More Adventures in Teaching..."Methods" in Action!

Greetings!

I recently spent 4 straight days subbing in a 2nd grade class which, as I've mentioned, is one of my favorite grades, the other being 3rd. I had 20 students with an ability range that was truly staggering--from a few who could easily master 4th grade curriculum to several who could barely read and/or compute simple addition and subtraction problems. This really alarmed me. How do you teach the same math lesson math to such a diverse group of abilities-which is what I was expected to do? I asked the students if they had math groups and was told no, only groups for reading. Why not for math? I don't understand this. By the second day, after teaching the lesson, I put each advanced child with a struggling learner and had them work on simple addition and subtraction while I walked around observing and helping where necessary. It really seemed to work. The more advanced students showed the strugglers how they computed and, at my urging, how they checked their answers to make sure they were correct. I saw some definite improvement in understanding.

The following day, I reached into my sub bag of activities I've collected over the years and found one that fit right in with the SIM (Social Interactive Model). It is a cinquain (5 line) poetry activity that involves working in pairs, interviewing each other, and creating a cinquain based on the interview. To see it or to print out a copy, click on this link:

http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson391/Cinquain.pdf

I especially wanted to do this activity with this class because it was blatantly obvious that there were numerous behavior and getting along issues among several children. I thought this might be a way to begin to work on this problem. Before beginning, I explained to the students that they would be working on an activity in pairs and that the pairs would be randomly assigned. I then modeled the activity with the classroom aide acting as my partner. We then had a brief discussion about kindness and cooperation and how to be better classmates to each other (listening, patience, taking time to get to know each other, giving second chances, and forgiveness, etc.) As the children gave their thoughts, I wrote them on a large easel board. We had 10 "tips" when we were done. To create pairs, I did a random drawing using their student numbers which the teacher keeps in a little bucket for assigning classroom jobs. I ended up with some very interesting couplings, including a few students who made no secret of their contempt for each other. I expected outbursts but got nothing more than a few scowls, at which point I gently reminded them of our kindness and cooperation talk and the referred them to our "tips" for positive working together chart. To watch the SIM in action, especially when it's working, is a thing of joy! These 7 years olds took off to different parts of the room, got cozy, and got busy. I heard working conversations, mingled with laughter, saw students, who rarely interacted, helping one another, and everyone seemingly, having fun--including those who initially balked at working together. To close the activity, each student presented the cinquain she/he had written about their partner.

This is the kind of small CL activity that must be done, repeatedly, with students before expecting them to tackle larger group projects--and certainly before grading them on CL skills. There are many such activities on the internet. You don't even have to design them--just search and download! What is especially important with CL is having students reflect on and discuss the experience and generate recommendations for making it better and stronger. CL needs to be an ongoing practice with ongoing discussion if students are to be successful. Yes, this takes time, but it pays off in a big way. Below is the link to ReadWriteThink.org. There is a plethora of similiar cooperative activites on this site (many using poetry), so take a look!

http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp

Until next time...

Adventures in Teaching!

Greetings!

I have been so busy in this blog writing about the readings and my reactions to everything I've been learning that I have completely neglected to write about my field work observations and experiences!

Where to start... I spent several full school days floating from class to class, trying especially hard to sit in on math lessons! It is no secret to my readers (or anyone for that matter!) that I worry about teaching math effectively. My observations did not leave me any more confident...except to convince me that the way I see math being taught is generally BORING. I was in a 4th grade lower level class where they have a push-in, academic intervention specialist teach the math lesson. She explained to the class this really neat way of determining if a two digit number is divisible by 9. I had never heard of this and I got so excited that I expressed this excitement to the teacher and the students which, in turn, made the students sit up and begin to get excited. I really believe that my enthusiasm caused more of them to learn this strategy which is directly in line with my belief, as I expressed in the comp exam, that one of the most important motivators for students is teacher excitement and enthusiasm. I have seen this time and time again when I've substitute taught. I always tell students WHY a particular subject or topic interests me and I always try to keep my reasons generic enough that they can make the same or a similar connection. Unfortunately, I really never see other teachers do this. Maybe they are so used to the curriculum that they can't muster any excitement but my response to that is simple: FAKE IT!!! Even if you only grab a few kids with your excitement, that's a few more than you would have had without it. Use whatever you've got!

