Summertime and the learning is easy

Tomorrow, my school anxiety dreams will begin in earnest.

Although many of our counterparts start their school year earlier in August, for those of us in the Philadelphia Catholic and public schools, school officially begins after Labor Day.

Even though I believe we all need this time to rest and relax, August offers us the opportunity to combat those back to school nightmares by taking control of our own life long learning. As we try to fill our calendar with all the things we do not get to do during the hectic school year, perhaps we need to look at filling in a few days for our own professional development.

Choosing ONE area to work on or learn more about can make all the difference in rejuvenating our craft in the classroom and putting those nightmares back to sleep.

Here are some ideas for jump starting your 2016-17 school year:

Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck, a professor from Stanford University, has investigated and researched the mindset of successful people, and she has offered educators a way of working with students that focuses on effort instead of ability. There are many online resources available to help teachers transform their classrooms into environments where all students can feel successful, and in fact, learn more. Check out Dweck’s website and make sure to check out the wealth of resources offered by Khan Academy on Growth Mindset. While you are at it, check out the research on the related topic of grit by University of Pennsylvania professor Angela Duckworth.

Genius Hour

Passion based learning is one of the most transformative classroom experiences, providing differentiation just by its nature and engaging students by guiding them to learn about what interests them. What is amazing about this kind of teaching is that students are learning everything we need to teach them in a way that excites them. I think Genius Hour is magical. Take a look at the resources on Genius Hour. Also, take a look at the work of Angela Maiers, and A.J. Juliani.

In fact, there is an awesome opportunity for teachers to take an online course through the Penn Literacy Network with A.J. Juliani during the school year. Make sure you check it out!

Literacy

Have you ever stopped to consider the mindblowing fact that no matter what we teach, we are all teaching Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking? This is HOW we deliver our content. This is HOW we prepare our students to learn. And it is HOW we have our students demonstrate their learning. Have you refreshed your literacy toolkit? Check out some of the resources on Edutopia. Spend some time revisiting the common core standards for literacy in History/Social Studies or Science/ Technical Subjects as well as the ELA standards. See what we are expected to teach, then spend time planning ways to make that happen in your classes.

Hands down, the BEST professional development experience I ever had with literacy came from coursework and workshops with the Penn Literacy Network. There is a great ONLINE course available through PLN that would help ANY teacher, 4-12, become more effective in engaging and teaching students. Make sure you check it out!

Twitter

How do YOU keep on top of current trends and the latest information in your field? Twitter is my favorite tool for developing a personal learning network. Get a handle (mine is @kszym) and follow some key people! Follow @mindsetworks for info on Growth mindset, follow @AngelaMaiers and @ajjuliani for info about Genius Hour and Passion Based Learning, follow @PennLitNetwork for info about Literacy.

Learn about hashtags here, and about twitter chats here.

Tech certification

Want to spice up your technological integration skills? Nothing makes you learn Google Apps for Education like studying for the Google Teacher Certifications. Earning the distinction as a Google Certified Teacher opens doors professionally, but it also shows your students that learning never ends.

Another program that looks interesting for teachers who are already accomplished with tech integration is the Ed Tech Mentor certification available through Common Sense.

Of course, the areas listed above are my favorite areas in my practice of teaching. But it is important to note that what we do is a practice. And like other professions, we need to stay current because there are always new and more effective ways to become better at what we do.

I know that spending some time during the summer reading and learning about my craft not only helps me be more effective in the classroom, but it also tends to ward off the nightmares of losing control of my classroom in front of my principal. Or going to school missing clothing. Or being forced to teach English to all the students of an entire school at the same time in the gymnasium.

My remedy? Extend professional learning and have pleasant dreams!

Making group work effective by making groups work effectively

Jul24

Mention group work in a faculty room, and you might hear some groaning and moaning. Although some teachers report group work as an effective tool for learning, many report limited success with it.

Teachers who report having difficulty with group work might mention lack of control, lack of group focus, and lack of student participation.

Working in groups is something I have been struggling with since 1981, my first year of teaching, and my ability to create effective group learning has improved only because of plenty of failure and lots of reflection.

This year is the first year that my students have reported the integral part that working in groups has played in their learning.

