10 myths undermining #education...

Myth 1 - Students will abuse and take advantage of a situation if we treat another student 'differently.' We all believe in differentiating, personalizing, and customizing the educational experience for our students as much as possible. Having said that, many believe that if you do something perceived to be 'easier' for one student or you 'cut them slack,' then other students will exploit and use this situation to their advantage. Here's the deal, what's fair isn't always equal, and what's equal isn't always fair, and a majority of students aren't going to take advantage of a situation just because you treated another student 'differently.'

http://goo.gl/Uo2PFN

Myth 2 - Students learn from 'zeros.' When a student receives a zero for not completing an assignment (this could be for numerous different reasons), there's a myth that the student will learn from the zero and learn not to repeat this behavior. For the record, I'm still waiting to find the kid who gets a zero and says 'I have now seen the light and I will no longer commit myself to such atrocities and hence forth all of my future assignments will be turned in completed and on time with a little pretty bow on top...' Zeros teach kids compliance and make grades a weapon rather an instrument for learning.

Myth 3 - Teachers need lots of 'summative' type assessments and excel spreadsheets to determine if a kid has actually mastered the content/skills. Teachers work with their kids on a daily basis and they know their kids really well, both academically and personally. For some kids, they see their teachers more than they do their own parents. It's unprofessional and degrading to educators to think they have to give their students a formalized 'test' just so they can prove what they already know. Save the time, save the aggravation, and focus on continuing to learn...

Myth 4 - More rigor is a good thing. We don't need more rigor in schools... if you've ever seen the definition, then you would probably agree that more rigor is NOT a good thing. How about appropriately challenging our students... that makes more sense to me:

Myth 5 - If a student has an 'A' they've obviously mastered all the content/skills for that particular course. Far too often we get lost in what grades really mean, and unfortunately, we are finding more and more that a grade really isn't very aligned with actual content/skill mastery. Pressure from students, parents, and society, make it difficult to transition away from grades, but the closer and closer we look at grades the further and further away we get from actual definitive proof of learning.

Myth 6 - We have to toughen kids up for the next grade level and/or life experience. How often do we hear a teacher say 'well, in _____ grade this is how they do it.' Or, even better, 'in the real-world you'll have to do _____.' When we say these phrases to kids we are basically saying that their current life and existence pale in comparison to what they will experience next year or later in life. We are also saying that to prepare you for a certain level of misery later in life you need to experience misery now. We don't prepare kids for what's next by making them endure misery now... we teach them and hold them accountable to learning so the next level of misery isn't so miserable.

Myth 7 - When we offer rewards and incentives to get kids to perform at higher levels we are going to get a sustainable and long-lasting positive difference in their effort and overall performance. We live in a society where saying 'what do I get' is far too commonplace. Kids and adults always want to know what's in it for them. This strategy and mindset of using extrinsic motivators and rewards to get better and higher performance is short-term at best. Perhaps you get a boost in performance for a couple weeks, but eventually that 'reward' is going to wear off and the current reward will no longer be enough to warrant that level of performance. True reward is born out of intrinsic motivation and a self-driven interest in doing whatever the task may be. Rewards and incentives are a dangerous game to play and I fear the game has been spinning out of control for a while now...

Myth 8 - Kids need schools to learn. Kids can and are learning all the time. It's time for education to stop assuming that learning can't occur unless it's in a classroom with four walls and a teacher in a school. In fact, we should be embracing and encouraging students to take advantage of the learning that's always around them. The sooner we educators can break down the 'mindset' barrier of when and where learning can occur, the more relevant and applicable formal education will become for our students.

Myth 9 - To be a good and 'tough' teacher, you need to give out tons of homework and do lots of pop quizzes. Parents hate to see their kids at home without any homework because without any homework they assume the students aren't learning anything, thus the teacher must not be teaching anything. This couldn't be further from the truth. Aside from the negative effects of homework and the fact that many students are missing out on what really matters as a young kid growing up, homework is becoming a 'love of learning' killer.

