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National Board Certification-- Is This The Year For You?

10/31/2013

by Linda Yarbrough, Professional Development Specialist, Teacher Professional Development

Do you know educators who are National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs)? Have you wondered if you should pursue National Board Certification? This blog post will answer many of your questions and provide resources to help you decide whether or not to pursue National Board Certification in 2013-2014.

The National Board announced in September 2013 that the certification process will change in 2014-2015. Due to the phase-in of the new certification process, candidates beginning the pursuit of National Board Certification in 2014-2015 will not be able to achieve certification until the fall of 2017. Therefore educators who wish to achieve National Board Certification prior to 2017 should begin the process in 2013-2014 under the existing format. You can read about the changes to the certification process on our wiki.

National Board Certification is a rigorous, voluntary certification available to Pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, media specialists, and school counselors. Certification can be achieved in one to three years, depending upon whether or not any of the portions of the process have to be resubmitted to obtain higher scores.

CMS is fourth among the nation’s top 20 school districts in the number of educators who achieved National Board Certification in 2012. 1,895 educators have achieved National Board Certification while in CMS. North Carolina currently provides a 12% pay differential to NBCTs. Read more about the pay differential on the DPI website.

The certification process consists of a portfolio which accounts for 60% of your total score. Each of the four portfolio entries is comprised of a 10-12 page paper analyzing student work and reflecting upon your practice. At least two of the entries will contain a video segment of your facilitation of classroom instruction. The fourth entry describes your professional accomplishments and their impact on student learning.

The remaining 40% of your score is based on six 30-minute tests administered at a standardized testing center. These tests assess the depth and breadth of your content knowledge across the range of your area of National Board certification. There are currently 25 different areas of National Board Certification.

The National Board Certification process correlates closely to the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards. Many candidates use their work during the pursuit of National Board Certification as evidence of their work toward meeting the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards.

You can read more about the certification process on the National Board website and on our wiki.

Most educators agree that pursuit of National Board Certification is the most worthwhile professional development in which they have participated. Hear what some CMS educators think about their experiences with the National Board Certification process.

CMS offers a wide range of support to candidates pursuing National Board Certification. We have study groups facilitated by NBCTs that meet once a month through May on Saturday mornings at Spaugh PDC. Study groups are now available for registration on MyPD. We also have a cadre of NBCTs who will read your portfolio entries and provide thought-provoking feedback to encourage you to reflect deeply about your practice. We offer three candidate institutes at Spaugh PDC, focusing on portfolio entry preparation and studying for the Assessment Center tests. More information about our support program is available on our wiki.

If you would like more information before deciding whether or not National Board Certification is right for you, please consider attending an Information Session at Spaugh PDC in November or viewing the recorded information on our wiki. The dates for the upcoming Information Sessions are also available on our wiki.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Linda Yarbrough is a Professional Development Specialist in the CMS Teacher Professional Development department. She achieved National Board Certification in November 2001 as an Early Childhood Generalist and renewed her National Board Certification in 2010. Linda has worked with the CMS National Board Support Program since 2002 and currently coordinates candidate support for CMS. You can contact Linda at [email protected].

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Technology Program at Morehead Stem Academy

10/25/2013

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by Stacey Self, Technology Facilitator at Morehead STEM Academy

ABOUT MOREHEAD STEM ACADEMY
Morehead STEM Academy is a K-8 magnet school in Charlotte. As a STEM school, we focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Teachers at Morehead try their best to provide high level activities that integrate these topics. In elementary school, grades K-3 have a “STEM” block once a week, and each quarter we change which part of STEM is focused on. Next quarter is technology, where students will learn how to use iPads and complete high level projects with these devices. We also have a Project Lead the Way Pilot for Elementary School where students research careers they are interested in.

In Middle School, we have teachers that teach Science, Engineering, Math, and even business/career classes. Since technology can be included in all of STEM subjects, teachers need all the support they can get for technology.

