Right now, I am struggling to come to terms with the fact that we are almost done with this program. Could we possibly be almost done with our second year teaching? It has been a wild ride but I have had the best possible people in it with me. We have worked really hard, thought really hard, discussed with passion, reflected for countless hours, and loved each other well. While it is bittersweet, I am extremely thankful that the light at the end of the tunnel is close and bright. Thanks for taking the journey with me!
As is the case in most months, this one has been one of triumphs and struggles but for me this month, they have been mostly internal. I have struggled to combat negativity that is permeating my team at school and my own stress, frustration and impatience. I have been working really hard on separating the stress that I was feeling from the amount of things that I had going on in my life and my personal interactions with my students. The stress of CRCT has also been permeating the building which required my attention to separation and patience. Thankfully in the last week, I have been able to get my groove back.
There is much more to celebrate in the month of April than to lament over. The highlight of this month for me has been working alongside my students on their TICC projects and getting to work alongside my colleagues at the Sources Conference. Their projects were AMAZING! The entire project was powerful for me and my students as we worked on becoming strong self-advocates and reflected on what that meant for them personally, our classroom and the wider community, but I think that the part that was most striking for me was when they were presenting. In that hour that my students were presenting, something really clicked for me as an educator. Their joy was shining through as they presented their work to their classmates. The hardwork in their products and research was easily and readily evident. They were excited about the work that they had done. We had heard the second years last year talk about this over and over again but this was happening in MY classroom. A light bulb went off. My students were developing meaningful, lifelong skills. Their choices were extending beyond product but incorporating product, interest, and the community that they live in. I was a small factor in what they were doing besides being an occasional facilitator. I WAS PROUD!
All of this joy came together as we presented and listened at the Sources Conferences. It was such a powerful day to stand besides y'all and listen to the beautiful work that you were doing with your students. I was reminded that in the negativity of our schools, there is a wider picture of educators changes students lives throughout the Atlanta area and we play a small role in that. My negative emotions about the CRCT and the frustration that I was feeling with my students and the stress about grad school work is something that I experience but it does not define me.
There is so much work to be done. We have done so much work already. I am excited to see where it takes us as we continue on this journey. Thanks for being my wonderful, beautiful, loving, challenging support system!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
"Devouring" the Common Core
First of all, I am so glad that we are reading this book. I have spent a lot of my time reading it thinking about how I wish I had known these things about the Common Core as I entered my year teaching. I think that my reading, writing, and language instruction would have looked a lot different - although I am currently tweaking it and making big plans in my head for next year. One of the effects of this book is that I have found that it is easy to beat yourself up about your instruction - at least it is for me!
The first thing that stuck out to me a huge way were the expectations for writing. I mean, did you read those? The sample kindergarten papers were incredible. I felt deeply challenged and deeply distraught as I read through those examples about where my students are as readers. I felt distraught about the standards that I have been holding my students to this year. While, yes, they have grown a ton as writers, the Common Core holds high, high expectations for the tone and process incorporated in writing in the fifth grade. I felt deeply challenged to hold my students to those standards. I want to use Appendix C to show my students what my expectations are and what they are capable of through their hardwork in our writing workshop. This writing is made more probable and possible through integration. Calkins discusses the need to weave writing throughout the course of the day so that students are gaining the time for practice with the different types (not genres!) of writing (p. 105). Through this practice, writing truly becomes a life skill that students can use no matter what occupation they come to in their futures (p. 110).
I was also struck by the research need for the argumentative texts. The expectations of the Common Core are that "student should not just lift quotes from texts and plop them into their opinion and argument writing, but instead analyze their sources of information with more and more nuance, and then use that analysis within that writing" (p.135). This quote blew me away. These are truly things that I did not learn to do effectively until I got to college and truthfully is something that I often still struggle with today. Students have to first understand the content THEN analyze it THEN write effectively about it. That is a powerful, powerful skill. My students have done research to help them with their argument and opinion writing, but so far this year, we have not delved into texts that would drive their writing. I want to think about how I can scaffold this moving forward and make it a part of writer's workshop.
My final realization (although there are certainly many more) is that I really did not know much about the speaking and listening standards. As I was getting to know the curriculum this year, it is something that I largely skimmed over as I worked to consider how to teach my students to use the correct verb tense or find the main idea of a text. These standards are lost often in my school as teachers jockey for control in their classrooms and push students to sit and work quietly. These standards require collaboration and debate and questioning. Reading through these standards and actually pulling them apart reminded me how important these conversations and talking time is. While this is something that is very much incorporated in my room, I want to use this more. The chapter also spoke of "using technology with a purpose" to aid with the speaking and listening standards(p. 167). I am thinking more about how I can incorporate this purposeful technology use with the "rigorous, curricular-aligned conversations" that students are having in book clubs (p.168).
