and just like that, you hate math

email from redkudu: 

Charles Benoit's YA novel You is written in second person. According to the book jacket, Benoit is a former high school teacher and Edgar-award winning author of adult mysteries. I see the "former high school teacher" all over this book, which is unrelentingly grim, but worthwhile. The main character is a high school boy who has this to say about math:

Math.

It's your favorite subject. Which surprises you.

[snip]

You like it because either you're right or you're wrong. Not like social studies and definitely not like English, where you always have to explain your answers and support your opinions. With math it's right or it's wrong and you're done with it. But even that's changing, with Ms. Ortman up there at the whiteboard saying how this year you'll be writing something she calls Mental Notes, which explain how you solved the problem and support your answer, saying that having the right answer isn't as important as explaining how you got it and bam, just like that, you hate math.

related: students must struggle

redkudu on Teach Like a Champion - instant success

School starts Monday, and I'm re-reading it for the umpteenth time this weekend. I got it near the end of last year, started using a few techniques, and saw instant success. I also saw a few techniques that I already use, so that was a nice validation.

One of the most profound lessons I learned from it had to do with re-thinking how I lesson plan. Somewhere in the book the author talks about how teachers need to specify what the students will do at each stage of a lesson. This seems obvious; however a lot of lesson planning training talks about what will be taught, how it will be taught, and what the teacher will do to teach it.

Just changing my thinking after reading that bit changed my lesson planning immensely and also changed how I think about what I will be doing in the classroom. Now my lesson plans include a carefully detailed plan of what I should see the students doing at each stage - creating immediately assessable goals that will guide my next move.

And I'll be honest that just this one thing increased the complexity and difficulty of my planning quite a bit. I struggled to wrap my mind around it for a while in some instances. Then, when the light bulb went off, I realized how much it helped me more effectively scaffold my lessons to meet my students' needs - special ed, 504, ESL, etc.

I have pored over every word of that book, and given the fact that I'm about to teach two English classes at a local college, I'm happy for redkudu's reminder that I need to get the book out and pore over it again.

I've also read part of the 'companion' book: Paul Bambrick-Santoyo's Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction. Not sure whether trying to plow through it in the next two weeks makes sense given the fact that I need to master Whimbey and create two courses. Is Bambrick-Santoyo primarily talking about school-wide use of data?

Or will the book help me?

Another item for the to do list.





Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College



Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction



Teaching and Learning Grammar: The Prototype-Construction Approach

redkudu on

from Redkudu:

The assigning of art projects is just lazy grading, as far as I'm concerned. You can spot-check for the required elements without the need to analyze whether the student has mastered the material. Plus, it all looks good when admin stops by and they see all this "student engagement" thrown up all over the walls.

At our school, no matter what class they visit, students inevitably have to create a poster about themselves containing descriptive words and pictures. Most of them end up being on the inappropriate side because students are given few guidelines of what to say about themselves, so they generally try to reinforce the more shallow exterior facade they would *like* to represent to their peers. (We live in a tough area.)

Last year one of my students asked if we were going to do an "All About Me" poster project. I said no, and asked if she minded.

She said no. "I'm really tired of having to tell people about myself."

This reminds me of a friend's son who, assigned another memoir in 8th grade, told his mom, "I'm running out of memories."

inside the black box

from RedKudu:

Parents who don't know the right questions to ask, or even that there ARE questions to ask are at the mercy of what the schools tell them. Parents are spooked by direct instruction because of what they are told about it by teachers who don't know any better - it's rote repetition, it's drill 'n kill. No wonder, with those labels, it doesn't come across well.

I think I told these stories once before, but they're so recent they're worth retelling.

1. Our new math facilitator at the school divulged to me (reading and English teacher) that her 1st grader's teacher told her they "just don't teach phonics, because it's so wrong." Luckily, she's savvy enough to have been teaching her daughter phonics on the sly.

2. Another math teacher told me his two elementary aged sons, in the same grade with different teachers, are learning different things in reading. One is bringing home sight word lists every night, the other brings home nothing. I told him I disagreed with sight words before phonics because it taught kids to see words as images, rather than units of meaning. You should have seen how wide his eyes got - "I never thought of it that way." He gets it, because the same thing is happening with our high school math students.

