Learning Scales and Oral Reading Fluency from PAML educator Phoebe Slater
Negotiated Curriculum Process
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Work Day 6/15/16
Learning Scales and Oral Reading Fluency from PAML educator Phoebe Slater
Negotiated Curriculum Process
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Eric's observations at People's Academy 3/31/16
·
Classroom walls were busily decorated -- lots of stuff! -- but
everything very neat and attended to.
·
Many classroom walls had posted specific skills/learning targets.
Like "I can analyze the quality of life in a country." "I
can write a claim and evidence piece on a subject."
·
Very calm environment -- not a lot of raised voices, not a lot of
horsing around. Environment seemed relaxed and gentle.
·
Teachers quite easily were able to speak to the whole group; people
not interrupting each other. Students looked like they were generally paying
attention.
·
BUT- I saw a number of instances where teachers asked for students
to share thoughts, answer questions, and there was much hesitancy or at least
pause to share. Teacher asks question... silence... teacher has to work to draw
something out of students.
·
Most classrooms had touch-screen smart board, and teacher had
weekly schedule posted up there.
·
Interesting organization in 9th grade English: all 9th
graders (3 or 4 classes worth) are reading To Kill a Mockingbird. They spend
half the block in one set of heterogeneous groupings to engage with issues
brought up by the book (like the one I saw was watching a video challenging
racial stereotypes); and then they regroup for the second half of the block in
groups segregated by reading level. (I saw the "good readers" group.)
·
Many classes: sitting in circles.
·
I was approached a number of times in the hallways by students who
politely asked me if I needed help. Nice!!
·
Transitions between “computers open” and “computers closed” in
classrooms was very smooth – obviously clear expectations around that have been
established.
·
Students seemed very kind and respectful to each other. Great
climate.
·
Classwork seemed pretty “routine” – not huge excitement about it,
just routinely working through it. But hey, this was just a random day. Looked
like a pretty good day of learning for the kids I saw. (Exception: a lot of excitement and energy at
“Science-palooza” in middle school.)
·
Really well organized and interesting science labs happening in 9th
grade.
·
All teachers were very interested in talking to me, welcoming,
talking about what they’re doing and what they’re thinking about. Teachers
really engaged with their work.
·
10th grade social studies—wonderful focus on essential
question: “Was Lincoln the great emancipator?” … focus on the skill of
corroboration – excellent targeting of an explicit skill. Students very attentive… all busily notating
the reading. But again, students
somewhat hesitant to share in the discussion—teacher had to work to draw out
verbal participation.
·
“Met-school” style program (“Advisory”)—a couple of kids quite
motivated by their projects.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
People's Academy Visit
After Phil took us around, I visited several classrooms, including the "advisory" (not what we mean by advisory; more like a centralized comps or IS space), a couple of middle school classrooms and some foreign language classes. I'd hoped to spend some time with their IT folks, but they were neck deep in SBAC prep. I managed to get most of the tech info I was seeking from the teachers, anyway. Here are the major things I came away with:
The school had a sense of calm about it. I've been to schools where, the instant you pass through the doors, you feel tense and ill at ease. As I walked around the halls at PA, though, the space felt... What's the opposite of strained? It seemed like, even though students were clearly awkward at times to be interacting with a visitor, they were comfortable and in their place.
The students were, to a very high degree, focused on the work of the moment. From the "science-paloooza" group of 5/6 graders I observed to the French class of 10/11 graders, nearly every student I saw was engaged in something that seemed productive.
The older students can work outside the classroom. I happened upon a young lady sitting in a window seat in the hall toward the end of my visit. I introduced myself and asked what she was working on and, without hesitation, she shared what she was reading (To Kill A Mockingbird) and the basics of the activities her class was doing around the book. I was struck by how much trust the school gives its students. It's fairly easy to manage letting students work outside class in a place as small as Compass; it's quite a different task to do so in a school like PA.
The younger students, though more closely monitored, are still given lots of room to be themselves. The middle school teachers I talked to said that the students were not generally allowed to work outside the classroom, but within the space where the grownups had them working, they were not restricted in their behavior in the way one associates with traditional instruction. In fact, the teachers would float in and out of the rooms while the kids were working and neither seemed concerned about the fact. The students were on task, whether the adults were there or not. It's important to note that "on task" for a 5/6 grader means being noisy and active in ways that are very different for a high school student, but this was embraced by the teachers as part of the process of doing amazing learning.
