Our Master's group started a book study this week. We are reading Entertaining an Elephant by William McBride. It's a great book and an easy read. I am really enjoying it!
Think back on one day this week or last week, what is your right and left hand count?
Mr. Reaf, the main character in the book assessed each day using a finger count. Fingers on the right hand were "wins" and fingers on the left were "losses". It is different for me because I don't have set class periods with different groups coming and going. I just looked at the events of the day. I ended up with a 4:2 ratio for the day.
Right/Wins: Got a box of pears for a Christmas present from a student (a sure sign of a GREAT day to come!), nice conversation with a challenging student, great trip to the nursing home, How-To presentations were a ton of fun
Left/Losses: 3 office referrals for a student, Christmas gifts for student parents didn't go as smooth as I had hoped
What other assessment techniques do you see Mr. Reaf using?
Mr. Reaf assesses students based on their verbal and nonverbal cues. Some of these are accurate but others give him a false sense of the type of students he has in his class. Mr. Reaf is also so set in his ways that he uses his day-to-day assignments as benchmarks for students.
What type of reward or consequences do you have? Who are they for or who do they benefit?
My students have rewards of extra recess and dance parties. My most recent reward (which is actually really lame) is to go on "field trips". We take the round-about way to our specials classes- it's amazing how excited kids get to see other parts of the school! Consequences are missing recess, sitting out of activities, writing a note home, or going to the counselor or office. The students certainly benefit from the rewards. I also benefit from them because the kids are so excited to get to do something special with me. Students benefit from the consequences because they have time to think about their choices. I selfishly benefit when a student is unable to stay in our classroom; other students benefit as well.
Complete a “Y” Chart for Mr. Reaf’s classroom.
What does it look like?
- very structured
- I picture rows of desks
- orderly
- bland/boring look to it
Sound like?
- monotone
- no laughing
- students talking back
- more discussions starting to take place
Feel like?
- cold/not inviting
- boring
- detention
- students dread coming
Friday, December 19, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Where I'm Heading...
This past weekend we took some time to assess how our Action Research and Review of Literature is coming together. I realized that I have quite a bit of analyzing to do in the next few weeks. Leading up to Christmas is hard to have time for my usual rotations with our wacky schedules and needing to finish up so many things here and there. Personally, I feel the effect of being so in the groove with small group math that I struggle with getting back into whole group for more than just a day here and there. There is a noticeable change in the atmosphere when we get back to whole group; more kids seem to be confused and I have a hard time getting around to everyone. Maybe, as the teacher, I have gotten out of practice of teaching math to the entire class. It's kind of an odd feeling because everything else I teach whole group feels normal but math is throwing me off.
Today I entered my data from our weekly math fact tests for both addition and subtraction. I am still deciding how exactly to share the information but here are just the overall class results. These numbers are the total number of correct facts done in 2 minutes by the whole class.
Addition Subtraction
10/8 361 266
10/22 448 318
11/5 484 327
11/12 521 359
11/19 518 381
12/3 520 331
12/17 492 336
I am planning look at specific students with their weekly breakdowns since I am seeing some trends with how they responded to my surveys. For example, a few kids who were honest about not liking math and not practicing at home are not making the gains that others are making.
I will also enroll both second grade classes in the Winter NWEA session. While this isn't the perfect control group, it is as close to one as I can get. There will hopefully be some comparisons... maybe look at kids in each class that had similar RIT scores for the Fall session and how they performed for the Winter.
From my personal observations and reflections it is becoming evident that I don't have everything figured out yet... AND THAT'S OKAY! I am learning so much more about the best way to do this through trial and error. There are some changes that I will make in our rotations/instruction during January and February. I will then be able to address those changes in my paper and at the conference. It will be here before we know it!
Today I entered my data from our weekly math fact tests for both addition and subtraction. I am still deciding how exactly to share the information but here are just the overall class results. These numbers are the total number of correct facts done in 2 minutes by the whole class.
Addition Subtraction
10/8 361 266
10/22 448 318
11/5 484 327
11/12 521 359
11/19 518 381
12/3 520 331
12/17 492 336
I am planning look at specific students with their weekly breakdowns since I am seeing some trends with how they responded to my surveys. For example, a few kids who were honest about not liking math and not practicing at home are not making the gains that others are making.
I will also enroll both second grade classes in the Winter NWEA session. While this isn't the perfect control group, it is as close to one as I can get. There will hopefully be some comparisons... maybe look at kids in each class that had similar RIT scores for the Fall session and how they performed for the Winter.
From my personal observations and reflections it is becoming evident that I don't have everything figured out yet... AND THAT'S OKAY! I am learning so much more about the best way to do this through trial and error. There are some changes that I will make in our rotations/instruction during January and February. I will then be able to address those changes in my paper and at the conference. It will be here before we know it!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Shackleton Strength Update
My "Shackleton Strength" is starting to pick up some steam. Last week I did my example of how to pass a volleyball. I explained them why I picked this strength, the how-to steps, and then had them try it. We had a blast! Students then wrote two or three How-To ideas on a piece of paper. I had a chat with each student while I looked them over to see how realistic they were. Most of them were fantastic! I few needed to be whittled down to something that we could actually do at school. I also needed to weed our a few (wrestle, play Minecraft, run fast, have good handwriting). I said they were great ideas but that other things on their lists would be easier to teach and have the class practice. Everyone seemed pleased and excited to start planning.