Overall, I am looking forward to getting to know the Common Core standards for reading, writing, and language better over the course of this summer in preparation for next, or in the words of Dr. Smith devour them. This book has been a huge step in that process already. I want my students involved in heated academic debates and writing stellar pieces all through the workings of pointed, instructional research.
The first thing that stuck out to me a huge way were the expectations for writing. I mean, did you read those? The sample kindergarten papers were incredible. I felt deeply challenged and deeply distraught as I read through those examples about where my students are as readers. I felt distraught about the standards that I have been holding my students to this year. While, yes, they have grown a ton as writers, the Common Core holds high, high expectations for the tone and process incorporated in writing in the fifth grade. I felt deeply challenged to hold my students to those standards. I want to use Appendix C to show my students what my expectations are and what they are capable of through their hardwork in our writing workshop. This writing is made more probable and possible through integration. Calkins discusses the need to weave writing throughout the course of the day so that students are gaining the time for practice with the different types (not genres!) of writing (p. 105). Through this practice, writing truly becomes a life skill that students can use no matter what occupation they come to in their futures (p. 110).
I was also struck by the research need for the argumentative texts. The expectations of the Common Core are that "student should not just lift quotes from texts and plop them into their opinion and argument writing, but instead analyze their sources of information with more and more nuance, and then use that analysis within that writing" (p.135). This quote blew me away. These are truly things that I did not learn to do effectively until I got to college and truthfully is something that I often still struggle with today. Students have to first understand the content THEN analyze it THEN write effectively about it. That is a powerful, powerful skill. My students have done research to help them with their argument and opinion writing, but so far this year, we have not delved into texts that would drive their writing. I want to think about how I can scaffold this moving forward and make it a part of writer's workshop.
My final realization (although there are certainly many more) is that I really did not know much about the speaking and listening standards. As I was getting to know the curriculum this year, it is something that I largely skimmed over as I worked to consider how to teach my students to use the correct verb tense or find the main idea of a text. These standards are lost often in my school as teachers jockey for control in their classrooms and push students to sit and work quietly. These standards require collaboration and debate and questioning. Reading through these standards and actually pulling them apart reminded me how important these conversations and talking time is. While this is something that is very much incorporated in my room, I want to use this more. The chapter also spoke of "using technology with a purpose" to aid with the speaking and listening standards(p. 167). I am thinking more about how I can incorporate this purposeful technology use with the "rigorous, curricular-aligned conversations" that students are having in book clubs (p.168).
Overall, I am looking forward to getting to know the Common Core standards for reading, writing, and language better over the course of this summer in preparation for next, or in the words of Dr. Smith devour them. This book has been a huge step in that process already. I want my students involved in heated academic debates and writing stellar pieces all through the workings of pointed, instructional research.
March was weird.
March has been a really weird month for me. Looking back through my reflections, I honestly have not taught much. Between the writing test, benchmarks, and being out sick for two weeks, I cannot believe that the month is over.
It's that scary time of year where there is a ton of pressure being put on the teachers about CRCT testing and that pressure is being placed on the students' shoulders. Reading back through my reflections and thinking about the course of this month and upcoming weeks, I know that that is something that I want to avoid in my classroom. I want to impress upon my students the importance of doing their best without putting unnecessary pressures and anxiety on them. One way that I have struggled with that this month is through the administering of benchmark testing. My school has not used benchmark testing at all this school year up until now. This is the first time that we have used a county normed test to see where our students are and they are throwing on our kids the day after they take the fifth grade writing test and the month before the CRCT. While I am thankful for the data provided, the timing is not conducive for students to put forth their best effort and show the skills that they have gained over the course of this year. The scores from these tests were BAD. Getting them back was overwhelming and quite scary for me as a teacher. I am struggling between the line of trusting my kids and what I know that they can do and putting a ton of doubt in myself about their readiness to take on the CRCT and my ability to help them gain reading skills. This is also coupled with frustration at the amount of instructional time that has been taken or lost over the course of this month.
I think that I am fully realizing the weight of standardized testing this year. Last year, not only was I just trying to keep my head above water, but I was also teaching a less essential subject. My students did not have to pass my CRCT (Social Studies) in order to move on to the sixth grade. This year, I am feeling like the pressure is on. I am working day in and day out to combat that pressure for myself and for my students. I know what the pressure is like and it will not help them to do their best or to focus better or to read more carefully. I am trying to remind myself that they have worked hard this entire year and this is our opportunity to show the learning that has happened in Room 116 this year.