CHECKOUT PROCEDURES
At Morehead STEM Academy, we do not have a 1:1 device program. As a part of our BYOT program, students are encouraged to bring their own devices to engage in research, note taking, and collaboration. Since we do not have a 1:1 program, we must ensure that the technology we do have is used to promote higher level thinking skills, and 21st century skills such as communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. To do this, we have a checkout procedure in which the teachers fill out a very simple form. Teachers request the technology (iPads, Chromebooks) and explain what they will be using it for. Then, the technology facilitator (I) or the PD Facilitator (Jill Smith) approve or disapprove the request. From there, we send a Google Calendar invite to notify the teacher of approval, and one of us will sign them up for checkout.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Since technology can be seamlessly integrated into all STEM subjects, teachers need plenty of support. Twice a month, professional development is offers for the teachers. One of the options is Technology. In this Technology PD, the teachers are learning how to integrate Project Based Learning with technology organized in an iTunes U course. Another option for Technology PD is every other Monday during the entire day; teachers can come learn about a technology topic during their planning time. These topics include, but are not limited to:

Creative Commons (understanding copyright issues)
Website Design with Weebly, Wordpress, Google Sites & Wiki Spaces
iPads & Accessibility
Google Drive & Gaggle with Students
Content Creation on the iPads
Discovery Education
Web 2.0 tools for 21st Century Skills
iBooks

OUR GOAL
Mr. John Floyd, our principal, has a vision for each student to have access to a device (see video above). As you can see, our school is ready to move to a 1:1 device environment. The support is here, for technology, as well as the rest of STEM. We have 3 Academic Facilitators, a Science Facilitator, a PD facilitator, two Assistant principals, and a technology facilitator. We are working hard applying for grants to make this dream happen. We believe that if every student had access to a device, students could take paperless assessments with instant feedback, take control of their own learning, research and create!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
My personal belief is not just giving teachers a bunch of tools to use, but how the tools connect to their content areas, and how technology can support student learning AND engagement. Technology is not meant to be a ‘babysitter’ which I see it being used for regularly (not at Morehead, of course!). Students love to create and collaborate!! I am a huge advocate for Project Based Learning where students take learning into their own hands and complete tasks that will help them be successful citizens one day.

Although young and less experienced than others, I believe with my whole heart that all students can learn, and technology serves a HUGE role in that. This is only my 4th year in education, and my 2nd year in the technology field. Prior to my technology focus, I taught in Korea for one year. Prior to that, I taught 2nd and 3rd grade for CMS. Currently, I am finishing up my graduate degree at UNC Charlotte in Instructional Systems Technology & Leadership. At home, my husband and I have four international students’ grades 8-11, and a baby on the way!

I also work for CMS as a Professional Development Master Teacher (PDMT), so you may see me in other areas of the district as well. Please follow me on Twitter @techystacey, and be part of my PLN where I post articles connected to technology, education, and motivation. I also attend the monthly Technology Facilitators meetings where I would love to meet other technology facilitators to collaborate on what they are doing at their schools and share ideas.

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Coding: How You Can Teach What You Haven't Learned Yet

10/18/2013

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by Pam Lilley, Media Specialist at Cornelius Elementary

More than a year ago, Code.org published a video about the importance of coding and it went viral on social media. Like many educators, I watched the video and agreed with the message but felt lacking in the tools and skills needed to make this happen for my students. I contacted parents and others in the community who have coding experience or work for Microsoft but still came up short on just how I could start a coding club at my school that would get participants' feet wet when I, myself, have very little and very outdated coding experience.

Thanks to Donna Jessup from Instructional Technology and a lot of reading about this subject from blogs, I managed to get the ball rolling at Cornelius this year. It's been easier to implement than I thought and the students love what they are doing so far. The great thing is, I have been able to learn these coding basics along with my students and didn't have to become Steve Jobs to make it happen.

5th graders working with Hopscotch

Here are a few of the apps and programs we are starting with:

Kodable: Kodable is an app for the iPad. There is a free version which gives you access to the first of three levels which contains 30 different challenges. Kodable is recommended for grades K-2 because it requires no reading skills. That said, it can still be challenging even for 4th and 5th graders. The app contains a teaching guide which helps you understand the coding vocabulary built into it and will soon offer progress tracking. It has been fascinating to see how quickly the students have adopted the new vocabulary as they play. "You set that sequence to loop three times, but it needs to loop four times." "We defined our function this way but it didn't work because that sequence doesn't repeat." Students love finding the solution to each challenge though they do experience mild levels of frustration which is an indicator that critical thinking is taking place.

