While everyone I meet can contribute to my becoming a more effective lead learner, some individuals or groups deserve special recognition.
God - God has equipped me with compassion for others, a passion for learning and influencing learning, and a perseverance to always be improving. I am eternally grateful to God for the heart and talents with which He has blessed me.
Twitter Chats and our Professional Learning Network (PLN) - Our #ChristianEducators on Thursday nights are a dedicated group of believers, educators, administrators and caring individuals that continue to encourage us to always serve God and others with all we have. I am so grateful to God for allowing me to have a part in moderating this sacred fellowship. I am also thankful to Dr. Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler) for trusting me to partner with him in leading this fine group. Our #COLchat or Culture of Learning chat on Monday nights encourages participants to initially build relationships to develop an interdependence that fosters a mutual respect and a love of learning. Our #SBLchat or Standards-Based Learning crew on Wednesday nights continues to show how genuine learning can be developed by focusing on standards or learning outcomes and creating an environment that is conducive to creating lifelong learners. I am thankful for the dedication of our co-moderators Darin Jolly (@drjolly) and Garnet Hillman (@garnet_hillman) for always focusing on what's best for our students, their parents, our teachers and administrators. Our #LeadWithGiants crew on Monday nights is always an assembled group of individuals that strive to bring leadership to the forefront, develop the leader within us and empower us to develop enduring leadership qualities in our students. Our #EdChatMA are educators primarily from Massachusetts gather on the first and third Tuesday nights to discuss how to best integrate the diverse components that can aggregate to create sustained learning and the love for it. I'm grateful to our founder and co-moderator David Hochheiser (@DavidHochheiser) for his commitment to the furtherance of our efforts and influence.
Family - Finally, at Thanksgiving, I chatted at length with a family member who provided several healthy insights into empowering learning, providing an environment where all learners are valued and encouraged to reach or exceed their potential and especially to develop the needs of individuals rather than those of the class. He reminded me that courses or classes are made up of individuals with varying backgrounds, interests, tolerance levels and abilities to focus. He defended his position by explaining how he struggled with school leaders who expected him to fit in, be compliant and just "play school" until graduation. Unfortunately, due to many challenges in and out of his control, he chose to withdraw from secondary school prior to earning his diploma. He has since earned his GED, become an entrepreneur and is maintainng a multi-million dollar company. He reminded me to not ignore the individuals in our classes that struggle to fit in as typical learners since those students often see learning differently and many are not willing to just comply with the requirements of "playing school". I expect that integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into our learning environment will significantly help in this endeavor. He thanked me for being an educator who is focused on the learner, rather than on the currculum. He instilled in me a commitment to identify those atypical students and provide them with the resources and support to enable them to develop into contributing members of society, even though they struggle to comply with the rules of the road in our schools. I promised him I'd spend more time and energy on our student outliers to help them reach their potential. Will you join me in this commitment?
Friday, November 28, 2014
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Top Twelve Observations from Our Day of PD
Several teachers in our school had the opportunity to observe classes in another district today. We left that district discussing that today may have been the best Professional Development (PD) that our district had provided in ten years! We have so many fresh ideas to bring back to our classes!
- Some students may be lost or daydreaming even when others are very engaged.
- Students can use their electronic devices appropriately when trusted.
- Students can be at various levels of understanding at any given moment in class.
- Using colors well during learning can highlight, differentiate and ignite learning.
- Student desks arranged in groups work much more collaboratively than arranged in rows.
- Announcing transitions is important to student connections and the flow of learning.
- Students explaining and asking questions clarifies the understanding for many in the room.
- When students ask questions, we must verify that they really understand the answer.
- The more student-centered the class is, the more engaging it is for students.
- When teachers speak for more than 5-8 minutes without student intervention, student engagement decreases.
- When students sense that teachers are approachable and trustworthy, learning ignites.
- A Culture of Learning that is safe and engaging is required for retention and application.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Student-Centered Learning
Here are seven students and their journey through their recent challenges to their now success!
Student #1 - Soon after I tweeted the results from our #WHSPrecal Summative Assessment, this student asked me through @Voxer which student number he was in the list so he could identify his proficiency level. Through @Voxer, we discussed the misunderstanding he documented on his assessment. We worked through several iterations until he had his "aha" moment. He practiced several questions on his own. The next day he came to our classroom and asked for an opportunity to prove his heightened understanding. I suggested he create a question with some guidelines that I offered. He did. He completed it correctly. I asked him to defend his solution. He explained it thoroughly and earned back all the points that were originally deducted. One of his comments had been, "I really want to prove to you that I have an 'A' worth of understanding in our class. It's that important to me." He did. He expressed that he was thankful that he has missed this question since it provided him the opportunity to consult with me on some new strategies for checking his work!
Student #2 - As the student who has demonstrated the highest level of understanding in our #WHSAlgebra2 course, she requested some enrichment opportunities that would really challenge her thinking. I was thrilled for her request, though I was a bit disappointed that I had yet to challenge her adequately. I had been differentiating her practice, though now know she needs even more of a challenge. I will be providing her with more challenging learning opportunities going forward!
Student #3 - We recently has a Complex Numbers Summative Assessment in our #WHSAlgebra2 course. One young man missed solving one Quadratic Formula question with complex roots. He had a slight error at the start of his process that resulted in an incorrect solution. He knew something was incorrect, but was unable to find it during the day of our in-class assessment. When he received his assessment back with feedback, he brought it to me and began to explain what his error had been and asked for some Extra Practice to prove his understanding so he'd be eligible for a reassessment. He proved his understanding on the Extra Practice and, therefore, was given the opportunity to redo his Quadratic Formula questions with complex roots. He answered all of them correctly and was ecstatic to earn a perfect score on his assessment! He could not have been more proud of himself. He was almost glowing!
Student #4 - One of our seniors in #WHSTrig was distraught to receive a Not Yet Proficient (NYP) comment on his recent Proficiency Ticket. He has failed to make some important connections that caused him to miss almost all of the questions. He was stunned as he thought he really understood the process. He began to explain his thinking and how he arrived at each of his solutions. We had a great meeting of the minds as we discussed what he understood and the one piece he was missing. I shared with him that I wanted him to find the missing piece himself. He began to work through each of the questions when he stumbled over exactly the piece he had been missing. He couldn't thank me enough for encouraging him to find it himself. He did enough Extra Practice to be eligible for a reassessment on our Proficiency Ticket. He assured me he'd be able to demonstrate top proficiency on the eight questions. He made himself proud by solving each correctly and made me proud by asking to explain to me how he arrived at his thought process. His results were flawless!
Student #6 - One young man in our #WHSAlgebra2 course brought me his graded Summative Assessment on Complex Numbers. He explain where he his thinking had gone astray and asked for Extra Practice to prove that he really did understand this topic completely. He correctly worked through all of his practice questions. I offered him several different versions of our assessment for him to select one for his re-assessment. He asked if he could complete two different assessments to prove that he really had thorough understanding. I indicated that one was adequate. He insisted that I offer him the toughest two versions as he was thankful for the opportunity to prove his proficiency and earn back his 'A'. He did just that!
Student #7 - One of our #WHSPrecal students had failed to complete his recent assessment since he got hung up on one particular question and lost a great deal of time. He brought that question to me and explained what he had done and where his misunderstanding had been. He was pretty tough on himself when it came to the only question he had missed. He showed me the Extra Practice he had completed and asked me to confirm that his thinking was now correct. I agreed. He agreed to practice a few more and send me his results through an email or a tweet. He then wants the opportunity to demonstrate his proficiency on this last question. He was so thankful for the opportunity to discuss his misunderstanding and where his correct thinking had brought him. I'm awaiting his tweet and know he'll soon be reassessing on that final situation!
Student #1 - Soon after I tweeted the results from our #WHSPrecal Summative Assessment, this student asked me through @Voxer which student number he was in the list so he could identify his proficiency level. Through @Voxer, we discussed the misunderstanding he documented on his assessment. We worked through several iterations until he had his "aha" moment. He practiced several questions on his own. The next day he came to our classroom and asked for an opportunity to prove his heightened understanding. I suggested he create a question with some guidelines that I offered. He did. He completed it correctly. I asked him to defend his solution. He explained it thoroughly and earned back all the points that were originally deducted. One of his comments had been, "I really want to prove to you that I have an 'A' worth of understanding in our class. It's that important to me." He did. He expressed that he was thankful that he has missed this question since it provided him the opportunity to consult with me on some new strategies for checking his work!
Student #2 - As the student who has demonstrated the highest level of understanding in our #WHSAlgebra2 course, she requested some enrichment opportunities that would really challenge her thinking. I was thrilled for her request, though I was a bit disappointed that I had yet to challenge her adequately. I had been differentiating her practice, though now know she needs even more of a challenge. I will be providing her with more challenging learning opportunities going forward!