In her end of year reflection, Alissa wrote, “With all of the group work and partner work, I got to share my ideas and thought process with other students. This made me form a new-found confidence in my writing abilities.”

Jettaka also commented on the positive experience she had working in groups. “I also learned to work with other people to get outside knowledge on different topics. Working in tables really helped with that, and I think it also contributed to me asking for criticism when others read my work.”

I am convinced that group work is integral to providing engaging learning opportunities, and here are some tips for making group work better

Create groups of four

Odd number groups tend to leave someone out. A group that is too big tends to start to invite a leader and followers scenario. Four people is great, and it allows several combinations for pair/share. If there is an odd number of students, five is better than three. There is not enough variety of personality and ability with only three people.

Create opportunities for community building

Over the years, I have found that matching personality and ability level is less important than creating opportunities for students to get to know each other. Frequent ice breakers and community building opportunities are not a waste of time. The few minutes spent enabling students the chance to get to know one another better results in better group cooperation and shared goals.

Provide lots of low risk assignments

Building into the class a variety of work that is integral yet easily achievable creates the sense of success among the members of the group. Whether it is a brainstorming activity on giant post its created by the group, or a list of characteristics of narrative writing presented in Slides, providing activities that result in something tangible provides the positive experience of accomplishment.

Provide flexible seating

I like tables and chairs. However, I try to provide more chairs than students at a “pod” so they can move around when working. Also, allowing the group to relocate to another spot in the room can help them monitor their environment to provide the best work.

Divide and conquer

Spend less time waiting for a correct answer and get more correct answers from more students. Allow them to process their thinking in pairs and as a pair with the group. More kids will benefit from having the time to get the right answer than they would if the same few kids keep getting the answers over and over.

Mix it up

I prefer leaving the groups as they are when I establish them. Whenever I try to move the students around, kids pout and complain. And they are in high school! However, to combat that old familiarity fatigue, I will create other pair opportunities almost every week. Whether it is Speed Dating, counting off to find a partner, or Pick a Partner, mixing students up provides even more chances for students to learn together and from each other.

There are many more things that can help you make group work more productive in the classroom. Providing talking templates and specific focused questions to answer helps, too. Google “How to make group work effective in the secondary classroom” and you will find plenty of resources.

One thing I know–not only do students learn better and deeper in groups, and not only do they then understand how the room can be smarter than any one person, but they also learn valuable lifelong skills.

Lindsay said that because of group work she is “less afraid to talk to people. I’ve always been horrifically socially awkward, so being forced to collaborate with people was really scary for me. But bonding with my table over assignments has really helped me come out of my shell.”

Not only will her group work will help Lindsay feel less “awkward: in the future, but the world will be so much better with Lindsay sharing her ideas and thoughts.

That alone makes working to make group work better worth it.

Looking at the world thought the Human Lens

Jul17

This week has been a week that has forced me to look at my career differently.

As an invited guest to the Penn Literacy Network (PLN ) Summer Leadership Week, I was humbled to be among some of the most talented and dedicated educators discussing reading, writing, listening, and thinking through the Human Lens of Learning.

The Human Lens, according to PLN founder Dr. Morton Botel, deals with “the intrapersonal dimension of learning, the notion that all learners use language to make meaning in unique ways.” This dimension takes into consideration the background knowledge of the student in every way possible, including his/her attitude toward reading, writing, and learning. Botel acknowledges the Human Lens is reflected in the work of noted educator and philosopher Paulo Freire whose ideas draw attention to what Botel explains as the“enormous potential of language to empower individuals and groups to reflect and act on their worlds.”

And, to paraphrase Executive PLN Director Bonnie Botel-Sheppard, it is imperative to be mindful of the Human Lens, especially in today’s world.

What must go through a child’s mind when s/he hears about a huge white truck plowing down people gathered to watch fireworks? Or about police being picked off one by one? Or about another black person shot by police?

How can our children make sense of the world when the world seems to be constantly at odds? How can we allay their fears? How can we prepare them to take their place in the world? Perhaps most importantly, how can we prepare them to change the world?

I think the answer lies in reading and writing. Years ago, I read the report from the National Commission on Writing, The Neglected “R”. It added a dimension to my passion for teaching writing that I had always understood but could never name. In the first chapter, the report explained how “writing has transformed the world.” It explains how the power of the written word has started revolutions, stopped oppression, and provided an outlet for examining the human condition.