Back to my mathcapades...I observed many boring, textbook lessons, lots of lessons I honestly didn't understand though many of the kids seemed to, lots of time spent reviewing homework assignments which struck me as a little odd. If you did a lesson the previous day and you conducted frequent CFUs, and did some semblance of guided practice, wouldn't you know whether or not the kids were getting it? Is it productive to spend half of the next days math lesson reviewing the previous days lesson? If I was uncertain about comprehension, I would prefer to conduct some form of independent practice right after the lesson, perhaps have students begin their homework, to see the levels of mastery. If everyone was on target, why should I spend time from my next lesson reviewing info that everyone understands? If there was a particular area causing problems, I would prefer to review it right then and, if necessary, adjust the homework to focus on the problem area. If I had to reteach the next day, I would know, in advance, exactly what I needed to review and I could plan an appropriate lesson to meet that need. Who knows? I am not in the classroom yet and, perhaps, there are reasons why it is done this way. It just seems somewhat unproductive to me. The closer I get to actually teaching, I am becoming acutely aware of how short the school day is. Take away unpacking and packing up time, lunch/recess, specials time, walking to and from lunch and specials, etc, the actual time spent with the students is about 4 1/2 hours!! That's it! That scares me. It is not enough time which is why I am so focused on using the time I have as productively as possible.

So, in terms of math, I am more convinced than ever that I will have to prepare harder than the average teacher just so I understand what I am teaching and I will have to think of ways to, in the words of Carol Ann Tomlinson, "mix it up" to make it both memorable and fun. How will I do this? I haven't a clue but, but mark my words, I will figure out something! It may actually be in my favor that I don't understand a lot of the math. The methods I will use to figure it out may be the very methods I use to teach it!

I had the opportunity to teach both my direct instruction lesson and my inquiry lesson to the same 4th grade class. Both experiences resulted in wonderful moments of cognition. Toward the end of my DI lesson, one of the students asked if we could read the whole "story of the girl and her grandmother" that was used as beginning. middle, and end examples of writing in the lesson. Other students echoed this request and I had to tell them that there was no story, that these were just examples I had made up to teach them about beginning, middle, and end. Then, I suddenly had an idea! I told them that we were going to look at the 3 slides again, to see WHAT about them made the reader want to know more. What made this a good beginning, middle, and end and how could they, the students, do the same in their writing? Well, they loved this idea. We went back over the three slides and talked about the way I had written them. A wonderful discussion ensued with several student comments that were thoughtful and clearly higher level! I closed the lesson by telling them to keep all this in mind the next time they were writing something and that they, too, could captivate their readers.

Naturally, after this success, it seemed only fitting that I use this same class as the guinea pigs for my IPM lesson! This was fun! I put the overused words on the board and asked if any of the students used these words. Of course, they all did. Next I asked if they used them a lot. Again, the answer was yes. Then I asked them if they could think of any other words that meant the same thing. They came up with a few but for most of them the students believed there were no other words. Perfect! I sent them off on their dictionary and thesaurus investigation and, lo and behold, many had no idea that dictionary.com existed. They loved it--far more than they loved looking up the word in a hard copy dictionary! Most were also unfamiliar with a thesaurus and were amazed that such a book existed and was online, as well. This was a fun lesson and I was thrilled to see their enthusiasm at doing an assignment that got them actively involved and out of the textbook/worksheet mode. Children are active learners...they just need to be given the opportunity to be active! And, again, I genuinely shared their excitement at their discoveries which made them even more motivated...It's these moments that make teaching so rewarding.

While subbing in another class, I was left copies of a map of the US which was to be used to teach students the concepts of N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, and SW. The map had only a tiny compass rose and was badly designed for teaching this concept. While most of the students were familiar with N, S, E, and W, teaching them NE, NW, SE, and SW proved much more difficult...until I had an epiphany and which was to have everyone draw a big + through the US which allowed them to see it in the quarter sections that comprise NE, NW, SE, and SW. Suddenly, light bulbs were going on throughout the room and the lesson was a success! Hopefully, I will have similar epiphanies when teaching math.

