Thursday Thoughts October 29
The Genius Hour projects this year are AMAZING! I am so impressed with the presentations and I have had several students approach me with proposals for real initiatives to implement at school. Their interests and the many things they want to research, explore and make are limitless. I must admit that I was just a little apprehensive last year when Leigh shared this movement with the CORE Team. I mean who has time to allow students to just "explore their passion"? Honestly in all my years in education, I can't say that I ever gave much attention to students' passion. The focus had always been on what they needed to learn and how much of the curriculum we could get through before the big test each Spring. Now at Medlock, the time period of 7:45am-8:15am is a bevvy of student activity in the halls, media center and classrooms. Kids can't wait to tell you about what they are researching and I love that there is time for them to share their projects with classmates and other adults in the building. Great things are taking place at our school from the moment students hit the door until the time they leave. Thank you for making it happen!
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Ainsley Kurtz and Carol Lynn Hutchins. Being a first year teacher is tough, but especially so when you have a classroom consisting of students in three different grade levels. This means managing three different schedules, three sets of lesson plans and number of different teachers, therapists and of course parents. In addition, it is always a challenge to work with students whose behaviors are less than desirable. Ainsley and Carol Lynn have patience beyond measure and strive to give each of their students the individual attention that is needed to ensure success. I am thankful that these ladies have a love for their students and are passionate about this work. It takes strong educators to do what they are doing and we appreciate them.
Personalized Learning
8 ways teachers can talk less and get kids talking more
If you do fewer teacher-directed activities, that means the kids will naturally do more talking, doesn’t it? Not necessarily. I have often found myself talking almost constantly during group work and student-directed projects because I’m trying to push kids’ thinking, provide feedback, and help them stay on task.
Even when the learning has been turned over to the students, it’s still tempting to spend too much time giving directions, repeating important information, and telling students how they did instead of asking them to reflect on their work. Here are 8 ways teachers can talk less and getting students talking more:
1. Don’t steal the struggle.
It can be uncomfortable to watch kids struggle to figure out an answer, but they need time and silence to work through it. Resist the urge to talk students through every step of a problem and instead just observe. Similarly, learn to love think time. I often worry about keeping the momentum of a lesson going, and it’s uncomfortable for me to allow several moments of silent “wait time”or “think time” before calling on students. However, I try to push against the feeling that I will lose students’ attention because I know providing wait time can actually increase the length and quality of their responses. Letting kids think instead of rushing in to narrate or question builds anticipation around what’s going to be said next and increases participation as more kids are prepared to move into the conversation.
2. Move from the front of the classroom.
It’s easy to get in an instructional rut when you stand at the same place near the board all day long. Try occasionally sitting on the side of the classroom or in an absent student’s desk and say, “I need someone to go up and demonstrate ___ for us.” Because students are used to the person at the board facilitating the lesson, they are likely to talk for much longer than if you stay at the front and they’re in their seats answering you. You can even remain sitting among the class once the student is done demonstrating and ask follow up questions from other students instead of commenting on the students’ demo yourself (“What do all think? Is that an effective method–how do you know? Does anyone use a different strategy?”)
3. Teach students signals for your often-repeated phrases and for transitions.
Cut down on conversations about bathroom/water/pencil sharpening/etc by teaching kids to use sign language to request permission: use sign language to indicate your answer back: yes, no, or wait. I also like to teach kids sign language for please, thank you, and you’re welcome so that I can reinforce their good choices and acknowledge kids without constantly talking. Use music, a chime, or other auditory signal to indicate when it’s time to start an activity, pause, and clean up. The idea here is to give kids a break from hearing your voice: they are far more likely to tune in to a unique sound than to a 20 word direction.
4. Use non-verbal reinforcement for behavior whenever possible.
A lot of the talking most of us do throughout the day is related to student behavior, and most of the time, we’re wasting our breath. Resist the urge to lecture students every time someone forgets their materials, interrupts your lesson, or makes an inappropriate noise. It’s far more effective (not to mention easier and less disruptive) to give students “the teacher look” and keep the lesson moving. If you need to have a conversation about the behavior with a student or issue a consequence, try to wait for a break in your instruction rather than stop the whole class from learning while you discipline one kid.
5. Turn your statements into questions and prompts.
Instead of saying to a group, “Nice work over here, I like the strategy you used for ___”, ask the kids to reflect on their own work: “Tell me how your group has chosen to solve ___.” Instead of telling a child, “Take a look at #3, that answer is incorrect” say, “Would you tell me how you got the answer for #3?” Not only will these questions get kids talking instead of you, kids will also have the chance to reflect on and articulate their learning.
6. Instead of asking, “Does that make sense?” say, “Can you put that in your own words?”
If you’ve ever asked kids “Are you getting this?”, you’ve probably noticed you rarely get an insightful response. So, you either move on without kids understanding or you repeat something you’ve already said. Try inviting kids to put what you’ve explained into their own words, either repeating it back to you (if you were helping the child in a one-on-one conversation) or by turning and talking to a partner/doing a quick think/pair/share.
7. Stop repeating yourself.
It’s tempting to say important points and instructions a couple of different ways to make sure every child understands, but that strategy can backfire when it’s overused. Kids learn that it’s okay to tune you out because you’ll repeat everything you say. Instead, experiment with different strategies for getting kids to follow directions the first time you give them and use call-and-response routines to get kids’ attention right away.
8. Notice moments when you summarize/review for students and instead get their input.
If you hear yourself saying once again, remember, as I said, as always, so to sum this up, or don’t forget, that probably means you’re about to drive home an important point for the second or third (or tenth) time. Practice making those moments a chance for kids to share: What’s the rule about this? Who can sum this section up for us? Who remembers the way to determine ___? Some teachers even turn these moments into interactive activities, where the whole class does a hand motion, body movement, sound, or chant to indicate that they’re summarizing an idea or reviewing directions before getting started.
Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)
Looking Ahead
The math series resource below has been adopted by the FCS School Board:
Carter, J., Cuevas, G., Day, R., & Malloy, C. (2014). My Math: Grade K-5 Teacher Edition. Bothwell, WA: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Grade Levels-K - 5
Made for You.
McGraw-Hill My Math is written to meet the Common Core State Standards. Customized for the way teachers teach, personalized for the way students learn, and individualized to maximize student success, My Math is truly "Made for You."
Your Success
McGraw-Hill My Math lessons are written to meet the CCSS. My Math provides a colorful and intuitive lesson format that is engaging and kid-friendly, making math fun and memorable.
Your Approach
McGraw-Hill My Math Digital Tools let you customize the math content allowing you to plan, sequence, and deliver the instruction in a way that works best for you and your students.
Your Learning
McGraw-Hill My Math is a completely consumable program where each student interacts with the text in multiple ways throughout the learning cycle. Personalized vocabulary, student created examples, online games, and downloadable apps move students from learning abstract concepts to concepts they can apply.
Stay tuned for more information about when schools will receive these resources.