Tip: “Like” Kodable on Facebook; they post some of the best tech articles I have read.

Hopscotch: Unlike Kodable, this app is not solution-oriented. This free iPad app allows students to apply coding commands to create an animation, thus students are engaged in both critical thinking and creativity (two 21st century skills). There is a very short and basic tutorial that teaches you how to organize the code within the environment along with some sample projects that show the potential of what can be created. The sample projects are what motivate the students to explore it some more and create their own animation. Mathematical principles such as distance, degrees of rotation and scale are incorporated. It is recommended for grades 3-5.

Daisy the Dinosaur: This free iPad app has two modes: challenge mode and free play. The challenge mode is very short and offers just enough to help students understand the different commands and how to use them in the program. The free play mode is similar to Hopscotch in that students use their creativity to program Daisy the Dinosaur to move in certain ways (grow, shrink, jump, roll, spin, etc.). It incorporates some of the same vocabulary as codable (loops are commands that are repeated, conditions are commands that follow a certain prompt, etc.). Because this app does use language, I recommend it for grades 1-3.

Tynker: Don't have iPads? Start with Tynker. This program is free to educators (parents pay $50/student). From the website: "Tynker's curriculum is filled with age-appropriate activities such as animating characters, building comics and stories,designing and building games, making animated slide shows, programing original music, and creating computer art." Tynker is recommended for grades 4-8 and is ideal for teachers who are coding novices because it has self-paced guided lessons that you assign to students. Their progress is tracked for you through the site.
As the movement toward reintroducing students to computational thinking through coding grows, more apps and programs will emerge. Others that have not been explored in this blog but you may want to look into are Scratch (PC-based), Move the Turtle (iOS) and CargoBot (iPad). There are even more resources listed on the code.org website. Whatever coding environment you choose, students will be engaging in critical thinking, logic, problem-solving, collaboration and creativity. As Steve Jobs said, "Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Pam Lilley is a National Board Certified Media Specialist at Cornelius Elementary. As a 7th grade student, she gave up her lunch period so she could take a computer elective where she learned to write code in BASIC. She is keenly interested in the authentic integration of technology in education and stays abreast of new trends, ideas and devices by following others who share this interest on Twitter and other social media.

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Exploring the 4Cs with Ms. C--- Part 1: Communication & Collaboration

10/16/2013

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by Raegan Cassady, Second Grade Teacher at Irwin Academic Center

When I started Kindergarten twenty-three years ago, the focus of our schools was on the “3 Rs”. You know them- “reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic”. In the time between leaving Kindergarten and becoming a teacher myself, many things have changed. Tides have shifted in education. We still focus the majority of our instruction on reading, writing, and math. However, the “4Cs” and “21st Century Skills” have become just as important. There is even a section in the CMS K-2 Report Card where students are graded on their 21st Century Skills.

The “4 Cs”, as they are referred to in education and this blog post, are communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. This blog post is the first of three relating to the “4 Cs”, and will focus on integrating communication and collaboration in the classroom.

I chose to combine communication and collaboration in this first blog post, as I believe that they are closely related to one another. In my opinion, collaboration is simply an extension and development of communication.

PREPARING TO USE COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION IN THE CLASSROOM
The first step in implementing communication within the classroom is establishing a classroom community where students feel comfortable sharing and engaging with one another. Students who do not feel comfortable or do not feel that their opinions are heard and respected are unlikely to engage with their classmates or their teachers.

Once this classroom community is established, it is necessary to model how to communicate effectively. This step is extremely important, because if students do not know how to effectively communicate, then implementing the “4 Cs” in the classroom is futile. At this time, teachers should model active listening, as well as asking good questions. Students should also learn how to respectively disagree with others during classroom discussions. By being able to listen actively, ask good questions, and respectively share their opinions, students are ready to communicate with each other.

WAYS TO USE COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION IN THE CLASSROOM
There are a number of different ways that communication and collaboration can be integrated into classroom instruction. These methods range from ones that can be done on a daily basis to ones that might take longer to implement.

