Seeking Common Ground

It seems us education folks always have a million plates spinning. Standards Based teaching and learning, the Common Core, and a host of other initiatives (sometimes at odds with each other) can make it hard for teachers to form consensus and work together. My school district is no different than many as there are currently three initiatives simultaneously in the forefront.

• Standards Based Education: Like other Maine school districts, mine has been working to make the required shift to a standards based diploma. While the requirement seems to be more of a high school matter, it has trickled down to K-8, particularly the middle level where most of the adjustments seem to be taking place.

• Customized Learning: Likely due to the upcoming standards based requirement deadlines, my district joined the Maine Cohort for Customized Learning (MCCL). As a cohort member, the district gained access to the cohort's progression-based, standards driven curriculum. The district also gained a seat at the table in the effort to promote and support a more personalized (i.e.- customized) approach to teaching and learning that has been the norm.

• Comprehensive Literacy Framework: While linked to literacy in its implementation this is really an instructional model/structure (hence, framework) intended to improve classroom instruction, particularly literacy instruction.

My efforts have focused almost exclusively on the first two initiatives while many of my colleagues have been exploring the third with the support of a literacy specialist who is versed in both the framework and literacy instruction.

However, of late, I have wondered why the three initiatives can't be intertwined to a greater degree. For example, if the framework consists of research supported approaches that represent good teaching, and customized learning represents a logical means to engage students in learning, why can't the two work together?

If only it were that easy!

From what I have seen, the framework is a valid approach to teaching and learning in general. However, there is a key component missing in this largely whole class and small group approach to teaching and learning - the two part reality of learning rates (the appropriate pace of learning for individual students) and  learning waves (the ebbs and flows individual students go through as they learn)  Students simply don't all learn at the same pace; I know of no teachers who dispute that fact. Also, ask teachers and they will tell you that sometimes individual students learn slower (the ebbs), and sometimes those same students learn faster (the flows). Individual and small group pace variation is a key component of standards based education. The framework, with an emphasis on what the whole class is learning within a common lesson, fails to address these issues adequately. Making this issue even more significant is the overwhelming level of customization young learners expect in their 21st century lives.

No problem! Just implement customized learning and toss the framework on the 20th century scrap heap, right?

Not so fast!

Yes, customized learning with its focus on the individual is an excellent way to address both the waves and pace of student learning. It is also possible to give students far more power over their personal education experience than is allowed by the framework which is more teacher driven. However, the instructional practices of the framework can't be simply ignored. For example, establishing and clearly explaining a goal for a particular learning session is very good educational practice. It's also in the framework, by the way. So is small group learning that I, in my zeal to individualize my students' experience, have given the short end of the stick. It makes sense to incorporate the effective teaching strategies of the framework within a customized approach. Customized learning should be an "all hands on deck" approach to teaching and learning, and to ignore the benefits of an instructional framework would be provincial and foolish.

I'm increasingly convinced that there is a middle ground and that this middle ground embeds a variety of instructional approaches within a customized structure. Sound vague? It is, but I'm working to make it more clear in my own mind and will share the result. Like this entire effort, it's a bold adventure and a work in progress.

A Customized Classroom Glimpse

From time to time, I am asked how to do this "customized" or "standards based" thing. Well, I happen to have this document updated and handy for my upcoming observation/evaluation preconference. Perhaps, it will offer a glimpse into the nuts and bolts of the approach.

2013-2014 LASS Information (Mr. Davis)

Last year, our LASS class underwent a major transformation from a program linked to grade level content standards to a more customized learning program that was more standards based.  That transformation continues in the 2013-2014 school year.

Features of this year’s Customized, Standards Based Approach:

• Students work through units of study that are grounded in the district approved curriculum.
• Students don’t move on to the next Learning Target in a unit until they have met or exceeded  the previous Learning Target.  There are unlimited opportunities to meet or  exceed each Learning Target, though interventions are put in place if a student lags behind.
• Students are typically required to demonstrate proficiency of a Learning Target more than once before moving on to the next LT.
• Students use iPads, apps, Moodle, Google Docs, textbooks, and other classroom materials to work independently, with peers, and/or with one-to-one teacher guidance..
• LASS Learning Targets are scored using a 4-1 scale with 3 being the target and 4 being the highest.

