This game is often played by high school students when there is a substitute teacher in their classroom.
Rules of Play: be as obnoxious as you can be and don’t pay attention.
CREATE A TAB FOR EACH PERIOD
Under each period include:
Wow! That’s all I can say. If my roots weren’t already planted with my family and our careers, I’d drop everything and move to San Diego to be part of this phenomenal charter school system. While in San Diego for the NASSP convention, I made a stop to tour High Tech High. They started in 2000 as a single charter high school – they’ve quickly grown to include eight schools ranging from elementary to high school. A little background (according to their Web site): “HTH combats the twin problems of student disengagement and low academic achievement by creating personalized, project-based learning environments where all students are known well and challenged to meet high expectations. HTH schools attempt to show how education can be redesigned to ensure that all students graduate well prepared for college, work, and citizenship.”
There is so much that excited me about the schools and their philosophy! They’ve taken a holistic approach to school reform. There are no baby steps being taken to try to change the environment students learn in – it’s an “all or nothing deal” unlike any school culture students have been in before. And that’s why it works! We were told that there have been students who were so committed to being a part of it, that they drove over 80 miles one way to attend.
All of the schools are full of open, transparent spaces. They are very flexible environments. Classroom walls are filled with glass panels, there are “white” boards on most wall surfaces, many classroom walls slide into storage so larger spaces can be created and commons areas serve multiple purposes.
How do they afford to do all of the projects in the schools? They forgo textbooks. All of the money saved on books is available for teachers to purchase needed materials for the projects they have going on.
Credits: All photos are from High Tech High’s Web site.
Professional Development Tip for March 30, 2009
When I received the syllabus for my most recent online graduate course I noticed that the final project was a GROUP project. I thought, “How in the world?” Like many of you, my experiences with group projects has been a mix of both good and bad. I have to admit, my impression of working in a completely online work group has changed. Our group has found a nice stride and we meet each of the milestones with high quality products and time to spare! I thought I would share some tips and tools we’ve employed to make it work. Try some of these tools out in your own classroom or your next online course with group work.
Tip #1 - Chunk up the Project and Assign a Leader to each Chunk
Our project is divided up into several chunks. For each chunk we appoint a leader. This person’s role is to set a schedule for completing the chunk and start the discussion about the content we plan to include in that piece of the paper we are writing.
Tip #2 – Use a Discussion Board to Collect/Discuss Content Before You Develop a Draft of Anything
We use the discussion board provided as part of the course management system to start our discussion about the content to include in each section (Blackboard in this case). If you don’t have a discussion board you might consider using a tool like Google docs or even set up a Wiki on Wet Paint. We each post a few things we want to see in our finished section of the paper. After a couple days on the discussion board, the “leader” for that piece uses the content we’ve identified to draft up a version of the section to be included in our final report.
Tip #3 – Use Web 2.0 Tools to Allow Everyone to Edit/Revise the Draft
The draft copy of the section is then uploaded to Google Docs and shared with everyone. (Just a side note, Google docs is completely free. All you have to do is sign up.) The benefit of using a tool like Google Docs is that each member of the group can see and edit the exact same version of the paper. The most current file is always on Google Docs. The editing tools in Google docs allow us to edit the document in a way that looks a lot like the track changes feature in Microsoft Word®. We each edit the paper using a different color of text so it’s easy to see who added what. We also make it a point to leave a comment using the tool provided so that it’s easier to understand why we thought something needed to be stated a certain way. After a few days of editing the draft copy the leader takes the edited copy and starts to clean it up.
Tip #4 – If You Need to Meet, Keep the Meetings Short and Focused on Making Decisions
If there are some significant questions the entire group needs to weigh in on then the leader sets up a really short web conference using a free service called OOvOO or Skype. OOvOO allows up to six people to video chat at the same time for free! Skype offers a nice multiple person chat feature too! During the brief meeting we make decisions about the lingering questions and then the leader produces a near final draft.
Tip #5 – Take Advantage of the Extra Eyes Available to Proofread
The rest of the group proofreads the paper and makes edits as needed. For the most part, we’ve found that by this point there are usually few, if any significant changes. After the proofreading phase, the leader pulls the content off Google Docs and submits it in the format required for the class.
Professional Development Tip for the week of March 16th, 2009
Last week I read an interesting article about learner engagement. The author drew a strong distinction between just "showing up" and truly "active" learning. I have to admit this article like any other on the topic struck a cord with me.
(Allow me a moment on my soapbox...) All too often we mistake simply "showing up and going through the motions" as real engagement. It reminded me of an article I wrote about how to create active learning. You can check it out here: Inviting Students to the Active Learning Process. I wrote the article to agricultural educators (I must admit... I am one!), but I think the underlying principles "stick" in any classroom. If you're a skimmer, like me, then you may want to skip the intro (nice academic background stuff...) and head on over to the third column on the first page. Start reading after the sub-heading there and I think you'll find the most useful information on pages 2 and 3. Enjoy!