At a time when some educators are claiming that the Common Core does not leave much room for personal narrative, I believe that helping our students to write their own story is more important now than ever.

Over the years, as an “after” activity of a close read of an essay that addresses an author’s personal experience with racism, or sometimes even as a “before,” I have asked students to write about a time that they felt stereotyped or labeled or marginalized. The effectiveness of such an assignment is obviously multifaceted, but building that connection between reader-author-content is not only good reading, it is a good example of looking at reading through a human lens.

Perhaps we as educators fail to see how we can help change the world. Perhaps we do not believe it is our responsibility.

But it is. We are the agents of change. We are the ones who can help our students see the world in all its colors and possibilities. We are the ones that can help instill the desire to reach across divides and build bridges.

There are resources to help us. Larry Ferlazzo offers resources on teaching about race and racism. The CCSS requires us to teach students to “Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance”. Instead of reading those documents as Republicans or Democrats this election year, let’s read them for the inspiration they offer about freedom and equality.

We ourselves cannot change the world. But we can educate our students to understand what they read and write and hear and speak through the Human Lens. And in doing that, we can change our corner of the world. And from there, it will be our students who will change the world.

“Flying from above” or “How to get around a packed classroom easier”

Jul10

Lately, I have been considering looking for professional development opportunities with Cirque de Soleil.

Trying to navigate around a room of tables filled with kids on chromebooks could be made easier if I could just hover over a student’s computer to assist him or her. Imagine how effective it would be if I could appear from above, eye to eye with the student, in order to assist with questions or problems. It would also help me immensely, because I could have a bird’s eye view of all the screens, making sure all kids are on task all the time.

There seems to be millions of posts on Pinterest on how to make your classroom physically more conducive to learning. Unfortunately, the posts tend to involve smaller classes or bigger classrooms.

I teach in an ordinary secondary classroom. I have two doors, a Smart Board hung in the middle of the “front” blackboard, a large worktable permanently mounted on the back wall, 18 rectangular tables approximately two by four, 40 stackable chairs, a cart of chromebooks, and a part of a business furniture ensemble consisting of one table and a return with two drawers. And a second hand ripped leather chair that I covered with a chair cover that I got online.

I know that there are teachers who would drool at my good fortune. The tables alone make life easier for Chromebook use; I don’t have to worry about the devices slipping off a slanted student desk.

And the tables allow me to create pods which makes group work and collaboration much easier.

But I often feel tied to the desktop computer at the teacher desk, and I keep trying different (and free) ways to manage that. I am hoping that the new Google Classroom screen share feature might help with that–I could walk around the class much easier with a Chromebook than a PC strapped to my back. I thought I hit the solution with my iPad and Apple TV, but the Google tools do not work as efficiently on an iPad.

I would like some sort of set-up where I could be in the center of the room with the pods radiating out, so that I could get to kids easier and faster. My legs and hips are often bruised from the corners of the desk trying to get around the pods as I have configured them in recent years. I don’t mind the bruises, but my doctor looks at me suspiciously when I tell her that they are work related injuries.

Seriously, though, I need some new ideas for a classroom setup that supports total technology integration but that also allows for other educational activities that do not involve tech. And actually, there is a lot of work that is not done on the Chromebooks.

I am not complaining. I am blessed to have been given such wonderful resources, and I would not want to give up anything. I am just trying to find the best way to make everything work most efficiently.

Short of the “Cirque de Soleil Flying Tooth Fairy” model, I am out of ideas.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Growing a growth mindset

Jul3

I first heard about Carol Dweck’s idea of Growth Mindset a few years ago in a Penn Literacy Class. Instantly, I was drawn to the idea and quickly saw how it related to the way I want my students to feel.

In fact, last year I blogged about developing my own growth mindset after my initial failure during Google Teacher Certification.

However, this past fall, I was able to introduce the concept explicitly to my students. Because of the Papal visit, we were scheduled to have a six day break over a weekend after only two weeks in school. I was struggling with the way to situate my AP English students so that I could get them in the swing of boot camp, knowing that the break was not conducive to getting them revved up and ready to learn.

My coach suggested that I start with some work in growth mindset. What a terrific idea that turned out to be.

