Not exactly a quote from my latest read, Embedded Formative Assessment (Wiliam, 2011), but definitely my favorite take-away so far. "What did you learn today?" is often something we ask our children when they arrive home from school. It's also something we (hopefully) close our day with in our classrooms before students walk out the door. But most importantly, it should be something we are asking ourselves each and every day.
You see, (one of) the most important piece(s) to formative assessment is not necessarily the questions you ask, the activities you've set up, or how you are collecting evidence of learning. It's the LISTENING that is happening as you are trying to understand what students really know, and what they are missing. You can make assumptions about a piece of paper with a written answer to a question on it. You can also make assumptions about a written prompt that a student turns in. But only through actually listening, digging deeper, and seeking understanding do we truly get to the heart of what a student is understanding.
Interestingly, one needn't apply the principle of listening to just our conversations with our students. You could easily learn today from a colleague, a boss, a parent. Truly listening means seeking understanding, without presuppositions or bias.
So...what did you learn today?
Showing posts with label student achievement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student achievement. Show all posts
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Choosing Your Words
So...telling your boss you are a "wasted piece of human flesh" might not be the best way to start off your week. One of the most frustrating parts of coaching is navigating district initiatives, building initiatives, PLC initiatives, and individual teacher initiatives. Organizing your time in the most effective way can be frustrating because you need a goal or a purpose for driving your work. When all of these initiatives clash, or at least seem to lack a flow in the same direction, it can make you feel...well, like a "wasted piece of human flesh" (again, don't ever say that to your boss).
It all comes down to understanding what you can control, what you can't control, and how to best manage your time. Another colleague sent me the link to Dianne Sweeney's podcast this week. Sometimes things just come your way that you REALLY needed to hear. So, just like with my teachers...when I'm unsure of where to start, I need to focus on students.
I really don't think it is a coincidence that a friend tweeted this post at the beginning of the week, and by the end of the week I've had more conversations about student learning, student needs, and responding to this than I have for the past two weeks. So breathe easy. When things start to feel unmanageable or out of control, pick the one thing that you know is THE thing and start there.
It all comes down to understanding what you can control, what you can't control, and how to best manage your time. Another colleague sent me the link to Dianne Sweeney's podcast this week. Sometimes things just come your way that you REALLY needed to hear. So, just like with my teachers...when I'm unsure of where to start, I need to focus on students.
I really don't think it is a coincidence that a friend tweeted this post at the beginning of the week, and by the end of the week I've had more conversations about student learning, student needs, and responding to this than I have for the past two weeks. So breathe easy. When things start to feel unmanageable or out of control, pick the one thing that you know is THE thing and start there.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
What DOES Research Tell Us About Tech Integration?
There is no way I could spend the last two weeks pouring through the literature on professional development and not share. I am specifically looking at professional development in technology and how it might lead to effects on student learning. My initial search through EBSCO examined professional development and literacy coaching. This brought up 23 articles total that relate to student achievement. I broadened my search to coaching and student achievement. From this search, I narrowed 107 articles down to 40 articles that actually address student achievement in the research. Finally, I searched coaching, professional development, technology, and student achievement. This brought me zero results. So, I settled on ten articles focused on professional development and technology integration, one which included a mentor as part of the professional development.
One thing that stood out most for me as I poured over these articles is the importance of teacher self-efficacy in implementing new technologies in the classroom (Overbaugh and Ruiling, 2008). Teachers need to see the value for their students of implementing new technologies. They also need to believe that they have the skills to do so. This makes sense, instructional-y. You are more willing to put in the time and effort if you feel you are capable of something. Think of Vygostky's zone of proximal development. If a task is out of our reach, we simply cannot accomplish it. Without providing the appropriate scaffolds for teachers, we can't expect them to implement new technologies with students.
Professional development for technology integration for teachers needs to be learner centered (Polly and Hannafin, 2010). Teacher development needs to focus on student learning, be teacher-owned, and focus on developing both content and pedagogy. Teachers need to examine their beliefs and actual instructional practices to reconcile the differences between them (John Hattie would support observations and self-examined video-tapes of lessons). Also, more time spent on collaborating around lessons and in-class coaching, results on classroom observations were significantly improved (Martin et al., 2010). Teachers also need scaffolding with in-class implementation of new practices. I can see how the role of a mentor or coach would fit here nicely. In fact, Kopcha (2012) found that participants in a model which included a mentor in Year 1 of implementation, and not Year 2, reported their improved instruction and beliefs were attributed to the mentor and professional development provided by the mentor.
Overall, there is very little research published on student outcomes and professional development in technology integration (and none on instructional technology, coaching, and student achievement). We do know what best practices tell us for professional development (more to come on that). And we do know that technology integration is directly tied to teacher self-efficacy. I hope this information has been useful. I will continue to update as I learn more.
One thing that stood out most for me as I poured over these articles is the importance of teacher self-efficacy in implementing new technologies in the classroom (Overbaugh and Ruiling, 2008). Teachers need to see the value for their students of implementing new technologies. They also need to believe that they have the skills to do so. This makes sense, instructional-y. You are more willing to put in the time and effort if you feel you are capable of something. Think of Vygostky's zone of proximal development. If a task is out of our reach, we simply cannot accomplish it. Without providing the appropriate scaffolds for teachers, we can't expect them to implement new technologies with students.