This has got to stop.

stop the madness

here is redkudu, writing on the Core Knowledge blog:

I am thankful some attention is being focused on the unreasonable expectations placed on teachers: that there is some acknowledgment that it cannot ALL be done. This is especially true when you look at what teachers should be able to expect – that because a student is in a certain grade they have passed certain benchmarks which are designated by the state to assure us the students have the minimum skills necessary to accomplish grade-level work. Unfortunately, this is often not the case.

As a high school teacher, I’ve been expected to conduct Socratic Seminars, but never trained in how to do so. I found and purchased a book on such, read up, developed a lesson plan, and presented it. I received poor marks on an evaluation for that, because the method I’d read and produced was not the same method (a modified version) that the school preferred.

Ditto Marzano’s 9, by which we are formally evaluated at my new school. No training, no available materials (his books) in case I want to read up on them. Ditto small group learning, the student portfolio, PBL’s, and a whole host of other programs brought in via 20 minute PowerPoint at staff training without any supporting texts or ongoing training. And I should be able to demonstrate these methods and techniques in a classroom with learning disparities ranging from semi-literate to college level in 90 minutes on Mondays, 70 minutes on Wednesdays, and 45 minutes on Fridays. (Actually, our school has 9 different schedules, which also impact Tuesdays and Thursdays, early release Wednesdays, pep rally days, testing days, Homeroom days (once a 6 weeks – I’m expected to provide a meal for 25 students to enhance our “bonding”), actual homerooms (once a day), and other events.) Band-aids for gaping wounds and all that. I’d love to have a classroom in which levels were as simple as below expected, at expected, and above expected. I’d like to able to say the only thing I do in the summers is relax.

imitation of life

redkudu:

"We teach children to mimic the behaviors of good readers without the conditions (background knowledge) that make those behaviors work."

It always amazes me how this blog seems to reflect conversations I'm having with a good friend of mine who is also a teacher. We talk non-stop about education. Just two days ago we were talking about this, which seems especially prevalent in high school remedial reading courses. Since these kids are perceived to be able to "read" (that is, say out loud the collection of letters on the page), the idea seems to be that they just aren't concentrating hard enough - or as mentioned mimicking the behavior of good readers well enough - and teaching them that should take care of the problem.

palisadesk:

As for "Best Practices," I've often thought it was a very Orwellian phrase, and could go right up there with:

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
WORST PRACTICES ARE BEST PRACTICES

A teacher from Australia shared a refreshingly honest "standard" for First grade reading there:

"engages in reading-like behavior"

Well, if it is "reading-like" it is, by definition, not reading, just as "catlike movements" are movements of some animal other than a cat.

And here's Robert Pondiscio:

I may have to start calling our reliance on “reading strategies” instruction “Cargo Cult Reading.” Its entire point is to teach children “what good readers do” and the habits of mind that are reflexive to able readers. It’s the exactly the same thing–you teach kids to mimic the behaviors that lead to comprehension–but without the background knowledge that actually makes it possible. Indeed, a staple of strategy instruction is to teach children that good readers ”activate their prior knowledge to create mental images, ask questions, and make inferences.” How exactly does that work in the absence of prior knowledge to activate?

Imitation of Life, by the way, is one of Douglas Sirk's great films. I must have watched it a dozen times in graduate school.

Allison on Cargo Cult education
Vicky S on developmentally inappropriate education

coming soon to a high school near you

from redkudu: actual projects assigned in her high school for lo these many years--

I thought this could be fun. Catherine asked about the infamous "Folding House Poem Project" in another thread. I'll post as many artsy projects as I can remember that I've encountered over the years teaching middle and high school which had little to no redeeming value for the lesson at hand. You see how many you've seen. Add more if you think of them. I'll post more as they come to me.

1. The Folding House Poem Project: A favorite for 11th grade on-level English, until I became team leader and flat out refused to do it, to consider it, to support it, or to give any of the new teachers the resources for it. (I hear there was some black-market trading under the radar, but for the most part the teachers seemed relieved.) Students make about 5 folds in a rectangular piece of paper until it vaguely resembles a house on the outside. They decorate the outside either like their house, or their dream home. When the front flaps are opened, you get the "interior" which is decorated like their room. Open it up all the way to reveal a poem about their house, their room, their life, or some vague, abstract pseudo-poem or loose verse (no format, of course) about anything that might relate to their ideas of what "home" means.