Tech is integrated well into classes. There are still lots of places where the non-digital still holds sway, but teachers seem keen to make use of technology in ways that are not simply cosmetic. Several owned, though, that this is a lot of, "Well, we haven't really landed on a way to do that yet."
The students seem to understand the expectations around tech use. Not once did I see a situation where the students were on devices when they shouldn't have been and only once did I see a student use a device for what might be termed "off task" activities. Also, when teachers said, "Dig 'em out," or, "Put 'em away," the students were quick to do so. This may be because the classes I observed had predictable routines around device use.
The school had a sense of calm about it. I've been to schools where, the instant you pass through the doors, you feel tense and ill at ease. As I walked around the halls at PA, though, the space felt... What's the opposite of strained? It seemed like, even though students were clearly awkward at times to be interacting with a visitor, they were comfortable and in their place.
The students were, to a very high degree, focused on the work of the moment. From the "science-paloooza" group of 5/6 graders I observed to the French class of 10/11 graders, nearly every student I saw was engaged in something that seemed productive.
The older students can work outside the classroom. I happened upon a young lady sitting in a window seat in the hall toward the end of my visit. I introduced myself and asked what she was working on and, without hesitation, she shared what she was reading (To Kill A Mockingbird) and the basics of the activities her class was doing around the book. I was struck by how much trust the school gives its students. It's fairly easy to manage letting students work outside class in a place as small as Compass; it's quite a different task to do so in a school like PA.
The younger students, though more closely monitored, are still given lots of room to be themselves. The middle school teachers I talked to said that the students were not generally allowed to work outside the classroom, but within the space where the grownups had them working, they were not restricted in their behavior in the way one associates with traditional instruction. In fact, the teachers would float in and out of the rooms while the kids were working and neither seemed concerned about the fact. The students were on task, whether the adults were there or not. It's important to note that "on task" for a 5/6 grader means being noisy and active in ways that are very different for a high school student, but this was embraced by the teachers as part of the process of doing amazing learning.
Tech is integrated well into classes. There are still lots of places where the non-digital still holds sway, but teachers seem keen to make use of technology in ways that are not simply cosmetic. Several owned, though, that this is a lot of, "Well, we haven't really landed on a way to do that yet."
The students seem to understand the expectations around tech use. Not once did I see a situation where the students were on devices when they shouldn't have been and only once did I see a student use a device for what might be termed "off task" activities. Also, when teachers said, "Dig 'em out," or, "Put 'em away," the students were quick to do so. This may be because the classes I observed had predictable routines around device use.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Alexandra's quick thoughts on PA visit
- Great school climate -- very relaxed, felt like a place where there was trust between students and teachers, students mostly focused & engaged, student collaboration encouraged in classes
- Tech use: I didn't see anything super innovative. What I DID see was that 99% of the students on devices were on task, using them for what they were supposed to be used for.
- Small independent study program in the high school (13 students). They call it "advisory;" Phil referred to it as "our mini-Met." Students can propose a project or they might be funneled there by guidance if they haven't been doing well in some of their classes. Can replace academic credit or just be an elective. The program has its own room with comfy couches and a full-time teacher with a budget (most of which, she says, is spent on taxi fare for kids to get back and forth to internships). The teacher who runs it also helps her students with academic work for other classes during their study halls, if they need it. Students do a quarterly reflective personal narrative, which they read at their exhibition. I got some paperwork from her if anyone wants to see it.
Portfolio Planning for May
Portfolio:
Start with the WHY? -
Julia & Alexandra proposal - goal:
Start with the WHY? -
Julia & Alexandra proposal - goal:
- cross-grade awareness of what happens at a round table,
- support reflection,
- increase celebratory nature for 10th grade
- 8th grade ones seem not to have enough attention paid to them.
- mentor opportunities (better name? partner)
- ingrained in our culture if we do them during the day
Celebratory: embed it in the academic day will make it be more talked about, a schedule posted, who are you going to? Specific requirement for number to attend - 2 others for off-grade kids 7,9, 11. Should they be required to go to other grades?
8th grade has celebration night. It is a marker. Peers are most important as audience.
10th grade has little closure or recognition. We ask so much for 11th and 12th graders we need to acknowledge this. Community circle instead of 8th grade on the side.
Paper Plate Awards - 9th & 11th help make them.
10th grade celebration: Need a name.
Accommodations Circle on Friday to celebrate Have special lunch with outdoor grill. Then middle school goes swimming in afternoon and others do Accommodations Circle. All together at 2:10 for ice cream.