Student #3 - We recently has a Complex Numbers Summative Assessment in our #WHSAlgebra2 course. One young man missed solving one Quadratic Formula question with complex roots. He had a slight error at the start of his process that resulted in an incorrect solution. He knew something was incorrect, but was unable to find it during the day of our in-class assessment. When he received his assessment back with feedback, he brought it to me and began to explain what his error had been and asked for some Extra Practice to prove his understanding so he'd be eligible for a reassessment. He proved his understanding on the Extra Practice and, therefore, was given the opportunity to redo his Quadratic Formula questions with complex roots. He answered all of them correctly and was ecstatic to earn a perfect score on his assessment! He could not have been more proud of himself. He was almost glowing!
Student #4 - One of our seniors in #WHSTrig was distraught to receive a Not Yet Proficient (NYP) comment on his recent Proficiency Ticket. He has failed to make some important connections that caused him to miss almost all of the questions. He was stunned as he thought he really understood the process. He began to explain his thinking and how he arrived at each of his solutions. We had a great meeting of the minds as we discussed what he understood and the one piece he was missing. I shared with him that I wanted him to find the missing piece himself. He began to work through each of the questions when he stumbled over exactly the piece he had been missing. He couldn't thank me enough for encouraging him to find it himself. He did enough Extra Practice to be eligible for a reassessment on our Proficiency Ticket. He assured me he'd be able to demonstrate top proficiency on the eight questions. He made himself proud by solving each correctly and made me proud by asking to explain to me how he arrived at his thought process. His results were flawless!
Student #6 - One young man in our #WHSAlgebra2 course brought me his graded Summative Assessment on Complex Numbers. He explain where he his thinking had gone astray and asked for Extra Practice to prove that he really did understand this topic completely. He correctly worked through all of his practice questions. I offered him several different versions of our assessment for him to select one for his re-assessment. He asked if he could complete two different assessments to prove that he really had thorough understanding. I indicated that one was adequate. He insisted that I offer him the toughest two versions as he was thankful for the opportunity to prove his proficiency and earn back his 'A'. He did just that!
Student #7 - One of our #WHSPrecal students had failed to complete his recent assessment since he got hung up on one particular question and lost a great deal of time. He brought that question to me and explained what he had done and where his misunderstanding had been. He was pretty tough on himself when it came to the only question he had missed. He showed me the Extra Practice he had completed and asked me to confirm that his thinking was now correct. I agreed. He agreed to practice a few more and send me his results through an email or a tweet. He then wants the opportunity to demonstrate his proficiency on this last question. He was so thankful for the opportunity to discuss his misunderstanding and where his correct thinking had brought him. I'm awaiting his tweet and know he'll soon be reassessing on that final situation!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Differentiation to the Rescue!
Three recent tweets caused me to ponder in some new ways:
- "Heading into another week of learning and teaching w/ @mssackstein & @WHSRowe on my mind." #influence by Mark Kuniya @MKuniya
- "It would feel wrong if I didn't transfer along what I learned to our Students." by Mark Kuniya
- "When we stop learning, we become irrelevant to our students." by Jasper Fox @jsprfox
Differentiation - I've had the good pleasure of having more than one Google Hangout (GHO) with Mark and Jasper at different times. Both consistently cause me to reflect on my practice as an educator and open my mind to new learning opportunities for me and our students. I'm learning that with differentiated planning, instruction, practice, feedback and assessment, we can better meet the needs of our students with varying degrees of understanding. Both men have impressed on me our need to daily differentiate since we are aiming to teach individuals, not classes. When I realized that we have twenty or so students engaged in the learning with different background knowledge, different needs, different interests and varying levels of proficiency, we cannot expect one lesson to accommodate all students. Mark and I recently discussed the word "checkpoint" as another way of assessing student proficiency without using the often dreaded words "quiz" or "test" that can carry a negative connotation. I've started using "checkpoints" or "proficiency tickets" to formally assess our students. Our frequent "checkpoints" or "proficiency tickets" enable me to quickly provide timely feedback to students and guide me in adapting the lesson for our next class. Students appear more confident in their ability to demonstrate proficiency with some of their fear, anxiety or pressure minimized. Our students also know that reassessments are part of our learning process in our Standards-Based environment. Our students now know what Extra Practice they need before or after an assessment to improve their skills and the application and they're requesting it without my need to offer it.
#GoodCallsHome - Our recently started nationwide movement of calling parents to share the great learning that's happening in our classrooms is having a huge impact on parents, students and teachers alike! I'd like to thank our co-founder Scott Capro, @ScottCapro, who has been very supportive and encouraging as we've worked on this undertaking. To date, there have been nearly fifty educators across the nation that have committed to weekly calls to the parents of our students to build relationships, encourage the parents for all their child is doing and to reinforce the need for parental support in the learning process. We are honored that so many teachers continue to make weekly #GoodCallsHome and write a generic post on our Google community page about the reaction or the feedback. This has fueled many of us to attain greater depths of learning in our students and in ourselves!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Calling All Parents!
Being involved in #GoodCallsHome has transformed the communication within our learning environment, with their parents and is acting as a catalyst for learning that I had not anticipated. I'm experiencing more meaningful conversations with our students and with their parents because I care enough to call home to recognize our engaged learning, their willingness to struggle through challenges and our desire to raise the bar in education through relationship building, timely feedback and relevant learning activities.
As of the date of this post, nearly 40 educators have "yielded to the calling" and are making two or more positive calls home to parents weekly as a way of keeping parents updated, leveraging their support for our students and simply recognizing the great learning and sharing happening in our classrooms! More and more educators are seeing the many benefits of taking the time to unite parents, students and teachers in conversation around our learning.
Every parent I have enjoyed speaking with has expressed appreciation for the call and for the engaged learning we're experiencing in our first month of this new school year. Our students are responding with a greater commitment to their education and have started asking, "Have you call my parents yet?". Every time I get off the phone after one of these uplifting #GoodCallsHome, I have a renewed appreciation for being a dedicated educator. I also appreciate the support that every parent is providing to our students on the home-front.
As one of the members of our Professional Learning Network (PLN) recently stated, "#GoodCallsHome is having a trans-formative impact on learning!". Thanks to Eric Turner (@_EricTurner) for this recognition and the reminder of how important it is for parents and teachers to be in regular communication for our students!
To fill out our #GoodCallsHome survey and ignite the learning, click here!
Every parent I have enjoyed speaking with has expressed appreciation for the call and for the engaged learning we're experiencing in our first month of this new school year. Our students are responding with a greater commitment to their education and have started asking, "Have you call my parents yet?". Every time I get off the phone after one of these uplifting #GoodCallsHome, I have a renewed appreciation for being a dedicated educator. I also appreciate the support that every parent is providing to our students on the home-front.
As one of the members of our Professional Learning Network (PLN) recently stated, "#GoodCallsHome is having a trans-formative impact on learning!". Thanks to Eric Turner (@_EricTurner) for this recognition and the reminder of how important it is for parents and teachers to be in regular communication for our students!
To fill out our #GoodCallsHome survey and ignite the learning, click here!
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Thankful to be a Lead Learner!
In this blog post, I'm planning to hit the high points of my recent growth, enthusiasm and shift in thinking. My mind is currently being bombarded with divergent thoughts of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Understanding by Design (UbD), Standards-Based Learning (SBL), a Culture of Learning (COL), sharing with Google apps, differentiation, feedback, collaboration and the wealth of knowledge I tap into daily with our Professional Learning Network (PLN) on Twitter!
COLchat to Action (#COLchat) on 7/29/14 - Educators gathered at the Swartz Creek Center for the Performing Arts in Michigan to share thoughts, experiences and aspirations of what constitutes a Culture of Learning (COL) where students and teachers can collaboratively empower in a student-centered environment that prepares everyone for our uncertain future. Of course, one of our high points was finally meeting more members of our Professional Learning Network (PLN) face to face! During our conference, breakout sessions and after session meetups, it became very clear to me how important genuine listening is in the learning process. I found that by clearing my mind and having no agenda, I was able to intently focus on the conversation present and really learn and grow with the many great minds present. I plan to share this experience with our students during the 14-15 school year so all can be open to innovative learning. A very special thanks to the #COLchat leadership team of Michele Corbat, Rodney Hetherton and Adam Hartley and to the many presenters and contributors to this great conference!
Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching in New England (#ECET2NE) on 8/21/14 - As was stated in the purpose of our day of Professional Development (PD), "The ultimate goal of the conference is to ensure that every attendee is inspired to kick off the school year, determined to grow professionally, take on leadership roles, and inspire our students." What a full day of inspiration, collaboration and connection we had sharing before, during and after the many sessions! Our day began with the very approachable Katie Novak inspiring us with her positive demeanor, humor and entertaining approach to learning and sharing. We were encouraged to not only be leaders, but to recognize the importance of a leader's "first follower". Without that first follower, the leader is simply "dancing by themselves"! This prompted me to ensure that our student-centered learning environments are places where everyone is welcomed, valued, listened to and respected. We also need the collaboration, support and encouragement of each other. Otherwise, we're just having a conversation with ourselves. After our opening session with Katie, I choose to learn and use the Standards of Mathematical Practice with the engaging Suzy Brooks. Suzy had created several hands-on creative activities to demonstrate the importance and communication of the Math Practices. Suzy's session was followed by a mind-blowing session led by Katie Novak on how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) integrates with the Danielson Framework for Teaching and the Educator Evaluation system. Katie gave us so much to think about and integrate into our teaching and learning so teachers and students alike are engaged, empowered and excited every day! I realize I need to study the UDL guidelines more, even though I've been incorporating many of them into our learning experiences. We were then entertained and sang along with the engaging Dr. Irvin Scott in his brief presentation on the importance of the ECET2 mission and how to share that mission. After lunch, we were led by Dan Ryder and Jeff Bailey through many technological opportunities to strengthen learning with Universal Design for Learning. Our day concluded with three inspirational and enlightening presentations by two students and a veteran educator. The two students shared their experiences of and appreciation for great teachers and their significant contributions on students and their futures. David Hochheiser, inspiration behind our new #EdChatMA and a constant contributor to our PLN, shared his journey as an educator and provided closing comments for the day.
First 4 Days of our 14-15 School Year from 8/25/14 to 8/28/14 - On Monday, August 25th, our newly appointed Superintendent of Schools, Mary DeLai, delivered a message of hope, calmness and reassurance to all educators in Wilmington Public Schools (MA). She reiterated how important trust, respect and communication are to a Culture of Learning (COL). In hindsight, she should have received a standing ovation for her welcome back speech and I should have been that first follower! She suggested we "take our foot off the accelerator" for just a bit to get our bearings and a proper perspective. On Tuesday, August 26th, our students plowed through the front doors of the school with smiles, great expectations and sporting new clothing and new kicks! So many of our students greeted me with the appreciation to be back with me to learn, to be inspired and to learn and grow together. Others stated they were appreciative to be shown a step by step approach to problem solving while others shared they knew this would be the year they'd "learn how to learn"! One young man stated, "Mr. Rowe has not only taught me to be a better math student, but also a better person, teaching us about confidence and leadership"! With students like this, how can we not offer them our very best every day! On our second day of school, prior to 8am, our seniors and I in Trigonometry were discussing the importance of respect, leadership and confidence in our learning environment. I had just asked our students to describe what it would look like if someone stood in our doorway exuding confidence. At that very moment, our Superintendent of Schools walked in our room and paused in the doorway! We were all stunned! She greeted us and I immediately shared what we had been discussing. She lit up and asked our students to describe that confidence. I could not have been more proud of the response from our students or the fact that our new Superintendent was already walking the hallways to experience our learning!
With a refreshing summer filled with professional development and an amazing first week of school, just imagine the possibilities for learning, growing and taking on new challenges with this 14-15 school year!
COLchat to Action (#COLchat) on 7/29/14 - Educators gathered at the Swartz Creek Center for the Performing Arts in Michigan to share thoughts, experiences and aspirations of what constitutes a Culture of Learning (COL) where students and teachers can collaboratively empower in a student-centered environment that prepares everyone for our uncertain future. Of course, one of our high points was finally meeting more members of our Professional Learning Network (PLN) face to face! During our conference, breakout sessions and after session meetups, it became very clear to me how important genuine listening is in the learning process. I found that by clearing my mind and having no agenda, I was able to intently focus on the conversation present and really learn and grow with the many great minds present. I plan to share this experience with our students during the 14-15 school year so all can be open to innovative learning. A very special thanks to the #COLchat leadership team of Michele Corbat, Rodney Hetherton and Adam Hartley and to the many presenters and contributors to this great conference!
Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching in New England (#ECET2NE) on 8/21/14 - As was stated in the purpose of our day of Professional Development (PD), "The ultimate goal of the conference is to ensure that every attendee is inspired to kick off the school year, determined to grow professionally, take on leadership roles, and inspire our students." What a full day of inspiration, collaboration and connection we had sharing before, during and after the many sessions! Our day began with the very approachable Katie Novak inspiring us with her positive demeanor, humor and entertaining approach to learning and sharing. We were encouraged to not only be leaders, but to recognize the importance of a leader's "first follower". Without that first follower, the leader is simply "dancing by themselves"! This prompted me to ensure that our student-centered learning environments are places where everyone is welcomed, valued, listened to and respected. We also need the collaboration, support and encouragement of each other. Otherwise, we're just having a conversation with ourselves. After our opening session with Katie, I choose to learn and use the Standards of Mathematical Practice with the engaging Suzy Brooks. Suzy had created several hands-on creative activities to demonstrate the importance and communication of the Math Practices. Suzy's session was followed by a mind-blowing session led by Katie Novak on how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) integrates with the Danielson Framework for Teaching and the Educator Evaluation system. Katie gave us so much to think about and integrate into our teaching and learning so teachers and students alike are engaged, empowered and excited every day! I realize I need to study the UDL guidelines more, even though I've been incorporating many of them into our learning experiences. We were then entertained and sang along with the engaging Dr. Irvin Scott in his brief presentation on the importance of the ECET2 mission and how to share that mission. After lunch, we were led by Dan Ryder and Jeff Bailey through many technological opportunities to strengthen learning with Universal Design for Learning. Our day concluded with three inspirational and enlightening presentations by two students and a veteran educator. The two students shared their experiences of and appreciation for great teachers and their significant contributions on students and their futures. David Hochheiser, inspiration behind our new #EdChatMA and a constant contributor to our PLN, shared his journey as an educator and provided closing comments for the day.
First 4 Days of our 14-15 School Year from 8/25/14 to 8/28/14 - On Monday, August 25th, our newly appointed Superintendent of Schools, Mary DeLai, delivered a message of hope, calmness and reassurance to all educators in Wilmington Public Schools (MA). She reiterated how important trust, respect and communication are to a Culture of Learning (COL). In hindsight, she should have received a standing ovation for her welcome back speech and I should have been that first follower! She suggested we "take our foot off the accelerator" for just a bit to get our bearings and a proper perspective. On Tuesday, August 26th, our students plowed through the front doors of the school with smiles, great expectations and sporting new clothing and new kicks! So many of our students greeted me with the appreciation to be back with me to learn, to be inspired and to learn and grow together. Others stated they were appreciative to be shown a step by step approach to problem solving while others shared they knew this would be the year they'd "learn how to learn"! One young man stated, "Mr. Rowe has not only taught me to be a better math student, but also a better person, teaching us about confidence and leadership"! With students like this, how can we not offer them our very best every day! On our second day of school, prior to 8am, our seniors and I in Trigonometry were discussing the importance of respect, leadership and confidence in our learning environment. I had just asked our students to describe what it would look like if someone stood in our doorway exuding confidence. At that very moment, our Superintendent of Schools walked in our room and paused in the doorway! We were all stunned! She greeted us and I immediately shared what we had been discussing. She lit up and asked our students to describe that confidence. I could not have been more proud of the response from our students or the fact that our new Superintendent was already walking the hallways to experience our learning!
With a refreshing summer filled with professional development and an amazing first week of school, just imagine the possibilities for learning, growing and taking on new challenges with this 14-15 school year!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Don't "Rail" On Me For This "Post"!
The above visual helps me understand and share the relationships between the "posts of learning" (differentiation, feedback and reflection) and the "rails of learning" (instruct, practice and assess). I see each of the "rails of learning" as phases in the learning process, where each has a component of differentiation, feedback and reflection.
Planning:
- Let's use Understanding by Design (UbD), determine the Big Ideas and either create the Essential Questions (EQs) or empower our students to create them.
- Build in as many connections to prior knowledge and ideas of abstraction to create the curiosity and lead the innovative thought-process.
- Build our learning around our "unpacked" learning outcomes or standards with Standard-Based Learning (SBL). Let's have our students help us "unpack" the standards to write them in student-friendly language.
Instruct:
- Let's be aware of the prior knowledge of our students as we integrate concepts and stretch everyone's thinking.
- As I recently learned at the Right Question Institute (RQI), let's leverage questions as a way to peak curiosity, share the ownership of learning with our students and help to pave the way to innovation.
Practice:
- During our collaborative time, let's practice so we can learn to make and learn from mistakes. Let's lead the force to fail early and fail often paving the way to success.
- Let's prompt students to think regularly, not just do or perform. Too much of school has been about compliance and performance rather than about collaborative learning.
- Students should be encouraged to practice any and all concepts with which they are not yet proficient.
- Practice should not be graded. Let's allow students to practice with no fear of getting it wrong. Practice should be just that, practice.
Assess:
- To encourage all students to learn, let's offer various ways for students to demonstrate their proficiency. Empower students to learn and assess without fear by encouraging all learners to reassess until that they have that "aha" moment. Let's lead learners to practice until they don't get it wrong versus until they get it right.
- I plan to use more Exit Tickets (with tech) for Formative Assessments (FAs).
- Assess more often but on fewer learning outcomes or standards. (SBL)
Let's plan to incorporate differentiation, feedback and reflection into as many phases or aspects of our learning. Learning is an individual thing, though it is strengthened through collaboration.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Our Learning Process
As was discussed today, several components of the learning process must be in place for the desired learning to occur. If the resulting data indicates there are gaps in understanding, we can examine the steps in the process.