Professional development for technology integration for teachers needs to be learner centered (Polly and Hannafin, 2010). Teacher development needs to focus on student learning, be teacher-owned, and focus on developing both content and pedagogy. Teachers need to examine their beliefs and actual instructional practices to reconcile the differences between them (John Hattie would support observations and self-examined video-tapes of lessons). Also, more time spent on collaborating around lessons and in-class coaching, results on classroom observations were significantly improved (Martin et al., 2010). Teachers also need scaffolding with in-class implementation of new practices. I can see how the role of a mentor or coach would fit here nicely. In fact, Kopcha (2012) found that participants in a model which included a mentor in Year 1 of implementation, and not Year 2, reported their improved instruction and beliefs were attributed to the mentor and professional development provided by the mentor.
Overall, there is very little research published on student outcomes and professional development in technology integration (and none on instructional technology, coaching, and student achievement). We do know what best practices tell us for professional development (more to come on that). And we do know that technology integration is directly tied to teacher self-efficacy. I hope this information has been useful. I will continue to update as I learn more.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Getting Technology RIGHT
What a great learning day at SAI with Scott McLeod and Angela Maiers. I was so disappointed that not more of my colleagues and supervisors could have been there, but was grateful to have our building administrator there.
Today's blog is really just a reflection on what I picked up from today's session. The overarching theme was getting technology RIGHT:
R.eal
I.ntegrated
G.lobalized
H.onoring
T.ime and Talent
Sadly, most of the learning that occurs in school is in a static setting. Real life is integrated, not static. One thing Angela Maiers pointed out is that the Iowa Common Core is set up for educators to look at as a list of what we want students "to be", not what we want students "to do". Therefore, we must think about the skill sets students need, set a purpose for work and problem solving, and allow students to do the heavy lifting. Teachers can no longer be the "sage on the stage". We must learn from each other.
There is no way to encapsulate all of the big ideas here, but another take away was a process Scott McLeod walked us through in incorporating the many pieces from the Iowa Core and integrating technology into a single lesson plan (not necessarily a one-day and done plan, but a series). Going through this process helped me to think through how I might structure a collaborative process with staff. Getting feedback and input from others is such a powerful way to improve on your work!
Finally, (and I know this is not what the conference was about, but these parts are fun, too) the amazing tools we were able to walk away with. Just for fun, I really enjoyed the Visible Tweets. This can be used to display learning of staff and students alike. Also, a big thanks to Mark Moran for sharing Dulcinea and Sweet Search (a search engine for students with quality sources that have been looked at by staff). Mark suggests having students cite at least 2-5 resources when completing a project or paper. Sweet Search is just one place to start.
Today's blog is really just a reflection on what I picked up from today's session. The overarching theme was getting technology RIGHT:
R.eal
I.ntegrated
G.lobalized
H.onoring
T.ime and Talent
Sadly, most of the learning that occurs in school is in a static setting. Real life is integrated, not static. One thing Angela Maiers pointed out is that the Iowa Common Core is set up for educators to look at as a list of what we want students "to be", not what we want students "to do". Therefore, we must think about the skill sets students need, set a purpose for work and problem solving, and allow students to do the heavy lifting. Teachers can no longer be the "sage on the stage". We must learn from each other.
There is no way to encapsulate all of the big ideas here, but another take away was a process Scott McLeod walked us through in incorporating the many pieces from the Iowa Core and integrating technology into a single lesson plan (not necessarily a one-day and done plan, but a series). Going through this process helped me to think through how I might structure a collaborative process with staff. Getting feedback and input from others is such a powerful way to improve on your work!
Finally, (and I know this is not what the conference was about, but these parts are fun, too) the amazing tools we were able to walk away with. Just for fun, I really enjoyed the Visible Tweets. This can be used to display learning of staff and students alike. Also, a big thanks to Mark Moran for sharing Dulcinea and Sweet Search (a search engine for students with quality sources that have been looked at by staff). Mark suggests having students cite at least 2-5 resources when completing a project or paper. Sweet Search is just one place to start.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Word Up
What happens when you put together curious educators who have a passion for their work, sprinkle in a couple of questions, and add a platform for sharing? Amazing conversations happen, that's what!
I certainly don't mind speaking in front of an audience when there is information to be shared. But I would much prefer to create situations in which smart, capable people are responsible for the heavy lifting.
Today, our leadership team was posed just a few questions. From this, amazing reflection, questioning, and sharing of classroom practice ensued. The following is a Wordle that represents our conversation:
I can't wait to hear the conversations that will stem from this one. Any time that student learning is put at the center, and caring, imaginative teachers respond, great conversations (and action) will happen!
I certainly don't mind speaking in front of an audience when there is information to be shared. But I would much prefer to create situations in which smart, capable people are responsible for the heavy lifting.
Today, our leadership team was posed just a few questions. From this, amazing reflection, questioning, and sharing of classroom practice ensued. The following is a Wordle that represents our conversation:
I can't wait to hear the conversations that will stem from this one. Any time that student learning is put at the center, and caring, imaginative teachers respond, great conversations (and action) will happen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)