Language Arts Units of Study

Reading: All students are placed within a reading progression based on their estimated reading levels. The progression is based in part on the LT sequencing of RSU57, among the leaders in the Maine Cohort for Customized Learning.

• Informational Text
• Literature

Writing: All students produce written drafts that are used as targeted teaching tools.

• Informational Explanatory
• Narrative
• Opinion/Persuasive

Language: All students learn basic language skills both independent of and within their written drafts.

• Conventions (Grammar)
• Acquisition (Vocabulary and Use of Language)

Social Studies: All students begin with a common progression of Learning Targets from the “US Government: Civics and Legal System” Measurement Topic, eventually determining for themselves their personal sequences of Measurement Topics to study.

• US Government
• Civics and the Legal System (currently available)
• Rights and Responsibilities (currently available)
• US/World Geography
• Maps and Tools (currently available)
• US Regions (in development)
• US/World History (to be developed)
• Economics (to be developed)

Learning Target Projects

Periodically, students are asked to create reflective projects. Students revisit what they have learned and create projects of their choice, demonstrating that learning.

Needs Based Tasks

Occasionally, a team, class, small group, or individual students are presented with brief learning tasks based on a specific need. For example, if several students appear to have difficulty with using context clues, those students are presented with learning tasks to help them improve that skill and certify their proficiency with the related Learning Target.

Class Routine

Typically, students enter the classroom and receive initial instructions via a smart board message without a cumbersome, start of period meeting. The message might look like this:

LASS-S:

1. Sit in TREE groups.

2. Complete your Plan for 10/28/13 in Moodle.

3. Work on your LTs for reading, writing, language, and/or social studies.

Students then engage in their learning wherever they happen to have left off. Most students use Educate as a means to check what is overdue and/or upcoming. Sometimes students are working on the same LTs, but other times they are working on completely different ones. Students have the option of getting assistance from each other or the teacher as needed. As students complete assessments, they write them on the clipboard sheet by the teacher’s desk. Assessments are scored as soon as possible, and students are notified, allowing them the opportunity to improve their work should it be required and/or should they choose. At the end of the period, students are generally thanked for their work and dismiss independently without a cumbersome, end of period meeting.

Class Guidelines

The three underlying principles guiding our classroom are as follows:

• Respect yourself.
• Respect others.
• Respect property.

Specific classroom expectations flow from our guiding principles. For example:

• Students are allowed to talk during class, but conversations should be whispered and brief.
• Students are sometimes assigned to tables, but they are usually allowed to self select isolated seating to avoid distractions.
• Students are not allowed to sit on tables as it leads to damage.

Exceptions to classroom expectations are made in an attempt to help students develop self discipline or to meet their individual needs. For example:

• Students who earn Wall of Fame status for their on pace work in both ELA and SS are allowed to work in the hallway.
• Sometimes an entire class of students may be granted the freedom to sit where they choose in the classroom as long as sufficient progress is being made.
• Some students simply work best in a separate environment and are quietly granted permission to work in the hall, the special ed. classroom, or another environment as long as they continue to make progress.

While rare, the most common consequence a student might receive for misbehavior is a “behavior practice” break detention. Also, if needed, a student may be asked to sit near the teacher desk or be moved to a nearby teacher’s classroom to settle.

Reward Systems

Wall of Fame: As mentioned above, students who earn Wall of Fame status (updated each Monday morning) receive hallway work privileges and greater flexibility. For example, a student who is on the weekly Wall of Fame may be granted permission to work on a project for another class or go to the music room to practice.

Pride Points: Students who are seen doing something positive may receive a Pride Point slip with their name on it. The student places the slip in a drawing bin. Once or twice a week, the team gathers and draws a few Pride Points from the bin. Those students get to select a treat from the reward box.

Assessment Tallies: As students submit assessments, a daily tally is posted for each class. Currently, this doesn’t lead to a reward, though it is proving to be quite motivating for some students.

Passes

Initially, students were not required to use a pass to visit the restroom or printer. However, this led to some wandering and other hallway misbehaviors. As a result, a pass system was put into place. While a pass is not required to visit one’s locker, a pass is required for visit anywhere outside of the locker area. Typically, only one or two students are allowed passes at any one time, depending on the circumstance.