What could be taught: how to write descriptive passages using directions (prepositions), how to follow a poetic format, how to mimic a poetic format based on a poem read in class.

What is not taught: see "What could be taught."

Purpose: killing time in the first 3 weeks of school when class size and enrollment fluctuate due to schedule changes, simply because no one wants to put together a horizontally aligned, level-wide lesson plan that could accommodate students changing classes.

2. The Mandala Project: 10th grade. Students write and discuss opposites, a la yin and yang. Compose copious journals on their personal opposites, animals, colors, objects which represent them and why, etc. They then are shown mandalas, and given a paper plate. They trim the scalloped edge from the plate, and create a "mandala" of their own, which they color in and draw or paste pictures to, to represent all the aspects of their personality. The removed scalloped edge is either thrown away, or used as additional decoration in creative ways.

What could be taught: I'm still flummoxed by this one in an English class, except for personal journaling. Anyone?

Purpose: killing time again. Those first 3 weeks are killers.

3. The 1-Pager: Directions may vary. Students are required to complete a letter-sized page "poster." Used generally as a vocabulary reinforcer. Each student picks a vocab word from the reading. (Just one per student, mind you.) Students must put the vocab word on the page, include a definition, include a quote from the story where the word is used, and then various pictures "attractively arranged" to a) represent the word, b) represent the word's meaning, c) represent the student's interpretation of the word, d) represent what the student thinks about the word, e) represent how the word is used in the story, f) represent the word's importance in the story, g) represent the character related to the word...ad nausea um. (My point being that these projects are usually terribly vague and abstract and difficult to grade EXCEPT on their artistic merit: 1-2 pics +content = C, 3-5 pics +content=B, and etc.)

Purpose: What? You can't tell that's a good 1-2 weeks of
every-other-day classes for prep and production time?

4. The Tri-fold: as seen in Catherine's KTM post about The Project Method (http://kitchentablemath.blogspot.com/2008/02/project-method.html).

Students are required to buy an enormous cardboard "tri-fold" and fill it with stuff. Our AP students know this as the "Author Project." To be fair, they also have to research the author, read two of his/her works, and write some analysis. But then they have to create this tri-fold monster, the best of which go on display in the library, and include 10 or more "artifacts" representing the author's life, works, etc. Every single year someone staples a decapitated Barbie doll head to one of those suckers. Every. Single. Year.

Purpose: myriad - can be adapted for any purpose/genre/subject.

5. The Alphabet Book: Students must create an alphabet book in which they use one word per letter to describe anything and everything in a book they've read/subject being studied. 1 page per word, 1 definition, 1-3 pics, lengthy (and sometimes groping) explanation of how their chosen word relates to the book (especially up in the XYZ category). I have seen some of these which looked like they were worth a small fortune in scrapbooking supplies. Very pretty. Very time-consuming. More points for better artwork presentation, leaving cash-strapped kids out in the cold.

Purpose: Darwinian annihilation of students who cannot buy out the Hobby Lobby's selection of stickers, ribbon, scrapbook paper, and small, adhesive medallions.

Warning: also can be adapted for any subject.

6. The Cell Project: Students must create a 3-d representation of a cell (or something from the periodic table) using "whatever." I don't know much about this one, honestly. It appears to happen around 9th grade. During this time, small Styrofoam balls litter the hallways, being kicked, thrown, punched, hackey-sacked, tossed and speared by cafeteria sporks, bounced off pretty girls' heads in passing (it is 9th grade, after all), rolled for the tripping factor (10 points for teachers who stumble), and all around abused. Generally, they have little to recommend them except some markered cross-section which once had little labels on toothpicks stuck in them. The toothpicks are long gone, no doubt used for nefarious purposes.

Purpose: to annoy, I think.

7. Salt Maps: do I need to explain this one?

So, what have you got?

update!

Just noticed redkudu has added a paragraph on technology!