Professional Development Tip for 12.3.08
Last week we exhibited at the National Career Pathways Network Conference in Cincinnati Ohio. The booth across from us happened to be the International Center for Leadership in Education. You may be more familiar with this group due to their founder and CEO, Willard Daggett. Mr. Daggett has been a champion for improving rigor, relevance and relationships in our schools. We, of course, share a passion for making classrooms and learning meaningful and relevant to students’ futures. Throughout the course of the conference, we learned about a neat resource offered by this group – the Curriculum Matrix.
The Curriculum Matrix assigns a priority rating to each state standard in English, math, and science based on the emphasis given to that standard on state tests. Standards are also crosswalked to the Essential Skills study, which ranks the importance of curriculum content in the subjects relative to what graduates need for success in adult life. The International Center uses education experts in each state to assist in creating the Curriculum Matrix.
In their book, Strategies to Integrate Now! authors Seth Derner and Dr. Jack Elliot discuss the importance of locating, in writing, a clear list of the academic standards/ benchmarks as a first step in making meaningful real-world connections in either a Career and Technical Education or Academic classroom. The Curriculum Matrix does this well! It’s a resource to consider having at the school or district level to guide curriculum and instructional decisions and priorities. This kind of resource is one tool to help ensure that schools and teachers don’t have to lose their vision of a complete education to the practice of “teaching to the test.”
Professional Development Tip for 10.31.08
d behavior in other classes and serves as great documentation when meeting with parents.
As I finished up my masters degree last year I took a class on motivation. It was fascinating how the class influenced my view of student motivation – or why students behave the way they do in the context of school. I went in with a certain view of what a “motivated” student looks like – interested, prepared, always engaged in class conversations, gets good grades, etc. I came away with a different way of looking at motivation in schools. The most important principle I learned – all students are motivated, they simply may not be motivated to do what you expect. 
If you are even the slightest bit interested in what motivates your students I encourage you to read Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students by Denise Clark Pope. (For a quick taste of the book check out this Q and A with the author.) The book tells the stories of five high school students – each with very different motives and approaches to “achievement.” I could see some of the students I’ve worked with over the years in the characters described on the pages of this book. If you read it, I’m guessing you will too. In fact, the students in this book were likely in your class today. I wouldn’t call it just a “good to read” it’s an “essential to read” for educators. This book offers a great reminder about what we we’re called to do – help young people learn – plain and simple. It seems to me that an unbalanced focus on anything else (grades, test outcomes, awards, etc.) creates the potential for the phenomenon Denise Clark Pope calls “doing school.” Find a copy today!
Professional Development Tip for 10.2.08
Have you ever paused to assess the reading level for materials in your classroom?
As our team creates educational materials, one thing we keep in mind is reading level. Readability describes the ease with which a passage or document can be read. Selecting and/or preparing materials that are written at an appropriate reading level is one way to differentiate instruction to “meet students where they are at” when they enter your classroom. The bottom line – matching the reading level of texts in your classroom to your students promotes understanding and learning. (Click here to check out the most current research on readability.)
You may be asking yourself, “How do I assess reading level?” Most classroom textbook publishers will identify the reading level in either the teacher’s manual for the textbook or the introductory section of the textbook itself. You can also contact the publisher or go-online and find readability information for most textbooks.
If you develop materials for your classroom (i.e. tests, scenarios, etc.) you likely have a readability statistic readily available. Modern versions of Microsoft Word® will produce a readability check as you conduct the built in spelling and grammar check on your document. Word™ provides you with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level . This scale roughly translates to the number of years of education generally required to understand the text. You must find and activate this feature. In Word 2007, you can turn it on by completing the following:
Curious about the reading level of this posting? This posting is written between a 9th and 10th grade reading level. Start checking the reading level of materials you use in your classroom today. We bet you will be surprised!
Professional Development Tip for 9.25.08
With the start of the new school year, my husband took on his first teaching assignment as a college teacher. We’ve spent many hours at the kitchen table planning classes, assignments and determining the best way for students to “get it” in each class. In some quick research to add twists and turns to class (so that he meets his goal that his history class doesn’t feel like every other history class students have ever taken), we came upon this reference-backed collection of best practices for use in the college classroom. Don’t be fooled – the strategies translate directly to middle and high school classrooms.
The practices include ideas for lecture, group discussion, questioning, reflection, active learning, group assignments, aligning course goals and grading, modeling, giving feedback, establishing the “state” of the classroom and helping students take responsibility for their learning. Great work, Tom Drummond!
Professional Development Tip for September 18, 2008
One of the hardest things about connecting and relating with students is understanding their life at home and where they get their point of view. So many have such different experiences than our own! For insight on what it’s like to be a parent of a drug addict, check out David Sheff’s book Beautiful Boy. He reveals unforgettable and painful experiences from his journey to help his addicted son, Nic, in a breathtaking and compulsory way.
gs and alcohol, Tweak. If you don’t have time for the full book, check out his blog. Beware: it’s very honest and raw. You’ll definitely get a better perspective of the feelings some of your students may have, but it’s not easy to stomach.