This week students are going to begin planning what they will need and how they will teach. They will sign up for a day when they will teach the class. I am hopeful that next week will work to have a How-To week. I am excited to see students take pride in their How-To skill and also the positive responses that kids will have to their 'student teachers'. Stay tuned...
This week students are going to begin planning what they will need and how they will teach. They will sign up for a day when they will teach the class. I am hopeful that next week will work to have a How-To week. I am excited to see students take pride in their How-To skill and also the positive responses that kids will have to their 'student teachers'. Stay tuned...
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Adding Technology
Over the past two weeks I have been able to incorporate the use of iPads into our guided math rotation. I am having students play math games 2 out of the 3 days each week. The various levels available on the games allow students to be challenged at their own ability level. The kids are so excited to get to use this technology and also know it is a huge piece of responsibility as well. It was fun to see them help each other a bit with getting started on the iPads. Now they are old pros :)
I still have students play partner games at least one day each week, or when the iPads are not available. Having learning experiences with a partner is a piece a want to keep in this program. It is certainly a challenge for some to incorporate this social piece with some of my strong personalities. We talk about how to coach each other and how things may come easier to some people more than others.
There is another piece of data that I hadn't planned on using but now am considering it. Each week in the computer lab students complete 2-minute fact tests (one addition and one subtraction) before we start our activity for the day. A good amount of students have made some dramatic increases. Others are not improving at as high of a rate so that is something I could address and looking into more in the weeks to come.
I still have students play partner games at least one day each week, or when the iPads are not available. Having learning experiences with a partner is a piece a want to keep in this program. It is certainly a challenge for some to incorporate this social piece with some of my strong personalities. We talk about how to coach each other and how things may come easier to some people more than others.
There is another piece of data that I hadn't planned on using but now am considering it. Each week in the computer lab students complete 2-minute fact tests (one addition and one subtraction) before we start our activity for the day. A good amount of students have made some dramatic increases. Others are not improving at as high of a rate so that is something I could address and looking into more in the weeks to come.
Building Culture
After reading "The Culture Builder" by Roland Barth, I chose to respond to the following three questions:
1.) According to Barth, what is an Instructional Leader? How do you view yourself as an Instructional Leader?
Barth describes an Instruction Leader a couple of different ways. One way he explained such a leader as someone whose job is to change the current culture of a school. Another description mentioned that this leader must continually assess the habits present in a school culture and organize them into what should stay and what need to be addressed. I tend to think of an Instructional Leader as someone who has a good understanding of the ebb and flow of a particular school climate. This person is then able to monitor the culture and suggest positive changes when necessary.
I like to think of myself as an Instructional Leader in the sense that I am pretty good at reading different situations and the nonverbals that people tend to display. I can get a sense of when someone is ready to try something new and when someone isn't quite there yet. I feel that I can offer fresh insight to those that are stuck in a rut from doing the same thing for so many years. I also think my approachable personality makes people more willing to ask questions about the changes I have been making in my classroom. This year I am trying to set an example for my coworkers that it doesn't hurt to just try someone for a few weeks. Give it a shot... you don't have anything to lose!
2.) What are the challenges of being an Instructional Leader?
I think there are more challenges for younger Instructional Leaders. Being in Instructional Leader as a still relatively new teacher is sometimes easier said then done. It is a challenge to suggest changes to things that have 'always been this way' to those teachers that have been at my school for 20+ more years than I have been. Being in this graduate program has given me the extra confidence to approach these situations and the background knowledge of best practices.
3.) How would you describe the culture where you currently work? Did any of Barth's stories ring true for you?
My school culture, for the most part, is a relatively positive one. [Hmm.. or maybe I just choose to focus on the good things??] When Barth talked about the "nondiscussables" I definitely found myself agreeing with his thoughts. My school has a lot of these that are discussed in the teacher's lounge but rarely are taken through the proper routes to make any changes. For some teachers, they continue to let the tension build and then they end up blowing their fuse. At these moments you can feel the entire morale of our staff shift. I hope that the students would say wholeheartedly that our school has a positive culture. I think our staff does a great job of helping kids learn in an environment that they enjoy being a part of.
1.) According to Barth, what is an Instructional Leader? How do you view yourself as an Instructional Leader?
Barth describes an Instruction Leader a couple of different ways. One way he explained such a leader as someone whose job is to change the current culture of a school. Another description mentioned that this leader must continually assess the habits present in a school culture and organize them into what should stay and what need to be addressed. I tend to think of an Instructional Leader as someone who has a good understanding of the ebb and flow of a particular school climate. This person is then able to monitor the culture and suggest positive changes when necessary.
I like to think of myself as an Instructional Leader in the sense that I am pretty good at reading different situations and the nonverbals that people tend to display. I can get a sense of when someone is ready to try something new and when someone isn't quite there yet. I feel that I can offer fresh insight to those that are stuck in a rut from doing the same thing for so many years. I also think my approachable personality makes people more willing to ask questions about the changes I have been making in my classroom. This year I am trying to set an example for my coworkers that it doesn't hurt to just try someone for a few weeks. Give it a shot... you don't have anything to lose!
