Nine Six Three

My College Algebra students are great, but their abilities are all over the place, how I've found procedures that help them all work in generally similar pace:

http://infinitesums.com/commentary/2017/nine-six-three

Mastery Connect and Decimals

I've been using Mastery Connect to check for understanding on 5.3 F- representing quotient of decimals to hundredths place. Using the tests that are on Mastery Connect--- students not making that connection as well as when they use Nearpod. Maybe the presentation and interactive lessons make for better student geared. But the similar problem posted on mastery connect showed me only 70% got mastery. Maybe it's the image. What's the straight line value represent?? I'll have to make a padlet and have students respond to this.

???

Got 100% students right!

These pictorial models will be driving me____!

D is not for dog anymore .... it's for DATA!

Teaching the alphabet," A like in apple, B like in ball, C like in cat, D like in dog .... NOPE!"  In today's classroom that D is for DATA!  Don't check out just yet stay with me!  I have sat in data meetings waiting for my head to explode and dreading them because well most of the times in those meetings you feel like your ability to teach is being judged.  You feel like if your data isn't meeting expectations that it means you have failed.  I had to change my mindset about data.  The way I now look at data is as a tool to enhance learning for my students.  You can not have a personalized learning journey without data.  So I am sitting here evaluating my students middle of the year MAP data and at first I was discouraged.  The old mindset was there looking at the negative and beating myself up for it.  Then I pulled the student growth reports and was determined to find the good.  The good was there the entire time I just had to choose to find it.  Looking at all my students and comparing where they started and where they are now even if they did not meet the middle of the year goal MAP set for them they ALL made progress ALL of them 22 students made at least 1 point of progress most it was 10 points or more.  CELEBRATION!!!   The next thing was to see which areas they are strong in and which areas they need more support and practice.  I felt the need to share this because as a kindergarten teacher my data doesn't look or mean the same as say a 3rd or 5th grade teachers data but the goal is the same we want our kids to keep moving up!  Test scores do not determine your value or ability as a teacher.  Your ability as a teacher comes from what you choose to do with that data.  Are you going to use it to drill your kids with worksheets, flashcards, more homework?  Or will you use them to elevate those students towards success through modifying their personalized learning journey in a way to meet their needs?  I hope we all choose the latter. 

Poetry and Mastery Connect

The unit of poetry was slotted for three weeks for four different types of poetry: lyrical, humorous, free verse, and narrative. So do you see my problem?

I was faced with having to teach and assess mastery in a short amount of time. I hired Mastery Connect! 

Every other day we interacted with a new poetry and used a quick five question STAAR-like stem quiz to assess their mastery. With the Mastery Connect, I could easily see where I needed to speed up and slow down when approaching different elements of poetry. 

BONUS: I love this website for classic poetry. 

The Dreaded Blank Page

There is nothing I dread more on earth than the ominous blank page. I have been sitting here staring at this for the last 30 minutes, willing myself to write something. But nothing is coming to mind.

Why is it is so difficult for me to write down on paper what I'm thinking in my head?!

I never shy away from reflection, but I never make it so permanent as to put down my thoughts on a sheet of paper. Heaven forbid that someone actually sees my inner thoughts in Arial typeface! However, I have no problem reflecting verbally with anyone...even myself (I'm a good listener). I believe that I've come to the realization that writing down my reflections slows down the process for me. I tend to reflect on the fly (i.e., in the car driving home, grocery shopping, walking the dog) and formally sitting down to write down my thoughts forces me to reflect when I am not ready.

I am beginning to shift my thoughts about having to write my reflection. I'm thinking of tying 2 new approaches:  1. Recording myself talking when the mood strikes or 2. Writing down what I was thinking after my self-talks (ignoring grammar, spelling, and generally everything that I worry when I write down my thoughts).

This is NOT going to be easy for me, but I'm committing to try this from now until the end of the school year. I am asking all of you to hold me accountable!

In 3 weeks I'm heading to a 2-day conference on Computational Thinking, where we will be coding all day. I am excited, but know there will be challenges ahead for me! I'm going to consciously focus on reflecting and writing down my thoughts at the end of the conference. Hopefully, this will bring clarity for myself when I return to SBISD and begin to share my learning with others. Wish me luck!