My students took to Dweck’s ideas enthusiastically. I offered them lessons which simultaneously introduced the concept and reviewed some reading and writing strategies. We delved into articles written by Dweck as well as videos which featured Dweck’s idea of “Not Yet” and Audri Clemmon’s joy in predicting failure with his Rube Goldberg’s machine. We read about the idea of grit as identified by U of P professor Angela Duckworth. We even tackled Alfie Kohn’s essay that challenges the way Dweck’s ideas have been conveyed.

And periodically, throughout the year, I would remind the students to try to maintain a growth mindset. I would chuckle when some of them would say to each other–in my class and others–”I have too much of a fixed mindset.”

However, subtly, and without me realizing it was happening, these students relaxed. They began to participate more in class, less afraid of having the wrong answer. Slowly, they began to take risks in their writing, more comfortable with the idea of failing and revising. There were fewer students worrying about their grades and more students worrying about understanding the content. They were less concerned about getting high scores and more concerned with mastering skills.

I did not see this as it was happening, and honestly, it was not until just before their exam in May that I realized how it had changed the dynamic of the classes.

The night before the AP exam in May, I assign a “strange” kind of homework. I even have had parents write to me to make sure this is not something their child is making up. I instruct them to not look at anything remotely academic from the time they leave the building the day before the test until they open the booklet that morning. I require them to do something fun. I suggest that they make plans with other classmates to see a movie or play a softball game or indulge in something that they usually do not have time for.

That evening, some of the students tweeted a picture they drew at dinner that read “Carol Dweck is my mom.”

That phrase had actually appeared on the board during some final test prep a few days before.

That is when I started to realize the implications of teaching the year in the context of growth mindset.

Additionally, the import of growth mindset started to appear on the students’ reflections of their writing portfolio. And in their letters of advice to rising AP students. And in their videos. And even in letters they wrote to me.

Throughout the year, I had the opportunity to find a way to name all the kinds of things that I always try to impart to my students. Ideas like grades are not as important as the learning. Or that a grade does not define a person. Or that the only way to grow is to take risks. Or that failure is important to success. Or that no one is perfect. And that to err is human.

So, thank you Carol Dweck. And Angela Duckworth. And Audri. And Penn Literacy Network’s coach Bernadette Janis. Thank you for giving me a vehicle to explicitly teach my students the most important lesson that I can. And in allaying their fears and establishing failure as a step to growth, you all have helped me get my students to relax, enjoy learning, and succeed.

Teens talk on learning and tech

Jun26

Just a few days ago, I was fortunate to participate in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Summer Tech Academy for Secondary Teachers. There was a great deal of collaboration among my colleagues and many interesting topics that we discussed. However, the biggest learning, for me at least, took place during a student panel discussion.

Four students from Conwell-Egan and four of my students–Anna, Brendan, Brittany, and Cory–fielded questions from high school teachers across the archdiocese about their digital lives. They were open, honest, and full of information.Some of the most compelling information revealed interesting points about cell phones, social media, cheating, and the way they like to receive information from their teachers.

Cell phones, they claim, can be both a distraction and a learning tool. Each school has different rules about cell phones. Some schools, like Conwell-Egan, require students to place their phones in the perimeter of the class, out of reach. Ryan allows students to keep their cell phones on them, but turned off. Both sets of students report being distracted from learning when they see their cell phones vibrate, and they say it is hard to concentrate on learning when they are worried that their parents or friends are trying to contact them.

On the other hand, they report that they can do everything on their cell phones, including writing papers and reading books. Many of them would like to be able to keep their cell phones on their desks, but several did agree that it could invite kids to multi-task to the point of distraction.

They seemed to agree, however, that being able to check their phones regularly, like at change of class and at lunch, would remove the worry about not being connected and allow them to focus on class better.

Are they addicted to their phones? They did not answer this question head on, but they did try to explain that their cell phones contain everything that matters–socially and academically.

Social media is woven into their lives via their cell phones. Many of them tweet their friends–but they use twitter very differently than adults. Socially, they use it to create a version of themselves to share with their fellow teens. They are careful what they write, but they will use Twitter, sometimes, to carry on a disagreement or to call someone out on something hurtful. In that regard, they may “subtweet”–writing a tweet without using the person’s handle (@xxxx). The recipient of the message will know who it is intended to reach, and so will people who are aware of the situation.

