What are your verbs?

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to be part of a group of educators who were encouraged by Jim Mahoney, the Executive Director of Batelle for Kids. 

In the time that we spent with him, he challenged us to identify our strengths in the Four Dimensions of Teacher Effectiveness. As I completed my inventory, it was clear my greatest strength was in the area of Relationships: Cultivating a supportive community, closely followed by Continuous Improvement: Adapting and Embracing Change.  Really, these results came as no surprise to me.  I think most of us that have spent more than 5 or so years in education would be able to identify within which quadrant their strengths lie. 

What I found so valuable to remember, when he was speaking about strengths and weaknesses is that he reminded all of us that once we know what are strengths are, we must partner or seek collaboration with colleagues who have strengths that we do not.  We must not be afraid to seek out the input and assistance of others; for, they may have gifts that we do not. 

Mahoney, also challenged us to spend sometime thinking about how we would want to define our upcoming school year.  What words, specifically verbs, would we use to guide and measure what was accomplished in this new school year. He mentioned that he spoke with almost 18 different educators before any of them mentioned two of the same verbs.  

I spent some time really thinking about what I want my classroom to be about, and the verbs I will use to measure what happened.   The final result was this: Cultivate, Collaborate, & Create. 

These verbs encapsulate what I want my classroom to be about this year. They explain the sense of community and caring that is important to me to give to my students and the challenges I have ahead for them to become thoughtful creators rather than idle consumers. 

So as the time edges closer to the start of school, I challenge those educators reading this to define the verbs for your classroom this year and share them with me.  

Laura <3

Think for yourself, ALWAYS!

The end of school seemed to come spiraling towards me so quickly that I barely had time to wrap my head around the fact that it was ending.  There was so much more I wanted to give my students a chance to create, so much more content for them to interact with. 

One of the things I've learned this school year is asking students to create products that are authentic and have meaning, require a great deal more time than "traditional assignments".  My mind has shifted this year that I am much more concerned about my students creating rather than consuming.  But in encouraging and supporting creation, it requires greater classroom time, especially to accommodate students who do not have access to technology at home. 

I left my students with a small piece of something I created as they left my classroom on the last day of school.  I wanted them to leave me encouraged and knowing exactly how much they meant to me.  Below is the letter I gave to each one of them. 

DREAM BIG

Laura <3

What do you mean I can only use 1 page?

Over the past few weeks between snow days and practice OGT's, my students worked diligently to create infographics to help others understand the Russian Revolutions.  They looked at causes, effects, key figures and events.  I challenged them to create something that would help others who knew nothing about this revolution to be able to look at their 1 page creation and quickly learn about this topic.

What they created challenged them to summarize, synthesize and create pictorial representations, all things that often required periods of thinking and processing.  I am incredibly proud of what they created and am excited to share them with you.  

<3 Laura 

The Great War in Movies

Over the past month, my students have been learning about World War I. With all of the snow days and delays it felt like we might never get done with this unit.  But I am proud to say that my students have finished this unit and have great things to show for it.  After their assessment I challenged them to create a movie about a chosen topic connected to WWI. They were given the freedom to chose from a variety of apps or software to complete this project. They assignment and choices were clearly laid out for them on my Blendspace.

It was fun and exciting to watch them read and try out different software and apps until they determined which would work best for them.  Upon completion of their movies I asked them to collaboratively write reviews about their chosen app or software. What you will find below are those reviews and their corresponding projects.  

Powtoon- This was the most utilized software by all of my students.

Cause of World War I by Nick & Corrina


The United States Enters the War by Hailey & Alexia


The Treaty that Ended the War by Mikayla &  Hannah 


The End of the War by Ashlynn & Wyatt


Causes of the War by Paige 


The US enters the War by Olivia & Sophie

The War Breaks Out by Aryana & Jordyn

Go Animate

Causes of WWI - by Zach and
 Christian

Voki

Causes of the War 

by Kyle & Adam 

















I will feature several other films in my next blog post
Keep creating 
<3 Laura 

Mentoring Matters . .

About five years ago, I was approached by one of our school’s administrator to begin exploring the feasibility of implementing a freshmen mentorship program in our high school.  Several other local high schools had similar programs, which reaped great benefits.

Thus, I set out on a journey to determine what a mentorship program might look like in our building and how all the logistics would be executed.  My principal, the Freshmen Principal, was incredibly supportive and knew the benefits it would bring to our students.  Research shows that freshmen students, who develop a connection to a person and/or an activity in their first year of high school, have increased academic success and higher rates of graduation.