That’s right, take a little time show-off the great things happening in your classroom. Now is the perfect time of year to start a file of student work, great lesson plans and a few photos for your brag book. It’s something you can share with administrators and will certainly come in handy should you decide you may want to transfer schools next spring. Student work samples really give you good talking points and physical proof of your skills. Consider saving back a few tests over the course of the year to show student improvement as well. There are a million ways to organize your brag book/portfolio. I purchased a fancy report cover with tabs and a clip and sorted items into the following categories:
Professional Development Tip for September 4, 2008
During my first year of teaching, I had a really good mentor in the classroom next door. I picked up a few good habits by simply watching. Perhaps the best thing I learned from my mentor was how to avoid power struggles by offering students choice. When a student was off track she would approach them with the following statement:
“You have two choices: you can head back to your desk and complete the assignment before class ends or you’re welcome to join me today after school and finish it then. Why don’t you take a minute to think about what would work best for you.”
Then she would purposely walk away for a minute or two to give the student his or her space. She never approached the student looking for confrontation and she always remained calm. She also stuck to her word of requiring students to show up after school if needed.
I tested out both methods: the “do this now” and offering choice and much preferred the results of the choice. I’ve since found more theory and great suggestions in two books: Teaching with Love and Logic and Positive Behavior Support. Next time you’re dealing with a challenging student, try it out for yourself!
Love and Logic offers these Rules for Giving Choices (pg. 31Teaching with Love and Logic first edition):
Professional Development Tip for August 28, 2008
We see lots of stories about students sharing stories and pictures on sites like Facebook and MySpace that make us gasp with astonishment. Comments like, “I can’t believe they would put something like that up for everyone to see.” and “Don’t they know that anyone can access that?” are common in conversations when the topic comes up.
What’s equally astonishing, though, are the number of professionals that use their work email for personal purposes and think that their privacy is protected. It’s not. Stop using your school email to schedule doctor’s appointments, complain about your colleagues, or apply for other jobs. There is nothing private about email when it’s provided through your employer. Besides, your friends and family who haven’t worked in a school likely have a belief that teachers and school professionals are to remain at all times, well, professional. An innocent act such as forwarding a favorite recipe to a friend on your school email can give the impression “must have a lot of free time up at the school” when that recipe is forwarded on two or three times.
Some email services are more susceptible to filters and firewalls – Hotmail is an example, but others seem to have more success – Gmail, for instance. See what works for you. Remember, though, that even using school computers to send personal email can be a slippery slope, but it certainly provides you more opportunity to present yourself as the committed professional you are – in every mode of communication.
Professional Development tip for the week of August 21, 2008
Classroom Blog
I applaud all of you who have built and maintained functional classroom websites. In my first years of teaching, it was simply too much to keep up with. Lately I’ve seen a few teachers keeping a classroom blog. I think this is brilliant as it:
is much easier to set up and maintain than typical classroom website
gives you a real voice to write to your students
students don’t really have to navigate much to see the current content
If you’ve never set up a blog, it’s very quick and easy. There are a number of host sites such as blogger.com and tumblr.com. If you do have plans of launching a class website at some point, I’d recommend starting your blog in wordpress.com as it offers the option to easily transfer everything to your website when you are ready.
Here’s my favorite example of a simple, effective classroom blog—Mrs. Plas’ Virtual Classroom.
Professional Development Tip for August 14, 2008
You’re right, you’re right. The above title should probably be “write and speak well.” Whether you’re an English teacher or not, students benefit from you modeling appropriate word usage. So take a few minutes to polish your skills. Here’s a quick and fun website to visit as often as you like. You can even subscribe to its useful RSS feeds.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ 
Professional Development Tip for July 31, 2008
The first step to gaining credibility and respect is to take yourself seriously and respect yourself. Be congruent in both your verbal and non-verbal communication. Value who you are and what you have to say so much that others won’t even question whether what you’re saying is worth listening to.
Verbal communication:
· make statements
· avoid trivial modifiers and disclaimers
· show a sense of humor
· share information appropriately.
Non verbal communication:
· take up more space
· hold your head straight and high
· use direct eye contact
· speak with sufficient volume
It seems today, learning has become work and frankly socializing can feel that way too. Finding time to really explore something that interests you can feel like another task to check off the list.
How about combining the two and having some fun just for you? One solution from a group of friends in Indianapolis, Indiana was to get a jump on holiday decorations and presents. They scheduled monthly meetings and gave them a high priority. (We all know how life seems to creep in on good intentions.) The group selected projects that were inexpensive so money wasn’t a barrier to participation. Each month a different friend hosted the gathering and chose a project from the list that was created by the entire group. They sent out an email reminder two weeks before the event with a list of supplies needed to participate in that month’s get-together. The friends began purchasing supplies together when time allowed which added another opportunity to spend time with each other. At the meeting, the host was responsible for teaching everyone how to accomplish that month’s activity. The outcome was lots of laughter, a head start on the holidays, a new skill learned and sometimes a gift only a parent could love.
Holiday presents and decorations might not be your priority, so how about applying their idea to your profession? Your group might gather to create bulletin boards, classroom activities or visual models to name just a few ideas. Remember you deserve time to relax and re-energize. Add some fun into the great work you do. It will definitely mean a better you!
Professional Development Tip for July 10, 2008