Minecraft Club

Minecraft Club

Minecraft. Talk about relevance, right? Throughout my 3 years of teaching, I have heard a lot about Minecraft (mostly from the kids...and maybe a few nerdy adults ;)), but really didn’t know much about it. Technology and relevance are two professional goals that I am working on this year. I am always trying create a relevant world for my class. I have found my students to be some of the best teachers when it comes to technology. My 4^th graders LOVE Minecraft. I wanted to learn more about a game that gets them so excited and interested. I often wondered how I could combine their love of this game (relevance) and use our chrome books (technology) to create a lesson. However, when I was asked by a parent volunteer to take the helm of Minecraft Club at our school, I felt very apprehensive. I wasn’t completely confident about my blended learning skills in the classroom. How could I possibly LEAD a club that combined technology and collaboration? I feel like I'm barely just learning myself, but I thought back to my professional goals for this year. I decided to just go for it Taking chances (throwing caution at the wind) and hoping things work out seems to be a recurring theme for me this school year*. I am really thankful I did! What a great learning lesson for myself and for my students about taking a leap of faith and rising the worry cloud of failure. I have discovered a true passion for Minecraft and could  go on and on about how it inspires students beyond just the “game”. Minecraft gives kids the freedom to create. It broadens their imagination and inspires them to build and think beyond the walls of their little world. It is also a problem-solving game. It pushes them to higher-level and critical thinking. Above all else, witnessing them collaborate and create with big smiles has been one of my greatest joys this school year. 

If you are thinking about ways to get involved on your campus, I highly recommend starting a Minecraft Club. There are endless tools online about how to implement Minecraft into lesson plans etc. As I am learning more, I am discovering ways to actually make some lessons happen during classroom time. Taking a leap and leading this club has helped remind me that there are so many resources for kids beyond the walls of our classroom. 

Helpful resources:

http://www.thetechedvocate.org/10-classroom-uses-minecraft/

https://wiki.education.minecraft.net/wiki/Teaching_with_MinecraftEdu

* We are currently building a Meadow Wood World on Minecraft using actual plans of our campus. We are only on week 1 of this, but the kids are so excited! Check it out below!

Focus Music

Music is a very important part of peoples lives over the decades. In education, it is always debated whether headphones should be allowed in the classroom with students choosing their music. I have not concluded that this helps kids work better but just drowns everything else out and sends them to think on other things rather than the task at hand.

Think back to your education and even in college. You are in the library trying to write a paper and have your headphones in using your first 500 MB mp3 player, the iPod with the click wheel or maybe we go way back with a tape player Walkman. Whatever the device that you listened to think about how many times did you go off track listening to the lyrics or maybe spacing out. Even now trying to write a lesson plan you hear a great song start singing along you are no longer working on what you are supposed to be doing. I read an article ( I can not remember where or who wrote it) that talked about this problem with school work and music.  I observed myself and students when working with the music of choice in how much production with and without. Especially in ADHD students, more work was done without headphones or music of their choice.

I have also wondered about the studies that said music did increase focus and what would help my students( and me) work better in the classroom. I found this online music source called focus@will. This is music that they say is developed to help focus, different styles and all without words.

Since August I have experimented with and without. I have also experimented while I was teaching a lesson. My conclusion is that it is very helpful and students have a calmer overall demeanor. Work output is also increased when music is playing. I observed most of the differences in classes when I would forget to play it and wondered why things were a little more restless or less focused. I also feel it helps me in class and times I am trying to get work done.

It is not a magic bullet but I would encourage you to try it and see if it makes a difference in your classroom. It is a monthly 10$ but I have no problem paying for it because it is helpful. If you would like to try it this is a link to a free trial. http://ssqt.co/mQd6G4r

The regular website link is focusatwill.com. If you try it let me know what you think and if you find it helpful to your students.Even if you do do not use it in your classroom I would encourage it for personal work. Hope you enjoy this resource.

Let the fun begin...

Fall 2016 & Spring 2017

5th grade at Westwood Elementary had piloted Summit Learning program, better known as Quest during the school year of 2016-2017.  I saw (from the outside) Quest teachers launch this instructional model throughout the school year and witnessed the ups and downs.  But just by observing I could see how cool and personalize this model is.  Saw some students engaged in their learning and loving every minute of it. While others struggled and had to do summer school to finish their learning.  I had so many questions and was curious to learn more about the program.  My curious mind did talk to 5th grade colleagues, but just by looking it wasn't enough for me to fully understand what the heck they had launched at our campus.  🙌🙆

Beginning of Spring 2017: 

