Standards and backwards mapping

Introduction

I am planning a unit centered around an egg drop challenge.  In this challenge, students will use limited supplies to construct a container that can keep an egg from breaking when dropped from a third floor window. 

(marionmac56, 2012)

For the unit, I chose the three standards from the Discipline Core Idea (DCI) of Engineering Design, from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for 5th grade.  I chose this theme and these standards because our school is in our first year of implementing the NGSS, and we are busy generating units at all grade levels that fit the standards.  Our new science scope and sequence aligns the NGSS with the curriculum of the Spanish teachers, and features interdisciplinary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) projects. 

My unit fits into the 5th bimester of 5th grade.  When I'm finished, I plan to share the unit with the 5th grade teachers as a starting point for their own plans.

The standards

3-5-ETS1-1: Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5-ETS1-2: Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5-ETS1-3: Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Unit proficiencies

In order to meet these standards, students will need to develop a variety of proficiencies.  In this post, I'll elaborate on three.

To meet the first standard above (3-5-ETS1-1), students will need to be able to identify useful criteria.  The standard calls for students to define a simple design problem, including criteria for success.  Often in school, criteria are handed to students without explanation or input, so students may not understand how the criteria are generated or their usefulness.  This unit will raise students' awareness of what makes criteria useful and how they can be formed.

Below is a chart showing achievement levels related to this proficiency, which will be useful when I make the assessments:

Identify useful criteria

Excelling	Student can identify a list of five or more useful criteria for a successful design, in a variety of contexts, without teacher prompting.
Meeting	Student can identify a list of at least three useful criteria for a successful design, in multiple contexts, with minimal teacher prompting.
Progressing toward	Student can identify multiple useful criteria for a successful design, in a familiar context, with some teacher prompting.
Emerging	Student may be able to identify one or more useful criteria for a successful design, in a familiar context, with teacher prompting.

A second proficiency I would like to develop in this unit is evaluating one's own and others' ideas.  This proficiency relates to the second standard above (3-5-ETS1-2).  This standard asks students to generate and compare multiple design solutions.  The standard seems to present a perfect opportunity to develop students' feedback skills, because in comparing their designs they will naturally want to offer feedback to one another.  It makes sense to teach them how to do so effectively and politely.  Pointing out strengths and areas of improvement in a way that motivates rather than discourages is a valuable skill in a variety of contexts.  In mastering this skill, students are well on their way to becoming self-sufficient learners. 

Again, below is a chart showing achievement levels for this proficiency:

Evaluating one's own and others' ideas

Excelling	Student can offer specific, extended feedback on the strengths and areas for improvement in a design idea, in a way that motivates rather than discourages, without teacher prompting.
Meeting	Student can offer specific feedback on the strengths and areas for improvement in a design idea, while showing respect for all involved, with minimal teacher prompting.
Progressing toward	Student can offer feedback on the strengths and areas for improvement in a design idea, while showing respect for all involved, with some teacher prompting.
Emerging	Student may be able to offer feedback on a design idea, while showing respect, with teacher prompting.

A proficiency related to the third standard above (3-5-ETS1-3) is applying the results of an experiment.  Part of this standard is identifying aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.  In order to accomplish this standard, students need to be able to work independently to first understand the experiment results and then use this understanding to figure out how to improve a design.  These skills could be transferred to any situation in which there was a need to test the effectiveness of a system and suggest improvements.  Most careers require some form of this skill.

Below is a chart showing achievement levels supporting this proficiency:

Applying the results of an experiment

Excelling	Student can draw various insightful conclusions from experiment data and apply these conclusions to the improvement of a design, without teacher prompting.
Meeting	Student can draw multiple insightful conclusions from experiment data and apply these conclusions to the improvement of a design, with minimal teacher prompting.
Progressing toward	Student can draw meaningful conclusions from experiment data and apply these conclusions to the improvement of a design, with some teacher prompting.
Emerging	Student may be able to draw conclusions from experiment data and apply these conclusions to the improvement of a design, with teacher prompting.

Assessments

This unit will include several assessments.  What follows are three examples.

1)  design problem graphic organizer

Students will work in pairs to identify an existing tool and define the design problem it addresses.  This assessment will occur early in the unit, at the end of the first lesson, and students will be provided with a graphic organizer to guide their work.  The graphic organizer will prompt them first to choose a simple tool and define the design problem that it solves.  Included in this definition of the design problem will be the criteria for success, as well as constraints on materials, time, and cost.  The graphic organizer will also prompt students to construct an argument for whether the design problem represents a need or a want.  Assessment data will be gathered through teacher observations and a review of students' graphic organizers.

How this assessment shows whether students have met the unit standard(s):

If students can identify and define a design problem on their own, they have demonstrated competency with the unit's first standard (3-5-ETS1-1).  They will then be ready to generate and compare solutions to a design problem, which will be the next step of the unit.  If students struggle to complete this activity independently, the teacher will then know that he or she needs to reteach and provide more practice before moving on, because students must possess a clear understanding of a design problem before they can suggest solutions.

2)  design drawing, sharing, and feedback

Students will offer feedback to team members' design solutions for the egg drop problem, and reach a consensus on which design or design(s) they will adapt for the team's final plan.  Assessment data will be gathered through a rubric focusing on how well students were able to offer and receive feedback and arrive at a reasonable final solution.

How this assessment shows whether students have met the unit standard(s):

The second standard (3-5-ETS1-2) asks that students generate and compare multiple solutions to a design problem, and that is exactly what this assessment asks them to do.  As part of the assessment, it will be key to find out the reasoning behind teams' final design.  Why did they choose certain design elements as opposed to others?

