It is inevitable. It's true that people use sayings like, "Failure is not an option". That's simply not true. Failure is an option. The only difference is in how you fail. Did you give 100% effort or were you hoping and praying you would be successful? Something good can come out of failure. Failure, viewed properly is the feedback we all need in order to be successful. Here are some tweets on failure that I felt were very compelling.




Posted on 9:05 AM | Categories:

What I learned from flipping my class


As I reflect on this past school year, I smile at the thought of my students accepting the challenge of something different. When I first heard of the 'flipped classroom' in early 2013, I was excited yet unsure as to how I would proceed with implementation.  However, I agreed that In 2014, it is more than appropriate that learning continue to extend beyond the walls of the classroom. With something like this, there is bound to be obstacles that must be overcome. Over the (2013) Summer, I thought about these things and determined that I would flip my class for the 2013-2014 school year. Here is what I learned:
Expectations
When I decided to dive into the 'flipped classroom', I knew there would be resistance on the part of students and hesitance on the part of parents. However, as the teacher, it is my job to set reasonable expectations. Expectations aren't limited to the level of the work given. Expectations also concern how the work is completed. As with all expectations, it is important to let those expectations be known and let them stand. I instructed my students that their homework would look a little different than what they have seen before, but it would be completely in line with the curriculum. When I showed my students what their homework looked like and what I expected them to do,
Contingency Plan
Breaking News! There are some students who don't like doing homework. If you are going to flip your classroom successfully, you must be ready for this. I have 6 desktop computers as well as 3 laptops in my classroom. Don't fret if your school doesn't have these resources. Research states that 70% of teenagers aged 13-17 have smartphones. When students don't do their homework, I instructed them to complete it while I discussed the homework with the rest of the class.  This allowed for class to continue even though everyone wasn't at the same point in the journey towards proficiency.
Grades 
Many students are focused on grades in a negative way. As a teacher, it was my responsibility to refocus my students. In terms of grades, they were worried about getting the points associated with an assignment as opposed to acquiring knowledge on the way to proficiency and beyond.
So, on the day the assignment was due, I went around the room looking at each assignment. I spend about 15 seconds on each assignment. I was looking for a solid effort towards completion of the assignment. If a student told me they didn't understand a question and so they left it blank, they received full credit. I did this because I knew that we were going to have a class or small group discussion about the homework. As a result, the gaps in understanding would be filled.
In an effort to not mislead you and paint an incorrect picture, there were students who simply forgot and didn't complete the assignment. They may have started, but didn't finish. Because of my approach and emphasis on learning rather than point accumulation, students were honest about their failure to meet their responsibility. As a result, they received partial or no credit for the assignment.
Video Length
I was able to push my students (9th Graders) to watch videos as long as 20 minutes. On reflection, I believe that  was a little too long for Freshmen. Next year, I will abide by the 1.5 Rule (1.5 X Grade Level).  Based on the 1.5 Rule, my videos will be no longer than 13 minutes long (Rounding Down).
The Lab
What I loved about the flipped classroom is the fact that it allows students to complete the "Traditional Homework" under my supervision. After about 2-3 Flipped Assignments, I compiled "Traditional Homework" assignments into one. This was known as a "Lab". Students were able to choose which assignment they completed 1st. They made their own decisions based on their level of understanding of the material. Where there were gaps, I encouraged my students to fill them in by referring to their flipped assignments or even watching the video again. It was amazing to see students make decisions based on their own metacognition.
Methods
I used the program, Camtasia in order to edit my videos. It took me a lot of time to get the lighting correct. I am not 100% happy with the videos only because I am a bit of a perfectionist. However, I have received a lot of positive feedback. First, I created a script of talking points. Next, I began filming. There were most definitely mistakes. On average, it took about an hour total to film a video, edit, and post.

 I am curious to hear your experiences and advice. Please comment. Also, here is an example of one of the videos I made during the 2013-2014 school year:



Thanks for reading!


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