Paper Plate Awards - 9th & 11th help make them.
10th grade celebration: Need a name.
Accommodations Circle on Friday to celebrate Have special lunch with outdoor grill. Then middle school goes swimming in afternoon and others do Accommodations Circle. All together at 2:10 for ice cream.
Mentor role? Portfolio Peer Group (PPG)
Pre-round table group tasked to provide formative feedback. Then that "mentor" attends one of these. Can this be set up through advisory time? Google form - whose would they like to see, etc. in part for buy in.
Offer workshops during week:
Schedule a mock round table for others to observe
Question team - what defines a good question for a round table
Upper classmen work together with a design challenge about how to make the portfolio and presentation process better
Micro-Portfolio
Reflection already scaffolded in (Julia shared)- will write up reflections on 5 of these pieces - also match to proficiencies
Cover letter
Parent-teacher conference? Needs to have one more person attend: community member, parent, peer
10th graders required to ask one more person at the table from the community. What about scheduling a 2nd teacher to the 10th grade ones.
Futures List:
- video a roundtable for a model - what makes a good question?
- invite teachers from other schools to attend to learn and provide feedback.
Portfolio Peer Groups thoughts: (mixed group)
What do you want for your RT? How will get there? Fears?
How can your group help you?
What makes a good RT?
What makes a good RT question to ask the presenter?
Have a mock RT as model (to watch?--maybe not everyone--a choice?)
NEED TO DO:
Contact Parents about the RT schedule: very important! WHO: Rick and Louise, today or in next several days
Create a Google form for students to elicit info for portfolio groups: WHO: Louise WHEN:
Create Peer portfolio groups WHO: Kellie, Louise, WHEN: In-service
Plan the structure of peer portfolio groups WHO: Teachers (Julia, and??? )WHEN: May 13
Invite outside guest/teachers to see roundtables: WHO: Susan
Agenda 3/30/16
Inservice - 3-30-16
Gabe
SBAC testing for Monday
Boston Trip
Intensive & Exploratory planning
Louise:
Middle school for art - am I an art teacher?
Killing fruit flies
Build Quiz
Julia
To do list - classroom duties
film-making
Kellie
iPad game - algebra - persistent What does the game offer that I can't offer? No risk. No one telling her she's wrong. Motivated to keep getting better. How to transfer those skills.
Zach's needs.
Rick
Requirements, accountability, follow through - how do we get kids to do what we want them to do? Questioning scoring and grading as motivation
How does what we do with portfolios relate to next year?
May and Peru trip
Other teachers and schools doing stuff better than we do - How can we learn from them?
LiFT - they have been adding great new things and wants to share
What do we want LiFT to help us with?
Drill weekend: what traditions do we keep? Meaning and value behind certain traditions.
Results from Google Form about last week of classes
Portfolio:
Start with the WHY? -
Julia & Alexandra proposal - goal:
Louise:
What non-portfolio partner help do you want from other grades?
Special Step up Traditions?: special lunch, longer all school to honor senior transition out (ex. of Louise's ring exchange). Idea of having 10th graders serve 11th graders dinner as a clear message they are moving up and will be the new senior leaders in our school. Something on Wednesday.
10th grade portfolio - held during project week. Some students use the beginning of that week for the portfolio, but then there ends up being little time
Process notes: a chunk of time where everyone is doing portfolio work - no normal classes that week but assigned spaces where they are working on their portfolio, or round table, or attending one, or math final. How could we deepen the reflective part, make it a little more celebratory by making space/room for freshmen and others to attend. Partner a 9th with a 10th grader for support.
Rick: worried about time wasting in a week of open work. Still have math and spanish and directed study: then during humanities and science with "structured" time. Assign everyone spaces and tasks. How about a Friday schedule for all week?
Work on portfolios for the final week in content classes instead of with advisers so each teacher can remind students of all the projects they have completed and could use.
Need: Steps That Help the Advisor" guide
Proficiencies:
Autobiography website - the chart is daunting, not fun, hard to put htemselves into.
Lends itself to BSing
How can we change the language to be more efficient, kid-friendly
Need it to be functional - they understand the chart because I get it - to a person they don't want LiFT. They like copying and pasting the "Living History" project for ex. into multiple spaces
proficiency language needs to be used as a word bank to reflect well
Indicators used to be on the tip of our tongues and were used daily - Louise is now cutting and pasting "T7"
LiFT - will be adding pie chart tracking of percentages
Content/Knowledge Realm - content and skills melding - What needs to be skills based and what needs be content
- Portfolio planning work in May - schedule implications & proficiency alignment
- Review Proficiency-tracking Process - Edit/Refine Compass proficiency list
- Leadership Team gathering - Feedback: TIIE partnership and 1:1 implementation - what we have learned and where to go next...