2.) What are the challenges of being an Instructional Leader?
I think there are more challenges for younger Instructional Leaders. Being in Instructional Leader as a still relatively new teacher is sometimes easier said then done. It is a challenge to suggest changes to things that have 'always been this way' to those teachers that have been at my school for 20+ more years than I have been. Being in this graduate program has given me the extra confidence to approach these situations and the background knowledge of best practices.
3.) How would you describe the culture where you currently work? Did any of Barth's stories ring true for you?
My school culture, for the most part, is a relatively positive one. [Hmm.. or maybe I just choose to focus on the good things??] When Barth talked about the "nondiscussables" I definitely found myself agreeing with his thoughts. My school has a lot of these that are discussed in the teacher's lounge but rarely are taken through the proper routes to make any changes. For some teachers, they continue to let the tension build and then they end up blowing their fuse. At these moments you can feel the entire morale of our staff shift. I hope that the students would say wholeheartedly that our school has a positive culture. I think our staff does a great job of helping kids learn in an environment that they enjoy being a part of.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Guided Math Update
It's time to do a little reflecting on how the guided math has been going in my classroom. According to my observation notes, my view of it as the teacher is that it seems to be going smoothly. The first few weeks were a little rough when we were trying to establish the fluidity in our rotations. Now that the kids are into the routine of it (and I got timers for the parent helpers!) things have been going quite nicely.
What are specific relationships and patterns emerging in your data analysis and reflection telling you about how the change you made is impacting desired changes you are seeking?
When it comes to 'official data' I don't have a ton of it yet. I did an initial survey from students about their views towards math and and concerns they had in the middle of September. Last week I had students retake that survey and compared the results. I compared the responses for each student and noted a good number of changes from feelings of frustration/angry to excited. A few students are still struggling with feeling frustrated. I will reach out to them and inquire what specifically is giving them a hard time. The last question was open-ended about what else I need to know about how math is going for them. Some responses are were that it is getting harder (yep! bigger numbers and more problem solving) but others said they loved it or that guided math is "really good". I get the feeling that the majority of students are enjoying the small group interactions. I think a big hurdle when it comes to doing well at math is being okay with not understanding it right away. The small groups allow me to see the confusion right away and be able to address it before it piles up and becomes a big issue.
What are your results telling you about the concepts you are studying, and the relationships among concepts, how the strategies address the problem you are trying to understand? What strengths and limitations to these ideas did you discover through the implementation?
My results are telling me that, at the very least, guided math is shedding a different light on math that kids have not seen before. They are learning to work in groups, that it is okay not to "get it" right away, and that they can be teachers as well. We have gotten through our first unit and are now working on our second. After viewing the pre- and post- unit tests for Unit 1, I did't see the positive swing I was hoping for- the results were kind of scattered on student improvement. I felt a bit deflated because the day-to-day observations were so promising. I had used the assessments from our workbook but realized that those maybe aren't the best measurement. I am now going to create my own based on our learning goals for the unit. I also am looking forward to our Winter NWEA test to look for growth in the area of math.
How will your learning change your practices of instruction, assessment, environment, and understanding of content knowledge in your discipline (I.D.E.A.)?
I am going to keep fine-tuning the ways I am doing guided math. It is certainly a learning experience! I need to embed more learning 'checkpoints' throughout the unit instead of waiting for the end. I am differentiating for the different groups but could probably use more extensions and challenges for the kids that are ready for above and beyond skills.
What implications for future practice are you drawing from the results of your inquiry, including how results are leading to new questions and future directions for research? (This may be the springboard to your next area of inquiry.)
I just don't know if I would ever go back to whole group math (on a regular basis) after this experience. I am able to connect with students so much better in our small groups. I feel like I have a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses than I ever did during whole class lessons. This change in my 'math thinking' also gets me interested in the idea of a flipped classroom for math. A few friends have tried it and are seeing good results but I am pretty intimidated with it for right now. I'd like to get really comfortable with guided math and see solid results before I take any other drastic steps with my math instruction.
What are specific relationships and patterns emerging in your data analysis and reflection telling you about how the change you made is impacting desired changes you are seeking?
When it comes to 'official data' I don't have a ton of it yet. I did an initial survey from students about their views towards math and and concerns they had in the middle of September. Last week I had students retake that survey and compared the results. I compared the responses for each student and noted a good number of changes from feelings of frustration/angry to excited. A few students are still struggling with feeling frustrated. I will reach out to them and inquire what specifically is giving them a hard time. The last question was open-ended about what else I need to know about how math is going for them. Some responses are were that it is getting harder (yep! bigger numbers and more problem solving) but others said they loved it or that guided math is "really good". I get the feeling that the majority of students are enjoying the small group interactions. I think a big hurdle when it comes to doing well at math is being okay with not understanding it right away. The small groups allow me to see the confusion right away and be able to address it before it piles up and becomes a big issue.
What are your results telling you about the concepts you are studying, and the relationships among concepts, how the strategies address the problem you are trying to understand? What strengths and limitations to these ideas did you discover through the implementation?