3)  egg drop experience presentation (taking the form of an in-class presentation, a video, a written report, etc., as students choose)

In preparation for their presentation, students will complete a reflection in which they discuss the experiment results ("Which design elements seemed to work the best?  Why do you say that?  Based on these results, how might you improve your own team's design?").  For the presentation, they will find a creative way to communicate their reflection.  Assessment data will be gathered in the form of a rubric on the effectiveness of the presentation.

How this assessment shows whether students have met the unit standard(s):

The third standard (3-5-ETS1-3) asks students to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved, and this assessment tests students' ability to do just that.  Students' work can be judged on the extent to which they are able to draw reasonable conclusions from the experiment and apply these  results in meaningful ways to their own design.

Learning experiences

The above assessments are part of larger learning experiences that will equip students to succeed.  For example, the first assessment, the design problem graphic organizer, will be completed only after students have received teacher modeling and whole-class practice.

Introductory exploration of design problems

In this activity, first the teacher will show the class a simple tool (a pair of scissors, for example).  He or she will talk about this tool in terms of the following questions:

     -What problem does it solve?

     -Does it fulfill a need or a want?

     -What makes a pair of scissors good or bad?

     -What constraints do scissors makers face in terms of materials, time, and cost?

Students will then work in pairs to generate a list of more examples of simple tools (by simple, we are referring to tools that are more like a pair of scissors than a computer) that meet design problems, and the teacher will guide the class through a discussion of several of these tools, addressing the above questions for each tool and recording the class's responses in a graphic organizer on the board.

Only then, after having seen the teacher modeling and collaborated as a class, will students be asked to choose a tool that hasn't been discussed so far and complete the graphic organizer with their partner, with less teacher guidance.

How will this learning activity help students to develop knowledge and skills necessary to meet the standard(s)?

Through teacher modeling and coming up with their own examples, students will understand what a design problem is, in terms of its criteria for success and constraints, as well as whether it constitutes a need or a want.  Students will practice coming up with useful criteria for assessing a design solution.  This knowledge and these skills directly address the components of the unit's first standard (3-5-ETS1-1).

Egg protection device drawing and group critique

For this learning experience, students will work individually to create drawings of their initial solutions to the egg drop challenge.  The teacher will share an example design and invite the class to offer feedback, based on the checklist provided.  The checklist will include criteria for success (developed by the students themselves in a previous activity) and constraints on materials, time, and cost.  Students will meet in their teams, and each student will share his or her idea, arguing for why it will work.  The group will offer feedback, again based on the checklist.  The feedback will necessarily include each design's strengths and areas for improvement, and will be recorded in a graphic organizer.  Lastly, teams will review their feedback and create a final design, which will actually be used to build their egg protection device.  The final design could be based on one team member's initial design, or could be a synthesis of multiple students' ideas.

How will this learning activity help students to develop knowledge and skills necessary to meet the standard(s)?

Students will get practice thinking of a design solution, drawing it, and arguing for its advantages.  They will compare ideas in their group, evaluate each other's ideas, come up with a final design, and argue for why the final design is the best.  Their discussion will be guided by criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, and cost.  Generating and comparing design solutions are skills addressed in the second standard (3-5-ETS1-2), and referencing criteria for success and constraints further solidifies students' achievement of the first standard (3-5-ETS1-1).

Reflection on the results of the egg drop

The teacher will share a summary of the experiment results, including a chart that shows which team's designs succeeded and which did not, along with photos and video of the event.  Using this data, teams will discuss the questions "Which design elements seemed to work the best?"; "Why do you say that?"; and "Based on these results, how might you improve your own team's design?"  After recording their responses to these questions, students will develop a presentation to share their reflections.  The presentation could take the form of in-class sharing, a video, a written report, etc., depending on each group's preferences.

How will this learning activity help students to develop knowledge and skills necessary to meet the standard(s)?

This activity addresses the second half of the third standard (3-5-ETS1-3), according to which students need to identify aspects of a model that can be improved.  Using the data provided and their own observations, students will identify design elements that tended to succeed and elements that tended to fail, and try to explain why.  Finally, they will apply these reflections to their own team's design, offering suggestions for how it could be made better.

Conclusion

One of my goals for this unit is that students are aware of what they are learning.  As the English coordinator at my school, I often visit classes and get the chance to chat with students.  When I ask them, "What are you doing?" they can answer easily.  "I'm making a poster."  "I'm reading a story."  "I'm making a presentation."  But when I ask them, "What are you learning?" students often struggle to answer.  As I continue working on this unit, I want to clarify exactly what I hope students will learn, and how I can make students aware of these goals.

Reference list

marionmac56. (2012, Oct. 1). Untitled image of egg drop. Retrieved Dec. 4, 2016, from https://marionmac56.wordpress.com/tag/egg-drop/

  

Applying classroom rules and procedures

For the past few weeks, we’ve been studying a variety of strategies for establishing and adhering to class rules and procedures.  The next step is to consider how I’d like to apply these strategies in my own classroom.

Example rules and procedures

In my classroom, a basic rule will be to focus on learning and help others to focus as well.  We’ll spend some time, especially at the start of the year, looking at examples of what it means to focus on learning and help others to focus.  I’ll also give students the chance to suggest additional rules.  Students will vote on their favorite rules, and we can use this vote to establish a short list of no more than five.  Edutopia online consulting editor Rebeca Alber asserts that rules should be few, because whatever rules are established need to be backed up by consistent consequences (Alber, 2015).