We established a plan and garnered funds from our community foundation via grant and headed on our way.  The first year was a bit of a whirlwind. We ran on a skeleton crew of mentors (about 9 student mentors for 450 freshmen) and adjusted and created things as we went.  I am incredibly proud of that first year.  My mentors worked hard to create activities and develop connections with their students. Those mentors were great leaders and I see that still now in them, as some of them are finishing college and are heavily involved in Greek organizations or have had success in the military.  Those young people set high expectations, which I still measure my current mentors against today.  

We are currently, in our 5^th year of the program. We have served almost 2000 students, while growing about 100 student leaders.  Our program has been recognized nationally by America’s Promise Alliance as being a key reason why our community was given the status of “100 Best Communities for Young People”.  Each year the program becomes a little stronger and looks a little different. We have added great depth to our curriculum by using pieces of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens, The Search Institute’s 40 Assets and an in-depth curriculum developed by Freshmen Focus.

One of the biggest obstacles we have faced this year is losing our Freshmen Teachers as Lead Mentors in our mentorship classrooms. Due to a new contract and schedule changes, our freshmen teachers were no longer able to serve in these roles and we have utilized classroom aides this year.  This has introduced some challenges, as the freshmen students had no real connection to these aides and thus little respect; furthermore, the aides did not know the students or the program and it has taken a longer time to acclimate them to the purpose and functions of the program. I will say that at this point in the school year things are running great. 

I am proud to share that my mentors are working diligently on two service projects right now in conjunction with Do Something.  We are wrapping up a jean drive, in which all collected jeans will be dropped at our local Aeropostle, cleaned and then donated to teens that are homeless.  And, they have been working hard to hand create 400 Valentine’s Day Cards.  These valentines will be given to a local Agency on Aging and delivered to their 400 meals on wheels clients on Valentine’s Day. 

My role as Mentorship Coordinator/Teacher is two-fold; to create curriculum that grows and connects freshmen to our school community and to nurture upper-class students to be leaders in our school and our community.

Mentoring matters on many levels and I appreciate the value that my school district places in our program, because I know from the stories that my mentors share that what they are doing makes a difference.

Creation not Duplication

Technology and the way that it's used or not used in the classroom has been swirling through my mind lately.  I've been thinking how we spend so much time and energy on PD which focuses on teachers teaching WITH technology when instead will really need to be focusing on teaching THROUGH technology.

My mind has shifted lately that technology needs to be so much less about being in my hands and so much more about being in my students. Also, that when it is in their hands it isn't about what I can give to them to consume from that technology, but what they can produce with that technology and then share with the world.  

As teachers we are constantly creating things and sharing them with others. Are these not then the same skill sets I want my students to have?  I want them to be able to access information, synthesize it and share it with the world. I want them to formulate opinions and produce work that shares that. I want them to connect to others in all parts of the world and examine things from more than just their own perspectives.  

Thus it has become imperative to me that my students create more, write more, share more than I have ever asked of them before.  And not just in our classroom, but in our school, in our community and in our world. This is a necessity for them to succeed in our global society. 

We must inspire creation not duplication. Thus as educators we must afford them opportunities and an environment which will nurture and sustain their ability to create. 

Laura <3

Changed by November. . . .

Earlier this week I was blessed with the opportunity to be able to attend the Ohio Educational Technology Conference.  This is the third largest state technology conference in the United States and is attended by approximately 5000 people.  There were 485 sessions presented - sadly there wasn't enough time each day to hear and see all I hoped to learn.  But boy, by the time I left my brain was overflowing with with new ideas, tools and ways of thinking that could benefit my student's learning. So many apps, resources, and projects that I can implement in my classroom and share with my colleagues. I am beyond excited, giddy in fact.  My mind is so filled with excitement, I can only compare it to a young child on Christmas morning.  

Despite all this excitement, the single most influential session I attended was a keynote talk given by Alan November. His visions for learning and what that looks like and how our responsibility as educators are so different now, was inspirational to me. 

I have looked desperately to find a video of his talk to share with you, for the bits and pieces still held in my head can never do it justice .  Sadly, I have been unable to find that piece of treasure, but will continue hunting in hopes to one day share it with you. Until that time, I will share a few of the major takeaways. 

• If we do not teach our kids to think from multiple perspectives we are not preparing them for the world
• "If you don't know what you don't know you are dangerous" 
• Don't tell students not to use  Wikipedia, instead teach them to use it to design google searches. 
• Teach students to use  country codes when searching google 
• Check out edx.org
• When we give students assignments that are "googlable", what are we really teaching them? 
• We MUST create assignments/thinking challenges that don't generate obvious answers 
• We MUST give students a global voice at the earliest of ages. 

Before I began writing tonight I ordered November's book, Who Owns the Learning? I am exited to begin reading that and the other articles, I downloaded tonight. 

I'm curious to know is there anything that you've heard or learned this week that has changed your way of thinking?  