Turn-and-talk – Students can turn-and-talk with a partner as a part of everyday instruction. Teacher guides student partners by asking class the same question, then partner teams share their thoughts with partner before sharing with the whole class.

Socratic or Paideia Seminars – Students participate in academic conversations about a given piece (text, art, music). Teacher serves as facilitator, asking questions. Students think in-depth about question before answering. Students share their thoughts freely and openly.

Group Projects – Students can work on group projects in learning teams. When working on projects, students work together to create a collaborative end product. It is important for students working on group projects to set rules and guidelines. Student groups should also create jobs for each team member to ensure that all team members are doing the same amount of the work.

Literature Circles – When participating in literature circles, students read an assigned text. They then discuss the text they have read.

Virtual Literature Circles– Virtual Literature Circles are similar to in person literature circles. However, unlike in live literature circles, students can use websites such as Gaggle to share their thoughts or understanding.

Padlet – Teachers, or students, can create a Padlet and ask a question or share a statement. Other group members can post their responses to the question.

How do YOU integrate communication and collaboration within your classroom?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Raegan Cassady is a second grade Learning Immersion teacher at Irwin Academic Center. Mrs. Cassady believes that all of us are lifelong learners and that the only way to get better at what you do is to learn more about it. Mrs. Cassady has a Masters in Reading and is working towards her AIG Certification. You can find Mrs. Cassady in the Twitterverse @mrs_cassady or on her website .

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Inspired By Monarchs

10/11/2013

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by Dr. Nancy Betler, Talent Development Teacher at Eastover Elementary

The Monarch Teacher Network (MTN) is a growing network of teachers and other education professionals that use monarch butterflies to teach a variety of concepts and skills, including our growing connection with other nations and the need to be responsible stewards of the environment.

This past January, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to California with the MTN. The previous summer I participated in their two day workshop and it was an amazing experience. This workshop inspired me to be a better educator as well as an advocate for the environment.

The trip was an incredible whirlwind that started in San Francisco and headed down towards Monterey. The themes of change and friendship prevailed as the relationship between Ed Rickets and John Steinbeck was explored. Our first stop was the John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas. The museum shed some light on the life of Steinbeck and his friendship with Rickets.

Moving onward, we headed to one of the largest monarch colonies in California at Pismo Beach. It was unbelievable to watch the monarchs as they hung in clusters. There were over 28,000 monarchs at the wintering area. This was one of the highlights of the trip and an item to cross off my bucket list! The monarchs were awe-inspiring in their clusters as they flew around our heads. It felt like they were floating and I did not want to leave this magical place!

Our tour continued the next day as we headed along Route 1 with its rugged (and sometimes scary) California coast. We explored tidal pools at San Simeon and experienced our first gray whale sighting. I was overwhelmed by this connection to the natural environment and to the other people on the trip. After San Simeon we traveled to Piedras Blancas to observe the elephant seal colonies.

The northern elephant seals were another highlight of the trip. This event was magnified as we witnessed a baby being born. I was astonished by these mammoth creatures and I found it fascinating that the elephant seal population almost became extinct back in the 1800s. By 1892, only 50 to 100 individuals were left with the only remaining colony on the Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja California. The Mexican government protected the only elephant seals known to be in existence. Since then, the population of northern elephant seals has recovered at an average rate of six percent per year. Today, thanks to government protection and the seals' distant lives at sea, the worldwide population has grown to an estimated 150,000 seals.

Our group then headed to Sand Dollar Beach and a walk along the “Jade Coast”, which gets its name from the rock that is deposited all along the beach. I enjoyed the quiet moments on the beach as we took in the breathtaking sights.

Big Sur was our next stop. The group explored a towering forest of giant redwoods and I met my first banana slug. The banana slug is a bright yellow slug that is the second largest species of land slug in the world! The color of the banana slug allows it to blend in with the Bay Laurel leaves as they fall onto the forest floor. One tradition is that you must kiss a banana slug for good luck! I kissed the one that I found and was blessed with good luck the rest of the trip! From Big Sur we headed to Monterey.

The whirlwind tour took us to Butterfly Town, USA also known as Pacific Grove. There we toured their fantastic natural history museum and sat on a whale! We were then off to Point Lobos, with its amazing trail that shared sea life and an old growth Cypress Forest. I can tell you that I was in almost a daze but enjoying every minute.