Having said that, I have so many sweet moments with my students to share from this month. I was out for two weeks with some medical issues this month and the outpour of love from the school staff as well as my students was overwhelming. I felt so loved and missed when I finally came back to school. Besides that, my students got two really cool opportunities in the month of March - a writing workshop with Erik Cork and a field trip to City Hall. These two things were definitely the highlight of my month for personal and educational reasons. The writing workshop with Erik Cork was PHENOMENAL (Look up his stuff!). He had the kids up on their feet and excited for the ENTIRE school day. That takes some skill. He used rap to teach the students the power of poetry and songs and gestures to talk to them about ways to raise the level of their writing. The kids loved it and I was able to gain valuable professional development as I watched him interact with my students. I have so many phrases and gestures that I can use with my writing workshop next year to help the students understand the writing process and have fun with it at the same time.
The other fun thing that my students and I got to do was go to the Atlanta City Hall. This trip was organized by a former TFA Corp member who actually taught at Seaborn Lee and now works for Kasim Reed. The students were able to go behind the scenes into offices, meet the Mayor's staff, and explore City Hall. The best part of this was that my students got the opportunity to meet many African American city officials (two of which actually went to Seaborn Lee!). They were able to have conversations with them about the pathways that they took and connect with them on the community that they live in in College Park. I was pointed to thinking more about how to get the community involved in my classroom. I have been doing more of this through the TICC project and as I have gotten to know the school community better but I also realized the importance of bringing other people into the classroom as often as possible to share their lives with my students. There are so many opportunities that my students just don't know about because they have never had any experience with that and having people talk to them about those things makes it easier to connect their lives to their future selves.
March has been weird. I am looking forward to a much more sane, rested, and healthy April.
It's that scary time of year where there is a ton of pressure being put on the teachers about CRCT testing and that pressure is being placed on the students' shoulders. Reading back through my reflections and thinking about the course of this month and upcoming weeks, I know that that is something that I want to avoid in my classroom. I want to impress upon my students the importance of doing their best without putting unnecessary pressures and anxiety on them. One way that I have struggled with that this month is through the administering of benchmark testing. My school has not used benchmark testing at all this school year up until now. This is the first time that we have used a county normed test to see where our students are and they are throwing on our kids the day after they take the fifth grade writing test and the month before the CRCT. While I am thankful for the data provided, the timing is not conducive for students to put forth their best effort and show the skills that they have gained over the course of this year. The scores from these tests were BAD. Getting them back was overwhelming and quite scary for me as a teacher. I am struggling between the line of trusting my kids and what I know that they can do and putting a ton of doubt in myself about their readiness to take on the CRCT and my ability to help them gain reading skills. This is also coupled with frustration at the amount of instructional time that has been taken or lost over the course of this month.
I think that I am fully realizing the weight of standardized testing this year. Last year, not only was I just trying to keep my head above water, but I was also teaching a less essential subject. My students did not have to pass my CRCT (Social Studies) in order to move on to the sixth grade. This year, I am feeling like the pressure is on. I am working day in and day out to combat that pressure for myself and for my students. I know what the pressure is like and it will not help them to do their best or to focus better or to read more carefully. I am trying to remind myself that they have worked hard this entire year and this is our opportunity to show the learning that has happened in Room 116 this year.
Having said that, I have so many sweet moments with my students to share from this month. I was out for two weeks with some medical issues this month and the outpour of love from the school staff as well as my students was overwhelming. I felt so loved and missed when I finally came back to school. Besides that, my students got two really cool opportunities in the month of March - a writing workshop with Erik Cork and a field trip to City Hall. These two things were definitely the highlight of my month for personal and educational reasons. The writing workshop with Erik Cork was PHENOMENAL (Look up his stuff!). He had the kids up on their feet and excited for the ENTIRE school day. That takes some skill. He used rap to teach the students the power of poetry and songs and gestures to talk to them about ways to raise the level of their writing. The kids loved it and I was able to gain valuable professional development as I watched him interact with my students. I have so many phrases and gestures that I can use with my writing workshop next year to help the students understand the writing process and have fun with it at the same time.
The other fun thing that my students and I got to do was go to the Atlanta City Hall. This trip was organized by a former TFA Corp member who actually taught at Seaborn Lee and now works for Kasim Reed. The students were able to go behind the scenes into offices, meet the Mayor's staff, and explore City Hall. The best part of this was that my students got the opportunity to meet many African American city officials (two of which actually went to Seaborn Lee!). They were able to have conversations with them about the pathways that they took and connect with them on the community that they live in in College Park. I was pointed to thinking more about how to get the community involved in my classroom. I have been doing more of this through the TICC project and as I have gotten to know the school community better but I also realized the importance of bringing other people into the classroom as often as possible to share their lives with my students. There are so many opportunities that my students just don't know about because they have never had any experience with that and having people talk to them about those things makes it easier to connect their lives to their future selves.