- If the data is correct, we look at the assessment.
- If the assessment was aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), we try to determine whether the learners were engaged in their learning.
- If the learners were engaged, we examine whether the teaching was effective for the students' understanding.
Examining the components of the learning process could provide insight into where the process is breaking down. Knowing which part of the learning is causing the disconnect, can be helpful in identifying the way to correct it.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Reflection on our 7/14 Learning at #EdCampBLC
Monday's Professional Development (PD) at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel was inspiring since many dedicated educators took the day to brainstorm how to encourage all administrators, teachers and parents to create an ideal learning experience for all our learners! EdCampBLC was focused on Building Learning Communities.
The following are the sessions in which I choose to participate:
Block Scheduling:
Learning through Gamification:
The following are the sessions in which I choose to participate:
Block Scheduling:
- Provides time on learning where concepts can be delved into with depth to add meaning and connections
- Creates an environment where Flipped Learning could be implemented enabling learners to watch videos and try their hands in some hands-on practice prior to coming to class where more in depth learning takes place and questions facilitate more learning
- Offers a lengthy differentiated learning environment where learners can collaborate to add depth of knowledge
- Fosters learning where more cooperative and collaborative learning can occur
- Transitions need to be incorporated into these longer learning blocks to ensure the learning stays energetic and learners are encouraged to safe move often within their environment
- Learning must be the driver!
- Meaningful learning experiences come from great teaching and facilitation!
- Let's continue to ask ourselves "What causes memorable learning to take place?".
- The focus should be on Big Ideas and Essential Questions (EQs) as opposed to check off learning outcomes as they are taught.
- Content must be in an accessible format for all learners.
- Text to speech as well as speech to text were cited as resources that enabled some learners to find higher level of success.
- Several resources discussed included: Read & Write Chrome Extension, Rewordify, Explain Everything, UDL (Universal Design Language) Tech Toolkit Wiki and Notability
Learning through Gamification:
- Regular concept checks enable students to improve and thrive!
- Improvement is always recognized and encouraged!
- We need to find ways to empower students to compete, even if only with themselves!
- Learning games provide for immediate feedback and opportunity for improvement!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Inspired for a Higher CALIBER of Learning
In the past five days, I've received life-changing inspiration, opportunities to serve and profound truths to empower me and those I influence to reach for a higher CALIBER of learning! Allow me to "spell it out" for you!
C-Collaboration - Our collaboration at the Cambridge Public Schools Educational Excellence Institute (#CPSEEI) was not only inspirational but calming, as I did not have the good fortune to attend #ISTE2014 in Atlanta! Our day of Professional Development (PD) was centered around learning from each other, inspiring each other and challenging each other to reach new heights of excellence for our students and ourselves! Thanks to Jeffrey M. Young (Superintendent of Schools in Cambridge MA), Jessica Huizenga (@DrJessHuizenga) for coordinating the day and so many engaging presenters for providing such a great day of collaborative learning! I'd like to especially thank Sheila Yates for her engaging and practical session on Mathematical Practices and Discourse. I was especially grateful to connect with Mary DeLai, our new Superintendent for Wilmington Public Schools! We followed each other on Twitter and started brainstorming for our district!
A-Adapting - Linda Jordan led a mentally stimulating session on the importance of creating a Culture of Learning focused on Relationships, Rigor and Relevance! Her slides say it all!
L-Listening - Our dedicated and faithful group of Christian Educators (#ChristianEducators) gather every Thursday at 9pm ET to share, encourage and challenge each other. This week we focused on listening skills and the importance of listening to understand, not just to respond. We discussed 10 principles of listening, 6 biblical listening skills and barriers to effective listening.
I-Inspiration - Our keynote speaker at #CPSEEI was the incredibly inspirational Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL)! His standing ovation spoke to that! He encouraged all in attendance to be the adult in a child's life that he or she will look back on and remember the kinds words, motivation and reason to keeping going.
B-Brain Rules - After finishing John Medina's book on Brain Rules, I realized how interwoven sleep, exercise, music and stress are to the way our brain works. He discusses 12 Brain Rules that explain how we learn, characteristics that improve and diminish our ability to learn and how being aware of these rules enables us to take charge of our learning and the learning of those around us!
E-Excuses - Sunday's sermon was entitled "Christian Weight Loss - Drop the Excuses!". John Harrison is an eloquent preacher and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He was our guest speaker on Sunday, June 29th. During his entire message, he carried around a dumbbell in his hand. We all wondered about its significance. At the close of his message, as he put down the weight, he encouraged everyone to rid themselves of all excuses and allow God to work through us so we can reach more of our potential! What an inspirational and scripture-based message. Next time I hit the gym to lift, I'll be reminded to "drop the excuses" and live to serve others as I was called to do!
R-Reflection - Our "Dream Team" for our Culture of Learning (#COLchat) on Monday's at 9pm ET with Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat), Rodney Hetherton (@RodneyHetherton) and Adam Hartley (@AdamHartley2014) focused the conversation around the importance of "Reflection". I've learned from this group the importance of regular reflection. That reflection, combined with feedback from our Professional Learning Network (PLN), has enabled many of us to transform our Culture of Learning into engaging learning environments where teachers and students look forward to our time together!
C-Collaboration - Our collaboration at the Cambridge Public Schools Educational Excellence Institute (#CPSEEI) was not only inspirational but calming, as I did not have the good fortune to attend #ISTE2014 in Atlanta! Our day of Professional Development (PD) was centered around learning from each other, inspiring each other and challenging each other to reach new heights of excellence for our students and ourselves! Thanks to Jeffrey M. Young (Superintendent of Schools in Cambridge MA), Jessica Huizenga (@DrJessHuizenga) for coordinating the day and so many engaging presenters for providing such a great day of collaborative learning! I'd like to especially thank Sheila Yates for her engaging and practical session on Mathematical Practices and Discourse. I was especially grateful to connect with Mary DeLai, our new Superintendent for Wilmington Public Schools! We followed each other on Twitter and started brainstorming for our district!
A-Adapting - Linda Jordan led a mentally stimulating session on the importance of creating a Culture of Learning focused on Relationships, Rigor and Relevance! Her slides say it all!
A4: I need to work on just listening to the person. I need to stop talking & put aside all distractions. #ChristianEducators
— Stacey Roach (@Honeycoriander) June 27, 2014
The 10 Principles of Listening #ChristianEducators @CindyWarber https://t.co/8V5vp3G5k2
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) June 27, 2014
Transparency is truth. Essential for listening and building trust. #ChristianEducators
— Karen Walker Carr (@klwcsunshine) June 27, 2014
A2 Continue to remember that i have 2 ears and 1 mouth - I need to listen twice as much as speak #ChristianEducators
— Dr. Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler) June 27, 2014
Thanks everyone for a great chat! I really love being encouraged and lifted by you all! #ChristianEducators
— Teresa Ryan (@geometrywiz) June 27, 2014
I-Inspiration - Our keynote speaker at #CPSEEI was the incredibly inspirational Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL)! His standing ovation spoke to that! He encouraged all in attendance to be the adult in a child's life that he or she will look back on and remember the kinds words, motivation and reason to keeping going.
God is not concerned with who you were! He is always there to help you with who you are trying to become! #ChristianEducators #teachers
— Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL) July 1, 2014
My hero, @Principal_EL, that I met Friday is a Servant Leader! #LeadWithGiants pic.twitter.com/XKeDUCZHbD
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) June 30, 2014
Every child deserves someone to be crazy about them! Let me know if you are loving our kids! #CPSEEI #IAedchat https://t.co/KzvFImqdVL
— Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL) June 27, 2014
Nicest people in the world in @cambridge_cpsd --Every child has someone crazy about them in your town! #Teachers #CPSEEI
— Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL) June 27, 2014
RT>>@JMackEazy: It was a pleasure to meet P-EL this morning! Just the inspiration I needed! "Pray for a stronger back, not a lighter load."
— Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL) June 27, 2014
B-Brain Rules - After finishing John Medina's book on Brain Rules, I realized how interwoven sleep, exercise, music and stress are to the way our brain works. He discusses 12 Brain Rules that explain how we learn, characteristics that improve and diminish our ability to learn and how being aware of these rules enables us to take charge of our learning and the learning of those around us!