Our trip also took us to Andrew Molera State Park, another butterfly habitat and we were able to walk along the coast. The highlight for me this day was the trip to the Monterey Aquarium. They had an amazing display of jellyfish, showing the different varieties of jelly fish and the differences in their structures and habitats.

The sea lions at Moss Landing were so cool! Do you know the difference between seals and sea lions? Both animals are called pinniped which means “fin footed” in Latin, but they have some definite differences. Sea Lions have small flaps for outer ears while seals are earless. Sea lions are noisy while seals are quieter. Sea lions can walk on land while seals have to crawl. These were just a few of the facts I learned.

It was hard to believe how fast the trip was almost over. On our last day we headed to Muir Woods. I was overwhelmed by the ancient redwoods. The importance of old growth to butterflies, other animals and people were shared by our guide. The Point Reyes Lighthouse that we visited at the end of the day was a true highlight. It was located on the bottom of a steep cliff. The steps were the equivalent of climbing up a 30 story building but I didn't let it stop me. I was going to get to the bottom and (slowly) back up.

This experience inspired me to stretch my limits as a person and as an educator. I completed tasks and overcame obstacles that I never would have thought I could have accomplished. I want to inspire my students to the same level. I also want to help them understand the delicate balance of the world around us. There is a quote from Bradley Miller that “teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as the caterpillar." Children will never love nature unless they understand it. Through this adventure, I learned more about nature and its interrelationships than I would have ever dreamed. I hope to stretch my students the same way!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Nancy Betler is a Talent Development Teacher at Eastover Elementary and primarily works with gifted and high-ability students in grades K-5. As a National Board Certified Teacher, she fully embraces life-long learning and has recently earned her doctorate degree. Nancy is also heavily involved with the North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators (NCAEE) and serves as a Board Member. She looks forward to connecting with you on Twitter @nbetler and being a part of your PLN!

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Formative Assessment Made Easy: The Power of Socrative in a Blended Learning Environment

10/9/2013

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by Romain Bertrand, Math Multi-Classroom Leader at Ranson IB Middle School

What if I told you that there was a FREE resource out there that allows you to know instantly which students got it today and which students did not? It even does this without you having to grade a single paper! All you need is a computer or a tablet (like the HP revolve) and x number of devices for the students. These can be your brand new Chromebooks but also traditional desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones (thinking of you, BYOT schools). All you will need to do is sign up at a free website, write your virtual room number on your board and figure out all the many new and creative ways you and your students will be able to communicate from now on. This resource exists and it is called Socrative!

My name is Romain Bertrand and I am the Multi Classroom Leader for Ranson IB 6th and 7th grade Math Blended Learning programs. In a few words, at Ranson IB, our 6th and 7th graders receive math instruction both in class and online. They constantly rotate between small group classroom work with their teachers, online instruction (with tools such as Compass Learning, Show Me, Socrative, etc..) under the guidance of two learning coaches and flex teaching time with me focusing on the areas in which the data shows they need the most help.

One of our constant goals is to increase our ability to collect learning data quickly and efficiently. This way we can make prompt decisions to improve the learning of our students: Which group should they go to, what concept do they need the most help with, and what do they already know? A few weeks ago, as I was researching free tools that can be used with our Chromebooks, I came across Socrative, a free website that “sells” itself as being able to make formative assessment absolutely stress- and paper free. I decided to give it a run and to help our 7th grade math PLC get familiar with the resource and use it daily in class in less than two weeks. After reading this post, my hope is that you will have a good sense of the potential and limitations of the tool but also concrete ways to use it in your schools.

TWO CONFLICTING IDEAS AROUND FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:
Pardon my math lingo here but we should start by establishing the two following axioms, or principles:

1. We would love to know at all times if the students are truly "getting" what we are teaching: We want to know this during the class, so we can adjust our lesson on the spot, but also right after it is over, as we are getting ready for the next day. This allows us to make critical decisions that improve the quality and the level of differentiation of our next lesson.