Alber also suggests that a class should have many procedures, and we will follow her advice.  We’ll review our procedures on a regular basis until they become second nature.  For example, I’d like students to look at the agenda posted on the board when they enter the room and get ready with the materials they’ll need for the day before they sit down.  When we have class meetings, we’ll sit on the rug in a certain part of the room, almost always in a circle.  I hope to give each student a class job, and there will be procedures related to when and how each job is carried out.  Written homework activities will be turned into a special bin.  Students will record their reading in a reading log, according to a prescribed format.  We’ll end the day with set procedures for class clean up and announcements.

Reinforcing positive behavior

In order to reinforce positive behavior for the whole class, one of my main strategies will be positive narration (Narrate the positive, 2013).  This strategy involves noticing and verbally recognizing when many members of the class do the good, helpful, expected thing.  For example, instead of repeating, “Alright, guys, I need you to be quiet,” I can instead say, “I see that most of the class is sitting quietly, with their eyes toward the front, and ready to listen to the next instructions.”  Publicly recognizing positive behavior provides an incentive for those students who are not following expectations to change their behavior.

A video demonstrating the effectiveness of positive narration

Another whole-class strategy I will use is meaningful privilege.  I will allow students certain desirable privileges if they demonstrate they are ready for them.  For example, most days during independent learning time, students need to remain in their assigned seats.  However, if, for a certain number of days or weeks, we are able to work quietly and productively during this time, I will allow students to sit where they choose.  This privilege will be continued as long as they show they are able to handle it.

A third whole-class strategy I’d like to try is occasional class parties, maybe one party per term.  The themes for these parties will be planned along with the students from the beginning of the year.  In order to add privileges to the parties, however (extra time, food, movies, games), the class will need to receive points for good behavior.  Each privilege will require a certain number of points.  Thus, it will be up to the class to determine exactly how elaborate the party becomes.

To reinforce positive behavior for individual students, I will start by offering public recognition.  This recognition could be as simple as mentioning aloud something I admire about a particular student’s class work, or pointing out when a student makes a mature decision.  More formal recognitions could be offered for bigger accomplishments.  I’m inspired by the example of the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men in Chicago, which offers students a gold tie to wear when the receive special recognition in one of their classes.  The school’s uniform includes a red tie, so the gold ties stand out, and students are obviously proud to receive them (Edutopia, 2016).  I would like to look for one or two similar recognitions I could use in my class, that are challenging to earn and make students proud.

Students and staff at the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men attend daily ceremonies, where they build relationships and recognize students' achievements.

Another way I’ll reinforce positive behavior for individual students is by sending favorable emails home, inviting parents to congratulate their children for their accomplishments (Marzano, 2007, p. 139).  Research shows that students like their teachers to let their parents know when they do well in class.  They value this kind of recognition, so it makes good sense to use it.  To be honest, in the past I tended to contact parents when students were having difficulties, and only seldom did I send out congratulatory emails.  But as soon as I read Marzano’s recommendation, it appealed to me.  Why wouldn’t I send just as many congratulatory emails as cautionary ones?  My students certainly meet and exceed my expectations on a regular basis, and I would like to start acknowledging their accomplishments more often.

A third way I’ll reinforce positive behavior for individual students is by making clear to students that their positive behavior enhances their 21st century skills assessment for the week.  At my current school, students are graded on behavior and effort, and so naturally their positive behaviors increase their scores in these areas.  In the future, I would hope to move to a 21st-century skills based assessment system, that includes categories like collaboration and persistence.  Under either system, students need to be made aware of how their behavior impacts their assessment, and how they can improve their scores by changing their behavior.

Finally, I plan to reward individual students for positive behavior by offering them meaningful responsibilities.  I hope to have an ongoing system of class jobs, and students will change jobs at regular intervals throughout the year.  Students will need to complete applications for the jobs they would really like, and part of the application process will be to look at each student’s performance up till now.  For example, to be a class journalist, reporting on our activities for the website, a student will need to meet deadlines for photos and stories.  I would be more likely to hire a student for that job who has demonstrated, over the course of the year, that he or she turns in their activities on time.   

Responding to distracting and/or hurtful behavior

To dissuade distracting and/or hurtful behavior on the whole-class level, I will again begin with positive narration.  If some students in the class are not following instructions, my first step will be to congratulate those  who are paying attention so as to encourage the others to do so as well.  In many cases, positive narration might be enough.

If students continue in non-productive behaviors, another strategy I will try is to revisit our class agreements.  I saw this strategy used effectively in one of the classes I observed last week at my school.  The teacher, Diana, in 4th grade, responded to student complaints about a last-minute change in plans by saying, “I don’t feel that you are respecting me right now.  I want to remind you that our class agreements say we will respect one another because we are peaceful students.  Please show me the respect that you promised to show everyone in the class, and let’s move on with the lesson.”  That reminder, based on the students’ own agreements, caused the class to stop complaining and regain their focus.  It’s powerful to bring students back to the agreements they themselves wrote and have promised to follow.

Another whole-class strategy I will use is what Marzano (2007) calls “group contingency” (p. 136).  In certain situations, it can be effective to require students to work as a group in order to accomplish a shared goal.  For instance, at the end of the day before students can leave they need to make sure the classroom is clean.  I’ve found it effective to require that no student is allowed to leave the room until the entire classroom is clean.  Each student is responsible for cleaning their immediate area, but the group contingency gets students encouraging each other to clean up more quickly.  

A fourth response I’ll try to negative behavior at a whole-class level is to make the behavior a topic for our class meetings.  Students will already be accustomed to discussing and coming up with solutions for class issues in our meetings, so it will be natural to raise whole-group behavioral issues and seek their advice for solving them.  If simply discussing the issue proves insufficient, I will also plan behaviorally-focused lessons.  For example, if some students are teasing others for making mistakes in class, I could plan a lesson on the value of mistakes in the learning process.  We could consider examples of historic accomplishments that were achieved via a long progression of “mistakes” (e.g. Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb).