Homework

During the 1st trimester, student are required to complete a Practice Paragraph assignment each week. During the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, students are encouraged to spend time working on their Learning Targets on a schedule that makes sense for them. It is recommended that students try to complete one task from an LT checklist each evening.

Communication

Periodically, parents are notified by phone or email if their child is lagging too far behind the expected pace. This notification is usually accompanied by an offer of after school assistance. More frequent communication is provided at a parent’s request.

Ontaskedness

At some point, us education folks became way too enamored with the idea of students being on task. My guess is that this is a throwback to the industrial era, during which workers were pushed to throw the machine lever again and again and again, without thinking, without looking about, without talking with friends, and without pausing except at predetermined times...or else! While that may be good 20th century factory policy, it simply doesn't make sense in the modern classroom.

I've been trying something new this year - I've taken off my Factory Supervisor hat and am no longer holding my students' feet to the fire of perpetual ontaskedness.

The result? A more positive classroom climate for one thing. I'm no longer the on task enforcer of the classroom. Instead, I've taken on these other roles:

• Classroom Attendant: My new favorite thing to ask students as I occasionally circulate about the room is, "Do you have everything you need? Are you comfortable? Do you know what is up next? Do you need to take a break?"

• Reminder in Chief: What a difference it makes to hand a student a sticky note with a gentle, "Just wanted to make sure you knew these assignments need some attention..." as opposed to a stern, "Do this now without any stopping, or you're in big trouble!"

• Praise Monitor: I always keep a stack of Pride Points on my desk and often in my shirt pocket. Pride Points are a quick, piece of paper way of saying, "Good job! Keep it up!" Sometimes kids just need their feel good tank refilled.

• Energy Booster: We all need a fire lit under us sometimes, and there are countless ways to light it. One positive approach I used the other day was to silently note on the board the number of assessments that had been submitted by each class so far that day. Many eyes were on me as I updated the number following each assessment submission, and to my satisfaction, the rate of submissions increased.

Are there limits? Of course!

Students need to refrain from distracting others from their work. (Just because one student is taking a quick breather doesn't mean the rest of the class needs to join in.) To deal with this, we have a classroom guideline stating that it's okay to whisper briefly. Keeping conversation to a whisper keeps the classroom from becoming an anticoncentration environment. Keeping the conversations brief limit student to student distractions. However, a quick, "Man! That was tough!  Did you do the pronouns activity yet?" is just fine.

Another limit is progress (another classroom guideline). Students need to make progress over time. If not, I can always intervene with assistance like solo seating or a phone call home.

So far, the results have been adequate enough to continue this trial on a general, whole class basis. However, it is becoming obvious that I need to do a better job of collecting and reviewing individual progress data to see if there are individuals who are benefitting more (or less) from this approach.

We'll see what that data shows in the coming weeks!

Foundation For Flexibility

Home foundations are rigid. They're supposed to be. But ironically, solid foundations allow for incredible flexibility. Indeed two homes with similar foundations could look, feel, and function quite differently atop their inflexible support structures.

This, in some ways, mirrors the foundation of our customized approach. (I say "our" as the students really have the final say in what works and what doesn't.) The approach begins with a rather rigid foundation. For now, I use Moodle as a delivery and organizational system for this foundation. Within Moodle, students are presented with a series of Measurement Topics that themselves house a series of specific Learning Targets.

Now, if the approach stopped there, it would remain far too rigid, likely at the expense of student engagement and creativity. Yet, here's where the foundation really does something magical. Once enough of the foundation is in place, students are presented with not just one, but multiple road maps through the Learning Targets. Best of all, they get to choose which adventure to pursue.

Here's an example. Susie is a (fictional) middle school student in our class. She knows that she needs to learn about many things including the following (and more):

• Government: Civics and the Legal System
• Government: Rights and Responsibility
• Geography: Maps and Tools
• Economics: Personal Economics
• Economics: Functional Economics

This content can be presented within Moodle as described in earlier posts. At first glance, our class Moodle course appears to lay out just a single path for students. However, once a critical mass of this content is frontloaded, it suddenly becomes more than just a single path. Instead of an inflexible train track for students to follow, the approach becomes more like a train station with tracks leading out in any number of directions. Even better, once these separate tracks are frontloaded, alternative spurs can then be built by teachers and students.

