I attended two (un)conferences (I think): I attended the Google On-Air Education conference with members from all over the world, as well as another in Los Angeles that was about coding.
I'll start with the Code.org conference. I went with two other teachers from my school and we were part of a group of about 20 other teachers. While I thought that the day-long class would solely concentrate on coding and that I'd be a coding expert by the end, it was not, nor am I a coding expert (yet). It was, however, a time of total collaboration, brainstorming, and cooperative learning. Below are the four main points that I took from the (un) conference. 1. Ditch the uniformity: We can do this through kinesthetic activities, extension activities, reciprocal teaching year-long project that they always go back to, and by using graphics and other non-verbal methods. 2. Frequent activities which is something that I hadn't thought of, but immediately clicked as students in this age are constantly going back and forth between apps and conversations. One way to implement frequent activities are through rotations every 15-20 minutes, looking 20 ft away every 20 minutes (so simple but so effective), writing down a log of questions (how genius is that?!), and using gonoodle.com (that's when I started implementing it in my own classroom). 3. Collaboration: One teacher presented the idea of students listing 3 people they well with, and 3 people they don't work well with at the beginning of the year. This way teachers have a starting point for groups that of course can and probably will be changed throughout the course of the class. Icebreaker activities are great especially at the beginning of the year so that students can immediately get past the "awkward phase" of working in groups with people they don't know very well. Working in Google docs together is another way for students to collaborate through technology. 4. Don't be a know-it-all: This goes for students and teachers alike. One way to avoid this is through the "ask 3 before me" rule. One teacher had the excellent idea of having students only use pens. I gasped and immediately thought "BLASPHEMY!" But then I listened to what he had to say and it sounds like a really great way for students to see their mistakes and build from them. Something else that I love is the use of a "help wanted" board that can be used for an array of things. The teacher can use it to list things she needs help with such as sorting, and students can cross those items off once they've finished them. Activities like this are good for students that always finish early. The board could also be used for students to write concepts and projects they need help with. If at the end of the day, those items have not been crossed off, the teacher will know that they need to go over them further. The second (un)conference I attended was online and through Google. Holy guacamole talk about the carne asada of effective teaching. While I have a huge page of notes on Evernote, I will again share the big ideas I took from hearing experts from all over the world share what has worked for them, as well as what hasn't worked. It was a truly inspiring time and I look forward to more of these. 1. I have posted about the success of Finnish schools, and the conference featured the head of Finland. He said that something that is important to them is keeping politicians away from education. Why is our education system in America ruled by bureaucrats who know nothing relevant about how to effectively reach every student in the country?! The people in charge of education aren't teachers, they're politicians, so why are they in charge of America's education system? *deep breath...* 2. Teaching mindsets, not skills and fostering an explorer mentality. Students need to truly understand why what they're learning is important and how they are realistically going to use it in the "real world." We have to start encouraging our students to not give up when they don't know how to do something. We have to change their mindset from "I don't know how to do this, I'll find something else to do," to "I don't know how to do this but I really want to learn how to figure it out." One way that we have to do this by teaching them how to go through a problem instead of simply giving them the steps. Another example is, instead of asking kids what they want to be when they grow up, begin asking them what problems do they want to solve. 3. "Reading allows us to reach our highest potential." - LeVar Burton. He went on to say something that struck me; he brought up our current society and how students of color will be treated differently. He countered this problem by saying that a quality education is the best defense for minority students in a world where the color of your skin will determine how many people view and treat you. This is so unfortunate, however, as educators, we can help these students best by equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to compete for the jobs and college acceptance letters that they may not feel they have chance of attaining. 4. Creativity is a muscle. This is so true! Just as the muscles in our legs will not continue to strengthen unless we put them to work and challenge them, so will our creativity diminish if we do not foster it. I am blessed to have a 5 year old niece that I've been playing ponies, princesses, and fairy tale games with because when it comes time for me to be creative, I can make up a story starter for any student. We have to encourage creativity which means giving up our mentality of "you have to do it this way because this is the right way," that too often hinders our students. If students know it's okay to find a different, more effective way to compare fractions than the way I've taught them, it is my responsibility to give them a high-five. 5. Kill a stupid rule. Is it really necessary to mark students off on their work if it's not in cursive, or if it's in purple pen instead of blue or black? No? Then get rid of the rule. When students feel that they are free from the handcuffs of tedious rules that they don't understand the benefit of, they will begin to think more freely and creatively. 6. Don't be afraid to follow your students' lead. A keynote speaker was discussing how she had her students skype in and lead the entire conference of teachers in a dance. She said she was afraid of making herself look like an idiot and having everyone be awkward and afraid to participate. Her students encouraged her, however, to take a risk! The video of everyone dancing together is awesome, and she talked about how her students felt so proud that their teacher had taken their advice and followed their lead. When students feel like we are truly listening to them and their ideas, they will absolutely be more encouraged and motivated to let the creative juices keep flowing. I know that was a lot, and I have much more, however these are the main factors that have stuck with me from the (un)conferences. They excite me to continue to improve myself and my classroom, and to do whatever it takes to bring out the best in my kids. Something that I want to close with is a feeling of pride that I got from the Google Education On Air conference; I love that we are globalizing education; that teachers from all over the world are coming together to help each teacher succeed. I love that the global education race is not one that is against each other, rather one that is against global problems such as climate change, world hunger, poverty, and prejudice. This gives me hope in the future and my students, and fills me with even greater purpose in my vocation.
