Week of January 7

Thursday Thoughts January 7

Over the break I watched a lot of television, probably too much.  I watched movies, dramas, comedies, sports and even the news. During my binge watching, I realized that we are living in a time when the world is quite unkind.  It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish between Reality TV and reality.  I noted that sarcasm has replaced sensitivity and people have lost respect for themselves and others.  People say anything with little to no regard of how it will make others feel.  Disagreeing in an agreeable way seems to be a thing of the past.  It is disparaging to think that our children are looking to adults to imitate how they should speak, act and resolve conflicts.  

As educators we can't control what children are exposed to on television or at home.  We can only make the commitment to be excellent role models for them while they are at school.  We can model how to be kind to each other.  We can teach them how to share their opinions without devaluing the opinions of others.   We can teach our students to be respectful of people's differences.  At Medlock Bridge, we can and we will be the example for students to imitate.

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Cara Vollberg.  Cara has not only taken on the responsibilities of grade chair in Kendra Deans' absence, but she has also volunteered to teach Extended Learning with Megan Rios this semester.  Cara is up for the challenge of Extended Learning and is even willing to brush up on her 5th grade math skills.  With these additional roles and the hard work that she puts into her classroom daily, you would think that this would be all that she wants to handle...but it is not.  Cara will also supervise a student teacher this semester.  Cara is working hard for her students and we thank her for that.  However I want to recognize Cara for branching out beyond the classroom and serving the grade level and our at risk 3rd and 5th graders.  Cara we appreciate what you are doing for Medlock Bridge.


Personalized Learning

5 Tips for Making Group Work Manageable

Edutopia

December 17, 2015

Kristina J. Doubet & Jessica Hockett

James Madison University Associate Professor & Education Consultant and Author

follow: https://twitter.com/diy_diff 

         

When teachers ask students to work on a task in groups, they issue an invitation for engagement and, potentially, for chaos! Here are five tips that can help encourage productivity and keep mayhem at bay.

1. Be clear and specific about the task.

There’s nothing more frustrating than launching group work and seeing ten hands in the air or (worse) hearing students complain to one another, "What are we supposed to do?" If possible, limit initial verbal explanations to a general overview of the task and process. Then, provide crystal clear, detailed electronic or paper-based directions to each student in the group. Anticipate potential questions and areas of confusion by using a checklist format, providing visuals, or recording instructions for groups to listen to on iPads (this is particularly helpful if you have English learners in your class). Consider instituting a "1-2-3, Then Me" format in which students get one minute to read the directions silently, two minutes to discuss the directions with one another or with other groups, and three minutes to plan their approach to the task before they can ask you for assistance.

2. Make production the outcome.

Putting students in groups to simply "discuss" is a recipe for disaster. If students have to work toward producing something to turn in, present, or share with another group, they are less likely to linger in off-task conversations. Products should require all group members' participation or contributions. This might involve a graffiti-like poster in the middle of the table on which everyone records ideas, or a graphic organizer that every student completes. If each student is doing his or her own version of the task, announce that you'll be collecting one paper per group, to be revealed at the end of the activity. When time is up, use random criteria, such as "person in the group with the shortest hair" or "person with the birthday closest to the teacher's" to determine whose paper it will be.

3. Model successful transitions and interactions.

Show (don't just tell) students the basic mechanics that are critical to success in your classroom. Maybe it's how to move between stations, the process for using a discussion strategy, or how to talk during a "think-pair-share." Devote the first few weeks of class to conducting dry runs (i.e., students moving from place to place, students retrieving and returning materials, students using technology appropriately, etc.). Use volunteers to act out example and non-example conversations with "elbow partners." Post or provide sentence frames as scaffolds for group dialogue. This kind of up-front investment will pay off when students are able to move, transition, and converse efficiently.

4. Monitor progress, time, and noise.

Make students partners, if not primary agents, in keeping tabs on their progress, the time, and the noise level. If groups are producing something tangible, they (and you) can see what they have left to do. Use a decibel reader app (e.g., Decibel 10th, a free app by SkyPaw Co. Ltd), or launch a site like Bouncy Balls (from Google Chrome) for visually appealing ways to gauge the volume of the room. Track time with an online digital stopwatch or another easy-to-see timer. (Try this fun five-minute countdown timer from YouTube.) Make sure to give students less time than you think they need in order to build a sense of urgency. Check in when time is running low to see if groups require more. ("Fist to five -- how many more minutes do you need?") If some groups finish before others, have a next-step question or task ready for students to tackle.