March has been weird. I am looking forward to a much more sane, rested, and healthy April.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Speak Now
Coming into graduate school, I would not have labeled myself as a reflective person. I would take things at face value and make a judgment on them without much thought except about what was most rational. I found value in making rational and logical decisions without inundating myself with the process of reflection and analysis. As I read chapters three and four in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, two things really stuck out to me - the need for dialogue and the need for reflection coupled with action (praxis). I think these are two of the most important things that I have learned both personally and for my classroom through the course of my journey at Georgia State. They are two things that we have been hit with over and over again - sometimes completely unwilling - that have had a profound effect.
"To speak a true word is to transform the world (Freire, 1970, p.87)." Through my TICC project, I have been encouraging my students to use true words. I want them to say what they mean and express themselves in a way that is both reflective and informed. I want those words to hold value that they can make a change. The need for dialogue about things is present in this. Both myself and my students need to be allowed the space to talk through problems and work with others to formulate solutions. Isn't this how adults solve problems? They reach out to trusted family members, friends, and coworkers when there is a problem that they need to solve. Freire reminded me that there has to be a space for this - not just with my TICC project but in my classroom as a whole.
Students who are able to "name their world" automatically take a sense of ownership in that world. They become "masters of their thinking by discussing the thinking and views of the world explicitly or implicitly manifest in their own suggestions and those of their comrades" (p.124). This says it all. The investigation process through the students' projects has created a forum where they can ask in depth research questions about things that are close to their hearts and a huge part of their lives. Through discussion in their groups, research, and problem-solving based inquiry, they are inundating themselves in HOW to come to a solution with their own ideas and voices in unison with their like-minded classmates. They are practicing the use of dialogue through self-advocacy and giving a voice to problems in their school and community that need to be talked about instead of continually being swept under the rug.
The other part the Freire pointed out that was related to my work was the connection between reflection and action. I do not want to turn my students in complainers or talkers. I want them to be full of action and ready and willing to not only stand up for what they believe in but do something about it. Praxis eliminates passivity. Freire calls for reflection. THE REFLECTION HAS TO BE A PART OF IT. That is something that I have learned over and over again through teaching. Without the reflection and processing and the thought, the action can often be misguided or totally wrong. I will admit that some of my project has turned into rants between my students about the problems that they see that are not solution-based. I think that one of my downfalls in this project is letting that get too far in some cases instead of redirecting the discussions into ways that we can make changes.
For that reason, reflection is so important but action must come next because there is "no transformation without action" (p.87). Transformation comes when the voices move from the hushed tones of teachers and students in their classrooms out into the building where they are expressed and solutions are created. Transformation comes when the students believe what they have to say is valuable and that someone is listening to them. Transformation comes when the reflection behind the scenes in met with the action in the forefront. Freire holds that both dialogue guided by reflection and reflection that leads to action must be a part of releasing the oppressed from their current situation. This applies strongly to the voices of my students that are growing through their explorations in my TICC project.
"To speak a true word is to transform the world (Freire, 1970, p.87)." Through my TICC project, I have been encouraging my students to use true words. I want them to say what they mean and express themselves in a way that is both reflective and informed. I want those words to hold value that they can make a change. The need for dialogue about things is present in this. Both myself and my students need to be allowed the space to talk through problems and work with others to formulate solutions. Isn't this how adults solve problems? They reach out to trusted family members, friends, and coworkers when there is a problem that they need to solve. Freire reminded me that there has to be a space for this - not just with my TICC project but in my classroom as a whole.
Students who are able to "name their world" automatically take a sense of ownership in that world. They become "masters of their thinking by discussing the thinking and views of the world explicitly or implicitly manifest in their own suggestions and those of their comrades" (p.124). This says it all. The investigation process through the students' projects has created a forum where they can ask in depth research questions about things that are close to their hearts and a huge part of their lives. Through discussion in their groups, research, and problem-solving based inquiry, they are inundating themselves in HOW to come to a solution with their own ideas and voices in unison with their like-minded classmates. They are practicing the use of dialogue through self-advocacy and giving a voice to problems in their school and community that need to be talked about instead of continually being swept under the rug.
The other part the Freire pointed out that was related to my work was the connection between reflection and action. I do not want to turn my students in complainers or talkers. I want them to be full of action and ready and willing to not only stand up for what they believe in but do something about it. Praxis eliminates passivity. Freire calls for reflection. THE REFLECTION HAS TO BE A PART OF IT. That is something that I have learned over and over again through teaching. Without the reflection and processing and the thought, the action can often be misguided or totally wrong. I will admit that some of my project has turned into rants between my students about the problems that they see that are not solution-based. I think that one of my downfalls in this project is letting that get too far in some cases instead of redirecting the discussions into ways that we can make changes.