The result? Even greater engagement, more creativity, and students becoming more and more independent in their learning. What an amazing product from a seemingly inflexible foundation!

Meaningful Meetings - Bringing Students Together With Purpose

One concern some people have about the customized classroom is that students may be too isolated and forced to fly solo all the time. This is a legitimate concern, but it is one that I've found best addressed by bringing students together for meaningful reasons. Here are some examples:

• Table Groups: My classroom features five rectangular tables (usually scattered throughout the classroom space). When students enter the room, they know to look at the board where they will find their initial instructions including the Table Groups for the class. While students are assigned to specific tables, they get to choose their seat at that table. Of course, if students doesn't like their assigned tables, they need not fret because we have several variations of Table Groups (Number Groups, Letter Groups, Tree Groups, Continent Groups, Sport Groups, etc.). The Table Groups for a particular class are based on my goals. Some groups sort the students to prevent distractions, some to join students by reading level, some to provide a mix of students, and even some student generated groups, allowing friends to sit together.

• Project Partnerships: As students work through their Learning Targets, they are periodically required to create a Learning Target Project. I recently reminded students that this is the perfect opportunity to work with a friend as students may temporarily recruit peer assistance on these projects. ("Temporarily" is the key word!) Even better, if both students are on our weekly Wall of Fame (for keeping up with the negotiated/assigned pace), they have the freedom of working in the hallway (a popular place, I'm told).

• Helping Hands: My students are blessed with iPad technology, and they use it very well. However, nobody knows how to do everything. When students are in need, they tend to be very welcoming to 'how to' tips from their peers, often from students whom they would not often choose as a partner for a project. The result is usually that the student in need gets the necessary help, but perhaps equally important is that the helper gets an opportunity to be useful and valued. In short, these are opportunities to bring kids together.

• Low Stress Jigsaws: Periodically, mixed groups of students are brought together in the classroom to share what they've been learning about a common topic. For example, while some of my students have recently been learning about point of view in literature, others have been learning about plot development or character development, or theme, etc. Yet, all of these students have been learning about literature. Putting these kids together at a table to just write down what they've been learning related to literature provides an opportunity for each and every student to have a "right" answer to jot on the paper. Every kid gets a marker, so it's all happening simultaneously. Then, students can move from table to table freely to see what other people wrote. The intended result is for students to gain a better understanding of how what they've been learning fits into a larger chunk of learning...and to create work alongside their peers in a low stress way.

Effective Student Recognition

Let's face it. We all like a little recognition now and then. In response to this, many schools (all that I know of) host traditional awards assemblies. I'm not a big fan of these rather impersonal events, but even I admit that we're doing something right when we let students know they're doing well. This is true in both the traditional and customized classroom. Here are three examples of effective recognition strategies I've been using:

• Pride Points: Several years ago, my middle school had a schoolwide system for student recognition. If a teacher caught a student doing something good/well, that teacher could give the student a Pride Point, a receipt of sorts for being on the ball. While this program faded over the years at the school level, I've noticed that several teams at MMS have their own team level programs that resemble Pride Points. By itself, the giving of Pride Points is a positive thing as it gives students tangible evidence that someone noticed their dogoodedness. Some teams even take it to the next level, hosting auctions where accumulated Pride Points are used as bidding cash on silly or tasty items. Our team has a weekly meeting, featuring drawings from our Pride Point Jar. Students whose names are drawn get a round of applause from their peers and the opportunity to select from a box of trinkets and tasty treats.