For individual behavior issues, like talking at inappropriate times, I will start with the immediate, subtle responses recommended by Marzano (2007).  First, I will look at the student who is causing the distraction.  Second, I will give a visual cue that his or her behavior is not welcome at this time.  Third, I will move in the direction of the offending student, and fourth I will give a verbal warning.  If possible, this warning will be given in private, at a voice level that can only be heard by the student in question.  I don’t want to make the situation worse by embarrassing the student in front of his or her peers.  

Secondary consequences for hurtful or distracting behaviors by individual students will start with a lowered score on the 21st century skills assessment.  Next, the student will need to meet with me after class to discuss what happened and make a plan for changing the behavior.  A summary of the student’s behavior and our follow-up meeting will be sent to the student’s parents or guardians.  As Marzano (2007) states, “Evidence shows that involving parents as a positive or negative consequence is a powerful intervention” (p. 136).  My personal experience as a teacher bears this out.  I’ve seen parent notification significantly reduce students’ distracting or hurtful behaviors.  

My final response, to be used after repeated instances of the same negative behavior, or for an especially egregious offense, is to have the student complete a written reflection on the causes and consequences of their behavior and their plan for changing it.  As part of this process, the student will also need to make reparations for any offense he or she may have caused to the teacher or other students, or damage caused to  class property. Additionally, there may be institutional discipline procedures to follow, such as meeting with the principal and/or in-school suspension.   

Conclusion

My experience as a teacher has shown me that no one class management strategy works for all students.  That’s why it’s exciting to me to have learned several new strategies during this unit.  Positive narration is particularly intriguing for me.  It’s a strategy I used before on occasion, more by accident than by design, but I plan to use it on a regular basis from now on because it has the simultaneous effects of reinforcing positive behavior and reviewing class expectations.  Another strategy I will implement on a regular basis is sending emails home to parents congratulating their kids.  As I mentioned earlier, my tendency in the past was to reserve email for discipline issues, but I’m now convinced that regular positive emails focused on specific accomplishments will reinforce students’ positive behavior while at the same time building more open and trusting relationships with parents.

In order to make my class management system effective, I will need to develop positive relationships with students (and parents) from day one.  It’s apparent to me that effective class management, and more effective learning, begins and ends with relationships.  If our class community is strong, we’ll have a much easier time following our agreed-upon rules and procedures.

A flowchart to guide my class management decisions, for both the whole class and individuals

  

Reference list

Alber, R. (2015, Sept. 3).  Back to school: rules and routines in the classroom. Retrieved Nov. 24, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/rules-routines-school-year-start-classroom-management

Edutopia. (2016, March 16).  Daily assemblies: deepening relationships through ritual and recognition.  Retrieved Nov. 24, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/practice/daily-assemblies-deepening-relationships-through-ritual-and-recognition

Marzano, R. J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2016, from https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/platform-user-content/prod-copy/get_help_resources/activity_resources/module4/The_Art_and_Science_of_Teaching.pdf

Narrate the positive [Online video]. (2013, July 1). Retrieved Nov. 23, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_x_qRJa7xQ

Videos that show high-performance learning environments

One of my favorite things to do is to watch educational videos online.  Seeing learning experiences that are actually working for students is just really inspiring to me.  I finish watching those videos feeling like, "Yeah, this is what I'm meant to do- I'm gonna take this idea and go change the world."  That may sound corny and over the top, and I guess in a way it is.  But at the same time, the inspiration I get from the videos, my conversations with supportive colleagues, the educational books I read, and good professional development, that feeling of being fired up for teaching and learning, is essential, because honestly sometimes teaching can be exhausting.  It can feel like just going through the motions.  I think what I'm looking for in those videos is a glimpse of a better way, an alternative to the tired, traditional methods I learned to dread growing up and sometimes still slip into as a teacher.

In this post, I want to share three videos I've seen recently that offer alternatives to education as usual.  The first, "Roller coaster physics: STEM in action," follows 5th and 6th grade STEM teacher Donna Migdol as she leads her students through a unit on roller coaster design.  The second, "3rd grade Chinese math," shows teacher Crystal Chen as she facilitates a math lesson entirely in Chinese for Chinese 2nd language learners.  Finally, I'll discuss "Whole brain teaching Richwood High - the basics," in which 9th grade geography teacher Roxi Mackens guides her class through a lesson on latitude and longitude using the whole brain teaching method, which intrigues me and at the same time leaves me with some questions.

Roller coaster physics: STEM in action

In this project, Donna challenges students to make and test their own roller coaster designs.  Along the way, they create prototypes to meet design criteria like safety and fun.  In the video, the students are working in the "fun" stage, trying to build a coaster track incorporating loops while at the same time not letting the marble fly off the track.  In doing so, students are getting first-hand experience with the physics concepts they have learned in class.

Donna's classroom qualifies as a high-performance learning environment because first of all she sets high academic expectations.  Students are challenged to use appropriate academic language in every phase of their work, reminiscent of the work of Jeff Zwiers on the importance of building students' academic language in addition to their language for socializing informally.  Students have been learning about concepts such as potential energy, kinetic energy, dissipated energy, friction, Newton's three laws of motion, centripetal force, clothoid loops, circular loops, rise, and run.  Their speaking and writing is peppered with these terms, and it's easy to tell that they know what they are talking about.  Donna even asks students to label their design sketches using the same vocabulary terms, explaining which features they included and why.