Highlights from @BrainRulesBooks pic.twitter.com/TIKuVUWBRk
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) June 26, 2014
"Memory works best if the environmental conditions at retrieval mimic the environmental conditions at encoding." @BrainRulesBooks
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) June 26, 2014
"When information enters our head, our brain acts like a blender left running with the lid off." @BrainRulesBooks #Frightening
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) June 26, 2014
"The brain processes meaning before detail, and the brain likes hierarchy, so explain in a hierarchical fashion." @BrainRulesBooks
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) June 26, 2014
@WHSRowe @JayhawkTN @shaneknoche the Brain Rule is "sleep well, think well" http://t.co/qGsUf2Cid5
— Brain Rules (@BrainRulesBooks) June 23, 2014
E-Excuses - Sunday's sermon was entitled "Christian Weight Loss - Drop the Excuses!". John Harrison is an eloquent preacher and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He was our guest speaker on Sunday, June 29th. During his entire message, he carried around a dumbbell in his hand. We all wondered about its significance. At the close of his message, as he put down the weight, he encouraged everyone to rid themselves of all excuses and allow God to work through us so we can reach more of our potential! What an inspirational and scripture-based message. Next time I hit the gym to lift, I'll be reminded to "drop the excuses" and live to serve others as I was called to do!
R-Reflection - Our "Dream Team" for our Culture of Learning (#COLchat) on Monday's at 9pm ET with Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat), Rodney Hetherton (@RodneyHetherton) and Adam Hartley (@AdamHartley2014) focused the conversation around the importance of "Reflection". I've learned from this group the importance of regular reflection. That reflection, combined with feedback from our Professional Learning Network (PLN), has enabled many of us to transform our Culture of Learning into engaging learning environments where teachers and students look forward to our time together!
After reflecting on yr 1 of #COLchat, we decided to share chat ?s before ea chat begins.#reflection https://t.co/QiiDJPVuR3 Archive is incl
— Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat) July 1, 2014
A6: I want to say reflect, but I believe the whole cycle is fluid and there is not one more important than other. #sum>parts #COLchat
— Bryn Morgan Williams (@brynmw) July 1, 2014
A6 If we believe in growth mindset, we practice, reflect, then put thoughts into new action. All vital for improvement #colchat
— Brian Durst (@RESP3CTtheGAME) July 1, 2014
MT "@MicheleCorbat: Experience, reflect, & take action. #ISTE2014 #COLchat pic.twitter.com/gMib9sKUP1"
— Liz Davis (@lizdavis2) July 1, 2014
Thx to the #COLchat Swartz Creek Crew - UR top notch & highlight of my collaborative wk @MicheleCorbat @RodneyHetherton @adamhartley2014
— Dave Richard (@DRich0696) July 1, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
End of the School Year Reflection
Allow me to initially share that I continue to be extremely grateful to be an educator and to have the opportunity to positively influence the future for many. I live by the phrase, "To whom much is given, much is expected.". As my 14th school year draws to a close, I can say that my passion for our students and our learning is heightened with each passing year. I have grown professionally this year thanks to our Professional Learning Network (PLN) on Twitter. I have also become a more effective lead learner with the dedicated students I've had the pleasure of learning with this year!
With the help from #COLchat (with @MicheleCorbat @RodneyHetherton @AdamHartley2014 ), our students developed a Culture of Learning that empowered all students to be respected, valued and willing to participate in our collaborative learning. Some statements that I continued to hear this year were "I've never learned math like this before. I've previously struggled or been challenged by mathematical thinking. I can honestly say that math has become one of my favorite subjects and it's helped me in all of my other classes!".
Thanks to our students for remaining dedicated to each other and their studies right through our final exam week. Students committed themselves to studying and supporting one another with their collaborative questioning. Students continued to request "extra practice" in order to demonstrate their highest level of proficiency on our Final Exam or Summative Assessment. I even had some students that did not show their best on their final exam but were willing to stay the course, get even more "extra practice" and reassess! It paid off for each and every one of our students!
Thank you also to Danny Hill (@HillDw61) who inspired me and many others through his book BrickHouse!
With the help from #COLchat (with @MicheleCorbat @RodneyHetherton @AdamHartley2014 ), our students developed a Culture of Learning that empowered all students to be respected, valued and willing to participate in our collaborative learning. Some statements that I continued to hear this year were "I've never learned math like this before. I've previously struggled or been challenged by mathematical thinking. I can honestly say that math has become one of my favorite subjects and it's helped me in all of my other classes!".
Thanks to our students for remaining dedicated to each other and their studies right through our final exam week. Students committed themselves to studying and supporting one another with their collaborative questioning. Students continued to request "extra practice" in order to demonstrate their highest level of proficiency on our Final Exam or Summative Assessment. I even had some students that did not show their best on their final exam but were willing to stay the course, get even more "extra practice" and reassess! It paid off for each and every one of our students!
Thank you also to Danny Hill (@HillDw61) who inspired me and many others through his book BrickHouse!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Algebra 2 Review for Final Exam
Tic-Tac-Toe Differentiation (#CreativeConfidence)
Click on any of these 9 links to access practice questions with answers!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Drowning in Our Standards and Curriculum!
Being pulled behind our family ski boat recently made me better understand how struggling students can feel overwhelmed. Skiing on top of the waves and frequently "catching some air" made me think about how most of our students feel when they're collaborating, learning and really understanding. However, several years ago, I was knee boarding behind our family boat when I lost the board from underneath me and found I was being pulled along by the ski rope caught or wrapped around my wrist. I was being dragged along with little to no control over the situation. Instead of "catching air", I was "catching water" or drinking gulps of the lake water. There was little to nothing I could do until the spotter in our boat finally realized I was in distress. Only at that point did the boat stop and my anguish begin to subside.
Now that I think back on the sensation I had being dragged along, I now know how some of our students feel when we drag them along with our standards and curriculum. Some students feel like they're drowning. Today, one of our students eluded to the fact that he's drowning and can't keep up with "all this math". At that moment, my mind went back to my incident of being helplessly dragged through and occasionally under the water. Now, I'm dragging him through our spiraled standards to achieve somewhere between proficiency and mastery. I need to stop this "Rowe" boat so he can catch his breath, stop feeling overwhelmed and have a chance to breathe and learn what our course is offering. I hope it is not too late to rekindle his interest.
Educators need to find the right balance between keeping the learning fresh and new, spiraling concepts to integrate and keep it all current while making sure we're not losing anyone in the wake of being overwhelmed and possibly drowning. Now I realize I should have been a better "spotter in the boat".
Now that I think back on the sensation I had being dragged along, I now know how some of our students feel when we drag them along with our standards and curriculum. Some students feel like they're drowning. Today, one of our students eluded to the fact that he's drowning and can't keep up with "all this math". At that moment, my mind went back to my incident of being helplessly dragged through and occasionally under the water. Now, I'm dragging him through our spiraled standards to achieve somewhere between proficiency and mastery. I need to stop this "Rowe" boat so he can catch his breath, stop feeling overwhelmed and have a chance to breathe and learn what our course is offering. I hope it is not too late to rekindle his interest.
Educators need to find the right balance between keeping the learning fresh and new, spiraling concepts to integrate and keep it all current while making sure we're not losing anyone in the wake of being overwhelmed and possibly drowning. Now I realize I should have been a better "spotter in the boat".
Friday, April 4, 2014
Learning by Feedback, Abstraction and Differentiation
The more I understand about learning, the more I believe Feedback, Abstraction and Differentiation are not a "FAD".
Feedback - In a couple of our classes, we have a collection of review questions due every ten days. The review questions are concepts from two to three weeks prior to the current date. The review questions are always changing while attempting to show the integration of various concepts. What I've noticed recently is that students are completing all the review questions and submitting them to me several days prior to the requested due date. Students pass in their work and ask for feedback in the form of "Mr. Rowe, would you be willing to circle the question numbers I don't yet have correct so I can try to find and fix my errors prior to passing it in?". These aggressive learners want to learn from their mistakes and have the opportunity to fix them in time. I'm so grateful for the attitude and grit of these dedicated students! They've taught me to provide learning opportunities where we can revise our thinking and understanding to reach higher levels of proficiency. Many of these students resubmit their corrected work accompanied by the statement, "Mr. Rowe, you'll be proud of me because I corrected all my mistakes. I promise!". I see the appreciation and confidence in their eyes when they hand in their revised learning.
Abstraction - I've recently begun to introduce material in a top-down or abstract way. As a class, we're discussing the structure, significance and abstraction of the new concept. We're collaborating at a 10,000-foot view prior to delving into the specifics of the material. We're examining the behavior of the mathematical concept generically before taking it apart specifically. Recently, our students have shared with me that their "brain hurts" and that they keep having mind-blowing experiences. One specific student has been expressing his mind-blowing learning by placing his hands on either side of his head and then quickly extending his hands out to simulate a cranial explosion! These students are extremely bright in my humble opinion and appreciating the challenge. There is no compliance here. It's pure focus, pondering and questioning. I'm often tempted to prompt them slightly, but I reflect and wait. It most instances, the wait was exactly what was needed to give our students the time to wrap their heads around the meaning. One student recently muttered to me as he left class, "Rowe, you're killing me with this approach. Thank you!". Yes, I was speechless!
Differentiation - Students try to find time to learn with me during the first eight minutes of our class when we're working on our Warm-Up, during my duty period, during their learning center period or after school. They're looking for one-on-one time with me since they have specific questions. They've taken a question as far as they can and are stuck. For some reason, their questions are getting more pointed, specific and intriguing. These students have started asking really thought-provoking questions. I'm not sure I can put my finger on why now, but we spend a considerable time during our class where we're asking questions, one after another about the whys of the process. The more time I spend individually with these students, the deeper their understanding, engagement and commitment. Many of them attack me with their questions the moment they get to our class. They've become relentless in their quest for understanding.