One thing I have always tended to do, when subbing, is to make transitions, between lessons, active. By that I mean having the students move physically before sitting again for the next lesson. I do this simply by announcing that they have 1 minute to stretch, get a drink, use the bathroom, but that they must get up and move. I then do some stretches that students are invited to follow if they wish (and many always do!). I believe this makes them more focused and less restless when we begin again. What surprises me is that more teachers don't do this. I have never seen it occur, as a regular routine, in any classroom. But, again, I am a sub. As a teacher, will I become so consumed with what I have to teach each day that I will lose sight of all these wonderful techniques I am now at liberty to employ? This is one of my greatest fears. I truly believe that the majority of teachers start out filled with the same idealism I have right now and, then, somehow lose it. It is a documented fact that teachers are leaving the field in droves. I applaud these teachers. They didn't stay in a field in which they weren't happy and make life miserable for their students. It is the ones who lose their idealism and do stay that worry me. Look, I am not naive. I know that many of my plans and visions will perish in the reality of working for a school district. I know that I will be faced with the temptation to treat my classroom like a factory, grinding through the material as quickly as possible, taking shortcuts that don't benefit all my students. Will I do it? Will I succumb to the pressures? Or, will I find ways to meet district mandates and still be the teacher I want to be? I don't know the answer. I only know that if I do no harm, if I inspire each day, if I can manage to incorporate ANY of the things I believe in, and if I can make a positive difference in a single life, then it is worth it to me to stay and keep trying.

Until next time...

What Came First...The Chicken or the Egg? The Curriculum or the Methods?

Greetings!

With all that I am learning in Methods, I have been thinking about its relation to Curriculum Planning and the way that these courses are presented at MSMC. As students, we must all take Curriculum Planning first, in order to have a unit plan upon which to base the lessons that we write in Methods. Here's the thing--I learned a lot in Methods which would have directly impacted the way I designed my unit plan. They are so intrinsically linked that I wish they had been taught together, over a 2 semester period. To be completely honest, I didn't really understand curriculum, either during or after I took the course. It seemed very fuzzy and kind of all over the place. We were required to immediately start planning a unit without fully comprehending what one was. How can you plan a unit if you don't have a real curriculum upon which to base it? I'm still asking "What does the curriculum look like for each given subject in a given grade level?" In choosing our topics, many of us were just guessing. This is why I think that MSMC should provide students with a listing of real curriculum and unit topics for each major subject area (Math, ELA, SS, and Sci.) by grade level. This way, I would know if Nouns constitute a unit, a mini unit, or just a lesson or two within a broader unit. And what, exactly, goes in a math unit? I haven't the slightest idea. The kind of listing I recommend would give me this information. And, equally important, it would actually let me see what the curriculum will look like when I begin teaching.

For example, I know at the schools where I sub that you are on a very tight schedule to teach specific lessons within specific time frames. We didn't touch on this at all in Curriculum Planning and, yet, it seems to me that this would be a critical factor in how you design a unit, the number and type of lessons you include, and the time you allot to each, not to mention determining where to best allot the extra time needed for IPM and SIM lessons. I designed my unit as if I had all the time in the world to teach it. I now know differently! I also created 5 anticipatory sets for my unit that I have since learned are more like lessons--they each run about 15-20 minutes!!! Dr. Smirnova would faint if she saw them! (Forgive me, Dr. S, but we were never taught the 3-5 minute rule in Curriculum Planning and I will never do a 15 minute A.S., I promise!).

So, you can see there are valid reasons to combine Curriculum Planning with Methods. Oh, and another is standards. I would love some lessons dedicated to teaching us how to find, understand, and apply standards before starting our unit plan. This is such a critical component of teaching and I received NO instruction on how to do it. Standards are not easy to figure out on one's own--especially since there are so many different sites with differing descriptions and explanations-and now, with the literacy competencies, it's become even more complex. I would love to feel fully confident about identifying the most appropriate standards, but I don't. I just muddle through, the best I can, but I always feel that I am falling short of the mark--and this worries me. Some specific instruction in this area would be a godsend.