Donna also provides her students with compelling reasons to communicate at a high level.  For example, she stages whole-class discussions called "chimes," in which one member of each design team shares their progress since the previous week and other students "chime in" with their questions and ideas.  Donna explains that her goal with these discussions is that students speak to each other as designers do, exchanging best practices.  Via this discussion format, knowledge flows from student to student and no longer needs to flow through the teacher.

In addition to performing at a high level academically, the students in Donna's class show exemplary behavior.  They do so in part because Donna herself sets a tone of focus and seriousness, while at the same time having fun.  She's paying attention to what's happening in class and is ready to ask questions and give demonstrations to push students forward in their learning.  But I think the main reason students don't get distracted is because the activity itself is compelling.  They just like it and want to keep trying.  What kid wouldn't want to build and test a marble roller coaster?  In addition, the challenge is well structured so that it remains challenging and keeps the attention on the new skills and understandings.

One of the procedures Donna uses to keep the challenge interesting is to limit the materials.  Teams can only use two lengths of foam insulation and tape, and if they would like to integrate additional materials, for example strips of sand paper to slow the marble at the end of its run, they need to purchase those materials using class money.  This procedure makes the challenge harder to achieve, and thereby more engaging.  It also teaches students to be better problem solvers and gives them practice with multi-digit addition and subtraction and keeping an accurate budget.  Donna's careful planning of class procedures fosters an environment in which students perform at high levels.

This video is the kind that inspires me.  I would like to create an environment in my classroom like Donna's.  I like that her students are engaged in a meaningful, multi-part challenge that holds their interest and gets them practicing math and science skills and making connections.  I like that students are given compelling reasons to communicate with each other and structures that facilitate their communication.  I like that Donna sets high expectations for the final roller coaster design and then breaks the challenge down into manageable steps.  I like that the challenge is made more realistic by having limited materials.  Next year, I will likely be teaching 5th grade, and I plan to organize my science and math instruction around STEM projects like Donna's.  The school will probably be international, with students from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, and group challenges will hopefully bring us together as a group by giving students meaningful practice in interpersonal skills.

3rd grade Chinese math class

In this video, Chinese language teacher Crystal Chen leads her students in a whole-class math lesson.  Students begin by what I think is a counting chant, followed by the solving of a three-digit subtraction problem.  What first strikes me about the lesson is that it's loud, meaning that the whole class is almost always engaged in group chanting or shouting out ideas.  The teacher doesn't seem to be overly concerned with the noise, only pausing once to ask students to lower their voices so that their classmate can be heard.  The amazing thing to consider is that these students, apparently U.S.-born kids who wouldn't normally know how to speak Chinese at all, can shout out answers and chat with each other fluently in this second language.

Chen would seem to set a high academic standard for her class by conducting the entirety of the learning in Chinese.  She's teaching them exactly as she would a group of native Chinese speakers.  The behavioral norms are definitely different than those of the first video I profiled.  Students are chanting, shouting out answers, and occasionally chatting with classmates, but again, this is all taking place in fluent Chinese, and secondly, it doesn't seem to detract from students' learning.  All students are engaged, and I think part of the secret to this whole-class focus is the choral response.  Every few moments the teacher prompts students to shout something out together.  One thing that she could do better is to call on a greater variety of students, or perhaps implement turn and talk, so that all students could demonstrate their learning, and not just the ones who tend to volunteer the fastest.  However, I recognize that the Chinese teaching style for math tends to be whole class.  Also, although not all students are participating individually, that doesn't mean that the content itself isn't engaging.  Part of what the teacher may be doing is asking students to explain the steps of the subtraction problem, with questions like "Why?" "How?" and "What if?" (Wei, 2014).

This is an example of a teaching style that I admire but wouldn't necessarily emulate, at least not in its entirety.  It would be difficult for me to teach with so much noise- that kind of learning environment doesn't really fit my personality.  However, I do like the chanting.  I would like to look for ways to integrate chanting into my whole-class lessons.  What's most impressive to me about this classroom is the teacher's rigorous expectations and her no-apology attitude toward her subject.  She expects her students to learn math in Chinese just like native-speaking Chinese students.  Because she treats her students like they can do it, they can.

Whole brain teaching Richwood High - the basics

This video shows Roxi Mackens' 9th grade geography class following the whole brain teaching method.  Whole brain teaching is a system of class chants, extrinsic rewards, mirrored movements, and peer reteaching.  It's designed to keep students focused and improve their memory and linguistic skills.  Under this system, teachers delivers content for just a minute or two at a time, and as they talk they make gestures to support the meaning.  Students mirror these gestures and may also repeat what the teacher says.  Typically, what follows is that the teacher asks students to turn to their partner and paraphrase what they just heard, using the same gestures the teacher used.  The extrinsic reward part comes in when the teacher sees something that really pleases or displeases him or her.  They keep a running scoreboard with two columns, positive and negative.  They will add points to one side or the other depending on how students act (Biffle, 2013).

I would say the method sets high academic standards for students because they are expected to memorize every word the teacher says and be able to paraphrase it to a partner.  I would guess that the method aids memory by incorporating gestures into the learning and asking students to repeat the information multiple times.  On the other hand, the method seems geared toward memorization and a basic level of understanding.  In order to move up Bloom's taxonomy to skills like application, synthesis, and creation, it seems you would need to break out of the rigid whole brain teaching format and allow more free-flowing kinds of interaction.

The method sets high standards for behavior.  Students are on task and kept engaged at all times.  Also, reviewing the class rules is a regular routine.  At one point in the video, the teacher reviews the rule for coming to class on time immediately after a student enters late.  She doesn't even speak to the tardy student, but has the whole class chant the rule related to punctuality.  In this way, the class reminded the tardy student of the expectations for being ready to learn.  