I continue to be so grateful for the Culture of Learning that we've fostered that enables us to crave feedback, be patient learning abstractly and insist on face-to-face learning until the "aha moment" ignites! Learning can and should be this stimulating!
Feedback - In a couple of our classes, we have a collection of review questions due every ten days. The review questions are concepts from two to three weeks prior to the current date. The review questions are always changing while attempting to show the integration of various concepts. What I've noticed recently is that students are completing all the review questions and submitting them to me several days prior to the requested due date. Students pass in their work and ask for feedback in the form of "Mr. Rowe, would you be willing to circle the question numbers I don't yet have correct so I can try to find and fix my errors prior to passing it in?". These aggressive learners want to learn from their mistakes and have the opportunity to fix them in time. I'm so grateful for the attitude and grit of these dedicated students! They've taught me to provide learning opportunities where we can revise our thinking and understanding to reach higher levels of proficiency. Many of these students resubmit their corrected work accompanied by the statement, "Mr. Rowe, you'll be proud of me because I corrected all my mistakes. I promise!". I see the appreciation and confidence in their eyes when they hand in their revised learning.
Abstraction - I've recently begun to introduce material in a top-down or abstract way. As a class, we're discussing the structure, significance and abstraction of the new concept. We're collaborating at a 10,000-foot view prior to delving into the specifics of the material. We're examining the behavior of the mathematical concept generically before taking it apart specifically. Recently, our students have shared with me that their "brain hurts" and that they keep having mind-blowing experiences. One specific student has been expressing his mind-blowing learning by placing his hands on either side of his head and then quickly extending his hands out to simulate a cranial explosion! These students are extremely bright in my humble opinion and appreciating the challenge. There is no compliance here. It's pure focus, pondering and questioning. I'm often tempted to prompt them slightly, but I reflect and wait. It most instances, the wait was exactly what was needed to give our students the time to wrap their heads around the meaning. One student recently muttered to me as he left class, "Rowe, you're killing me with this approach. Thank you!". Yes, I was speechless!
Differentiation - Students try to find time to learn with me during the first eight minutes of our class when we're working on our Warm-Up, during my duty period, during their learning center period or after school. They're looking for one-on-one time with me since they have specific questions. They've taken a question as far as they can and are stuck. For some reason, their questions are getting more pointed, specific and intriguing. These students have started asking really thought-provoking questions. I'm not sure I can put my finger on why now, but we spend a considerable time during our class where we're asking questions, one after another about the whys of the process. The more time I spend individually with these students, the deeper their understanding, engagement and commitment. Many of them attack me with their questions the moment they get to our class. They've become relentless in their quest for understanding.
I continue to be so grateful for the Culture of Learning that we've fostered that enables us to crave feedback, be patient learning abstractly and insist on face-to-face learning until the "aha moment" ignites! Learning can and should be this stimulating!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Inspired by our Professional Learning Network (PLN)
I expected to just "lurk" in a new Twitter chat for me, #paesspchat, with true leaders in education. However, their stimulating conversation drew me right in!
Saturday mornings would not be complete without the camaraderie and learning from our moderators Dr. Darin Jolly, David Culberhouse and Shelley Burgess in #satchatwc. The "wc" is for West Coast.
Finally, speaking of our students, I continue to learn from them each week. Whether it's during a class discussion, an after school face-to-face extra help session with a student or a clarifying question from a student during a written Formative or Summative Assessment, I am better learning how they learn. The more time I spend collaborating and communicating with our students, the better I find I can help to facilitate our learning. Each week, I'm learning alongside our students. This is mostly due to the culture of learning we have fostered built on relationships, trust, respect and a genuine willingness to listen to one another.
I am a very blessed and grateful educator. I dedicate this post to our students and our PLN that inspire me each and every week. Thank you ALL!
Imagine if Ts took control of PD for themselves on their own we wouldn't have to sit through irrelevant PD meetings afterschool. #paesspchat
— Dennis Dill (@DennisDill) March 28, 2014
A4 We tell our story by having Ts visit other Ts classrooms and Tweet great things happening. See it at #bhstour #PAESSPCHAT
— David Geurin (@DavidGeurin) March 28, 2014
Schools no longer the gatekeepers to knowledge. Mobile devices and anytime, anywhere access to digital content demands change #PAESSPCHAT
— Rick Burkett (@RickB1) March 28, 2014
A4 Tech can help principals to share their school’s story and to brand their school #paesspchat
— Dr. Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler) March 28, 2014
A6 - If you do not blog you are missing a HUGE opportunity to tell your story and share successes #paesspchat
— Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal) March 28, 2014
I say to put control, choice and learning in the laps and minds of our Ss and empower them! #paesspchatFacilitated by Dr. Bill Ziegler, with a Guest Moderator of Eric Sheninger, the conversation of Digital Leadership was intriguing. Most participants in the chat were Principals, Assistant Principals and other schools leaders. It was refreshing to tap in to the minds of these visionary leaders as to the direction of education. The 3-27-14 #paesspchat archive is available. #paesspchat stands for Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals.
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) March 28, 2014
Saturday mornings would not be complete without the camaraderie and learning from our moderators Dr. Darin Jolly, David Culberhouse and Shelley Burgess in #satchatwc. The "wc" is for West Coast.
#satchatwc begins now for the next hour. "Motivational Strategies & Reflections for Educators" Please introduce yourselves
— Darin Jolly, Ed.D. (@drjolly) March 29, 2014
A5 No other profession has a greater impact on our future than that of an Educator - Make a Difference be an Educator #satchatwc
— Dr. Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler) March 29, 2014
Yes, Rik. Learners First! @WHSRowe: Let's remember to honor the choices of our Ss while we empower them to make healthy ones! #satchatwc
— Darin Jolly, Ed.D. (@drjolly) March 29, 2014
Reading a lot from @ideo and @kelleybros as well as Pixar, Google, etc. to see how to engage more creativity, innovation. #satchatwc
— David Culberhouse (@DCulberhouse) March 29, 2014
A1 One important way is through connecting with all of you on Twitter. You all inspire & challenge me to be better. #satchatwc
— Travis Phelps (@TravisPhelps80) March 29, 2014
It's about serving…we were not put on this earth to just take, but to give, to give of ourselves and our strengths selflessly. #satchatwc
— David Culberhouse (@DCulberhouse) March 29, 2014
People become educators, not because they couldn't be anything else, but because they didn't want to be anything else. #satchat #satchatwc
— Nicholas A. Ferroni (@NicholasFerroni) March 8, 2014
Leaders sail the 7 C's: Communication Collaboration Critical Thinking Creativity Culture Choice Caring #satchatwc
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) March 8, 2014
Need for educators & students to choose own tech learning adventure. Don't wait for PD to learn how to use hardware & software #satchatwcThis weekly learning or Professional Development (PD) encourages and empowers me with innovative thoughts and ideas for the week ahead with our inspirational high school students. I equate the time I spent in these valuable Twitter chats as my HW for the week. This weekly PD energizes me to become a better educator each week. Our students deserve our very best!
— Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) March 1, 2014
Finally, speaking of our students, I continue to learn from them each week. Whether it's during a class discussion, an after school face-to-face extra help session with a student or a clarifying question from a student during a written Formative or Summative Assessment, I am better learning how they learn. The more time I spend collaborating and communicating with our students, the better I find I can help to facilitate our learning. Each week, I'm learning alongside our students. This is mostly due to the culture of learning we have fostered built on relationships, trust, respect and a genuine willingness to listen to one another.
I am a very blessed and grateful educator. I dedicate this post to our students and our PLN that inspire me each and every week. Thank you ALL!
Friday, March 21, 2014
Timely Feedback is Crucial in the Learning Process
Since my last post, I've been more mindful about providing useful and timely feedback to our students. I've always been cognizant of how valuable feedback is to learning, though now I'm more attuned to the timing and specifics of it. After learning alongside several students this week after school and answering student's questions through Twitter or texts, I've realized that students are more receptive to the feedback when the feedback is offered during the learning, not after. Students appear to apply the feedback more constructively when it's during the learning and they can immediately adapt their learning based on it. During our class collaborative questioning, through a Twitter thread with a student or during a face-to-face learning experience, students can immediately apply the answers to the questions to the learning that is happening real time. Getting an answer to a question during the learning is so much more valuable than getting that same question answered after class. I found that to be true in my college days. There were several instances this week during class and after class when students applied the correction to their learning with genuine understanding resulting in an "ah-ha" moment, a "Oh, so you mean..." or "When we see this type of structure, we can apply either of these processes? Got it!". When I get feedback to my learning during the process, it's so much more beneficial and applicable than receiving that same feedback a week later. I had several instances of this manifest itself in slightly different ways this week. One that stands out in my mind was the young man who passed in an assignment early and wanted to know how he did since he claimed he worked so diligently on the material. I offered him my answers to compare to his. Upon seeing a few of his mistakes, he immediately responded "I see exactly where I went wrong". His next question was not one I had anticipated. He asked, "Could I please fix these now as I understand my error in applying these concepts?". With a stunned but grateful look on my face, I replied "Of course. Make it happen!". A few minutes later, he resubmitted his assignment and thanked me for the encouragement and my willingness to allow him to fix his mistakes. To me, that was genuine learning based on timely feedback.