My results are telling me that, at the very least, guided math is shedding a different light on math that kids have not seen before. They are learning to work in groups, that it is okay not to "get it" right away, and that they can be teachers as well. We have gotten through our first unit and are now working on our second. After viewing the pre- and post- unit tests for Unit 1, I did't see the positive swing I was hoping for- the results were kind of scattered on student improvement. I felt a bit deflated because the day-to-day observations were so promising. I had used the assessments from our workbook but realized that those maybe aren't the best measurement. I am now going to create my own based on our learning goals for the unit. I also am looking forward to our Winter NWEA test to look for growth in the area of math.
How will your learning change your practices of instruction, assessment, environment, and understanding of content knowledge in your discipline (I.D.E.A.)?
I am going to keep fine-tuning the ways I am doing guided math. It is certainly a learning experience! I need to embed more learning 'checkpoints' throughout the unit instead of waiting for the end. I am differentiating for the different groups but could probably use more extensions and challenges for the kids that are ready for above and beyond skills.
What implications for future practice are you drawing from the results of your inquiry, including how results are leading to new questions and future directions for research? (This may be the springboard to your next area of inquiry.)
I just don't know if I would ever go back to whole group math (on a regular basis) after this experience. I am able to connect with students so much better in our small groups. I feel like I have a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses than I ever did during whole class lessons. This change in my 'math thinking' also gets me interested in the idea of a flipped classroom for math. A few friends have tried it and are seeing good results but I am pretty intimidated with it for right now. I'd like to get really comfortable with guided math and see solid results before I take any other drastic steps with my math instruction.
"Shackleton Strength"
I had mentioned earlier that I am working on a new leadership goal. My goal is to help students recognize and use their strengths in order to enhance the learning in our classroom. This past week we started to talk about what gifts and talents we all possess. It was fun to listen to kids share things that I had no idea they did. I think I was a little optimistic with aligning strengths to content standards so I might rehash that side of my goal. Instead I am going to focus on kids using a particular strength to teach a How-To lesson to the class. As we were talking a lot of students shared that they are good at a variety of different things. Next week I will have students come up with their How-To idea and then spend some time in class and some time at home to develop a mini lesson (5-10 minutes) where they can share their expertise. It could be how to draw something, how to shoot a hockey puck, build something with Legos, etc. I will come up with an example based on a strength that I feel I possess to serve as an example for students. This will extend my 30-day challenge but I am hopeful that the results will be worth it.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Leadership Interview
When deciding who I would interview about leadership, the first person that came to my mind was my colleague, Robin. She taught 1st grade at my school for the past 26 years and had the opportunity to move up to the "big leagues" of 5th grade this year. Robin is one of the most passionate people that I know. Specifically at school, she works very hard in her classroom to make changes that will affect her student in a positive way. She also is a strong voice on our staff who isn't afraid to ask the hard questions and remind people of the bigger picture.
During our conversation, I was surprised that Robin was -the- person who brought Guided Reading to our school many years ago. She had gone to a conference about it, talked with our Reading Specialist, and came up with a plan to implement it in our school. She also shared that this was one of her greatest accomplishments as an educational leader. I agree!!
During our conversation, I was surprised that Robin was -the- person who brought Guided Reading to our school many years ago. She had gone to a conference about it, talked with our Reading Specialist, and came up with a plan to implement it in our school. She also shared that this was one of her greatest accomplishments as an educational leader. I agree!!
I was able to connect with one of Robin's thoughts about something that a lot of teachers do but really should not. We talked at length about how quickly kids can get a label from teachers and that label follows them all the way through their school. So quickly they become either a "yuck" or "peach". That lack of respect given to students certainly impacts their motivation to do well in school. They know when they have that automatic target on their backs and can't seem to shake it. How can we expect students to be respectful of adults when those same adults are being so disrespectful when referring to these kids? Teachers talk about starting fresh each and every day but we both agreed that many teachers fail to follow through with their intentions.
A quote that stuck with me was, "Leadership means being able to see a vision in its entirety. Good leaders surround themselves with people who they can trust to be honest to them, despite how good or bad the conversation needs to be."
A quote that stuck with me was, "Leadership means being able to see a vision in its entirety. Good leaders surround themselves with people who they can trust to be honest to them, despite how good or bad the conversation needs to be."
Leadership Goal
As we embark on the last six months of our M.Ed program, leadership is becoming a main focus. We have been growing so much during this program that we are now more engaged and prepared to take on a leadership role in our school communities.
My goal is to use my leadership to focus on the others' strengths to guide the group. I want to lead my class to become more independent and cognizant of their own strengths. My students have many gifts and talents that often go unused during the course of our days/weeks/months. I want to offer students a chance to share these things with our classmates, especially if we have any 'experts' about a particular topic. I have heard many times that in order to master a concept, one needs to be able to teach the content. Over the next few weeks we will explore our gifts and try to tie them in to what we are doing in our classroom curriculum. If they have a hard time deciding on something, I will suggest ideas that I have after getting to know them over the past few months. They will be able to become experts about something new. Students will be asked to explore the leadership role when we come to their area of expertise. This goal is very much in the planning stage but I hope to explore gifts next week and try to align student strengths with content over Thanksgiving Break.