For that reason, reflection is so important but action must come next because there is "no transformation without action" (p.87). Transformation comes when the voices move from the hushed tones of teachers and students in their classrooms out into the building where they are expressed and solutions are created. Transformation comes when the students believe what they have to say is valuable and that someone is listening to them. Transformation comes when the reflection behind the scenes in met with the action in the forefront. Freire holds that both dialogue guided by reflection and reflection that leads to action must be a part of releasing the oppressed from their current situation. This applies strongly to the voices of my students that are growing through their explorations in my TICC project.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Contentment in Chaos
Looking back at the month of February, it is clear that it has been a hectic time for myself personally, in my classroom and within our school. I think that one of my biggest takeaways is learning to make the most of time and be content in the chaos. Between snow days and test preparation, my instructional time has been severely limited with my students. We have missed so much time together but I also think that leaving this month, I am feeling really close and connected to a lot of my students.
I have never been good with loosening the reigns and giving up control. Teaching in an urban school, specifically within a lot of disorganization, I am constantly reminded that it is out of my hands and I have to make the most of what I've got. Contentment in the chaos extends to both my school experience and the occurrences in my classroom. We have lost so many days of instruction to weather which is completely out of anyone's control, but we have also lost so many days due to school programming and writing test preparation. It seems like every week is something new with writing workshops and practice writing tests and Black History Month celebrations. While all of these are important, some days I feel like I have barely seen my students let alone had authentic reading instruction. Within this, I have been learning about how to use the time in my classroom in the most efficient means possible. The fluff gets set aside and we are forced to spend our short time together diving into texts and really trying to make sense of them. We have been working with words of poetry and discussing how the strong imagery allows the author to make a point or create a visual in our heads. We have been discussing the importance of professional writing and how to make the most of the words on your page.
This contentment in chaos also extends to the happenings in my classroom. Chaos isn't necessarily the right word to describe it, but what I mean by this is the ease that I am beginning to feel when I let my students take on their learning and do what they need to do for themselves. Over this month, I feel like I have spent some real time growing relationships with students. I think that not seeing my students as often has really made me value the time with them to ask more questions and listen more carefully. They are doing such an amazing job at asking for what they need and I am truly working on giving them the space to take what they need. Students are taking the time to talk with one another about their writing. They are using the resources around the room with freedom. They are taking control and I am sitting back and watching (sometimes! but we're all still a work in progress, right?). Through this, I have been able to see more trusting relationships grow between me and my students and between students.
The time is often abbreviated but this month, I have improved my practice through patience with school leaders and my students as things happen that I cannot and should not try to control.
I have never been good with loosening the reigns and giving up control. Teaching in an urban school, specifically within a lot of disorganization, I am constantly reminded that it is out of my hands and I have to make the most of what I've got. Contentment in the chaos extends to both my school experience and the occurrences in my classroom. We have lost so many days of instruction to weather which is completely out of anyone's control, but we have also lost so many days due to school programming and writing test preparation. It seems like every week is something new with writing workshops and practice writing tests and Black History Month celebrations. While all of these are important, some days I feel like I have barely seen my students let alone had authentic reading instruction. Within this, I have been learning about how to use the time in my classroom in the most efficient means possible. The fluff gets set aside and we are forced to spend our short time together diving into texts and really trying to make sense of them. We have been working with words of poetry and discussing how the strong imagery allows the author to make a point or create a visual in our heads. We have been discussing the importance of professional writing and how to make the most of the words on your page.
This contentment in chaos also extends to the happenings in my classroom. Chaos isn't necessarily the right word to describe it, but what I mean by this is the ease that I am beginning to feel when I let my students take on their learning and do what they need to do for themselves. Over this month, I feel like I have spent some real time growing relationships with students. I think that not seeing my students as often has really made me value the time with them to ask more questions and listen more carefully. They are doing such an amazing job at asking for what they need and I am truly working on giving them the space to take what they need. Students are taking the time to talk with one another about their writing. They are using the resources around the room with freedom. They are taking control and I am sitting back and watching (sometimes! but we're all still a work in progress, right?). Through this, I have been able to see more trusting relationships grow between me and my students and between students.
The time is often abbreviated but this month, I have improved my practice through patience with school leaders and my students as things happen that I cannot and should not try to control.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
"The goal is clear. The pathway is not."
I have spent so much of this year trying to figure out what I was supposed to be teaching in alignment with the Common Core. I have spent hours pouring over the documents and appendices trying to decipher what my students are supposed to be able to do and how to present it to them in a way that is both authentic and engaging. As I started out as a reading teacher, I struggled to walk to line between teaching standard after standard but wanting to have a reading block where my students were truly engaged with a text of interest. I wanted someone to tell me what the standards meant and outline which texts I should use with my students, which anecdotes I should tell, and which which terms they needed to know and understand. I was caught up in the concrete and missing the point. I still struggle with that in the day to day but reading this book has made it more clear to me that yes, the Common Core is a set of standards, but it's goal is to have students reading and engaging with complex texts. As stated by Calkins, "standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach (p.13)." It is a goal, not a pathway.