Far too often homework is used to replace a lack of class time and kids are expected to teach themselves and learn on their own. Many kids then struggle and end up doing the work incorrectly anyway. If the kids can already do the work, then homework becomes a simple task of compliance. Lastly, pop quizzes should be avoided. If you trust the validity of your assessments, you shouldn't fear the kid knowing your expectations and knowing the exact time and place of the assessment. Pop quizzes shift the focus away from the content and skills, and put the focus on kids being stressed and pressured... neither of which are good for academic performance.

Myth 10 - School is preparing kids for the real-world. Kids are experiencing the real-world each and every day and believe it or not, school is a part of that real-world. Let's stop treating school and outside of school as two separate entities and acknowledge that the more they become one, the better off our students will be.

6 things we need to stop saying in #education...

Teaching...

Obviously teaching is a word that gets used quite often in the education setting, but I push you to try and eliminate it from your everyday vocabulary. When we say 'teaching,' we are talking about what we the educators are doing or not doing. Though this important, we have to ask ourselves where the kids are in this conversation. Instead of saying 'teaching,' let's start saying 'learning.' This will quickly and easily shift our focus away from us the educator and place it on the students whom we serve. Think of it as going from teacher-centered to student-centered.

Rigor...

The word rigor has quickly transformed into something we say all the time though it more times than not doesn't actually mean what we think it does. By definition, rigor is very much based on a 'severity of strictness, inflexibility and harshness.' Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of education and I think of students, those really aren't the words I want associated with what happens in education. Having said that, what I really think we are meaning to say is 'appropriate challenges.' So, let's stop saying we are trying to increase 'rigor,' and let's start saying that we are trying to create an environment that 'appropriately challenges' our students.

http://goo.gl/YthPCU

Professional development...

Have you ever heard someone say, 'Hey, I'm going to go do some professional development!' I'm assuming you probably haven't, and if you did, they probably weren't doing it on their own accord and were probably fulfilling some required district mandate. Professional development has become a negative thing for many folks because they see it as something done 'to' them rather than 'with' them. More times than not they are unfortunately correct. Instead of saying 'professional development,' let's start saying 'self-directed growth' which puts the ownership back on the individual and allows them to be empowered and responsibility for their own learning and growth.

Differentiated instruction...

Far too often we say differentiated instruction because we have groups or centers of kids doing different things at the same time. Just because we have kids doing different things at the same time doesn't mean we are truly differentiating instruction. To help make this distinction a little more clear, I recommend that we start saying 'personalized or customized learning.' Similar to teaching, differentiated instruction is very teacher-centered whereas 'personalized & customized learning' is more focused on the students. Additionally, it's not just kids doing different things at the same time, it's providing kids a personalized & customized learning experience that meets them where they are, not where their classmates are or where we want them to be.

Assessment...

Let's ask the most important question first... why do we have assessments? Are the assessments just so we the educators can accumulate and gather huge amounts of data? Or, are they a form of feedback and input that benefit both the educators and the students to provide a monitoring system to improve student learning? I hope we all agree it's the latter... So, let's stop saying 'assessment' and let's start saying 'input and feedback tool.' This will also help to show kids that these 'assessments' are used to help and support them in their learning journey, rather than end and limit.

Meeting...

Most folks hear the word 'meeting' and they immediately start to cringe and get that fingernails on the chalkboard kind of shiver. The word meeting has overtime become a word synonymous for 'you sit and listen to me talk' kind of an event. Though folks with good intentions have tried to change these types of events to be more productive and collaborative in nature, the word meeting still evokes a negative emotion that many struggle to shake. I challenge you to replace the word 'meeting' with the word 'gathering.' When people talk of gatherings they are usually fun and people enjoy being there, so set the tone in a positive way and move away from meetings.

What do you believe we should stop saying in education? Feel free to share in the comment section below!

We probably need to stop saying 'rigor'

I don't know about you, but after reading this, I don't feel comfortable using the word 'rigor' to describe anything we should be doing in schools...

A quick & easy way to boost question complexity

Imagine you are designing an assessment. You have a set of questions that you would like to ask but you are struggling to find ways to elevate the levels of complexity and rigor associated with those questions.

One quick and easy way to boost depth of knowledge and rigor levels is to simply add a picture to the question.