There is no question, for me, that it would be extremely helpful to have some understanding of Methods while outlining a unit and creating lesson topics and activities...just as it would be invaluable to be working from real curriculum and unit topics from the local schools. What do you think--am I right on target or completely off base??? Let me know!

Until next time...

When What You're Taught Is NOT What You Get...

Greetings!

It seems like ages since I last wrote but it only 11 days ago. I spent the last week immersed in preparation for the dreaded MSMC...drum roll, please--no, better would be the Twilight Zone theme...Comprehensive Exam and, now that I've completed it, I am NOT a happy camper. To start, the actual physical act of writing, by hand, for 6 hours was torture. I realized that I no longer write by hand for anything more than a note...I do everything on the computer. So writing by hand, when I am so unused to it, made me feel at a disadvantage from the get go. I realized, during the first question, that I think better when writing on the computer because I am able to edit so easily. While my answers were good enough to pass, I sincerely believe they would have been significantly better had I been using a computer. Which leads me to the question--why are we NOT using computers for this exam? Rather than focusing entirely on my answers, I was also worrying about how my hand was cramping, that my pencil tips were getting flat, that my writing was getting sloppy, and that I might run out of room in my answer booklet because I didn't use the back side of pages for fear that it would make the front side less legible. In addition, whenever I wanted to add or change anything, I had to go back, erase to make room and then rewrite the original plus the additional information. At a few points, I determined this was just too much trouble and didn't do it at all. I had to keep going. It was ridiculous and non productive. How different it would have been on a computer and how different my answers would have been. Taking the comps in this manner made me realize why differentiated learning exists. Just as this was not the ideal set up for my demonstration of mastery, the same can be said for our students who are forced to take one size fits all tests that do not lend themselves to specific learning styles. What was even worse was the implicit hypocrisy of this whole exercise. Here we are, expressing founts of information on what we've been taught is the best and fairest ways to assess students and we are doing it in a manner that is completely antithetical to what we are writing! And it gets even better-which means worse! A question on the comp exam stated:

A single test cannot be expected to cover all of a student's important learning outcomes in a subject area.

What does this imply about using tests for evaluating a school's a) curriculum, b) instructional (I believe a second word is supposed to follow instructional--perhaps delivery / methods /strategies? --but it was somehow omitted, so this is exactly how the question appeared on the actual test), c) teachers, and d) students?

Let me make sure I've got this straight...I am defending that a single test cannot cover all of a student's important learning outcomes while taking a single test that is determining all my important learning outcomes!!!

Are you with me on this??? I think we need to expand that question to include e) What does this imply about the MSMC comp exam? Is not using a single test exactly what MSMC is doing? Is it not true that a student who does not pass this single exam, with a maximum of two tries, will not be awarded a graduate degree--regardless of any other evidence of mastery?

How utterly ironic, hypocritical, and disturbing I find this--just as I find it inexcusable that a key word is missing on such an important exam question and that another question specifically asks you to state your name right after we've been told to use only numbers to identify ourselves, and that a third question had a typo that made it difficult to understand what was being asked in that section of the question.

Do I sound upset? I am! This is why schools are so slow to move forward. We pay such eloquent lip service to concepts, theories, methods, strategies, and accommodations to improve student learning but rarely take the time to implement them. That this is a graduate school of education, and that they would use this one exam above all else to determine a students fitness for teaching is insane--even more so when you take into consideration the typo's. It is unconscionable that such a test should contain ANY errors. And the insanity continues when you look at some of the actual questions being asked. Everything I need to know about teaching I learned in Methods. That is the simple truth. Yes, I was exposed to some helpful information in other courses, but nothing really that I couldn't pick up in the field and nothing that significantly impacted my teaching philosophy or style of delivery. It was not until Methods that I finally began to understand what is expected of me as a teacher and how to meet those expectations. I consider this course to be my graduate education. Yet, there were only a few Methods related questions on the test. The other questions, in my opinion, had no direct bearing on my teaching ability or application of knowledge to teaching. They were the kind of questions people feel proud of creating, because they sound high level, but what are they actually measuring? How do they prove, or disprove, teaching ability?