8. “Interfacing” with technology: any project which has, at its core, the intent to teach students how to interface with technology on a superficially cosmetic level, such as replying to a classroom blog, etc. Has it escaped anyone that teenagers are very, very good at interfacing with technology? I have a colleague with a “Smart” classroom (wired to the hilt, that is), who is having her students make slide shows of books they’re reading. She is struggling to learn the technology as her students zoom past her - thus, it isn’t the students who are learning anything, it’s the teacher. She also has a classroom blog, but when questioned admitted she doesn’t read any blogs, nor know of any to recommend her students read. So what is the point then? What students need to be learning is how to manipulate technology, how to use its myriad programs and capabilities to arrange, display, and explain information. Some good examples of this are dy/dan and his Feltron project, or some of the ideas to be found at 21st Century Collaboration. I’m not against technology in the classroom, just don’t make a project of it if it isn’t teaching students anything about using it.

worst project ever
worst project ever, part 2
the project method
"The Project Method: Child-Centeredness in Progressive Education"

the workshop model

a redkudu find

(insert dream sequence here)

[on the board]

Objective: We will learn how to bake a cake.
Do Now: What is a cake? Describe 3 characteristics of a good cake.

Lesson:

Mr. V: “OK, class, let’s look at the Do Now. A lot of you put down characteristics about what a cake should look like, and that’s great. Now, let’s look at this cake.”

[puts up cake]

“What do you notice?”

Student1: “It has pink frosting on it.”
Mr. V: “Yes, what else?”
Student2: “It looks good.”
Mr. V: “OK, you’re getting there. Anything else?”
Student3: “It’s cylindrical about a y-axis.”
Mr. V: “Hmm, OK. I’m glad you’re thinking about it. Now, I need a volunteer.”

I would say read the whole thing, but that would be wrong.

Nevertheless, you must.

Read at least down to the part where one kid manages to bake a workshop cake.

How We Train New Teachers

Lynn’s post about a teacher shortage generated some great commentary about teacher training, and as of this afternoon I have some first-hand information I think I can use to add to people’s awareness of how we often train our teachers.

Yesterday, the first day of school, our English AP sent a desperate email asking if anyone would volunteer to take on a student teacher this year. I said sure. I’m in the ideal position to do this: I've sponsored student teachers before; I have all English III, 3 of them inclusion classes; this year, I’m the English III Team Leader in our department, and the inclusion classes will give the student teacher plenty of experience in that as well. I am currently mentoring a new-to-our-school 3rd year teacher and a brand-new first year teacher. In addition to that, the inclusion teacher I have 2 classes out of 3 is a brand new teacher as well - to inclusion and teaching. For those who don’t know me, I went through an alternative program after working for a number of years, and completed no student teaching at all. This is my 9th year as a teacher.

After I agreed to take on the student teacher, I received a general email which was supposed to contain an attachment with the teacher’s name and info, as well as when this teacher would show up. That attachment was not included. I emailed to get the info. I received no reply throughout the day today.

The teacher himself showed up at my classroom door at 2:30 this afternoon, just in time for my last period. I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself and said he’d just finished training that morning and was told to come to the school to meet me. No one had bothered to escort him - he’d had to find my room on his own. I was greeting students at the door and getting them settled in and taking notes (I’m now officially the MEANEST English teacher, according to other teachers, because I made them do work the first day and gave homework), so I had him sit down and start doing the same work the students would do that day.

Since I teach bell to bell, I didn’t have any time to interact with him until afterward. Here’s what I know about him so far:

He is a former marine, and worked in the prison system for about two years. This bodes well for him in my opinion, and I’m not saying that to make any sort of joke about student behavior. He decided to become a teacher after working in the prison system began to weigh heavily on him. He has been taking online courses since September 2006. He has had no face-to-face contact with any instructors, nor any classroom observation at all. I have no idea what this program is that he’s in.

He has not read any books about education for his courses. He has not received any instruction in lesson planning. “Just kind of outlining ideas,” is how he described it.

I asked him where he felt he was in terms of preparedness. He said, “To be honest, I feel like I’m just starting.” In my mind, the person who is reporting for student teaching should NOT feel as if he’s just starting. I asked him if anyone had told him what our schedule would be, when he should get to school in the mornings, or what he would be doing. The answer was no.

The expectation is that he will take over 2-3 of my classes by the second 6 weeks of school, this young man who has not been taught to write a lesson plan yet and hasn’t even observed a high school classroom.

I hustled him down to the library and got him a copy of Henry Wong’s First Days Of School, just to start him off with something that is easy to read and has some pretty solid techniques. Sent him home with the assignment to read five pages or so, and come back tomorrow morning at 8:15.

tour de force

How To Break Up A Fight