Two of our Intro to Probability senior classes this week sensed some confusion differentiating two concepts and knowing when to apply them. I detected this during our class discussion and was further convinced after reviewing their exit tickets. In an effort to resolve the confusion, I created a student-centered activity where students could work through various situations collaboratively. During this time, I could be available to offer individual suggestions and guidance for our learning. After giving students time to work though these questions on their own or in their groups, I listed the ten question numbers on the board and welcomed student initials next to them as students willing to show and explain the workings of each question. Student literally erupted into shouting which question number they wanted their initials next to. Some students offered the initials of another student giving someone else a chance to demonstrate proficiency. Within a minute, all ten questions had initials and there were countless students at our boards writing away! It was thrilling to witness their willingness to engage, watch their collaborative learning and work through any errors in understanding once the questions on the board were discussed.
The high point of my week came from a young man in our Algebra 2 course. This young man regularly demonstrates engagement and understanding during our class time. However, he has been applying minimal effort to our course outside of class. Last week he handed in some evidence that was much less than what he was capable of submitting. I told him it was time for me to get his Dad involved. He acknowledged, but asked for one more chance to prove himself. I agreed. After reviewing this week's evidence, I communicated with him that I was calling his Dad. He understood. I did. Dad and I had a heart to heart chat about the potential of his son and the decision his son was making to delay learning outside of our class time. His Dad was very supportive and thanked me for the call. I then contacted my student and told him that his Dad and I has just discussed the situation. He replied, "I know. My Dad is talking to me right now.". Within five minutes, I received a text from my student thanking me for calling his Dad, helping him to get back on track and caring enough to be his safety net. He said, "If it weren't for you and your call, I would have continued on a downward spiral. Mr. Rowe, thank you.".
Let's be inspired by the engaged learning that our students deserve and offer timely feedback to empower their learning!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Expand Your Influence
- I've been influenced and encouraged three weeks in a row by the Christian Educators in our Thursday night chat (#ChristianEducators). It has been a joy to converse with several new tweeps and deepen communication with individuals already in our Professional Learning Network (PLN). We look forward to sharing, hearing about and supporting each other in our challenges. Dr. Bill Ziegler (@DrBillZiegler) has led our chat and welcomed us graciously!
- Jasper Fox Sr. continues to be one of the most influential individuals to me in our PLN! Not only does he take time to join us in our #COLchat (Monday's at 9pm ET) and #SBLchat (Wednesday's at 9pm ET) weekly, engages in educational conversation in Google Hang Outs (GHOs) when he and I need them, but he takes the ideas we're brainstorming about and field tests them in his classroom or on his blog! Jasper has been a great encouragement and an individual I know I can count on for fresh ideas, needed corrective criticism and someone who models what I believe a real educator should be. Jasper, you're the Man!
- A group of individuals at Gradeable (www.Gradeable.com) on St. James Street in Boston created a collaborative learning environment for educators this last Thursday to discuss assessment, its benefits, its variations and its affect on students and teachers. The influential panelists included Jennifer Spencer (educator at Match Charter School), Alexis Rosenblatt (Director of School Support at the Achievement Network) and Jonathan Ketchell (Editor at Hstry). Our discussion of Formative Assessments (FAs), Summative Assessments (SA) and the continued state mandated standardized tests was eye-opening as well as the need for regular and varied FAs. There were also opportunities to discuss how the Gradeable website provides support for educators and grading assessments.
- Then Friday rolled around and I had the opportunity to share with Daniel Hakim, an individual working on his Administrative Practicum. To say we had a mind-blowing conversation puts it mildly. We both learned a great deal from each other about educating youth, services available to our youth and sometimes the number of students that more than fall through the cracks. I was dumbfounded to become aware of youth that are not being given a fighting chance to become educated and contributing members of society. Our brief conversation really opened my eyes.
- Our Twitter Professional Learning Network (PLN) continues to expand virtually daily. The Professional Development (PD) I've experienced over the past year with these dedicated educators, administrators and various leaders has transformed my learning, our classroom and the mental horizons I've had the opportunity to view. I feel compelled to express my deepest and most humble appreciation toward Jasper Fox Sr., Darin Jolly, Garnet Hillman, Michele Corbat, Rodney Hetherton, Adam Hartley, Brian Durst, Catherine Morrison, Steve Mefford, Jim Cordery, Dave Burgess, Kimberly Hurd, Bethany Hill, Dave Mulder, David Culberhouse and Lisa Palmieri. There are countless others. But the appreciation for these consistent contributors to my professional development is more than I can put into words.
- This post would certainly not be complete without expressing my appreciation for the dedication, perseverance and culture of our Wilmington High School students. This year I've had the opportunity to learn from and with students who bring a tremendous desire to learn, an appreciation for all we do together and an unending willingness to go above and beyond! With their grit and zeal for learning, I've been able to transition from being their math teacher to a facilitator of learning with math being our content. Their ability to question, collaborate and communicate so effectively has transformed our learning environment. I am honored to have learned so much from these exceptional students! Thank you all!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
WHS Students Take On #COLchat (2-3-14)
The following is a snippet from our first Twitter #COLchat (Culture of Learning):
@WHSRowe I'm floored by how insightful and self-aware your students are about their learning. #colchat -bon
— Gradeable (@gradeable) February 4, 2014
A4 A culture where constructive criticism is accepted begins by establishing trusting relationships. #COLchat
— Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat) February 4, 2014
A2: the fact that we are all in groups with the people we are most comfortable with is a great way to collaborate and understand! #COLchat
— Big (@_MyCousinVinny) February 4, 2014
.@WHSRowe's students created over 40 excellent questions to generate discussion tonight. It was difficult to choose only 7 for #COLchat.
— Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat) February 4, 2014Our questions tonight were writen by @WHSRowe students- they are proving to be questions that get people thinking!! #COLchat
— Adam Hartley (@adamhartley2014) February 4, 2014This has honestly been the best #COLchat I have been in. Shows how much culture is shown in many classes all over!
— Shannon (@ShannonG15) February 4, 2014
Concl: Ss have powerful voices & lend authentic perspective if we listen, @WHSRowe has created a model COL, #colchat inspires learning
— Brian Durst (@RESP3CTtheGAME) February 4, 2014@RESP3CTtheGAME Honestly Brian, I'm humbled by the amazing students I learn with every day! #colchat
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) February 4, 2014
@MicheleCorbat Rik is the reason I'm here @ #colchat in the first place- feels like family! @WHSRowe
— Jasper Fox Sr. (@jsprfox) February 4, 2014
A7 The S's who have been sharing show how important a COL is-it takes heart 2b a Gr8 teacher @WHSRowe. #Amazing #colchat
— Lisa Madden (@lisa_madden) February 4, 2014
A7 culture in my math class has helped me so much. Finally able to prove I'm just as smarts as others.. I just learn differently! #colchat
— sophie serna (@sophieserna) February 4, 2014
@WickedDecent @maggie_deli @WHSRowe Honestly, teachers who joke around always get my vote. A sense of humor relaxes everyone! #colchat
— Jacki Cote (@Jacki_Cote) February 4, 2014
A7 Rowe brings in the culture and immunity found in #colchat every day. He utilizes it and adapts it to his learning to help his Ss.