This was a lesson for me and a wake up call to be extremely careful in how I design assessments for my students. It also made me more aware of different learning and assessment styles. The comps were easier for me because they involved writing and that is an environment I am extremely comfortable in. If this is not your environment, then it will be much more difficult. If you are not used to writing by hand, then start practicing now because it is tedious and painful. Oh, and if you need room when you take a test--you know, to spread out your papers and supplies, to have ample room to focus--then you're out of luck. We took the comps in a regular MSMC classroom with the tiny little side table desks. It was real conducive to doing one's best work--NOT! Why could they not have had large tables set up in the auditorium where we would have had room and comfort? Oh, maybe it was because they had a children's carnival going on inside Hudson Hall at the exact same time as this all important exam and the carnival, for some unknown reason, took precedence over our little test. I know I am ranting but I am so disillusioned. I will get over it but not without taking a lesson from it--you know my mantra-turn every negative into a positive.

Therefore, as a result of my experience taking the comp exam, I promise:

• to design meaningful assessments for my students that are directly related to meaningful outcomes-"not nice to know but imperative to know",
• to create a test taking environment that is as conducive as possible to optimum performance,
• to never let a child feel like a failure based on one test,
• to proof read my tests for typo's, missing words, and less than crystal clear wording,
• to provide authentic assessments that incorporate differentiated learning.

See? Something good can come out of something bad. Remember, always make lemonade--or you will go insane!

Until next time...

SIM-The Simply Irresistible Model!

Greetings!

The Social Interactive Model (SIM) is my model! I love it, I do it intuitively, I simply respond to it and, as my blog title indicates, I find it irresistible--as do students. It's a win win model! Take a look at this site that Dr. S. provided for the SIM. Bookmark it...it's an excellent, easy to follow resource on cooperative learning strategies and techniques:

http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/coop/examples.htm.l

I have used many of these strategies and techniques without even knowing what they were! This type of learning not only makes sense, it works! And, you may have noticed after reviewing this link, that Dr. S. has used a number of these strategies right in our class! On another one of the SIM links posted by Dr. S., I found this gem on cooperative learning (CL) and math. Having written of my early math phobia and my later in life discovery of and love for this subject, I was thrilled to read this posting. Having experienced CL in math, firsthand, during my Math for Elementary Education class, I can personally attest to its efficacy.The boldface represents what I feel to be especially important information and the red font is my comments!

CL IS ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL IN MATHEMATICS COURSES. Davidson (1990) points out the following benefits of CL as they apply to mathematics. Math problems can often be solved by several different approaches (Remember when I mentioned, in an earlier blog, the profound impact this very statement had on me when my Math for Elem. Ed. teacher said it in my first class? Here it is again, which means it's important and should be said to ALL students--so, make sure you say it to yours-I know I will to mine!). Students in groups can discuss the merits of different proposed solutions and perhaps learn several strategies for solving the same problem. Students in groups can help one another master basic facts and necessary computational procedures. These can often be dealt with in the context of the more exciting aspects of mathematics learning through games, puzzles or discussion of meaningful problems. The field of mathematics is filled with exciting and challenging ideas that merit discussion. One learns by talking, listening, explaining, and thinking with others, as well as by oneself. Mathematics offers many opportunities for creative thinking, for exploring open-ended situations, for making conjectures and testing them with data, for imposing intriguing problems and for solving non-routine problems. (This is so true. Take it from the late math bloomer--making math creative, and keeping in mind the aforementioned different approaches philosophy, are the best ways to reach math strugglers). Small groups provide a social support mechanism for the learning of mathematics and an opportunity for success for all students in mathematics (and in general). Unlike many other types of problems in life, school mathematics problems can actually be solved in reasonable lengths of time, such as a class period. (Think about it--it's absolutely true!) Mathematics problems are ideally suited for group discussion in that they have solutions that can be objectively demonstrated, Students can persuade one another by the logic of their arguments.
Johnson and Johnson (1990) identify the following attitudinal objectives of CL in mathematics. 1. Positive attitudes toward math, 2. Confidence in one's ability to reason mathematically. 3. Willingness to try various strategies and risk being wrong. 4. Ability to accept frustrations that come from not knowing and willingness to persevere when solutions are not immediate. 5. Attributing failure to not using the right strategy yet, rather than to not being competent. (I agree with these outcomes to a degree--as long as you are aware that they are heavily dependent upon the makeup of the groups. Always have a mix of abilities so that one student is not left feeling like the village idiot among all the savants! Also, while CL is beneficial in math, so is individual exploration. The teacher's attitude toward different methods of learning and encouragement of such differences is paramount to success). They conclude that "Confidence in one's ability to reason mathematically is considered prerequisite for learning. Once lost, it is difficult to restore." (I am living proof of the truth of this statement! This is why I will move heaven and earth to make sure what happened to me does not happen to my students. I don't want them discovering math at age 45 as I did! I want them to discover it now, without fear, and with the belief that they can "get it" somehow, someway!).