They do not use hashtags. They see hashtags as pretentious and/or as a sign of not knowing how to use Twitter.

Although it seems that most of their Twitter use is social, some of it can provide very effective academic support. The Conwell-Egan students reported finding a Twitter page that helped them prepare for an AP test, and they all agreed that if their teachers would create pages on Twitter with relevant content that they would be very likely to use that.

The students reported that they tend to migrate away from social media platforms where adults predominate, like Facebook. And although there are many adults who use Twitter, it seems to me that they have created a different way to use Twitter than the adults. Many of the kids use Instagram as their main tool, along with Snapchat. And they intimated that once more adults take over those platforms, they will likely leave them as well.

Bullying and fighting is alive and well in the teenage digital world. As is cheating. But the teens were clear to tell us that these negative sides always have existed, whether digital or old school. There have always been teens who abused social conventions to hurt others or to cheat in school. They seemed to want us to realize that cheating through screenshots or texts is really no different than teens years ago who passed pieces of papers in the hallways.

Teens, they said, will always push the envelope. It was amazing to hear the students tell us that this is what teens do. There will always be teens who do not do the right thing, and just because it is in a digital realm does not make it different. They said that it is a function of maturity. How mature of them to realize the psychology of adolescence and be able to tell us that their digital world is susceptible to that as well.

They also told is that they prefer to receive information about school via their cell phones. They are less likely to check email or GradeConnect, but more likely to set their phones for notifications from a teacher’s tweet or from a teacher’s post in Remind–a free app that allows teachers, students, and parents to send and receive messages across devices.

The upshot of this panel discussion, for me at least, is that the students want us to meet them where they are–nothing new, but a constant reminder of our responsibility as educators to find ways to leverage the digital world to better teach and reach our students.

Above all, they said, they appreciate the efforts of teachers to try to reach them in ways that make sense to them. And they expressed the willingness to teach us all we want to know about the digital world they inhabit.

We asked. They answered. Now we need to hear them.

Photos (top to bottom) courtesy of James Meredith and William Brannick

The importance of being heard

Jun19

Even as I look to my twenty-seventh year of teaching, I realize there is so much more to learn in my profession.

Perhaps my biggest realization happened when my friend, colleague, and Penn Literacy Facilitator, Bernadette Janis, emphasized the importance of the simple strategy of pair-share.

There are children, she said, that can go through an entire day of classes without ever being heard.

That was a thunderbolt. It struck me to the core of my profession. How many times did I let a student leave my class without speaking and being heard? Certainly, we all know the importance of wait time in questioning. But I knew, instantly, that I had a huge deficit in providing my students the platform to speak and be heard on a daily basis.

And I imagined that deficit seven-fold. Were there kids going through an entire day without saying anything in any class? And how many days in a row could that happen? And months?

That thunderbolt was a game changer for me.

Group work has been a staple in my teaching since 1981. In various forms and differing configurations, I always was comfortable with group work. But that did not guarantee that each child spoke and was heard.

I do not think I am able to express clearly enough how devastating this realization was for me. Who would not want to be heard? It is a basic human need. And yet I was failing to provide the simple right for each child to be heard by another human being on a daily basis.

It is not lost on me how many of us discuss how students are reluctant to raise their hands. We complain that students do not want to participate. We find convoluted ways to measure participation by counting how many times they bring their books or complete their homework. That is not participation.

For years I have had my students complete a Myers Brigg Inventory, and I try to identify for the ones who score as “Introverted” ways they can participate more. I have used tools like Today’s Meet where students can post comments or questions as class goes on as a way to prompt those “introverted” students to participate. I have used nings and wikis and other walled digital environments to offer places for shy students to put forth their ideas.

What I did not realize is that the easiest and most effective – and lowest tech – way of making sure each student has the opportunity to speak and be heard is turn and talk.

How revolutionary.

Many of my students reported that their group work was one of the biggest factors in their learning this year. I plan to explore this from different angles so I can understand why–finally–group work was real and productive and worthwhile for my students this year.