After reading this book, I have a clearer understanding of the Common Core standards as a goal and not a pathway. It gives me the space as a teacher to use what I know about my students - both their levels and interests - to create a curriculum where they will be working with texts that they WANT to explore and CAN understand. The standards "value deep comprehension and high-level thinking skills" (p.25) and "demand a sharp rise in expectations" (p.40). Within this though, it accentuates the need to meet students where they are so that in the rigorous expectations, students are feeling successful because the texts are where they need them. Students need to be matched with the right books to progress up the ladder of text complexity (p.43). Students with IEPs should still be given books through which they can practice their critical thinking skills. Lessons should not be so scaffolded that they become call and response for lower students but are created in such a way that the thought process is laid out but not the thoughts themselves. In this model, students have to KNOW their students. They have to work to provide for their needs, no matter what they are. It is a goal, not a pathway.
Something else that also really hit me was the importance of incorporating informational texts into content areas. This is something that I really missed the boat with last year while teaching Social Studies. I heard all about integration and its importance but Social Studies last year became inundated in test preparation and trying to keep my head above the water. As I was reading this, I thought about all of the missed opportunities with primary sources as stories are presented through a myriad of firsthand accounts. I missed the discussions of biases and what is labeled important. If students are to keep the ratio of reading literature to informational, tying complex texts into the subject areas is of keen importance (p. 89). The Common Core will really be able to work in building these critical thinking skills and high levels of comprehension when it is being used across all subject areas. Informational texts give students the opportunity to take what they are interested in and learn all of its facets through careful study (p.90). This exploration goes beyond the study of fictional characters to encompass things that are happening in their world.
All of these shifts are improbable without providing teachers proper training in the language and implementation of the Common Core. The entire time I was reading this book, I was thinking about how beneficial this would be for so many of the teachers in our building who are overwhelmed as they try to blow through standard by standard and teach isolated skills. They have piles of resources from Good Habits, Great Readers piling up in the corners of their rooms because they haven't been show how to use them. They cannot figure out the language of the Common Core and therefore, their students are given graphic organizer after graphic organizer and articles to read to help them fill them out. While there is nothing truly wrong with that, in general, it becomes problematic if that is ALL the students doing are doing with those texts. So much of the Common Core is thinking beneath the obvious, surface level presentation. I say "they" but I, too, fall into this category often. Once teachers are able to see that the standards are a set of standards and not a national curriculum, they will be better able to come to understand that it is a goal, not a set pathway for both themselves and their students.
After reading this book, I have a clearer understanding of the Common Core standards as a goal and not a pathway. It gives me the space as a teacher to use what I know about my students - both their levels and interests - to create a curriculum where they will be working with texts that they WANT to explore and CAN understand. The standards "value deep comprehension and high-level thinking skills" (p.25) and "demand a sharp rise in expectations" (p.40). Within this though, it accentuates the need to meet students where they are so that in the rigorous expectations, students are feeling successful because the texts are where they need them. Students need to be matched with the right books to progress up the ladder of text complexity (p.43). Students with IEPs should still be given books through which they can practice their critical thinking skills. Lessons should not be so scaffolded that they become call and response for lower students but are created in such a way that the thought process is laid out but not the thoughts themselves. In this model, students have to KNOW their students. They have to work to provide for their needs, no matter what they are. It is a goal, not a pathway.
Something else that also really hit me was the importance of incorporating informational texts into content areas. This is something that I really missed the boat with last year while teaching Social Studies. I heard all about integration and its importance but Social Studies last year became inundated in test preparation and trying to keep my head above the water. As I was reading this, I thought about all of the missed opportunities with primary sources as stories are presented through a myriad of firsthand accounts. I missed the discussions of biases and what is labeled important. If students are to keep the ratio of reading literature to informational, tying complex texts into the subject areas is of keen importance (p. 89). The Common Core will really be able to work in building these critical thinking skills and high levels of comprehension when it is being used across all subject areas. Informational texts give students the opportunity to take what they are interested in and learn all of its facets through careful study (p.90). This exploration goes beyond the study of fictional characters to encompass things that are happening in their world.
All of these shifts are improbable without providing teachers proper training in the language and implementation of the Common Core. The entire time I was reading this book, I was thinking about how beneficial this would be for so many of the teachers in our building who are overwhelmed as they try to blow through standard by standard and teach isolated skills. They have piles of resources from Good Habits, Great Readers piling up in the corners of their rooms because they haven't been show how to use them. They cannot figure out the language of the Common Core and therefore, their students are given graphic organizer after graphic organizer and articles to read to help them fill them out. While there is nothing truly wrong with that, in general, it becomes problematic if that is ALL the students doing are doing with those texts. So much of the Common Core is thinking beneath the obvious, surface level presentation. I say "they" but I, too, fall into this category often. Once teachers are able to see that the standards are a set of standards and not a national curriculum, they will be better able to come to understand that it is a goal, not a set pathway for both themselves and their students.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Naming Their World
Reading through Freire has really brought me back to a lot of the things that I have come to believe about teaching. From the process of being completely inundated in Teach for America to jumping into my first year teaching to all of things that I have learned through this MAT program in the last two years, I have changed and struggled and been molded a lot as an educator. One of the things that I latched onto most with Freire in relation to both my practice and my project was his discussion of voice and dialogue in the classroom. Since my TICC project deals with student voice and self-advocacy, Friere's discussions about having dialogue have resonated with me through allowing dialogue in my classroom space and as a way for my student's to overcome ways their are oppressed in the school building.