For example:

English question - What is the difference between effect and affect?

Math question - What percent of an 8 piece pizza remains if two pieces are already gone & you are planning to eat two more?

Social studies question - What made the attack on Fort Wagner during The Civil War so difficult for the Northern troops?

Science question - What is an example of bison working together for the betterment of the group?

Now, all 4 of these questions are low level depth of knowledge questions. They are simple recall for the most part and don't have much rigor associated with them. You either know the answers, or you don't. These are hard questions if you don't know the answers, but the reality is there is no real complexity to these questions. Remember, hard and rigorous are NOT synonymous...

Take these low level questions to a higher level by adding an image:

English question - What is the difference between effect and affect? (In this image students compare both situations and evaluate the difference between the two words. This requires tapping into prior knowledge and understanding the progression of one image to another while inferring the results of what would happen next.)

Math question - What percent of an 8 piece pizza remains if two pieces are already gone & you are planning to eat two more? (In this image students can visualize the question as well as anticipate what would happen with the two pieces about to be eaten. Then, students can anticipate how much of the pizza will remain and compare that to a full not eaten pizza.)

Social studies question - What made the attack on Fort Wagner during The Civil War so difficult for the Northern troops? (In this image students can evaluate the attack and recognize that the fort was fortified, the Southern troops were at an elevated position, and the fort was difficult to approach due to water on at least one side.)

Science question - What is an example of bison working together for the betterment of the group? (In this image students can recognize that bison work together by walking in a line in the snow so each individual bison wouldn't have to plow through the snow. The work is being done by one bison and the entire group benefits from the work of that bison.)

7 proven strategies that WILL help you engage your students...

1.  Don't just care...really care!

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own little worlds, but we have got to remember that whatever is going on in our world, is 100 times simpler and less complicated than that of our students.  If a student is having a bad day, or if a student is having a great day, give them the opportunity to tell you about it.  Be interested and actually listen to their stories, because if you can show the students you care, they will trust you, and when they trust you, magical things can happen in an educational setting.  Take an interest in their music, their hobbies, their triumphs and struggles, and use that information to help them.  IF THE STUDENTS DON'T THINK YOU CARE, YOU WILL NEVER MAKE A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION WITH THEM!!

2.  Speak to every student at least once every class period - the more the better!

Try very hard to make sure this is common practice in your classroom.  Even if it is a simple "hello" or "how are you doing?" it can mean a ton to the student.  Additionally, making that early connection in the class period allows that student to feel more comfortable, which as we all know, students must be comfortable for learning to take place.  STUDENTS DON'T LEARN WHEN THEY ARE STRESSED AND UNCOMFORTABLE!!

3.  Meet your students where they are; not where they are supposed to be, or where you want them to be...

This strategy can be really difficult, but if you can master it, it can pay huge dividends in the long run.  Every year you start with new students, with different ability levels, different learning styles, and different attitudes toward education.  We have to meet each student on their level.  Their level means their ability, their learning style, and their attitude toward education.  If we treat every student the same, we CANNOT expect the same results!  Just as a doctor evaluates all of a patient's symptoms and treats the patient accordingly, we must evaluate each student and approach the learning process in a manner which is best suited for that individual student.  FORGET ABOUT USING ONE STRATEGY TO TEACH ALL OF YOUR STUDENTS!!

4.  Have high expectations, and expect the best from every single student every single day!

This is probably one of the toughest in terms of increasing student engagement.  I have found that when you push the students and they know you are pushing them, they engage themselves and respond at a much higher level than if you were giving them review work over and over.  Human nature is to enjoy a challenge and a task that requires more than the minimum.  If your students are disengaged and non-attentive, perhaps they are bored, and they need a challenge to get them going.  Let your students know you have high expectations for yourself, and consequently you expect the best from them too.  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A CHALLENGE WHEN IT COMES TO STUDENT ENGAGEMENT!! 

5.  Do whatever it takes to get your students out of their desks, and give them every opportunity to be actively moving ! 