And I really believe that the one little shift–providing more pair-share opportunities–was key. My students participated more. They learned more. They dug deeper. They learned that no one is smarter than the room. They learned collaboration, a skill that will serve them for their whole life.

All because Bernadette shocked me.

It is not hard to add pair-share to any activity. It changed my class. Maybe it has changed yours.

Or maybe it could.

My 2016 classroom tech props and flops

Jun12

My grades are submitted, and the full days of classes are over. A few more days and my summer vacation begins in earnest. Wrapping up the year certainly invites reflection. Here are some of my successes and failures from this year’s technology integration.

REMIND: Props to that great program! This allows teachers to connect to their students through texting without anyone knowing other people’s cell phone numbers. You can have your messages delivered to your cell phone or pick them up online. For my cell phone oriented students, this was a great way for me to contact them with announcements or updates.

However, that made my integration of TWITTER more of a flop. Students did not engage on Twitter as much as in previous years. I use Twitter for posting original content or retweeting pertinent ideas. However, I also used it in the past to get messages to my students. Remind replaced that function.

Also, I found out that my students do not use #hashtags. That was a rude awakening for me because #Ilikemakingpointsinhastags. They read my tweets, but they rarely replied or retweeted. Few students this year leveraged the power of Twitter for their own PLN. Part of that was due to the Internet connectivity issues we endured since March, but this is something I need to set as a goal for next year! #bringbacktwitterTuesdays

NEWSELA: Props to my administration for investing in that program. However, the delay with the PA state budget prevented us with getting this up and running until the second semester when the time seemed to slip through our fingers. So that’s a flop, too. However, it is definitely a goal for next year to get all teachers inserviced on this program. My principal has a great idea for using this as part of our PSAT/ SAT student preparation, and I am excited for that.

KAHOOT: Props to this engaging and fun way to get kids involved. But I flopped with this because I never even used it until last week. Tsk tsk. Goal for next year–more Kahoot sooner!

PIKTOCHART: A great tool for my students to use for creating infographics, this program definitely deserves props. Kids used it in AP for goal setting in the beginning of the year and several times in Digital Literacy. I want to use more infographics next year, and having been inspired by Kelly Gallagher, I will attempt to redefine the way I teach Digital Literacy by having more smaller projects before the big one.

HAIKU DECK: Props to this beautiful app. I love Haiku Deck. The kids love it. Even though it seems like a simple tool, something for younger children perhaps, this app let me bring home the power of visuals and less text. Props to those students who got closer to understanding that less is more for a visual presentation and that their oral presentation is better when it is conversational. Definitely need to work on helping more kids understand that.

Interestingly enough, I realized that when I create presentations, my level of confidence is inversely proportionate to the number of words I put on a slide. The more words, the less confident I am. Is that a prop or a flop?

EDUCREATIONS: Props, props, and more props. Here is an opportunity to help students practice their oral presentation skills. Again, our Internet issues impacted the second semester students from working in depth with this, but this is a definite keeper in the classroom.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Props to infinity and beyond! As a previous Schoology and Edmodo user, and a former Ning aficionado, I initially thought Classroom was somewhat thin in what it would allow me to do with my students. I was wrong. I love it. Okay you have to use Drive with it, but I love Drive, too. I can give assignments, collect assignments, post work, assign conversations, personalize the page and many more things. The only bad part is it is hinkey when you assign work but forget to “give each student a copy”. I would like to see that made easier than having to delete and recreate the assignment, but that really is my fault (flop again) for being too eager pressing enter.

IPADS: I did not use them much at all this year, and when I did it was often problematic with the sign ins for my students. I love iPads, but only as single user devices. That’s a prop for sure. But sharing iPads is more difficult for my students who use technology every single day. If I only had a cart of iPads, I would use them every day, but I would prefer each student to have his/her own.

CHROMEBOOKS: PROPS, PROPS, PROPS. This is my second year with a cart of Chromebooks. These have gone through multiple students every day for two years straight, and I only had ONE key come loose on one device. They are fast, they are clean, and they are effective. In a perfect world, every classroom teacher would have a cart of Chromebooks. That would provide a 1:1 environment without the kids losing, breaking, or forgetting their own device.

Overall, it was a very good year as far as technology in my classroom. What are your thoughts about your tech use this year? I would love to hear from you.