This is a how-to video I created for my flipped math class on the Pythagorean theorem. I created the video using the app, Explain Everything. Out of Educreations, Doceri, Absolute Board, and Adobe Voice, this is so far my favorite platform to create videos. While it costs $0.99, it is well worth the dollar. It is easy to maneuver, and the variety of lessons and videos you can create with it is amazing. You can even open a web browser in the app if you were giving a tutorial for your students on where to find, for example, the WebQuest for the days lesson. The best part about it? You can save the video as an mp4 to your devices for free so that you have it even after you've deleted the app (even though you will never want to delete this app)! It is so far, my favorite video platform.
Find the full infographic here
While we cannot compare Finland to the United States, we can at least compare it to California. Would these same strategies work for our education system? Or are we already in too deep to make any major changes without an overwhelming learning curve and adjustment period? I think one of the greatest faults of the American education system is the extensive standardized tests required of students. As I am learning more about the multiple learning intelligences and how they dictate student comprehension and retention, the standardized test seems more and more ridiculous and meaningless. Of course there needs to be a way to track progress, however, the emphasis on standardized tests is hurting no one but the students. How can we expect students of varying learning intelligences, challenges, and abilities to test the same? It's preposterous. Further, the amount of people in the education field that are in it simply for the summer vacation is astounding. If the American system valued educators more than politicians and athletes, I think our students would have a greater chance of success. For one, making education and "elite" field similar to medicine and law would weed out prospects that are in it solely for the vacation time. Further, students would have teachers who not only truly care, but who are also well-prepared to face any circumstance in their learning. My only question about the Finnish education system is the population of students whose first language is not Finnish, since the ELL population in California is a significant factor in classroom instruction.
I teach middle school and let's face it: everyone wants their joke to be the funniest; everyone wants their gossip to be the most talked about; and everyone wants to be listened to. It seems when kids talk in the hallways, telling of their crazy weekend stories, they come alive. However, as soon as you put those kids up in the front of the class to share their presentation, they soon become white noise because they don't know how to carry their personalities over into classroom presentations.
In this Ted Talk, Julian Treasure discusses how to utilize the power of voice and speech to make an impact. He presents what he calls his "7 Deadly Sins of Speech," that are the bad habits we tend to fall into. He then goes on to discuss how to correct them and how to speak so that people not only listen, but want to listen. I had my seventh and eighth graders watch this video and while some did not seem to be impressed, I saw others' light bulbs turn on. After the Ted Talk, I had students fill out the Ted Talk graphic organizer (a couple of posts down) and then we discussed what they thought. I had students demonstrate in front of the class how not to give a speech, and then to demonstrate how to give that same speech. The kids enjoyed it, and the lessons he teaches I have been able to return to in class. Although a Twitter account is not something I had ever intended of having (I don't even like that Google makes you have a social media account with them), however I have discovered the great resource that it is to educators who utilize it. The most resourceful aspect is #caedchat, where teachers from California post educational tools and resources. Aside from awesome websites, apps, and lesson plan ideas, perhaps my favorite part of #caedchat is the helpfulness of the teachers that are a part of it. I can ask a question about anything classroom-related with the #caedchat attached, and I will have a helpful response/resource within 24 hours. How awesome is that?! I have collected great resources for my Google Classroom endeavor this summer, apps for PE, and insightful advice that I wouldn't have ever thought to seek.
GoNoodle.com is one of my favorite educational sites. Although it requires membership, it's free to sign up. It has an array of different exercises - physical and mental, with varying levels based on what grade(s) you teach. How defeating is it to look out into the classroom and see a bunch of open mouths and dead eyes? Pretty defeating, right? Whenever this happens (especially in first period math), I say "Go Noodle break!" and everyone wakes up because they know what's coming. I play a short brainercise or fresh start that everyone follows along with, and within no time they're ready to begin the lesson again. I highly recommend it for any grade to get the blood pumping and brain goin'.
Hey guys. I love Ted Talks. What teacher doesn't like Ted Talks? However, sometimes we play videos and forget to hold students accountable for their learning during and from the video. I found a great worksheet to address this need from Laura Randazzo on Teachers Pay Teachers (don't worry, it's free). It's great because it's not video-specific, meaning students will be able to use it on any video they watch and it forces them to reflect on the information they learn. From this worksheet I am able to see who actually paid attention and applied the information. Here it is below. Enjoy!
"Any education reform that doesn't address high-stakes testing and the non-cognitive factors of true success like character and integrity is a complete waste of time... There's no room for the arts and imagination as they are being systematically removed from our public schools because I don't think anyone profits from those things."
Joshua Katz addresses the toxic culture of education: being obsessed with standardized tests and rigor, and forgetting about preparing students for the areas of success that they will actually shape them: character, work ethic, integrity, etc. He addresses a key word that I strongly feel is missing from the American education system: "relevance." Joshua talks about how schools consider life skills such as taxes, loans, credits, and planning for retirement irrelevant simply because they are not considered rigorous. These are but a few of the problems in our education system, but I strongly feel that if we are going to truly prepare each student for where they want to go, we need to meet them where they are now and teach them the non-cognitive skills that will shape them, and the relevant skills that will get them there. |
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