Another excellent SIM site provided by Dr. S. is the one by Susan Ledlow from the Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence at Arizona State University. I love the way this woman thinks and writes. She makes everything sound doable and provides sound advice and instructions for helping teachers implement CL in the classroom. Don't believe me? Take a look at the site (click on the left side links for specific information-every one is a fantastic resource). You'll be using one of these methods by tomorrow!

http://clte.asu.edu/active/ledlow.htm

I did a power point presentation for our assignment on showing our understanding of the SIM. It focuses on teaching students cooperative learning skills before requiring them to do it. This relates back to a prior blog where I vented on this topic concerning web quests. How can we expect young children to work together, cooperatively, when they haven't been given the knowledge, tools, and practice? Hopefully, my power point presses this point further, and gives others ideas for teaching the topic of CL just as they would any curriculum area. In fact, in keeping with my commitment to teach CL to my students, I have decided to just that--write my SIM LP on cooperative learning! This lesson would follow a series of mini lessons on different aspects of CL, such as active listening, participation guidelines, respect for others, responsibility, etc. I am thinking of creating my lesson with the goal of having my students work, cooperatively, to design a CL rubric that they will use to evaluate themselves and each other for CL projects throughout the school year. I would use it, as well. How cool is that? How more fair could a rubric be than one designed by and for students? I'll keep you posted as I begin to develop the LP!

Until next time...

So Much "Information" To "Process"!

Greetings!

I found the following on the Course Topics menu and was thrilled when I read it. For a minute I thought I had written it as it mirrors so closely my own teaching philosophy on my web site! I believe this aspect of teaching is often ignored in teaching education, yet I feel it is among the most important topics! It is titled Teachers as Models, and this is what it said:

Discussion of the teacher's role in fostering critical and creative thinking must begin from a recognition of the teacher as a person whose unique character, interests and desires can not be separated out from the idea of the teacher's role. Good teachers are doing more when they teach than acting according to prescribed roles. Their desire to nurture a love for learning, to help students recognize and act upon their capabilities, and to establish a classroom climate which is based upon mutual regard and respect gives their teaching purpose and meaning beyond any technical description of the teacher's role. What is required is that teachers be authentic individuals who are striving to improve their practice through the use of critical and creative thought. Acting upon their belief in the importance of critical and creative reflection, teachers would attempt to: analyze their own thinking processes and classroom practices and provide reasons for what they do; be open-minded, encouraging students to follow their own thinking and not simply repeat what the teacher has said; change their own positions when the evidence warrants, being willing to admit a mistake; consistently provide opportunities for students to select activities and assignments from a range of appropriate choices; exhibit genuine interest, curiosity and commitment to learning; undertake the organization and preparation required to achieve learning goals; seek imaginative, appropriate and ethical solutions to problems; be sensitive to others' feelings, level of knowledge and degree of sophistication; show sensitivity to the physical elements which contribute to a stimulating learning environment through the physical arrangements and displays they provide or facilitate; allow for student participation in rule setting and decision making related to all aspects of learning, including assessment and evaluation.

Read My Teaching Philosophy on my web site and you'll see why I reacted so positively to this! http://msmcmethods.googlepages.com/myteachingphilosophy

Another great site I found in the course topics readings was 6 Thinking Hats Method by Edward De Bono. Take a look at this link, if you haven't already--it's well worth your time!