My goal is to use my leadership to focus on the others' strengths to guide the group. I want to lead my class to become more independent and cognizant of their own strengths. My students have many gifts and talents that often go unused during the course of our days/weeks/months. I want to offer students a chance to share these things with our classmates, especially if we have any 'experts' about a particular topic. I have heard many times that in order to master a concept, one needs to be able to teach the content. Over the next few weeks we will explore our gifts and try to tie them in to what we are doing in our classroom curriculum. If they have a hard time deciding on something, I will suggest ideas that I have after getting to know them over the past few months. They will be able to become experts about something new. Students will be asked to explore the leadership role when we come to their area of expertise. This goal is very much in the planning stage but I hope to explore gifts next week and try to align student strengths with content over Thanksgiving Break.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Collaborating with Colleagues
This week I am reflecting on the professional relationships I have developed over the past four years at my school. I had a unique first year because I taught K-7 Spanish and traveled to each classroom. For that reason, I never truly had my own space; I learned to share and 'co-habitate' with every single classroom teacher at my school. That opportunity (and sometimes challenge) allowed me to develop many more relationships than I would have had by just being in my own classroom. I didn't get drawn into the cliques as much as others because everyone had to get used to me... they couldn't get away from me :)
I feel comfortable to approach teachers at any levels to inquire about best practices. I see them doing great things in their classrooms I am able to start a conversation about how to do something similar with my students. Other teachers have also approached me to start the same conversation about things I am doing in my classroom. Making those connections are so great for both teachers and students. I feel like we are pushing each other more this year as a staff than we have in years past. I hope we can continue on this path because students are certainly reaping the benefits of our collaborations between grade levels.
I feel comfortable to approach teachers at any levels to inquire about best practices. I see them doing great things in their classrooms I am able to start a conversation about how to do something similar with my students. Other teachers have also approached me to start the same conversation about things I am doing in my classroom. Making those connections are so great for both teachers and students. I feel like we are pushing each other more this year as a staff than we have in years past. I hope we can continue on this path because students are certainly reaping the benefits of our collaborations between grade levels.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
This One Time...
Our objective for reflections this week was to tell a story. Sometimes you just can't expect the unexpected!
I studied abroad in Valladolid, Spain during the spring semester of 2007. During our Spring Break, a friend and I traveled to Naples, Italy because it was "the most beautiful city ever" as stated by several friends. After visiting Pompeii (awesome!) we boarded the metro train to get back to our hostel. We had to switch trains and that went smoothly... until we noticed it was going the wrong direction. We weren't concerned because we had experience with the Light Rail in Minneapolis so we knew that at the end of the line it would just reverse and come back. WRONG. Instead, we found ourselves riding along the coast of Italy, past the volcano we had seen hours earlier. Picture two 20-year-old girls, who don't speak Italian, who don't have passports or much money (because we had just planned to hike at Mt. Vesuvius and come right back), and who are freaked out! Luckily, there was one man who spoke English on our train and told us just to get off at the next stop and get on whatever train is heading "back to Naples"- yup, we weren't in Naples anymore. We did as we were told and joined a random family since it was now getting dark. We loaded the first train we saw going back to Naples and quickly realized this wasn't your average metro train; it was a long-distance passenger train. Our wimpy metro tickets definitely wouldn't work on this train! The train was very full so we just stood near the door. As the doors were closing, a young man jumped on the train and dropped a large black duffle bag by our feet. In the next moments an older man began pounding on the door from the outside. My friend and I quickly wandered to find a seat. The next thing we knew the train had been turned off and police officers swarmed the train. My friend and I were now as scared as we had ever been in our lives! We didn't have valid tickets, a passport, or any money. Our professors had warned us of the very strict transportation laws of Italy- we could have certainly gone to jail if we were found without tickets or a passport! Luckily, a young couple sat near us and tried their best to keep us calm with their broken English. They were doing a good job until I heard commotion behind me and turned to look. The young man tapped my leg and said, "Don't watch. They are dealing with the bandits." I had my one and only experience with Bandits. Italian bandits. Awesome. Thankfully, we made it back to our hostel in one piece. We didn't even explore "beautiful" Naples because we were so scarred from the night before. That was a story that my parents didn't hear until after I returned to Minnesota :)
I studied abroad in Valladolid, Spain during the spring semester of 2007. During our Spring Break, a friend and I traveled to Naples, Italy because it was "the most beautiful city ever" as stated by several friends. After visiting Pompeii (awesome!) we boarded the metro train to get back to our hostel. We had to switch trains and that went smoothly... until we noticed it was going the wrong direction. We weren't concerned because we had experience with the Light Rail in Minneapolis so we knew that at the end of the line it would just reverse and come back. WRONG. Instead, we found ourselves riding along the coast of Italy, past the volcano we had seen hours earlier. Picture two 20-year-old girls, who don't speak Italian, who don't have passports or much money (because we had just planned to hike at Mt. Vesuvius and come right back), and who are freaked out! Luckily, there was one man who spoke English on our train and told us just to get off at the next stop and get on whatever train is heading "back to Naples"- yup, we weren't in Naples anymore. We did as we were told and joined a random family since it was now getting dark. We loaded the first train we saw going back to Naples and quickly realized this wasn't your average metro train; it was a long-distance passenger train. Our wimpy metro tickets definitely wouldn't work on this train! The train was very full so we just stood near the door. As the doors were closing, a young man jumped on the train and dropped a