Before I applied to Vanguard,  I wanted to endeavor into personalize learning and was ready for a change but didn't know how.  I didn't make the Vanguard Cohort 2 (sad news, I know) due to capacity at my campus, but I was still curious to know how they were exploring and implementing personalize or blended learning.  I learned a lot just by looking from the outside and simply asking questions from my fellow 3rd and 4th grade Vanguard teammates who were implementing personalize learning in their classroom.  I gained so much insight, that I wanted to attempt this in my classroom, however I was scared.  It's was like I was ready for thrill of jumping off the plane, not ready to let go, and forgetting that I have a parachute to help me land!   That's how I felt about personalize learning.  In the middle of March an opportunity opened ...   "Ms. Meza are you ready to explore personalize learning and teach 5th grade Math?" 😲

Summer 2017:

How the heck did I take in all the information in one week about Summit?!?   I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision of moving up to 5th grade, getting certified, learning an instructional model completely different from my norm and shifting my teaching style all in one summer.  Well I did and I was exhausted and overwhelmed!!!  BUT... I was ready to take on this new challenge I had embarked in!  I was positive the rewards would be amazing!

Fall 2017: 

Where do I begin?  With the craziness of the Solar Eclipse? Hurricane Harvey?  New to 5th grade?  Well... all of the above!  But I was ready to take on this CHALLENGE.  I will admit I was a little lost but my team fully supported me as I understood this new model.  At first, QUEST was intimidating, but as I learned along with my students, I felt at ease.  My students felt so comfortable that I was learning with them. Making mistakes and correcting them as we learned together, helped them understand and see me as human and not a teacher.  Throughout the semester, the most challenging thing was understanding the curriculum and platform.  Common Core does not equal TEKS! So that was the challenge I was facing as I looked at curriculum, editing work from the year before. But the biggest ONE--NOT BEING IN CONTROL OF MY STUDENTS LEARNING!  They were becoming independent learners and being held accountable for their learning.  Their is more to that, but I had to learn to LET GO!!! I will have to blog about my fall 2017 adventure separately... talk about emotional roller coaster.   

Highlights of Fall 2017- 

1. Teaching 5th Math- Quest
2. Diving into personalize learning-- Summit Learning 
3. Solar Eclipe/Harvey
4. ....
5. Made Vanguard Cohort III. 

Spring 2017:  

Wait for my next post as I explore this new journey as a Vanguard Cohort. 

Do This For Me

I'm trying to force myself to make students do most of the heavy lifting, even if it means waiting a long time for them to move their pencil:

http://infinitesums.com/commentary/2017/do-this-for-me

Reminiscing.....

Being here today has inspired me to go back in time and #Vanflect on the experiences I have had in the Vanguard Fellowship.

From being surprised on the first day of school 2016.....

To our first meeting (which I came late to because I was so sick)....

The first ever #VanLunch:

To transforming my classroom, trying new tools, and reinventing how I teach my students...

Not to mention sharing my ideas and learning....

Everything has played a huge part in how I approach teaching now. My lessons and classroom activities are never the same year after year and I continue to look for ways to expand their thinking and show growth. It is never easy. There will be fails and triumphs, but in the end it is worth it for the experiences and learning that is happening. 

As mentioned today, some of us may feel alone at times in our endeavors and personal goals. That being said, as Vanguard teachers, you can never be alone now! >:) Anytime you need an idea or just a warm body to bounce ideas off of, shoot any one of us an email and we will tell you what we think. Most importantly, have fun and make the most of the amazing leaders you have support from. 

Boundaries - Getting a hold of your life

Boundaries

If you haven’t heard, teaching is rough.  I was talking to my classes about “white collar” vs “blue collar” jobs.  When they thought about the salary of a teacher vs the amount of education required and type of work we do, a curious student asked, “So you are a white collar job with a blue collar paycheck. Ms. Dizdar, that makes you… sky blue” I just about died laughing.

Why do we still do it, you may ask. Gosh darnit, we love our kids, community, and believe in what we do.

Additionally, I have seen, and have been, one of the many teachers up at school around 6:45 am or earlier who leave between 5:45 and 6:30 pm on any given day.  Oh yes people, we can put in as many as 12-14 hours per day!!!! My first few years teaching, I didn’t mind it.  Being single, fresh out of college, no bills (yet), I didn’t mind working long hours. I felt like I was giving back, making a difference, CHANGING THE WORLD!!!! And though it might have been true (or a slight stretch  ), the glory soon wore off.  I was left tired, burnt out, and just plain exhausted.  I wish I could tell you that I made an instantaneous change in my life style, buuuuttttt no. I stayed in this mess for about 4 years., mmm hmm 4 long years. Then I just decided there had to be a change in my life, so I set boundaries.