— Ryan Clark (@WHSRyan) February 4, 2014
@Jacki_Cote @WickedDecent @WHSRowe that's what I love about Mr. Rowe! You laugh and learn and have a little bit of fun! #COLchat
— Maggie D (@maggie_deli) February 4, 2014
A7: It keeps Ts and Ss in check. Constantly reminding us of the big picture and not the grades #colchat
— Jessica Kasparian (@JKasparian10) February 4, 2014
@MicheleCorbat @blocht574 Changing mindset changes the culture. We have to create that "anything is possible" #COLchat
— Rodney Hetherton (@RodneyHetherton) February 4, 2014Thank you @WHSRowe for showing us how uplifting #colchat is :) #muchappreciated
— Christina Price (@Theaterchick96) February 4, 2014
“@JiNGL3MYTWiNKL3: To my last tweet! Teachers that are passionate about what they do, encourage us all. #COLChat pic.twitter.com/rTpvBbvWTN”
— Principal Evenson (@Legacyhartland) February 4, 2014
A1: a learning environment that encourages students to be engaged is one where they feel enlighten as well as helping others /JD #colchat
— Michael (@mDILO95) February 4, 2014Awesome Ss tonight on #colchat thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your wisdom and experience to help us be better Ts
— Jasper Fox Sr. (@jsprfox) February 4, 2014
A5 Ss are focused on fun. Fun begins after work and work begins with learning. Learning is esstial to a prosperous life #colchat #WHSPrecal
— Ryan Clark (@WHSRyan) February 4, 2014
@MicheleCorbat A6 Teachers need to put in more intentional effort so that students will be inspired to do the same #COLchat
— David Rendall (@daverendall) February 4, 2014
@Jacki_Cote Yessss! Math was always my worst subject until this year! Now I feel like a math wizard! #COLchat
— Maggie D (@maggie_deli) February 4, 2014
"Your outcome is more important than my income." -@WHSRowe #colchat
— Mike Maggioli (@MAGG1OL1) February 4, 2014
A6: Regarding effort: when Ts share relevant and meaningful topics and Ss engage in the learning - Learning Explodes! #colchat
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) February 4, 2014
@WHSRowe is perfect example. I hate math with a burning passion but he still makes me want to know the material. #rowe isawizard #colchat
— Jacki Cote (@Jacki_Cote) February 4, 2014
A5. If you are interested in something, you will be more willing to pay attention and you'll retain more information from it #colchat
— Meghan Stemmler (@MeghanStemmler) February 4, 2014
A4 Respect, Respect, Respect, Respect. #colchat
— Jacki Cote (@Jacki_Cote) February 4, 2014
A4 In a trusting envt the focus remains on learning. Feedback has a specific purpose toward growth #COLchat
— Brian Durst (@RESP3CTtheGAME) February 4, 2014
A3: for a student to be comfortable getting the answer wrong, no judging should be made when inside the classroom. #colchat
— Tommy Go®man (@ayyootomos) February 4, 2014
A3: Model the expectation that failure is a part of learning. Share mistakes. Be vulnerable. Let kids learn your heart. #colchat
— Bethany Hill (@bethhill2829) February 4, 2014
A3 if we get a question wrong in @WHSRowe class, he works with us until we understand the question better and can try again. #COLchat
— Shannon (@ShannonG15) February 4, 2014
@westhighbros Right! We have two ears and one mouth. Seek first to understand before being understood. #COLchat
— Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat) February 4, 2014
#colchat wow didn't know it was possible to break a sweat via twitter #CantKeepUp
— Douglas McGiever (@jakepumphret) February 4, 2014
@MicheleCorbat A3: Teachers have to be able to admit mistakes and weaknesses. Model being wrong. #COLchat
— David Rendall (@daverendall) February 4, 2014
@jsprfox When can I come to your class!? #COLChat
— Erica Mullaney (@JiNGL3MYTWiNKL3) February 4, 2014A3 As WHSRowe students learn, being wrong isn't neg. it's simply another form of learning. #colchat #WHSPrecal
— Ryan Clark (@WHSRyan) February 4, 2014
A2: collaborating with your peers around you before running to the teacher brings so much culture to the classroom #colchat
— Jimmy Murphy (@madogmurph7) February 4, 2014@RodneyHetherton Q3 To not judge the student trying to answer the question you just need to be supportive and help them out #colchat
— Cassie Grasso (@cassiegrasso_) February 4, 2014
It's amazing when an atmosphere exists where talk is encouraged & judgment is reserved. We need to support kids as social beings. #colchat
— Dennis Schug (@DJrSchug) February 4, 2014
A3; With a respectful culture, Ss and Ts can learn and grow together without fear but with excitement and engagement! #colchat
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) February 4, 2014
A2 sometimes it makes more sense for our peers to explain something to us, less pressure to understand and much more comfortable #colchat
— sophie serna (@sophieserna) February 4, 2014
A3: Be their safety net in the classroom so they know if they are wrong, it is recoverable and not the end of the world #COLchat
— Steve Mefford (@Meffscience) February 4, 2014
A3: Allow opportunities to correct mistakes when they occur. ex--> give retakes on tests #colchat
— Jasper Fox Sr. (@jsprfox) February 4, 2014
A2 sometimes your peers can build off what a teacher has said and provide a better more simple answer for his/her peer #colchat @WHSRowe
— The Moon Man™ (@themoon_man22) February 4, 2014
@kenoc7 Good point. How we answer questions has a huge impact on whether students will be willing to take chances. #COLchat
— David Rendall (@daverendall) February 4, 2014
Why is being interested in learning so important? #COLchat
— Adam Hartley (@adamhartley2014) February 4, 2014A3 to answer your ? You have to figure out how everyone ticks first then you can teach at pace that everyone will understand I thnk #COLchat
— Connor Grealish (@CGrealish) February 4, 2014
A3 I thnk a lot of the pressure put on Ss is frm other Ss. It would do evryone good to accept their peers and not judge #colchat
— Jacki Cote (@Jacki_Cote) February 4, 2014
@daverendall I believe a differentiated classroom taps into a variety of learning styles including independent work at times. #COLchat
— Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat) February 4, 2014
A3: @WHSRowe doesn't say we're wrong instead it's "Not quite" or "I'm looking for something else" it makes being wrong feel better #colchat
— Maggie D (@maggie_deli) February 4, 2014
I love #COLchat, but I've got to run! Great work, Ss! Thanks for being such a positive voice. Thx, @WHSRowe and mods. Happy Monday!
— Robin Dubiel (@RobinDubiel) February 4, 2014
@WHSRowe Students are more comfortable sitting with classmates that they know they can count on when the need help on something. #colchat
— Zach Leighton (@z_leighton3) February 4, 2014
Feedback is all determined in the 'intent'…we have to be very aware of what we are after because the intent will be very apparent. #colchat
— David Culberhouse (@DCulberhouse) February 4, 2014A3: if you achieve a culture that is similar to family! Which we have in @WHSRowe class! #colchat
— Michael (@mDILO95) February 4, 2014A2: Without an open classroom, students might be afraid of being wrong and won't ask questions #itsoktobewrong #COLchat
— Kyle Souza ™ (@ksouz12) February 4, 2014
A2: It is SO important to have an open classroom. Giving input, saying what you want to say, expressing opinions is very important #COLChat
— Erica Mullaney (@JiNGL3MYTWiNKL3) February 4, 2014
A2: Students have the chance to collaborate with their neighbors to solve problems and not feel embarrassed #colchat
— Shannon Moulton (@shannmoulton) February 4, 2014
A2: the student needs to feel comfortable to ask questions so they can obtain the best knowledge they can & to their best abilities #colchat
— Tommy Go®man (@ayyootomos) February 4, 2014
Stunned to have prior #colchat co-mod @daverendall with us in #colchat tonight! #FreaksUnite
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) February 4, 2014
@bethhill2829 Too true! It is so much easier to learn when you feel as though others around you are trying to reach the same goal #colchat
— Jacki Cote (@Jacki_Cote) February 4, 2014
A2: sometimes it is less intimidating to ask a student a question then it is to ask the teacher #colchat
— McKayla Hersom (@m_hersom5596) February 4, 2014
A2: Allowing students to ask Q's & teach peers empowers Ss to demonstrate & share knowledge, deepening their own understanding #COLchat
— Silvana Hoxha (@Silvana_Hoxha) February 4, 2014
A2. I would also like to add that making friends in the classroom builds trust between other students and makes the class easier #COLchat
— Shannon (@ShannonG15) February 4, 2014
A2 it is good to have peers in your class because they will help you if you need help and ask the teacher questions that you might #COLchat
— Connor Grealish (@CGrealish) February 4, 2014
A1: a welcoming environment where the teacher is approachable #COLchat
— Connie (@evilconnievil) February 4, 2014
A2: When Ss interact with their peers, they collaborate and create understanding by working through it rather than handed answers. #colchat
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) February 4, 2014
#colchat A1 a good learning environment is one where Ss are comfortable and it's okay to ask for a little help and struggle at first
— sophie serna (@sophieserna) February 4, 2014
A1. An enviroment that gets you learning in a way that keeps you entertained yet focused on the work #colchat
— Nicole Wright (@nicole_wright9) February 4, 2014
A1 a learning environment where others can strive off of ones productive and key information #colchat @WHSRowe
— The Moon Man™ (@themoon_man22) February 4, 2014
A1: students stay engaged when the entire class is in a learning environment and are able to give their input #colchat
— Shannon Moulton (@shannmoulton) February 4, 2014@_MyCousinVinny: @MicheleCorbat I believe Ts have to create a well designed class environment for the Ss to become more alive! #colchat
— Rik Rowe (@WHSRowe) February 5, 2014@_MyCousinVinny @WHSRowe Agreed! S’s need to see it’s okay to make mistakes. We’re all human. It makes them feel safer when they fail.
— Lauren Taylor (@LTaylorELA) February 5, 2014A6: Well hey, we wouldn't be having #COLChat tonight if it weren't for the students and teachers putting in 110%
— Erica Mullaney (@JiNGL3MYTWiNKL3) February 4, 2014@WHSRowe @MicheleCorbat @adamhartley2014 Wow. I don't know if I can picture Rik even more excited?!? #COLchat
— Rodney Hetherton (@RodneyHetherton) February 4, 2014
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