5. Incorporate community builders.

Sometimes group work falters simply because students don't know, like, or respect one another -- yet. Full-class community-building activities are critical; but smaller, deliberately planted, group-level bonding moments also reap rich rewards in helping groups gel, release tension, and exercise courtesy. This might involve using an opening prompt like, "Before you start, share your favorite ice cream flavors," or asking students to fist bump each other as they complete each step of the task. Consider displaying fun anchor questions for students to discuss once they are finished. Anchor questions keep students from drifting into uncharted work or conversations, while providing a structure that lets students stretch beyond the content to discover connections with one another. They can be related to the content or task (e.g., "Where have you seen this topic portrayed in real life or in the media?") or appeal to general interests (e.g., "If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?").
Teachers are more likely to design and implement meaningful group activities when they have the management strategies to do so. Taking the proactive steps like those we've described can enhance engagement while curbing the chaos.

 

Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)

Looking Ahead

You may recall the opportunity for teachers to provide feedback to the State a few months ago.  Please read the State Superintendent's response to the survey results.  The results are also attached.

Op-ed by Superintendent Woods: Teacher Recruitment and Retention Survey Results

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org - Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Op-Ed by Superintendent Richard Woods Currently, 44% of Georgia’s newly hired teachers are dropping out of the profession by year five. Equally alarming is that there was a 16% dip from 2010 to 2014 in the number of candidates entering Georgia’s teacher preparation programs. For students, this could mean larger class sizes, fewer opportunities, and a decreased chance of being taught by a quality teacher. To find the root cause of this growing crisis, the Georgia Department of Education surveyed current and former teachers to ask them what factors they felt were pushing them or their colleagues out of the profession. Within three weeks, more than 53,000 Georgia teachers – almost half of the state’s teacher workforce – responded to our survey (view the full report here), showing that teachers were ready to talk about this critical issue. The results were enlightening. The top reason teachers selected for leaving the profession was “Number of state mandated tests” with “Method for evaluating teachers” as a close second. Though “Compensation/Benefits” was an option and ranked higher than the average, it was not listed in the top three. Teachers were given an option to explain why they picked their top cause and their comments were striking. Many teachers not only explained how the cause they chose was pushing their colleagues out of the profession, but also how the cause was damaging to their students. Many teachers doubted that anyone would read their comments and that any change would come. Their comments weren’t made cynically, but were expressed in a candid tone that reflected on a profession that they felt was fading away. Some of their concerns are rooted in what’s reflected in the words of state law; others in the actions brought forth by the department’s interpretation and implementation of those laws. Ask almost any teacher, and he or she can tell you who inspired them to go into teaching. For me, it was Mrs. Phillips. Our survey asked teachers: “If you had a student about to graduate from high school, how likely would you be to encourage teaching as a profession?” Only 2.7% of teachers said it was very likely they would encourage their students to go into teaching, while 33.2% of teachers said it was very unlikely they would encourage their students to pursue teaching. This tells us the crisis will only get worse if action isn’t taken. In the short term, these are steps I am committed to taking: With regard to the teacher evaluation system, the department launched a tiered-observation pilot at the beginning of this year in a handful of districts. In keeping with the recommendation of the Education Reform Commission and my belief in a measured approach to accountability, we will be scaling this statewide so administrators are able to spend more time with newer or struggling teachers. We know one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for our students and it doesn’t work when evaluating our teachers, either. Working with the State Board and those in the General Assembly, I will be pushing for the elimination of Milestones testing requirements for students who participate in Move On When Ready and earn an “A” or “B” in their college classes. My goal for the long term is to look at other options like AP and IB exams to further reduce the number of Milestones students have to take. In addition to the above, we are conducting a statewide audit of testing, examining what, why, and how much we test, and the impact of testing on learning and teaching. Currently, 177 school districts have already voluntarily provided us with their testing requirements.  I have also instructed the Department of Education staff to examine testing and educational accountability within our state. I continue to be in contact with educators, elected officials, State Board of Education members, and a variety of stakeholders to discuss these and other issues. Some efforts will require the support of those beyond the department.  During my first school visit, a teacher told me she had discouraged her daughter from going into teaching. Since then, I have had countless similar conversations with teachers across Georgia, and more than 53,000 voices are represented by this survey. I ask that teachers continue to provide feedback to me and other elected officials. Over the past year, I have traveled to almost 70 counties in our state. The tireless efforts of our teacher workforce have been exemplary. Countless times, teachers have made the same request as I visit: "I just want to be able to know my kids and teach them what they need to know."  Their focus and concern has always been on the children of Georgia.  I am confident that by working together, we can restore to our current and future teachers the ability to teach their students effectively – and the joy of teaching. We must – and will – employ a teacher workforce that is second to none. Georgia public education is poised to offer our children great opportunities. We need to ensure there are great teachers to open these doors. http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/communications/Documents/Teacher%20Survey%20Results.pdf