According to Freire, "dialogue is the encounter between men, mediated by the world, in order to name the world (p.88)." As a teacher and through this project, I have been trying to focus more on helping my students put name and meaning to the things in their world. They have experiences from home and school that shape the ways that they view the world. The opportunities that they have, the relationships that they have formed combine with these experiences to give them the world that they call the world. Through naming their world, my students helps them to "achieve significance as human beings" (p. 88). These things can only happen with the welcoming of dialogue in classroom. It is far too often that the "banking concept of teaching" with students as containers and receptacles takes over our schools and robs our children of their ability and freedom to construct knowledge for themselves and in collaboration with their classmates (p.73).
As we have gotten into the investigation stages of our projects, I have been able to watch many of students' interests bloom as they explore community projects. They are fascinated with the research, working with one another to discuss solutions, and working on ways to present their ideas to both the adults in our building and the community as a whole. The level of their dialogue is skyrocketing as they provide feedback to one another and are given the opportunity to explore. The moments that are my favorite are those that come completely unexpected to me. They come out of authentic dialogue that the students are having in reference to their change papers where they outlined things that the school needs and changes that they would me. They come when students are discussing what they want to do to address the problem and the manners that are best to approach it. They come in their brilliant ideas that I never would have imagined. I consider the many times that I have played oppressor in the classroom as I assert my authority to regain control whether behaviorally or in academics. Yes, the students need my guidance, but they do not need me to take all of the knowledge that I have and try, with futile attempts, to pour it back into their heads.
Rereading parts of this book and reading others for the first time was a great check for me about whether I am being a "banking concept" teacher or a "problem-posing" teacher. While there is ease to falling into the pattern of sit down and listen, it is exhausting and ineffective for the teacher to be doing the learning as the children are sitting and taking it in. Moving forward in my project, I want to continue to use the mindsets of Freire to shape the way that I talk to my students, the way dialogue is used in the classroom, and the development of student voice through our TICC projects.
According to Freire, "dialogue is the encounter between men, mediated by the world, in order to name the world (p.88)." As a teacher and through this project, I have been trying to focus more on helping my students put name and meaning to the things in their world. They have experiences from home and school that shape the ways that they view the world. The opportunities that they have, the relationships that they have formed combine with these experiences to give them the world that they call the world. Through naming their world, my students helps them to "achieve significance as human beings" (p. 88). These things can only happen with the welcoming of dialogue in classroom. It is far too often that the "banking concept of teaching" with students as containers and receptacles takes over our schools and robs our children of their ability and freedom to construct knowledge for themselves and in collaboration with their classmates (p.73).
As we have gotten into the investigation stages of our projects, I have been able to watch many of students' interests bloom as they explore community projects. They are fascinated with the research, working with one another to discuss solutions, and working on ways to present their ideas to both the adults in our building and the community as a whole. The level of their dialogue is skyrocketing as they provide feedback to one another and are given the opportunity to explore. The moments that are my favorite are those that come completely unexpected to me. They come out of authentic dialogue that the students are having in reference to their change papers where they outlined things that the school needs and changes that they would me. They come when students are discussing what they want to do to address the problem and the manners that are best to approach it. They come in their brilliant ideas that I never would have imagined. I consider the many times that I have played oppressor in the classroom as I assert my authority to regain control whether behaviorally or in academics. Yes, the students need my guidance, but they do not need me to take all of the knowledge that I have and try, with futile attempts, to pour it back into their heads.