large black duffle bag by our feet. In the next moments an older man began pounding on the door from the outside. My friend and I quickly wandered to find a seat. The next thing we knew the train had been turned off and police officers swarmed the train. My friend and I were now as scared as we had ever been in our lives! We didn't have valid tickets, a passport, or any money. Our professors had warned us of the very strict transportation laws of Italy- we could have certainly gone to jail if we were found without tickets or a passport! Luckily, a young couple sat near us and tried their best to keep us calm with their broken English. They were doing a good job until I heard commotion behind me and turned to look. The young man tapped my leg and said, "Don't watch. They are dealing with the bandits." I had my one and only experience with Bandits. Italian bandits. Awesome. Thankfully, we made it back to our hostel in one piece. We didn't even explore "beautiful" Naples because we were so scarred from the night before. That was a story that my parents didn't hear until after I returned to Minnesota :)
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Come on, Routine
I am still waiting for a normal week to happen for my guided math routine. It looks like NEXT week will finally be the week! Woohoo! I was able to get another day in today and it went pretty well. We are still working out some of the "kinks" with my parent volunteers and I realized today that it doesn't work when they show up late- our schedule is very tight. I am going to prepare some spare activities for students to work on if we end up waiting on our volunteers again. I am definitely learning new things each day we do our guided math :)
After attending the SMU Fall Conference, I thought about what changes I could make to my current action research in my classroom. The part of the conference that stuck out to me was the emphasis on zeal throughout the day. To be honest, I haven't given that virtue a whole lot of thought. It seems like I have been drawn to other virtues more during our time working with St. Mary's. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that zeal is actually an integral part of my classroom and I may not even notice it anymore. I try to inspire my students to find love in their learning through enthusiasm as often as possible. This week I continue to show my own excitement in our material and model that behavior for my students. We have fun learning new things each and every day.
After attending the SMU Fall Conference, I thought about what changes I could make to my current action research in my classroom. The part of the conference that stuck out to me was the emphasis on zeal throughout the day. To be honest, I haven't given that virtue a whole lot of thought. It seems like I have been drawn to other virtues more during our time working with St. Mary's. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that zeal is actually an integral part of my classroom and I may not even notice it anymore. I try to inspire my students to find love in their learning through enthusiasm as often as possible. This week I continue to show my own excitement in our material and model that behavior for my students. We have fun learning new things each and every day.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
It's Official! Week One...
This week is my first official week of guided math. Our very first day was cut short due to a last-minute visit from the firefighters for Fire Safety Week. I was a little irked at first but then realized how great it was for our stamina building. I had mentioned that working hard for that last hour the day can be challenging. I worked through half of the rotations Monday and did my other half of rotations today. It was great! Tomorrow will be our first four rotations sessions. I have been very impressed with how well the partners do their activities/games together... and so quietly :) The students are so excited to come to the back table and work with me. I also get to connect with them on a more personal level than I usually do in whole group settings.
This week I read an article called What Does Good Math Instruction Look Like? from the September/October 2007 edition of Principal magazine. It was interesting that at our staff meeting this morning we talked about how we are pushing to design curriculums that are more focused yet deeper, rather than wide and shallow. This article's tagline mentioned a similar guide for schools. I also connected with the notion that students can develop their mathematical skills even further when working in pairs or a group. I can certainly see that happening, especially in the pairs, during our first few days of guided math. They have made up their own rules to the game to make it more challenging or to focus on a specific aspect of the day. It is fun to see!
This week I read an article called What Does Good Math Instruction Look Like? from the September/October 2007 edition of Principal magazine. It was interesting that at our staff meeting this morning we talked about how we are pushing to design curriculums that are more focused yet deeper, rather than wide and shallow. This article's tagline mentioned a similar guide for schools. I also connected with the notion that students can develop their mathematical skills even further when working in pairs or a group. I can certainly see that happening, especially in the pairs, during our first few days of guided math. They have made up their own rules to the game to make it more challenging or to focus on a specific aspect of the day. It is fun to see!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
What I'm Feeling...
For this week's blog, I am choosing the "What are you feeling?" prompt. I am feeling a span of emotions when it comes to my progress with the action research. Some great, some not-so-great.
1.) Excited: The more I talk about it with students, colleages, and other MEd learners, the more excited I am to jump in with both feet! I anticipate the small group interactions to help students develop their math skills more than they have with the traditional whole group instruction.
2.) Nervous: Next week will be when I officially begin our full guided math instruction. With my class discussions my students sound ready and I sound ready. In the back of my mind I still feel unprepared and have questions floating around. What if the rotations flop? What if my results don't show the improvement I expect? What if I can't keep reliable parent volunteers?
3.) Frustrated: I have had to gently apply the brakes to my timeline due to the lack of parent interest to help with our time. Parents were begging to volunteer the first week of school and now that I'm ready only one person has stepped forward to help. I hope this parent can be consistent with our schedule. If not, I will have a 'fall-back' station but staying in our routine will make the program that much more successful.
So recap....really excited and a bit nervous and frustrated. I'm happy to report that I am still feeling very positive despite the small hiccups I have had over the past week or so. Stay tuned next week when things will be underway!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Practice Makes... Better!