Moving on to the Information Processing Model. Not unlike direct instruction, I am having some trouble "processing" this model! I get it but, then again, I don't. The sheer volume of information is, in itself, somewhat overwhelming. However, I felt this way about direct instruction until I wrote my lesson plan and--epiphany!--everything suddenly came together. It was a perfect example of taking the DI we received through our readings and class lectures and combining it with IPM-hands on LP construction--to make both the concept and the skill stick! I think of it as "hands do, head remembers"! I am hoping, and expecting, that the same will occur when I write my IPM LP. Speaking of which, I had a terrible time coming up with an inquiry based lesson for my completely ELA unit on the writing process. All the examples for inquiry are in the areas of science and social studies, with a few math examples thrown in. I could find nothing on ELA, which left me to make something up...but, I couldn't! I became convinced by the absence of ELA inquiry examples and LPs that this method and strategies simply did not go with this content area. Well, you know me when faced with a challenge--overcome it! So, I searched (and searched, and searched...) the web looking for ELA inquiry examples. Nothing! Then, suddenly, I chanced upon an activity for having students get rid of words and phrases that they overuse by committing them to the Dead Word Graveyard and having a brief ceremony to say goodbye. These were words such as cool, awesome, nice, very, great, fun, best, etc. I thought this was a clever idea (though, I would call the words lazy words) and then, suddenly, it sparked another idea, a better idea, an inquiry learning idea! What if I had my students select several words that they over use, that all have other, better alternative words (the students could refer to their writing journals and student portfolios, if necessary, to determine their lists). Then, using exploratory tools such as hard copy dictionaries and thesauruses, on-line dictionaries and thesauruses, along with recording sheets and specific, step-by-step guidelines, they set out to find alternatives for these overused words. At the end, each student will create a brief power point of their overused words and the new alternatives, something like; NOT____, BUT _____. We would then print these out and chain them around the room for daily reference. I'm also playing with the idea of creating some kind of reward system for students who self-correct following this lesson. Anyway, I am hoping this fits the IPM using a guided inquiry strategy. I won't really know until I attempt to write the LP. Stayed tuned!

I completed my Treasure Hunt on web inquiry projects (WIPs). This is a daunting topic that many teachers prefer to ignore. This is completely understandable but NOT acceptable. Like most things, the IDEA is more frightening than the REALITY. This is the approach I took with my TH, in the hope of showing my participants that WIPS are not only possible, they can actually be fun. I'll wait for the feedback before reporting whether or not I achieved my goal. For a sneak peek, go to http://wips.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

I am off to start my IPM LP. God, I hope it works! If it does, maybe I can post it on the internet with a big banner: ONE OF THE VERY FEW INQUIRY LESSON PLANS AVAILABLE FOR ELEMENTARY ELA!!

Until next time...

Learning My "Lesson"!

Greetings!

A new victory! Another reason to dance for joy! I finished my direct instruction lesson plan--the first full fledged lesson plan I've written. I loved this assignment. I thought so hard and I learned so much. Not until I wrote this LP did I realize the magnitude of the responsibility I will have to my students. I don't have this responsibility as a substitute. I've never had to truly concern myself with the big picture of each child, or with the end result. In writing this LP, it hit home that I will soon be the actual teacher and everything I do, or don't do, will impact these children under my tutelage. It was a thrilling and frightening realization. As I wrote the LP, I found myself alternating between viewing it as the student (Do I "get this"?, Does it make sense? Is it interesting? Do I care about this?) and the teacher (Is this the way I want to present this? Should I have them repeat that again? Is this cloze activity too hard or just right?) I never thought about teaching like this before. I never had to look at the whole picture before. Having now looked at it, I can only say, "What have I gotten myself into"?!?

Assessments, Tests, and Homework...