Gabe
SBAC testing for Monday
Boston Trip
Intensive & Exploratory planning
Louise:
Middle school for art - am I an art teacher?
Killing fruit flies
Build Quiz
Julia
To do list - classroom duties
film-making
Kellie
iPad game - algebra - persistent What does the game offer that I can't offer? No risk. No one telling her she's wrong. Motivated to keep getting better. How to transfer those skills.
Zach's needs.
Rick
Requirements, accountability, follow through - how do we get kids to do what we want them to do? Questioning scoring and grading as motivation
How does what we do with portfolios relate to next year?
May and Peru trip
Other teachers and schools doing stuff better than we do - How can we learn from them?
LiFT - they have been adding great new things and wants to share
What do we want LiFT to help us with?
- Proficiency portfolio
- Use it for unit planning (like
Louise - what can we move to the next inservice
Ryan -
making time for students to track proficiencies, independent projects, time for guidance to move them forward
Student asking for physical book for Humanities class
Making small assignments having a point value - grades don't matter?Drill weekend: what traditions do we keep? Meaning and value behind certain traditions.
Results from Google Form about last week of classes
Portfolio:
Start with the WHY? -
Julia & Alexandra proposal - goal:
- cross-grade awareness of what happens at a round table,
- support reflection,
- increase celebratory nature for 10th grade
- 8th grade ones seem not to have enough attention paid to them.
- mentor opportunities (better name? partner)
- ingrained in our culture if we do them during the day
Difference between all the portfolio presentations:
- peers presence super important at 8th grade
- 9th and 11th we are now trying to fit in mini-roundtables as a scaffolding step - suggestion to call them micro-portfolios
Louise:
What non-portfolio partner help do you want from other grades?
Special Step up Traditions?: special lunch, longer all school to honor senior transition out (ex. of Louise's ring exchange). Idea of having 10th graders serve 11th graders dinner as a clear message they are moving up and will be the new senior leaders in our school. Something on Wednesday.
10th grade portfolio - held during project week. Some students use the beginning of that week for the portfolio, but then there ends up being little time
Process notes: a chunk of time where everyone is doing portfolio work - no normal classes that week but assigned spaces where they are working on their portfolio, or round table, or attending one, or math final. How could we deepen the reflective part, make it a little more celebratory by making space/room for freshmen and others to attend. Partner a 9th with a 10th grader for support.
Rick: worried about time wasting in a week of open work. Still have math and spanish and directed study: then during humanities and science with "structured" time. Assign everyone spaces and tasks. How about a Friday schedule for all week?
Work on portfolios for the final week in content classes instead of with advisers so each teacher can remind students of all the projects they have completed and could use.
Need: Steps That Help the Advisor" guide
Proficiencies:
Autobiography website - the chart is daunting, not fun, hard to put htemselves into.
Lends itself to BSing
How can we change the language to be more efficient, kid-friendly
Need it to be functional - they understand the chart because I get it - to a person they don't want LiFT. They like copying and pasting the "Living History" project for ex. into multiple spaces
proficiency language needs to be used as a word bank to reflect well
Indicators used to be on the tip of our tongues and were used daily - Louise is now cutting and pasting "T7"
LiFT - will be adding pie chart tracking of percentages
Content/Knowledge Realm - content and skills melding - What needs to be skills based and what needs be content
Monday, February 29, 2016
Agenda 2/29/16
8:30 - 10:15 - Google Classroom 2.0:
Take some time to explore these 100+ Great Google Classroom Resources for Teachers: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/google-classroom-resources/
- Search through the ideas
- Share your favorite from your exploration with your colleagues here
- describe both the resource/idea along with how you plan to use it in your practice
10:15 - 12:00 Lay the Groundwork for Next Year - Celebration and Visioning:
Where are we and where do we want to be brainstorm - Personalized Learning at Compass:
- in a particular course and/or unit
- in terms of comps, senior project, or independent study
- in a totally revisioned setting (a new school, a school with a small number of kids, a school with a different calendar or schedule, etc)
- in terms of comps, senior project, or independent study -
- Playlists w/OERs
- in a totally revisioned setting (a new school, a school with a small number of kids, a school with a different calendar or schedule, etc)
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