Whole brain classrooms have specific and unique class procedures.  Students have been trained to respond in certain ways when the teacher says key phrases.  For example, the teacher says "S" and the students respond with a prolonged "yes."  As mentioned above, when the teacher makes motions while talking, the students are expected to mirror her motions.  When the teacher says, "Teach," the students respond, "Okay" and turn immediately to the classmate in front of them and paraphrase what the teacher has said, along with the motions.

This method, with its chanting and call-and-response style, is just very, very different from my natural approach to teaching.  My first reaction is to say that it wouldn't work for me.  However, I'm impressed by how dialed in it keeps students during whole-class instruction.  If I could read some research that showed the method was effective, I might consider integrating it sometimes into my whole-class instruction.  However, my main concern is that it's a method best suited for rote memory and basic understanding, not higher-level thinking skills.  I would prefer to engage students with a design challenge, as Donna Migdol does in her roller coaster project.  In that case, students are super focused, interacting naturally, and building 21st century skills like collaboration and critical thinking, as well as practicing science and math content in meaningful ways.  The external rewards like points and "super improver" bulletin boards aren't really needed.  The students are hooked by the learning itself, not an elaborate superstructure.

Conclusion

To conclude, I would like to recommend you check out one more video.  "Reinventing a public high school with problem-based learning" describes one high school's journey toward a more high-performance learning environment.  The school was facing declining enrollment when a new principal suggested they try a problem-based approach.  Problem-based learning means just what it sounds like- students are engaged in solving problems that matter to them.  For example, at the high school depicted in the video, Sammamish High School in Bellevue, Washington, an AP world history teacher had students plan and enact a model U.N. event based on the question of how countries should manage the resources and possibilities now becoming available in a thawing arctic.  Students involved in the project said that it was exciting to be doing something that mattered, that felt important, and that sparked genuine differences of opinion and heated discussion.  One girl said that people actually got a little upset talking about these issues, and that's what made it fun.  Another girl commented that she didn't even realize how much she was learning in her project at Sammamish until she finished. 

A problem-based approach really appeals to me as a teacher because through it you can accomplish so many things at once.  First, students are engaged.  Second, they're practicing the content in meaningful ways that will help them retain it much longer.  Third, they're developing 21st century skills like collaboration and critical thinking.  Finally, they're seeing learning as an integrated and authentic experience rather than a series of artificially divided school subjects.  Problem-based learning gets students doing things that matter to them and shows them that they matter as well.  The project can't go on without them.    

Reference list

Biffle, C. (2013, May 17). Third graders' 1st encounter with whole brain teaching: unedited video! [Video file]. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8zHAK0vJM

Chen, C. (2011, June 13). 3rd grade Chinese math class [Video file]. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g

Edutopia. (2013, March 20). Reinventing a public high school with problem-based learning [Video file]. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlg-nsGi7V0&feature=youtu.be

Mackens, R. (2011, May 31). Whole brain teaching Richwood High - the basics [Video file]. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be

Teaching Channel. (n.d.). Roller coaster physics: STEM in action [Video file]. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2016, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies

Wei, K. (2014, March 25). Explainer: what makes Chinese maths lessons so good? The Conversation. Retrieved Nov. 10, 2016, from http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-makes-chinese-maths-lessons-so-good-24380

Zwiers, J. (2014, April 7). Building academic language. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  

    

Establishing a positive class environment

I'm currently earning my licensure through the Teach Now program, and this week's theme is "classroom climate."  I've been teaching in one form or another for 13 years, so I'm no stranger to trying to establish a positive learning environment.  However, just because you've done something a lot doesn't mean you've got it all figured out.  While I'm proud of certain aspects of my efforts in this area (I try to stay positive and am good at making small talk and jokes; I always talk over behavior issues with students rather than merely issuing consequences), this week's unit has shown me there is so much more I could be doing, for the sake of my students' wellbeing.

Earlier this week, I got up at 4 in the morning to do a Skype interview with a school in Kuwait.  I have a friend who works there and really enjoys the school, so I was excited to get the chance to interview.  Of course, I don't know yet whether I will get the job, but I'd like to have some fun with this assignment and imagine what it would be like if I did.  I've learned a few things about the school context and demographics, and based on this information, I'll write out some strategies I could implement to establish a positive class climate from the beginning of the year.  If it turns out that I don't get hired and end up working someplace else, I'm confident that with some adjustments, these strategies could work in any school.

At the school where I interviewed, I would be teaching 5th grade.  Students come from 35 countries  from all around the world.  There's a big focus on integrating technology.  Class sizes are generally small, and the classrooms themselves are spacious.  The school's promotional materials emphasize an appreciation of students' diverse cultures and the development of 21st century skills, including social and emotional well being.

One of the first things I plan to do is involve students in the writing of their own class contract, which will include a vision for what we want our learning environment to be like and a statement of the specific behaviors we expect from each other.  The organization Teaching Tolerance, in its "Critical practices for anti-bias education," says, "Involving students in the design of classroom discipline policies can go a long way toward establishing buy-in and shared ownership of classroom culture" (p. 13).  They recommend drawing students' attention to issues of identify, difference, and power as they draft the contract.  An added benefit of this process is that it will give us a chance to discover how our various cultural backgrounds shape our sense of what it means to be respectful.  For example, in some cultures, active listening means complete silence.  In others, a constant murmur of side conversations shows that people are engaged with what the speaker is saying.  I've seen this cultural difference in my teaching experience in Mexico City.  As a U.S. teacher, I expect more silence in my classroom than my Mexican colleagues do.  These are the kinds of issues we will need to negotiate as a class.