Let me say it a little slower for you wonderful perfectionist, exuberant overachiever, astounding workaholic types, which I completely identify with… B-O-U-N-D-A-R-I-E-S.

Let that beautiful word sink in.

If you had an adverse reaction to it, you are normal.  I read a book about these so called boundaries, and immediately through it across the room in anger. “But my kids need me” “I can’t do less work” “There’s too much to be done” “How can I possibly work less and still be prepared?”

Answer: Magic

No, there are not fairy godmothers, magicians, or any other brilliant sort of sorcery.  It’s just making little changes in our decisions. My 6 month thought process ended in this new schedule like kind of thing. I don’t want to just say schedule for all my perfectionist kin out there. It’s more of a “hold on loosely” plan.

Sooo here it is…

Monday – Me day!!!

I can do what ever I want. Pedicure? Sure! Run? Sure! Movies with friends, on a school night? Sure! It’s your day. Do whatever you want. Read a good book, window shop, get ice cream and take the longest bubble bath ever!!!! Take care of you.

Tuesday – Thought day

Remember that one news article you didn’t finish reading, that graduate program you have always thought about applying to, that self help book you know would improve your mind set, or that amazing book of poems you have been dying to read.  Tuesday is your day. Think about what ever you want.

Wednesday – Work Day

We are still teachers… There is still a stack of papers to grade.  Get your booty to it! Wednesday is for work.

Thursday – Oh hey friends

Go out with your favorite person, have a date night, play board games, go see a movie, trivia?!??! Remember when you were a human who liked to have fun.  Go get it!

Friday or Saturday

Give back.  Go see a sporting even at your school, plant some trees in your neighborhood park, work on a community garden.  Now that you have become human again you can give back.

Sunday

Pray, meditate, church, brunch, sleep. Its your day to rest, relax, and rejuvenate.

I  hope this little, ehem, schedule can help you find balance in your life. You are an amazing individual, worthy of love, care and time, even from yourself.

Mastery Connect = Personalized Learning

If you have not heard about Mastery Connect from a Super User (a fancy name for piloting teachers), you will soon. MC is a web-based assessment platform. I have been using it regularly since October, and I love it. It is user friendly, fun to implement and synchronized with your roster from Skyward. In my opinion, it is THE essential tool to provide personalized learning. Here are the two aspects of MC that sets it apart from other assessment systems and how it has changed my everyday practice:  

-Immediate data, immediate feedback: Using the special bubble sheets and my phone/computer camera, I scan and score assessments as soon as the student has finished working. I love the fact that students can see the questions missed right away, instead of waiting until next class. This also comes very handy when I want to create small groups and determine what each student needs to work on right after a pre-test, quiz, or exit ticket. 

-A mastery level based grade book: This is what I like the most about MC. Instead of percent grade, students scores are recorded as level of mastery for each TEKS. Mastery levels are set by the teacher and are color coded. In other words, students can easily determine which TEKS they have mastered, and which they need to work on. They can also track their progress in each TEKS over time.

There are other futures of MC (such as massive question/assessment bank, community resources, and curriculum mapping tools etc.) that I am looking forward to implementing more in second semester.

I agree that there are too many tools out there and not enough time to learn or implement all. But, give Mastery Connect a chance; it will not disappoint you.  

Mastery Connect bubble sheets, can also be printed with the student ID. I laminated them so that the students can bubble in with dry erase markers,  and use them all year long.

One of my classes aka tracker. This is an expanded view of TEKS 7.12B. I can see all assessments I have given in that TEKS and students' individual progress, mastery level etc. 

Da Van-Ci's Journal

"A conglomerate rock: A rock that is made of small rocks fused together such as granules, pebbles, cobbles and gravel."

***

Granules:

I have always felt teaching to be a gamble between winding up in a partnership with others that is isolating or collaborative. I am lucky that the cards dealt me the best partner on campus to collaborate with. We have a running joke, "This time you be the brain and I will be the hand." This phrase sums up how we take turns supporting each other's ideas into fruition. The 'brain' is the thinker while the hand assists in building the thinkers vision. Despite our desire to work with others, it is rare that we have the opportunity to observe in person(locally and globally) how other teams construct and plan lessons, as well as observe how lessons are implemented in other classrooms. Today another Vanguard teacher said, "There is no reason why we aren't collaborating across campuses." (I was listening A.R.😊). I have no profound response other than another question, "Why aren't we??"

