Up and Running

The new school year is off to a great start, and we appreciate everyone's efforts that contribute to this smooth beginning.  As we welcome new students to our district, our rosters are beginning to finalize.  We should be getting closer to all students represented in Data Director and orders filled or placed for increased needs.  If your rosters are still not showing up accurately, please complete a Tech Tracker ticket with specific information.  If you are short on textbooks due to additional students and/or sections, please submit an Increased Needs Request Form. 

Perseverance in Math

 As we shift to the new Iowa Core standards, math is less about the math facts and more about the problem-solving processes.  My favorite quote from this article summary from the Marshall Memo--"wrong answers are a part of the learning process."

In this thoughtful Education Week article, Kentucky teacher Alison Wright describes how two students in her Algebra II class reacted when they got back a quiz on which each had the identical score: 6/10. The first student looked at the grade, rolled her eyes, threw the paper on the floor, and loudly complained that the test wasn’t fair and shouldn’t count. The second student read Wright’s comments, reworked the problems to figure out her mistakes, and talked to her after class to set up an after-school meeting to go over the questions and discuss her study skills. “This scenario is troubling to me,” says Wright. “Multiply this incident by how many classes the students take, by how many assessments they will have in each class, by how many years they are in school – the possible ramifications are staggering.”

            After doing some research, Wright came up with approaches she’s going to implement in her classes this coming year:

            • Teach students that wrong answers are a helpful part of the learning process. “Over the years, I have seen so many math students shut down because they are so afraid of having the wrong answer and ‘failing,’” says Wright. She wants her students to be adventurous, to take control of their own learning, and not let fear of bad grades get in the way of learning. A helpful tool in this regard, she says, is Leah Alcala’s Teaching Channel video, “My Favorite No” – https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/class-warm-up-routine. Alcala has students write their answers to a math problem on 5x3 cards at the beginning of class, then quickly sorts the correct and incorrect answers and displays her “favorite” wrong answer (without mentioning the student’s name) and discusses with the whole class what was right and what was wrong. Alcala believes this is superior to using “clickers” because the teacher can make a judgment call on the most interesting and informative wrong answer – plus, it’s cheaper.

            • Use cooperative group work as often as possible. Wright gets groups working on  Math Design Collaborative assessments - http://map.mathshell.org/materials/index.php – and finds this helps them grapple with the content and think about their own learning processes. “Not only are students developing social skills necessary for teamwork,” she says, “but they are also constructing arguments and providing valuable feedback to each other in a non-threatening environment.”

            • Use “A” and “Not Yet” as the only two possible grades. Wright believes this might have helped the first student in the scenario above address her math learning issues rather than throwing a mini-tantrum about her grade.

 “Developing Non-Cognitive Skills: A Math Teacher’s Perspective” by Alison Wright in Education Week, Aug. 21, 2013, http://bit.ly/12mlcT2

Text-Dependency and Higher Level Questioning

A shift in the Iowa Core standards for reading and language arts includes supporting claims with text-based evidence.  As we focus on our questioning and text-dependent answers, we will need to be careful not to ask a litany of literal level 'memorization' questions.  Timothy Shanahan emphasizes this in his blog post below.  Shanahan reminds us that there is a difference between "close reading" and "thorough reading".  It is not necessary to remember every detail through intensive literal reading.  Rather, "the key is to ask questions that are not only text dependent, but that guide the reader to accomplish interpretive goals."  

Timothy Shanahan--Text Dependency is Too Low a Standard

Resources--Visual Arts and Arts Education

This week's resources support Visual Arts and Arts Education...enjoy!

• Arts Education  Arts education has been on the decline in urban public schools for more than a generation. Since 2005, Wallace has been working with nonprofits and school districts to find out how they might engage more young people in high-quality arts learning during the school day and beyond.  
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence Teaching and learning resources from Federal agencies identifies resources in architecture, drawing and prints, painting, photography, sculpture, and other visual arts.
• National Standards for the Visual Arts Developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations (under the guidance of the National Committee for Standards in the Arts), the National Standards for Arts Education is a document which outlines basic arts learning outcomes integral to the comprehensive K-12 education of every American student.
• STEM to STEAM  Check out how the STEM initiative is tying in art!
• The Teaching Palette recommends these website/resources for educators of visual art
• Art Education 2.0
• The Incredible Art Department
• National Art Education Association
• TeacherTube
• Artsonia
• Art Education (Wikipedia)
• Artcyclopedia
• National Gallery of Art – Education
• The International Society for Education Through Art
• Art Junction
• KidsArt
• National Art Education Association Elementary Division
• ArtLex Art Dictionary
• ArtBLAH
• Artists Blogs, Art Blogs
• Art Room Videos