Another key consideration from before the school year even starts is the classroom arrangement.  I do not know if the classroom would have desks or tables, but in either case the positioning of the furniture sends a message right from the start (Teaching Tolerance, 2014, pp. 9-10).  If the teacher's desk is front and center, and the students' seating is arranged so that they focus on the teacher, then the teacher's voice is implicitly prioritized over the students'.  If, on the other hand, desks or tables are arranged so that students can collaborate easily, and the teacher's desk is tucked away in a corner, the classroom sends the message that students' work is central.  I will also need to consider what kinds of messages I send by what gets placed on the walls.  My students come from 35 countries and every inhabited continent, so I will want to make sure I choose pictures, inspirational quotes, and so forth that recognize and honor that diversity.  Another great strategy would be to take students' pictures and post them in a prominent place, along with a quote from them on how they're feeling starting out the year (Marzano, 2007) and/or examples of their best work.  The class contract will also be prominently displayed, to be revisited on a regular basis.  I want students to understand that group agreements only work if we work together to keep them alive.

Students' cultures are honored in this classroom through the display of traditional Mexican decoration.  For my classroom, I would choose displays that match my students' backgrounds (Cultural-classroom, 2012).

In this Montessori classroom, work spaces are arranged to be student centered and flexible.  The teacher is positioned as mentor and coach rather than sole authority (Montessori-classroom, 2016).

I'm planning to invite students to take on roles in the classroom.  I want each student to understand at at a deep level that our community could not function the same without them.  They are needed, and they belong.  I also want students to take ownership and leadership in their own classroom space (Teaching Tolerance, 2007, pp. 9-10).  An early class activity will be introducing the various jobs (e.g. distributing learning materials, managing the class library, assisting with technology, addressing student concerns during workstation time, advising the teacher on decisions that affect the whole class, helping classmates resolve conflicts, reporting on fascinating world news, organizing fun activities to promote class community) and giving students the opportunity to apply for the position that most interests them.  I want the class job experience to feel a little bit like having a real job, with similar rewards, responsibilities, and professional feedback.  If class jobs are embraced by the teacher and students, they can foster a learning environment that is truly student centered.  When the teacher does too much for students, he or she is robbing them of the opportunity to learn crucial life skills.

There are tons of resources online with class job ideas, and I plan to borrow a few roles from there while also coming up with some of my own (Help wanted, n.d.).

An ongoing job for me as the teacher will be to build connections with my students and get to know more about their personal and cultural backgrounds.  I can start building connections by making the theme of difference (and honoring differences) central to our dialogue.  That starts when I introduce myself and let the kids know where I come from, and point out some of the many differences between the cultures and natural environments of Iowa and Kuwait.  In talking about these differences in an open and celebratory way, I am setting the tone for the year: in this classroom, we acknowledge differences.  We are not afraid of them- rather, we seek to learn from difference.  I will seek out ways to connect to students and get to know them, for example by greeting each student at the door at the start of each day.  Once I know the particular cultural backgrounds of my students, it would be good to learn a little bit about each culture, including behavioral norms that will help me to know how to relate, and cultural aspects that we as a whole class can admire and learn more about.  Of course, I will also be interested in getting to know my students as individuals, what they like to do and their personality traits.

If I taught in Kuwait, I would definitely make a few observations for my students about the differences between Kuwait City and the country outside Madrid, Iowa, where I'm from (Kuwait City - Aerial footage, 2016).

Knowing something about each of my student's cultures and interests will enable me to develop personalized learning activities, as suggested by educational experts such as Marzano (2007) and Tomlinson & Moon (2013).  Studies have shown that students perform better when the learning materials are based on their interests.  For example, when I write math questions, I can incorporate topics that students enjoy learning about.  I can also ask students to draw connections between new concepts and their personal interests.  When learning about the rock cycle (the process by which rock transforms from igneous to sedimentary to metamorphic), students can be challenged to think of a similar process in an activity they enjoy.  A student who likes baking might talk about how foods are harvested, processed into raw ingredients, and then combined and put in the oven to eventually form a chocolate cake.  It's been my experience that students feel honored and valued when the teacher pays attention to what they like and appeals to those interests to help them learn.

It's my hope that by establishing a positive and student-centered learning environment from the beginning of the year, I can avoid some typical behavior issues.  However, it would be naive to suggest that behavior issues will not arise.  When they do, we'll need procedures in place that are at the same time serious and sensitive to students' perspectives and needs.  Above all, our procedures need to be designed to seek solutions and integrate students back into our class community.  I hope to have peace makers as one of my class jobs.  These students will be charged with the role of helping classmates to resolve relational issues such as bullying.  At the start of the year and for more serious relationship conflicts, I will be present to moderate the discussion, and I will determine if one or more peace makers are too involved with the particular conflict to be impartial moderators, but as the peace makers gain confidence in their work, and especially for less severe issues, they may be able to carry out the role on their own, if the students involved agree to that.  For other behavior issues, I will discretely caution the student.  If the behavior doesn't change, I will request that the student meet with me one-on-one, maybe after class or in a break, and we'll discuss the issue.  I'll share my concerns and give the student a chance to talk about his or her feelings and perspectives as well.  I don't know what the school's discipline procedures will look like, but a natural first response might be to email parents a neutral description of what happened and what the student(s) and I discussed afterward, including the solution that we decided upon.  The solution should go beyond a promise from the student to change his or her behavior to concrete action steps.  It should also address any underlying issues that are making it hard for the student to follow class expectations.  As our class develops the peace maker role, we could draw on the growing body of work around restorative justice in schools (see video below).