2. Knowing if the students “are getting it” is extremely difficult and can discourage teachers to do it as often and as effectively as they should. During the class, despite our efforts to be better questioners, we can often walk out thinking we have heard from everyone when we have only heard from a few. At the end of a class, we know we should give exit tickets/formative assessments every day but we can quickly get overwhelmed with the amount of grading involved. Therefore, we often end up looking at the data too late to let it truly drive our instruction.

HOW SOCRATIVE CAN MAKE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT EASY
First, there are two versions of Socrative-- one for the teacher and one for the students.

Socrative Teacher requires you to create a free account at www.socrative.com. This can be done in less than 3 minutes and there is no need to create or import any classes. Once you have created your account, you will be taken to a fairly simple dashboard from which you can launch any Socrative activities. You will also receive a virtual room number that you can post in your room for the rest of the year; it does not change and it is the only thing students will ever need to join your virtual room.

Socrative Student does not require the creation of any account. Students simply go to www.socrative.com from any web browser or from the IOS/Android app and click on Student Login. It will take them to a simple screen prompting them to join your virtual room. They will type in the room number you have on your board and that is it! They will be ready to interact with you by answering questions and giving you "on the spot" feedback. All of which you keep track of on your “Socrative Teacher” dashboard.

Check out this short tutorial video from Socrative:

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO WITH SOCRATIVE IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS
Now that your students are in your virtual room, it is important to understand that there are two types of activities you can launch from Socrative:

1. On the spot data and feedback collection: With this feature, imagine you just taught a mini lesson and you would like to get a sense of whom will need the most help during the independent practice time. You launch a multiple choice, true/false, or short answer question from your Socrative. The question does not have to be entered into Socrative. The website will prompt students to answer the question you give them on the board. This way, you can even improvise the question on the spot based on what you observe from the students. As soon as you launch the question, students can start entering their responses and you see them live on your computer or tablet. At the end, you will have a graph and a spreadsheet with all of this data already organized!

In the following video, our 7th grade math blended learning teacher, Ms. Whelan, and I, are turning the Warm Up of the Day into a Socrative multiple choice question. It allows us to really see what students are struggling with. It also helps them speak about these mistakes as they see so many classmates making them. It truly turns mistakes into learning opportunities.

2. Formative assessments with reports emailed to you as the students walk out!!! Imagine if you had the power to give an exit ticket or a quiz during a class and to magically have all of the answers, recorded, graded and organized in a spreadsheet for you. Socrative can literally do this and after two weeks using this feature, I can already tell you that I could not live without it moving forward. Now you must be wondering how this is possible if you do not import classes to the system. Well, Socrative will simply prompt your students to type in their names before they take the assessment. Here are a number of ways we use the exit ticket and quiz features:

As a PLC, we wanted our scholars to analyze their data from our first common assessment on Discovery Education. What were their strengths and areas of growth? What could they do better in class and at home? What did they need us to do better in class and online? We created a Socrative quiz with all these questions and we asked our scholars to take this online questionnaire at the beginning of a class. By the end of each block, teachers had a complete spreadsheet with student responses to each question.

In this video, you will see our 7th grade honors math teacher, Ms. Virella, launching the activity with her scholars and using this time to start conferring with them. You will also see both 6th and 7th grade math PLCs engaging in their data conversations after this reflection activity.

I also want to share an awesome idea that I saw our PLC lead, Ms. Robinson, implement on the spot to improve the efficacy of her students as they took the survey. She took the iPad and started looking at the progress of each student live on her dashboard. She then started narrating where each scholar was in the process. We saw an immediate positive impact on the way scholars were taking the quiz! With new technology tools come new ways to communicate with our students!

We assign daily exit tickets via Socrative for students who are working online. This way, we can get instant data on how they worked, their responses, and specific skills they need for additional support. Students join the virtual room at the end of the class and input their answers. We receive detailed spreadsheets that look like this one (with the name of the students, of course):

Note that if you do not have enough devices for each of your students, it is very easy to let two students (one at a time) take an exit ticket using just one device. We have also experimented with the idea of exit ticket stations that students rotate through toward the end of the class to leave valuable feedback and data. This ensures that all students participate even if we have less devices than we have students. For example, in my flexible teaching groups, I pull 6-7 scholars from our learning labs every 25 minutes for a targeted intervention. When they go back to the lab, there is an exit ticket station set up for them to take a short formative assessment on what we just worked on. This way, I can monitor the progress of my scholars. I can also make decisions during the day as I can look at the report in between classes and see what parts of my lesson plan needs to be modified. It is that quick and that easy!