What I also realized from writing this LP is that many teachers do not teach this way. By that, I mean the hard way. Since starting my graduate studies, I have been observing teachers more closely, especially my son's teachers since I have access to everything he brings home from school. Here's the thing--I see very little evidence of what I have been taught as a teacher. My son is now in 5th grade. In the time he's been in school, he has only received 2 rubrics, one in 3rd grade for a writing assignment and one, this year, for a timeline project. Yet, he did many assignments and projects over the years, leaving me to wonder, how were these graded? What was the criteria? He has also often had homework that was completely nonsensical. I spent a lot of time on the phone with other parents as we tried to figure out the directions on countless worksheets. Nine times out of ten, when I realized what was being asked, I could not believe how much easier it would have been if the directions had just been worded differently. I am not a fan of homework for homework's sake. Nor am I am a fan of many textbook worksheets. I would rather make my own based upon the textbook examples. This way, I could ensure that it was a) doable, and b) a fair assessment of the students' ability. I could also ensure that that layout was appropriate for best performance. Have you seen some of the worksheets and tests these kids bring home--especially the math!? There is no white space! We hammer into students the need to show their work yet there is never any place to do so! I simply do not understand this. These kids cram a mess of numbers along the margins of their papers and I'm supposed to figure out if they did it correctly??? It's impossible. Do most teachers really look at these messes and attempt to see who is "getting it?" I don't think so! So, then, why are you assigning this work? In my classroom I will either redo these sheets, make my own, or at the very least, create my 4 box answer sheets (double sided) on which students can do the assignment and I can actually assess their comprehension. I am a big believer in "white space" for students, which is reflected in all the worksheets I designed for my LP.

Anticipatory Sets

Another realization I had while doing my LP is how very rarely I see anything approaching an anticipatory set in most classrooms. I can see how some may find it is easy to dismiss the A.S. as unnecessary fluff , but I believe it is central to student learning. Why? In most classrooms, I hear the teacher announce, "Take out your (math/ELA/science/social studies) book and turn to page..." Then I hear groans and comments of "I hate (announced subject)" or "Do we have to do (announced subject)?" This makes perfect sense. These are kids--they don't want to do work! This is why anticipatory sets are so important. If done well, an anticipatory set can, at best, captivate the students to the degree that they are eager for the lesson, and, at the least, can ease the students into the lesson in a way that keeps their minds open to the possibility of enjoying it. The idea is to involve them before they even know what is happening! And, this whole concept of making connections--it's brilliant. Find someway to give the lesson meaning to their lives, in an immediate way and a long term way.

Thoughtful, Pre-Planned Lessons

You know how everyone always tells you that you will never have to write comprehensive lesson plans-especially of the MSMC caliber-when you are actually a teacher? And we all say, "Thank God!"? I no longer say that! How can you be a teacher and not have comprehensive lesson plans?? It's so unfair to the students. I know it's possible to teach without a comprehensive plan--I see it everyday, but I don't think I can do that. Not when having a solid plan can mean the difference between all (or most) students "getting it" as opposed to just those who always or usually get it. I also feel more comfortable having a comprehensive plan. After writing this DI plan, I felt completely comfortable that I could present it with confidence, knowing that I'd covered all the bases. Having nothing formal prepared is akin to going out on stage not knowing a line of the script. I have often felt this way as a sub and I didn't like it! One, it's a terrible time waster in an already short day and, 2) being unprepared is the quickest way to lose control of your classroom! And, any old lesson plan won't do. If the plan is not moving students forward, then it is worthless. If the plan is solid, I won't have to spend the next day reteaching it!

This assignment also made me realize another benefit: being this prepared gives me much more opportunity to observe my students throughout the learning process instead of being focused on what the heck I am doing next. Let's face it, this time is supposed to be about them and what they are doing next--not me and where I'm going next!

So, yes, it's possible to teach on a wing and a prayer, but that's just not my style. I have to look at myself in the mirror every morning and it's important that I feel good about what I see. For me, that means lesson plans, my friends, except in cases of dire emergency! And, lest I come off like Pollyanna, remember what I said earlier. Lesson plans are not just an asset to the students, they are also an invaluable tool for the teacher. It's a win win situation. I know it's probably not possible to prepare the ultimate lesson plan for every single thing I will be teaching, but my plan is this: to always be over prepared for the content areas that have the most far reaching, cognitive applications for my students --like math and ELA.

So, in writing my first lesson, I have learned my lesson. Lesson plans exist for only good reasons. Write them, use them, evaluate them, revise them, and watch students soar!

I am off to investigate IPM. This just came in my mail from the NEA--talk about a great example of inquiry learning! http://www.nea.org/lessons/tt071001.html

More on IPM and inquiry next week.

Until then...