Chicago public school teacher Jean Klasovsky describes her experience with restorative justice activities and the positive impact they've had on student wellbeing (2013).

In order to have a real impact on bullying and other behavioral concerns; in order to truly nurture students' wellbeing; and in order to build a healthy class community, we will need to engage in social and emotional learning on a daily basis.  This learning will take the form of a morning meeting, at which students share how they are feeling, the class engages in team-building activities, there is a preview of the day's schedule, and any community issues are addressed.  It will also take the form of student discussions of relevant themes such as culture, race, and gender.  These discussions will work best if we use a provocative opener.  For example, in a lesson I observed from School 21 in Stratford, London, the teacher showed her upper elementary students a picture of a man whose arms were covered in tattoos, and she asked for their impressions.  "Bad," one student said.  "Tough," another said.  "Dangerous."  Then she showed a picture of another man in a doctor's coat, with a stethoscope around his neck.  About this man, students responded with "Good," "Smart," and "Helping the community."  The teacher then displayed the images side by side and revealed that it was the same man.  This provocative opener led to a lively student discussion on the theme, "You can't judge a book by its cover."  Social and emotional learning will be more focused and effective if it is based on a curricular framework.  I would need to wait and see if the school in Kuwait already has such a program.  If not, I might base my work on the wellbeing curriculum from School 21 and/or the anti-bias Perspectives curriculum from Teaching Tolerance.  The most important thing is to implement the curriculum from the start of the year and continually draw students' attention to its main themes.  For example, School 21 organizes social and emotional learning around the themes of strengths, kindness, self control, optimism, learning, purpose, humor, mindfulness, and giving.  There are key questions to guide the community's work with each theme (School 21, 2016).  

Students talk in small groups at a cultural assembly.  At School 21 in London, these assemblies happen at the start of each week and are the touchstone of their wellness curriculum  (Edutopia, 2016).

A final key for establishing a positive class climate is making sure that all students get an equal chance to participate.  Without really meaning to, teachers can make students feel they don't belong and don't have anything meaningful to contribute, simply by the way they handle class discussions.  Boynton & Boynton (2005) point out that teachers often call on the same students again and again.  Students who are eager to share, who are the first ones to raise their hands whenever the teacher asks a question, tend to get most of the teacher's attention.  It's just easiest to call on students who are first to volunteer.  However, by going with the flow in facilitating class discussions, teachers are failing to invite contributions from quieter students, students who may feel less confident in the learning environment, and students who simply need more think time before responding.  A better approach is to use some mechanism (e.g. popsicle sticks with each student's name on them, that can be drawn at random) in order to ensure that all students get the chance to speak.  Once a student is called upon, it's important to allow sufficient time for the student to formulate an answer.  Teachers often rush on to the next student if the first seems to struggle, and again this sends the unintended message that we don't have confidence in the student.  A better approach is to allow sufficient time, and then offer little hints if the student still seems to be struggling.  That way, we show confidence that the student can reach an answer, and we don't let students off the hook- we expect them to respond, for the sake of their own learning and because we're interested in hearing what they have to say. 

This unit on students' social and emotional wellbeing has got me thinking about my own teaching practice.  As I said at the outset, just because you've done something for a long time doesn't mean you've got it all figured out.  In terms of my time management, I have tended to devote much more time to academic work than to social and emotional learning.  Perhaps that was because I felt pressed for time and was anxious that students mastered all of the academic standards.  However, in my study for this unit, I heard educators say again and again that students' academic performance is enhanced when social and emotional learning is prioritized.  If students feel good within themselves and feel safe in their environment, they are ready to learn.  This is a lesson I am going to take to heart when I return to the classroom next year, whether as a 5th grade teacher in Kuwait, or at any school where I might teach.   

Reference list

Boynton, M. & Boynton, C. (2005, Nov.). Educator’s guide to preventing and solving discipline problems. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105124/chapters/Developing_Positive_Teacher-Student_Relations.aspx

["Cultural-classroom" image]. (2012, Aug. 22). Retrieved Oct. 29, 2016, from https://blog.nationalequityproject.org/2012/08/22/5-ways-to-create-a-culturally-responsive-classroom/

Edutopia. (2016, Sept. 15). Wellbeing: developing empathy, emotional awareness, and agency. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/practice/wellbeing-developing-empathy-emotional-awareness-and-agency

["Help wanted" image]. (n.d.). Retrieved Oct. 29, 2016, from http://www.teachhub.com/put-em-work-classroom-jobs

Klasovsky, J. (2013, Nov. 13). Repairing our schools through restorative justice: Jean Klasovsky at TEDxWellsStreetED. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqktOiYG5NM

[Kuwait City - aerial footage]. (2016, Jan. 4). Retrieved Oct. 29, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw4NTZ0wAIE

Marzano, R. J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2016, from https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/platform-user-content/prod-copy/get_help_resources/activity_resources/module4/The_Art_and_Science_of_Teaching.pdf

["Montessori-classroom" image]. (2016, Sept. 13). Retrieved Oct. 29, 2016, from http://www.vln.school.nz/discussion/view/964186

School 21. (2016). 21st century approach: wellbeing. Retrieved Oct. 29, 2016, from https://school21.org.uk/21st-century-approach/wellbeing

Teaching Tolerance. (2014). Critical practices for anti-bias education. Retrieved Oct. 29, 2016, from http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/PDA%20Critical%20Practices_0.pdf

Tomlinson, C. A. & Moon, T. R. (2013). Assessment and student success in a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.