Organized chaos is how we should describe our classrooms.  Students need to move, and sitting for 7 hours a day is frankly torture.  Would you want to sit for 7 hours a day and listen to people talk at you...no, I think not.  Try to get your students up and moving every single day.  I am talking about relay races, group work, activities that require building things with their hands, an activity where unused fly swatters are used, and lastly skits and reenactments that make everybody laugh.  THE HUMAN BODY WAS NOT DESIGNED TO SIT ALL DAY!!  

6.  Focus on the three R's - rigor, relationships, and relevance... 

I already talked about rigor (4) and relationships (1), but I wanted to keep all three Rs together.  If the students see no relevance and value in education, then how can we expect them to learn?  We have got to make sure what they are doing in school is practical and relevant, because if we don't we have no shot at engaging them.  Show students the connections to what they are learning and the world in which they live.  Also, use resources to make what they are learning applicable in their current lives, and show them ways to use what they've learned in class.  IF THEY SEE NO VALUE, THEY WILL NEVER BE TRULY ENGAGED!!     

7.  Most importantly...give your students a voice and involve them in the educational process!

Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult things to do in an educational setting, and because it is one of the most difficult, it is one of the most important.  The students know how they learn, they know what they like and dislike, and they hold the key to getting them interested and engaged.  Every day is an opportunity to learn from your students how to do your job more effectively and efficiently.  Students are a free resource that most educators ignore.  Include them in making assignments, teaching lessons, designing rubrics and designing assessments.  What do you have to lose?  They will provide you with a wealth of knowledge, and most importantly, they will be engaged because they are a part of the process.  They now have a voice in how they are educated, as well as how they are assessed...STUDENT INVOLVEMENT = AWESOME!!

Please respond with any additional strategies you use to engage your students.  I would love to add to this list and compile a much larger list to use with new and experienced teachers, as well as teacher growth and development programs.  Thank you in advance for your help!

"Knowing" is no longer good enough...

The knowing vs. doing gap...

We all know we should probably eat healthier and exercise more often, but what we know and what we do are sometimes two different things...

The same thing goes for our students. 

Our students know a lot, however can they do something to demonstrate & validate their "knowing...?"

Think about the types of activities your students are completing. Are they simply regurgitating information in isolated chunks, or are they applying information on a larger scale as part of a more complex process with essential skills embedded?

The value of content is descending... while the value of filtering, finding & sharing content is ascending. It's not what kids "know" that's important, it's how they can apply, demonstrate, explain and transfer the "known" that's important...

Watch this 6 minute video about the value of information:

Rigorous and hard are not synonymous...

There is a significant difference between something 

being hard and something being rigorous...

For example, assume a student has been learning about the 50 states in the United States of America. The last two weeks of class have been focused on learning not just the 50 states, but also learning the history of America and the significant events that have occurred leading up to the current 50 state structure.

Assessment 1: Collaboratively design and create a presentation focusing on one of the major events in America's history that have affected and/or played a significant role in our current 50 state structure. Be prepared to present this to your classmates and be able to justify/explain why this particular event was so significant in America's history

Assessment 2: Using a blank map of the United States, write down and correctly spell all 50 states.

Assessment 1 is rigorous because it is complex and has depth. There are several steps to this assessment, and most importantly, the assessment is not specific to just the content, but also to skills that are transferable to other content areas and beyond. This assessment requires students to work collaboratively while providing them flexibility and creativity to present in a manner they so choose. This assessment can have multiple correct answers.

Assessment 2 is hard because it is asking each student to have memorized the location of each state, as well as have memorized how to spell each state correctly. This assessment is also hard because it disconnects much of the information presented over the last two weeks in regard to the history of the 50 states. Students will think the important focus is on just knowing the 50 states and how to spell them, rather than the history and background behind our current 50 state structure. This assessment can only have one correct answer.

WE NEED DOK LEVEL 1 QUESTIONS... WHAT WE DON'T NEED IS JUST DOK LEVEL 1 QUESTIONS.

Watch this 4 minute video discussing a rigor matrix comparing DOK levels and Bloom's Taxonomy.

Check out Karin Hess' Rigor Matrix mentioned in the video here: Rigor Matrix