This week I decided to take one more week to prep my students before we start our "true" guided math next week. I am still working on a parent volunteer schedule since I won't have any paraprofessional time in the afternoons. I am struggling a bit with our time slot that is being designated for guided math. The only chunk in our schedule large enough is at the end of the day. The majority of my class has been doing okay with our schedule but a few are having a very hard time with staying hard at work during our long afternoons; this becomes a challenge for everyone else in the room as well. I am hopeful that once this becomes our new "normal" everyone will get settled in and be able to work to their potential.
Another blog, Serenade to Second Grade, shared some great ideas for partner games that my students can use. I was able to print these descriptions out, organize the dice/cards/etc, and separate into Ziploc baggies. These games are very useful for our first unit on number sense. I can also make adjustments to move the games to the next level for students who are ready for more challenges. I love the flexibility these games allow and how excited my students were to begin playing them!
Another blog, Serenade to Second Grade, shared some great ideas for partner games that my students can use. I was able to print these descriptions out, organize the dice/cards/etc, and separate into Ziploc baggies. These games are very useful for our first unit on number sense. I can also make adjustments to move the games to the next level for students who are ready for more challenges. I love the flexibility these games allow and how excited my students were to begin playing them!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Getting Started
For my Action Research project, I have decided to implement guided math in my second grade classroom. There are 22 students in my class and using a small-group approach to instruction (rather than whole-group) will allow me to better address the wide spread of math learning levels.
I gave my students a survey and will give it twice more this year. Students circled all responses that were true. I will graph my data and look for more positive responses as the year continues. The survey looked like this:
When I think about math I feel... excited nervous angry frustrated
I think math is... easy okay hard very hard
I practice my math facts... everyday 3-4 times per week 1-2 times per week never
I practice my math facts with... flash cards apps/computer worksheets nothing
What else does Ms. Werle need to know about you and math?
Today we did our first "practice run" with our four rotations. I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went! The transitions took some extra time but everyone worked so well at their stations. If this is any indicator of how this will play our during our "real" times, it is looking to be a great fit for my students!
I gave my students a survey and will give it twice more this year. Students circled all responses that were true. I will graph my data and look for more positive responses as the year continues. The survey looked like this:
When I think about math I feel... excited nervous angry frustrated
I think math is... easy okay hard very hard
I practice my math facts... everyday 3-4 times per week 1-2 times per week never
I practice my math facts with... flash cards apps/computer worksheets nothing
What else does Ms. Werle need to know about you and math?
Today we did our first "practice run" with our four rotations. I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went! The transitions took some extra time but everyone worked so well at their stations. If this is any indicator of how this will play our during our "real" times, it is looking to be a great fit for my students!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Summer Adventures
July 28, 2014
Another summer is flying by too quickly! I bounced around the lovely states of MN and WI a bunch this summer. It has been so fun to see extended family, high school friends, and college friends. I went camping two weeks ago with some of my college roommates. We had planned way back in January to camp at Lake Wazee in Black River Falls, WI. The lake there used to be an old quarry so the water is CRYSTAL clear and the beaches are beautiful, fine, white sand. We arrived Thursday evening only to be greeted by the worst mosquitoes I have ever experienced :( We tried so hard to make it work but were going clinically insane... you couldn't stop moving or swatting around your head! We packed up Friday morning but were able to catch a little beach time after lunch for a couple of hours. All of us ended up heading to West Salem, WI to stay at one of the girls' houses. We went out for a few drinks at a local establishment (no one was allowed to shower or change out of camping clothes...because we were camping, darn it!) so we were quite the sight :) An older gentleman asked if we were "glamping"--- glamorous camping! We had never heard of the term before but you can be sure we used it about 100 times throughout the rest of the weekend. We were able to get some hiking in and also a lazy afternoon of movie-watching while a big rainstorm moved through the area. Even though we missed out on our original plan, I can now proudly say that I have gone GLAMPING. Check that off the bucket list??
Another summer is flying by too quickly! I bounced around the lovely states of MN and WI a bunch this summer. It has been so fun to see extended family, high school friends, and college friends. I went camping two weeks ago with some of my college roommates. We had planned way back in January to camp at Lake Wazee in Black River Falls, WI. The lake there used to be an old quarry so the water is CRYSTAL clear and the beaches are beautiful, fine, white sand. We arrived Thursday evening only to be greeted by the worst mosquitoes I have ever experienced :( We tried so hard to make it work but were going clinically insane... you couldn't stop moving or swatting around your head! We packed up Friday morning but were able to catch a little beach time after lunch for a couple of hours. All of us ended up heading to West Salem, WI to stay at one of the girls' houses. We went out for a few drinks at a local establishment (no one was allowed to shower or change out of camping clothes...because we were camping, darn it!) so we were quite the sight :) An older gentleman asked if we were "glamping"--- glamorous camping! We had never heard of the term before but you can be sure we used it about 100 times throughout the rest of the weekend. We were able to get some hiking in and also a lazy afternoon of movie-watching while a big rainstorm moved through the area. Even though we missed out on our original plan, I can now proudly say that I have gone GLAMPING. Check that off the bucket list??