Luckily, we do have the opportunity to see the pedagogy of others thanks to online platforms such as blogging and social media. In fact, one of my favorite things to do on a late evening coffee binge is read (Eric Jensen), listen (podcasts), creep on Twitter (Catlin Tucker everything) to see what other teachers are doing in their classrooms. On the flip side social media can also be overwhelming. One second you're reading about #SBVanguard and the next you've fallen down the rabbit hole and are scrolling through glazed posts about #DonutFriday. 

Managing mass amounts of information can be daunting.

In fact. If you could peek into my mind you would rarely find one complete thought, but rather many bits of information and ideas floating around. The little bits of information are phrases that I heard or read that were inspirational, though provoking or made me think. These little bits of information either wind up written in a journal that I keep in my bag or they play in my head over and over. They are like little pebbles in my mind sitting as a "save for later" until I am able to mold them into something whole. 

Here are few pieces:

Pebbles:

"There are two kinds of people: consumers and creators. Be a creator."-A teacher who was a mentor to me my first two years of teaching would always preach that students needed to be doing not consuming. 

Cobble:

I went to pick my daughter up from daycare when a child next to her complained to their teacher, "I'M BORED!" To that the teacher replied, "There is no such thing as being bored..." then she turned to me to finish, "...my mother ALWAYS told me that being bored is for unintelligent people~ at any time you can observe, create and make!!"  I'm still processing this, which probably explains why it is still stuck in my head. I'm hung up on the word choice of "unintelligent" due to the shock value, but does she have a point? Are kids trained to be entertained, should some of the burden of creating be put back on them? What's a good balance?

Gravel:

"What amazes you?" This question came from an icebreaker game today. It was one of the rare occasions in my life I actually had a quick, concrete answer. I have always been amazed by the technology and artwork of ancient civilizations. How did they learn to calculate astronomy, build pyramids, cast sculptures, and travel across oceans? The ability of the human mind to use natural resources to build what we take for granted today-- with out a smart device is amazing.

The Conglomerate Rock:

I started writing this post in a room surround by Vanguard Veterans as a newly inducted Cohort III member. It definitely is a day in my career as a teacher that I will not forget. WOW! There are so many things to look forward too: learning, launching and leading!

I am so very humbled to be a small pebble among this fellowship of people and ideas. I cannot wait to see how all of these small stones are glued together.

While using itsLearning in my first grade classroom has had its share of challenges, it's also been infinitely rewarding in supporting my students to become more self-directed and empowered learners. One challenge I found that really plagued my littles was none other than their memory...or occasional lapses in memory. In planning & rolling out new itsLearning content, I've often found myself saying something that sounds like this to my students, "So, when you go to (insert station) you're going to (insert content consumption like, read a book on Epic) and then do (insert assignment over a topic they may have learned a day or week or possibly month ago)." Generally, these directions are met with the sounds of crickets, quite a few empty and/or confused faces and a brave hand of a student who says something like..."I forgot what (insert a topic I thought we had covered in-depth) is..." Now, imagine me, standing there in front of 20 6 & 7 year olds while mentally coaxing myself out of a meltdown in my head and you get my inspiration for this post. Always one to take a challenge head-on, I was determined to find a way to make spiraling content less frustrating for both my students and I using itsLearning. So, boom, there it was, a bright idea that should've come to me eons ago but, instead, took an afternoon of 290 traffic to hit me. What about if I use my new-found love for screencasting to make minilessons for my kiddos that they can refer to whenever their memories lapse or maybe they just need to hear new content a few times?! Then, I can put my picture all over their itsLearning pages so everytime they need a minilesson from Ms. Roberts...I'll be there for them! Boom. #Cloned

Flexible Seating and Choice

I started bringing in some flexible seating options last year in my 2nd grade classroom. The students enjoy sitting on the floor using pillows and especially bouncing on exercise balls. This year, I added lowered desks and a standing table (which my students prefer to use stools at this year). I also added choice. Each morning students choose where they want to sit for that day and their only rule is to choose a spot where you can do your best learning. It has taken some time and some guidance but students are able to choose a spot (floor or desk) where they can do their best learning. I love hearing the students ask each other "Are you sure that's the best learning spot for you?" There have been many ups and downs but I truly love how my students have taken ownership and are making choices that will help them be successful!