As you can see, this FREE resource has huge potential! Socrative 2.0 is being launched this week and promises to make our teaching and learning experiences even better!

I hope this in-depth look at Socrative and how it is changing the way we formally assess at Ranson IB will help you maximize the brand new Chromebooks you just received or the devices your own students bring to school every day. What a great time to be a teacher, and yes, I know it is October!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Romain Bertrand is the Multi Classroom Leader for 6th and 7th grade Math Blended Learning Programs at Ranson IB Middle School. A native of France, he has a passion for teaching and instructional coaching as well as integrating technology to help teachers and students grow. He would love to be added to your PLN and learn more about all the great things you are trailblazing at your school. You can connect with him on Twitter @htdcompletely

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We Only Get Stronger When It Is Difficult

10/4/2013

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by Joshua Lemere, Fifth Grade Teacher at Barringer Academic Center

The mantra of Common Core has required each and every one of us to redesign and upgrade our incredible craft of teaching. One huge aspect of this has been to heighten our expectations of what students should be able to do. No longer are students required to simply memorize mathematical algorithms or piecemeal reading strategies in the hopes that they “pick the right bubble” on the EOG.

The Common Core and Next Generation Assessments are requiring us to truly evaluate student learning and to take our expectations of them to great levels. To sum it up, rigor has become a central theme to the way we instruct students. This has been a huge focus in my classroom this year as we decided our class motto would be, “We Only Get Stronger When It Is Difficult.”

I focus on making my lessons “difficult” using one key concept – higher level questioning. Many of us are familiar with the traditional “Bloom’s Taxonomy” where you move up the multi-colored triangle. However, within the past ten years, this taxonomy has been revised, placing more of an emphasis on evaluating (providing valid reasoning for the way a thing is) and creating (using the design process to create, reflect, and refine your work).

While the lower levels are needed to ensure a basic understanding of topics, the higher levels are crucial to ensure that students have a sound and thorough understanding of the concepts you are teaching. For example, in my fifth grade class, we just finished reading a World War II historical fictional novel entitled Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs. In this story, two young Jewish girls live in a concentration camp near Poland and walk about 6 miles every day to a factory to produce clothing for the German soldiers. Life was grim and brutal. However, the prisoners in the camp made the best of life. One of the skills I wanted to teach was to consider multiple perspectives of characters in a novel to better understand how characters can have multifaceted character traits. With this understanding of the “hows” and “whys” of a character, they are more able to make deeper inferences as well as improving analytical skills as to the thoughts and actions of all the characters within a novel.

A specific activity that they worked on was to create an “underground” newspaper, where the various Jewish prisoners would tell of the latest gossip and various rumblings of life in the concentration camp. This activity required the students to look at camp life with a “positive” spin, rather than a “negative” spin, allowing them to explore ways in which characters can make the most out of an incredibly terrible and unfortunate situation.

We utilized our “BYOT” capabilities to research various work camps in Nazi Germany (in addition to the real one in our novel) to have a deeper understanding of what day-to-day living would be like. Students then took pieces of what they knew from the text, their additional research, and are currently in the process of creating of their underground newspaper. They are also adding creative touches such as making the paper look rough-edged, worn, and slipshod as the Jewish prisoners had very little materials to produce underground newspapers.

I’m excited to see the end products and see how the students synthesized their understanding of the characters in the novel into having a different perspective about life in the camp. The thinking required is deep, complex and matches my class motto of “difficult.” In the end, they are better off for having a more complete and well-rounded understanding of the characters rather than just a one-dimensional view. I also look forward to seeing the finalized creative touches they utilize to make it look like a genuine and authentic underground newspaper.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joshua Lemere is a 5th grade Talent Development Teacher at Barringer Academic Center, a partial magnet school for gifted students. He has a passion for teaching, learning, and technology. He would love to be added to your PLN and learn more about what you are doing in your school. You can connect with him on Twitter @mrlemere.

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