Empty class syndrome

Jun5

After five years of an empty nest, my husband and I recently downsized, but I am still adjusting to the fact that after spending most of our thirty-one years of marriage raising them, our children are settling into their independent lives as adults.

It is an odd feeling for me. I am proud of them, but there is a bittersweet ache in my heart, partly nostalgic, that knows I will not experience them ever again as infants and toddlers, tweens and teens. They have moved on, as they should.

It is like that, too, with my students.

Tomorrow is graduation, but the students who are graduating left my class last year. The ones in front of me have five more days before they will not be my students anymore.

Even though I may teach a few of them in other classes, the class they are in–this class, this year, this period, with this group of students–will be just a memory. And they will move on. As they should.

It amazes me–especially after twenty-six years of teaching and over 100 different classes–that no one class is ever the same. The interplay between the students is different each time. Sometimes, when I am alone in the class, I think I catch a ghostly glimpse of this class or that class, but the moments that happened will never be happening again.

It is sort of sad, this ending.

As teachers, we grow to love our students; they become ours. This meme floating around Facebook explains why.

They are OUR kids. But now it is time for them to move on, and just like my biological children, it is with a great deal of love and hope that I watch them move on to their next venture. I know I will never experience the joy of their sweet faces as they experience a great success. I won’t be there when they write their next great paper or have some incredibly insightful breakthrough.

They will stop by, ask for recommendations, write me thank you notes, say hi in the hallway.

But that particular group, at first or seventh, will never exist again.

And so, as much as I look forward to the rest and relaxation of summer, the first few days will be strangely empty and awkward.

But once the nights grow shorter, I know that there will be a brand new crop of anxious and energetic kids, with freshly sharpened pencils and pristine copy books, who will share their joys and frustrations with me on a daily basis, and who will become that class, at that period, in that year, that will only exist that one time.

I must remember to breathe it in and enjoy each moment as I experience them become my class.

I hope you enjoy this video my students made. I asked them to think about what they wished they would have known before they started this class. I love that the majority of their responses have nothing to do with skills or content, but with aspects of growth mindset.

And so, I say goodbye to them, knowing that it was humbling to have the honor of being their teacher this year. And I look forward to the rest that summer offers and the promise that a new class and a new year will bring.

Mentor texts and Growth Mindset

May29

You know a workshop was compelling when you dream about creating a lesson based on what you learned.

Recently, I was privileged to attend Kelly Gallagher’s workshop held at the Bucks County IU. Gallagher is an ELA teacher who has published much about teaching writing. He is one of my favorite gurus, and I was beyond thrilled to meet him. Not only was the inservice fairly intimate, but I was lucky to have the opportunity to chat with him informally during lunch. What makes his ideas so credible is the fact that he is still in the trenches teaching high school English.

One of his most effective strategies is using mentor texts to show kids very clearly what good writing looks like. This workshop focused a lot on using modeling and mentor texts to help kids write better.

However, one aspect of the workshop that really resonated with me had to do with a video that he showed. The video, Austin’s Butterfly, focuses on the responses of primary grade children reacting to a child’s attempts to draw a particular butterfly. The video captures the ability of the children to give specific advice to Austin, whom we never see, to help him improve his drawing to better match the original. And it captures their joy when his drawing begins to look much more like the original as he follows some of the advice they offer.

This video, created by Ron Berger, Chief Academic Officer for EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning), offers many varied entry points including writing process theory, multiple drafts, peer feedback, and revision–all of which are key to teaching writing.

(left to right) Ryan ELA teacher Roe Naab. Kelly Gallagher, Kathi Szymborski, and PLN Coach Bernadette Janis

But the connection to Carol Dweck’s work on Growth Mindset is what struck me and is haunting my dreams.

These ideas are not new, but represent some of the best practices over many years. Providing students with mentor texts is something that even happened in the Renaissance, with young apprentices copying the artwork of their masters. Hey, it worked for Michelangelo!

However, what strikes me enough to appear in my sleep is the nuance of the intersection of Berger, Gallagher, Michelangelo, and Dweck. Therein lies the approach to coach our students–using mentor texts as models–to work as hard as they can, to accept criticism and learn from it, and to erase their lines–literally and figuratively–in order to make their “butterflies” as beautiful as Austin’s.