Friday, March 14, 2014
Teacher Leadership Goal
March 14, 2014
As I reflected about what sort of goal I would like to aim for in the coming months, I struggled bit because I feel like I'm still treading water between snow days, conferences, yearbook deadline quickly approaching, and end of the quarter next week. Whew! Suck it up, Sarah :) Since my leadership style points me in the direction of a person who tends to go-with-the-flow I figured that's exactly what I should do. I just needed to get a plan and start working towards the goal.
My goal is to make students more aware and accountable for their own actions. This goes along the same lines as my current action research project. I have a good number of student who present the classic "do before you think" attitude. It causes problems with class distraction levels and individual productivity on class work. I will monitor students' behavior and visit with them on a regular basis. I hope that students are able to recognize poor behaviors more often and ideally prevent them from taking place as frequently as they currently do.
If anyone has insight about how to get my REFLECTIONS tab to work let me know! I edited the page and now for some reason you can't click on it. Ohhhh technology ;)
March 14, 2014
As I reflected about what sort of goal I would like to aim for in the coming months, I struggled bit because I feel like I'm still treading water between snow days, conferences, yearbook deadline quickly approaching, and end of the quarter next week. Whew! Suck it up, Sarah :) Since my leadership style points me in the direction of a person who tends to go-with-the-flow I figured that's exactly what I should do. I just needed to get a plan and start working towards the goal.
My goal is to make students more aware and accountable for their own actions. This goes along the same lines as my current action research project. I have a good number of student who present the classic "do before you think" attitude. It causes problems with class distraction levels and individual productivity on class work. I will monitor students' behavior and visit with them on a regular basis. I hope that students are able to recognize poor behaviors more often and ideally prevent them from taking place as frequently as they currently do.
If anyone has insight about how to get my REFLECTIONS tab to work let me know! I edited the page and now for some reason you can't click on it. Ohhhh technology ;)
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Self-Monitoring
For this week's challenge of applying new learning into our classroom, I totally borrowed an idea from a fellow classmate. [Shout-out to Caleb: You ROCK!] I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use this idea since I could imagine it working so well with my class at this particular moment. I think I will be taking a look at Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano in the near future.
My class has been having a hard time with staying focused during work time lately. There are just too many social butterflies needing to flutter around! I have been striking out with things that I have tried over the past couple of weeks so when I saw this idea I figured it was worth a try.
Today we had a fairly complex Art project planned. I gave the directions and explained how important it is for everyone to stay focused and really work hard. I then wandered around the room and made notes about each student regarding five different questions:
1. Did I stay in my own work space?
2. Did I follow the directions?
3. Did I use my time wisely (not rush)?
4. Did I complete my project?
5. Did I work quietly?
It was hard for me to not give reminders, especially to those who need them pretty consistently but I stuck to my plan. After our Art time ended I handed each student a piece of paper with the five questions. They put up their privacy folders and answered each question about themselves. I used a smiley face / straight face / sad face sort of scoring and gave examples of each option. I then compared the self-monitoring scores to what I observed. The results I saw were pretty expected. A good number of students were quite honest, a few on each end of the spectrum were overly critical or overly passive on their behavior. This is something I am going to do more regularly and see if I can get some improvement. It was a very insightful activity!
My class has been having a hard time with staying focused during work time lately. There are just too many social butterflies needing to flutter around! I have been striking out with things that I have tried over the past couple of weeks so when I saw this idea I figured it was worth a try.
Today we had a fairly complex Art project planned. I gave the directions and explained how important it is for everyone to stay focused and really work hard. I then wandered around the room and made notes about each student regarding five different questions:
1. Did I stay in my own work space?
2. Did I follow the directions?
3. Did I use my time wisely (not rush)?
4. Did I complete my project?
5. Did I work quietly?
It was hard for me to not give reminders, especially to those who need them pretty consistently but I stuck to my plan. After our Art time ended I handed each student a piece of paper with the five questions. They put up their privacy folders and answered each question about themselves. I used a smiley face / straight face / sad face sort of scoring and gave examples of each option. I then compared the self-monitoring scores to what I observed. The results I saw were pretty expected. A good number of students were quite honest, a few on each end of the spectrum were overly critical or overly passive on their behavior. This is something I am going to do more regularly and see if I can get some improvement. It was a very insightful activity!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Kids Say the Smartest Things
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I was thinking about this gem I found a few months ago. Videos like this make me feel refreshed about why I am in the teaching profession. I get to help be part of the lives of kids who could turn out like these rockstars. On days when it seems like kids are overly entitled or unmotivated I think back to this video and know that there are awesome kids that are going to lead the way in the future. We can't forget to listen to the small voices that have big things to say!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
And...we're...off!
Well today is the first day of the rest of my (blogging) life. I was trying to come up with a clever title for my blog and could not get past the the cliche titles that I am sure are on at least 158 other websites. Then I got to thinking about how this Master's program is going to hit some high points of my teaching and also the lows. In college my roommates and I would try to have "family" dinners once a week and everyone had to share their ups and downs of the week. It was very dorky but we loved it and and continued to do it for the couple years of living together. We just got together last weekend and someone mentioned doing ups and downs. We laughed, said how ridiculous that always was, and then of course shared our ups and downs of 2013. It was a great way to reconnect. I am looking forward to the the ups and downs of the next several months and using this blog to document them along the way.
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