Rereading parts of this book and reading others for the first time was a great check for me about whether I am being a "banking concept" teacher or a "problem-posing" teacher. While there is ease to falling into the pattern of sit down and listen, it is exhausting and ineffective for the teacher to be doing the learning as the children are sitting and taking it in. Moving forward in my project, I want to continue to use the mindsets of Freire to shape the way that I talk to my students, the way dialogue is used in the classroom, and the development of student voice through our TICC projects.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Book Clubbin'
The month of January has been completely inundated in the implementation of book clubs in my classes. There have been a wide range of ups and downs from hearing students have amazing, authentic discussions about texts to working through issues of students not completing their reading and being off task. It was a daunting task getting all of the book clubs organized into groups, books chosen, and expectations laid out for the students. I really struggled, and truthfully, am still struggling some, to get the various groups organized in a way that made sense for both me and my students. 15 book clubs is a lot to keep up with when you have 60 different students involved. The original onset of organization was tough as I maneuvered how to keep up with everything. Once the book clubs actually began, the confusion and difficulty came from trying to grade my students accurately on the rubrics while circulating the rooms and listening a melee of different conversations that were going on. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing anything that they were saying to one another about their topics and not short change anyone in their discussions just because I missed hearing something. I also had to deal with students who did not do their reading or did not come prepared with their anecdotal notes to aid them in their discussions. We remedied that by having those students working on other work during the book club time. I think that in the long run, this will work to curb the behavior, because they would much rather take part in the book clubs.
The triumphs in book clubs have far outweighed the few behavior problems, the students who did not complete their reading, and the logistics for me as the teacher. I have had some of proudest teacher moments since beginning teaching a year and a half ago in the last two weeks. It is an amazing thing to leave questions open-ended and give students the space to delve into text and have really authentic discussions based on textual evidence about things that they were confused or curious about and connections that they were able to glean from their reading. Discussion topics ranged from the shape of the globe and the proximity of Pearl Harbor to Japan to the Holocaust to personal issues of divorce, adoption, and separation from family members. They were AMAZING. I was taking pictures and videos and texting Dr. K, because I was just so proud of them. Those highs this month have given me more of a peace that I can handle the constructivist classroom. I can release control to my students and trust that they can do the right thing on their own. I can work have 10 different things going on in my room and have a sense of controlled chaos with a healthy chatter of learning happening around me. I can step back and THEY can be successful.
I am looking forward to the upcoming months where book clubs continue to grow and flourish and we move more into Reader's Response and performance based projects on the books that they are reading. I am looking forward to giving my students more freedom as we explore topics of change and need in the community with our TICC project.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Critical Inquiry Framework
Looking back through A Critical Inquiry Framework has been really powerful since our projects have now started rolling. It has helped me to refocus on what I am doing with my students and pointed me in new directions with how to keep the momentum going for the projects and push their critical thinking more. My TICC project is at the point where I have completed a lot of the set up and background for my students with the pre-project data collection of surveys about self-advocacy and discussions and persuasive writing on changes that they want to see happening in the school building. In the upcoming week, students will be forming groups to begin the work on their specific projects to elicit change in our school and community. Looking at the articles It's Not Easy Being Flat, Latinos for Involvement in Family Education, and I Need a New Way of Lyfe reconnected me with the purpose of this project and helped formulate an action plan moving forward.
It's Not Easy Being Flat pointed me toward the importance of incorporating critical literacy into my project more. My students have been looking at different persuasive pieces at mentor texts during their writing processes, but there is room for more critical literacy that are not persuasive pieces specifically. They need to see more texts about children taking a stand and changing their world such as Kid President or works by MLK, Jr. or Gandhi as shown in this TICC project. I want to look more into the UN Rights of a Child to foster more conversations about what the students' rights and responsibilities are. It would be powerful to come up with not only some rights for my students but also some responsibilities as the teacher in this project does.
The more that I learn about the students, my school, and the surrounding community, I realize what a tight knit community my students live in. Many of them live in the same neighborhoods, live very close to other family members, and know and interact with their neighbors regularly. For this reason, I was interested in the study Latinos for Involvement in Family Education to help guide my thinking more about how to get the community involved in what my kids were working on in the classroom. The main point that the author of this project makes is the need for families to feel respected and have equal access to information. Parent involvement and communication is often something that is labeled as a problem at our school. While I think that it is improving greatly with our new principal, I think that there are definitely gains to be made, not only by our school but with me as a teacher. The woman who began LIFE talks extensively about the power of taking ideas that are the parents and supporting them in the school. Then they are the agents for change while community and trust are simultaneously being built. I think that another way to make my project stronger would be through incorporating my students' parents and their opinions into the projects that are happening in the classroom.
I also love the "I Need a New Way of Lyfe" study that took students into the exploration of the rights of an adequate standard of living. One of the most powerful parts of this study is seen in the texts, tools, and resources that the teacher used - local newspapers, church bulletins, and photographs from the students' community coupled with historical documents about the larger African American community. I can link this part of the project even further with my students' families and larger community by encouraging them to bring their lives and experiences into what they are doing. Although this is a high school study, my students can do the exploration and thinking piece about the needs of the community that they live in.
Overall, through reviewing these studies again, I want to think more about how to connect the project that we are working in in the classroom to the larger community. I want to use more critical literacy to link my students to the UN Rights of the Child and how those are manifested in their lives and others' lives in different ways. I want to work to make more connections across the more for this to become something more and more meaningful to my students.
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