Laura <3

Dressed in Overalls

This past Wednesday was the day grades were due, for a grading period that had been cut short due to the "polar vortex". As I had mentioned in a previous post I was going to give my students the opportunity to redo their semester exams.  What i originally planned for redo time, had to be adjusted due to the weather.  This had me in a panic, I worried that I would once again be shorting my students. 
  
Due to the polar vortex, I allowed them to finish their writing during the day Wednesday, knowing that I had to submit grades by midnight of that same day.  It was a choice I was willing to make for the betterment of my students, because I believe in second chances. 

At the end of the day on Wednesday, as I began sorting and grading the redone exams, I was deeply saddened to find that only 8 out of the original 16 who applied for a retest, actually submitted a one.  And what was much more devastating to me, was the few who needed to pass the exam to earn credit for the semester, did not take advantage of the opportunity.  

I was angry, I was frustrated and quite frankly a little hurt.  I had offered them a second chance, and they had wasted it.  I had even contacted parents during the calamity days and explained to them, the importance of their student earning better grades on their exam. 

Even now as I write, I am still struggling to understand the wasted opportunity.  Had I failed them again? Or was it time for me to accept that the responsibility lies with those students who didn't take advantage of the second chance given to them? 

Perhaps, it is like Thomas Edison says, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work'

<3 Laura 

How BIG is your Brave?

Came across this video today and it brought utter joy to my soul, tears welled in my eyes as I watched these young people dance so freely and without concern for what others would think.  The end of the video leaves the question that I will take on this year and challenge myself and my students with.  I hope you will join me.

How BIG is your Brave (Click on Brave to see the video) 

Winter Weather and Second Chances

Ah, the joys of winter weather . . . 

As a teacher I've always said any snow that falls when school isn't in session is wasted snow. 

I sit writing now, knowing that school is already closed for tomorrow. Temperatures for the following day indicate that another closing could occur. The beauty of tomorrow's cancellation is that it is piggybacked onto our two week long holiday break. Knowing that the storm was coming I went in to school for a short while yesterday to be sure that everything was ready whenever I returned to my kids. 

As much as I love being off school, I've spent a lot of time during this break thinking about my students and how I can finish the second half of the year strong and doing the best I can for them.  Part of this reflection came after grading their first semester exam.  As I poured over their essay responses, I became slightly frustrated.  I believed I had given them all the tools and time they needed to succeed.  However, as I read them and provided feedback I wondered had I failed them in some way? Or was it simply apathy? 

I do not understand the apathy I see in students.  I cannot wrap my head around how at 14 years old, a person can simply not care about the consequences of their actions, or lack thereof.  I desperately want to understand it, perhaps so I can help change it. So perhaps somehow I can get through to them. I want them to care about their futures as much as I do!  

Because I want them to succeed, I believe in providing second chances.  So whenever it is that we return back to school, my students will get a second chance at their exam. The will have to ask for their second chance via a "Request to Retest", on which they will explain how the will do better the second time around. Once we discuss their plan for their redo, I will provide them with some deeper scaffolding I designed to ensure success on their second attempt.  I want them to do better, and be better and I want to give them every opportunity along the way to be sure that they can succeed. 

So here's to second chances and snow days  - I'm a big believer in both :)

If you are interested in learning more about the concepts of redos, check out the work of Rick Wormeli.

Flipping my classroom via Blendspace

In one of my daily travels through the world of Twitter, I came across mention of a something called Blendspace.  

Blendspace, allows the user to design "lessons" on any topic.  The lesson can include various types of resources (videos, web-links, word documents, and type of presentations) and can be ordered in a desired fashion and include comments regarding each source. The user can even create classes and administer quizzes within the various lessons. 

In my opinion, this is an ideal site for anyone looking to try their hand at flipping their classroom. The site is quite user friendly and offers most of their features at no cost.

Below are links to several of the lessons I have already designed to use in my classroom. 

http://tinyurl.com/davisequationsRAFT

http://tinyurl.com/davisprezi

http://tinyurl.com/davisww1

A short video that shows how easy it is to use. 

New Year and New Adventures . . .

As the New Year starts I have decided that I will challenge myself to venture into uncharted realms - blogging, publishing, and flipping my classroom.  I have spent much of my holiday break thinking and reflecting on how I can grow myself professionally through these avenues and how in turn my students will grow as well.

I am excited about many of the ideas and thoughts I read daily on twitter, and the things that I see other professionals building and creating.  I aspire to be like that and thus, I begin the pilgrimage. 

As I worked the other day artfully crafting the background and fonts of my blog, my college-aged daughter scoffed at me and said, "Why do you need a blog?", and perhaps her question was valid, maybe I don't need a blog. Maybe no one will ever read it.  Nonetheless, I've decided that I shall venture down this path. My hope is that I learn new things about the world and about myself. I hope that you'll join me in my journey and perhaps begin an expedition of your own too.