• Weekly Wall of Fame: Teachers are asked to make hundreds of decisions each week. Many of these decisions involve judgement calls. I've found that our Weekly Wall of Fame helps make some of those judgements easier. It also provides opportunity for students to take even greater charge of their own learning, all in the context of rewarding kids for doing well. The Weekly Wall of Fame works like this. There is a teacher pace for all work that students are doing in my classes. Now, not every student is following the same pathway through the Learning Targets, nor do they each have the same series of due dates. Students' Learning Targets and due dates are customized for (and sometimes by) them. Each weekend I use this expected progress to make a list of students in each course who are meeting their goals for that week. The best part is the magic that happens when a student asks for a privilege. One example is the freedom to work in the hallway, a prime reward! I intentionally direct these students' attention to the week's Wall of Fame, and if a student is on both lists, it allows me to say, "Yes!" The option of listening to music while working is another popular perk of being on the Wall of Fame. If working in the hallway or listening to music gets in the way of a student's learning, they likely won't meet next week's learning goal, and thus, won't be on next week's Wall of Fame. The result is learning that goes beyond academics.

• Feedback: One of the great features of a customized approach is the opportunity it provides for frequent individual feedback. A job well done is quickly recognized, in context, rather than delayed until a teacher fights through a class set of assignments that all arrived in unison at 10am on Wednesday. Because individual achievements tend to be spread throughout the school day, the teacher is far more available to celebrate with individual students. High fives, words of praise, thumbs up, and written feedback are even more powerful when delivered in a student's moment of triumph.

• Classroom Experts: We all like to be known as someone who can do something well. In the 21st century classroom, there's more need for student expertise than ever before. We use iPads in my classes, and the students have proven to be an excellent resource regarding technology. Students often teach me new features of these great learning tools. However, the real power is generated when I ask a student to help a peer. "Hey, Billy. You really know your way around Garage Band. Sally is trying to use that app for a project. Would you be willing to show her the ropes?" The result? Sally gets the help she needs, I'm available to help another student, and Billy gets to be today's hero.

All three of these recognition approaches are proving effective in my classroom this year which begs the question, "Why?" Here's what I think:

• Recognition is likely to be effective when it targets a specific accomplishment. Recognition for earning an "A" isn't as powerful as recognition for an action that led to that grade, an action I'd like to see repeated. While scoring high is nice, doing what it takes to earn a high score is more important as it leads to greater learning and a wider range of positive results.

• Recognition is likely to be effective when it is both private and public, not just one or the other. Under the radar praise tends to be more personal, but when it is made public, it sets the stage for generalization of positive behaviors to a larger group of students. On the other hand, cranking out a stack of certificates for a public awards assembly doesn't seem to carry much weight for most of my students (and I emphasize most, not all), but following up on those awards with a more personal, "Well done! I want you to know why you received that award." seems to be more meaningful.

• Recognition is likely to be effective is the achievement being recognized is, well, achievable. Potential for success is one of the accepted keys to motivation. This works very well within the customized classroom, where each student is working toward achievable goals that are designed just for them.

Unpacking Standards

Despite the never ending pressures to hurry through the curriculum, it remains important for teachers and students to take the time to unpack standards prior to tackling them. Experts agree that students tend to learn more effectively if they have a clear understanding of what they are trying to learn. I have been repeatedly reminded of this truth during this year's customized learning implementation.

In prior years, my students were presented with a written version of the Learning Target and were asked to check with a teacher if they didn't understand what the Learning Target statement meant. While this plan was a step in the right direction, it was far from adequate. This year, as students encounter new Learning Targets, they are first presented with a video lesson explaining the Learning Target and are then required to successfully explain the basics of the Learning Target in their own words prior to moving on with their learning. This has revealed a flaw in my previous approach. I found that at times students thought they knew what a Learning Target was about when they actually did not.

Here's a recent example. One Learning Target within a government Measurement Topic requires students to understand that the branches of government sometimes work together and other times in opposition to each other, the concept of checks and balances via separation of powers. This was explained in the video lesson, where students were not only introduced to the concept but were also given an example - the process for a bill to become a law. Sounds good, right? Well, as it turned out, many of my students revealed in their first assessment (the unpacking the standard assessment) that they thought this Learning Target was about the law making process, not the concept of checks and balances. Clearly, they had missed the big concept and focused instead on the example.

Fortunately, these unpacking assessments were added this year. As a result, I was able to communicate with these students, in person and/or electronically, to guide them toward the real focus of the Learning Target. This all happened because we took the time to unpack the standard in a way that fit our approach, a very effective use of class time!