Setting Sail

Last year in my 7th grade ELA classroom, my partner teacher and I started to utilize both of our rooms for different types of learning: collaborative and independent.  Students were able to schedule their time on what we called their plan.Throughout their plan, they schedule their mini-lesson, their independent reading, and then their choice of reading or writing activities.  One of the earliest iterations looked like this:








This year, we added a team member to form Humanities (reading, writing, and social studies.)  The addition of another team member meant the addition of another room.  We have The Seminar (mini-lessons), The Forum (collaborative work), and The Library (independent work.)  Our plans, of course, changed again:






To some, the plan was a beautiful thing: necessary and helpful.  To others, the plan was a burden: inconvenient and cumbersome.  My team and I tried to weigh the reasons why students would not want to utilize this indispensable tool that we had given our students! So, we took a survey.  The overwhelming response was that, for some, the plan was too well...overwhelming.

So that brings us to Setting Sail into Spring.  We decided to adopt a bit of a nautical theme and make differentiated plans.

The Sailor (stay the course) - Given what you need to do that day, but you choose the order

The Navigator (find your path) - Given some options plus optional extension activities
.

The Explorer (broaden your horizons) - ALL OF THE THINGS and then pursue a passion project when you complete the plan.

We are now in Week 2 of our new plans, and I feel we have been able to catch those reluctant and resentful planners. Our next iteration? How to take it digital.

Vanguard Year 1: Hopes, Fears and Aspirations

I am so excited to be beginning this journey as a Vanguard fellow.  This will be my first year so I find myself like a kindergarten student on the first day of school-excited, nervous, and emotional. 

Excited because this is something brand new!  I will be learning so much.  I will be learning about new tools, learning how to utilize tools I already have to leverage student learning.  I will be pushing myself and that excites me.  I am excited because I will be meeting new people, learning from them and with them.  People who have already walked these first steps, who have invaluable advice and also, individuals who are just as wide eyed and bushy tailed as I am. 

I am also feeling nervous, much like that little 5 year old walking through those huge doors at the front of the classroom, walking down that long hallway to my new classroom, lots of people hurrying by going to where they  need to be.  Walking through that classroom door, wide eyed and not knowing what to expect.  Will my teachers be "nice".  Will they be patient with me?  Will I make new friends?  Will I learn everything I need to learn?  Will I be successful?  What if I fail?  What if I can't do it?  I will be pushing myself but that push, though exciting can also be very stressful. 


Finally, I am feeling a whole whirlwind of emotions as we embark on this journey together.  This is what will be best for our students.  What I learn as part of the cohort I will be taking back and utilizing with my kids.  I may have some ideas that I think are brilliant, but then will fall flat on my face.  On the flip side, I will have some instances where I will have huge ah-ha's with my kids.  I hope that teachers will see what is happening and be less "scared" and try new things with their students.  I just know what we will be working on is what is best for our kids and that makes me very emotional.  We have students who struggle-a lot.  We have students who find learning to be a breeze for them.  I know that being a part of this cohort will help me fine tune my craft to reach each and every one of them.  I will be able to open doors for them that may never have been opened if I had not participated in this opportunity and that makes me emotional.

As a Multi Classroom Leader, I do not have just one learning space.  I work with so many students and have such a great reach.  I have many goals for myself (I'm a pusher-I push myself all the time) and one of my first goals is to create lessons and learning experiences for 2nd grade students in itslearning where they will go to learn content at their own pace.  I started doing this this year with my grade level.  The students set learning goals for themselves.   Based on these goals, students will get on itslearning and get their assignments done.  As they work, they have journals and they write their learning goal and any notes that they take as they work (including definitions, in their own words).  A struggle I had with this was-students a)had no idea how to log in to the computers.  I had to work around that problem.  I printed Clever Badges for the students and taught them how to log in to itslearning that way.  I also printed off stickers with their username, email and passwords that they stuck in their workstation folders so they would not have as many issues logging in.  I noticed that I couldn't just show the students something and say, "off you go".  I fell on my face with that one
I had to go back to the drawing board!  I knew that I wanted students to be responsible for their own learning but how could I scaffold it to be easy for second graders to learn HOW to take charge of their own learning.  I decided that the best way was to provide plenty of support up front.  I modeled how to log into itslearning with my group of advanced learners.  They each had their device, their notebooks and I walked them through it step by step.  We worked together.  The experience was much better.  Another problem I have run into is time-I don't have any time now with testing.  MAP testing, mid year reading assessments, benchmark testing, and then TELPAS coming in February.  It is very difficult because my students are still at a level that they need me-a lot.  I am considering waiting to really get in this deeply with them after TELPAS testing is over.  I don't know.  Just one of the questions I keep asking myself-how and when. 

New Initiatives

Last week we were invited to a faculty meeting and asked to make a list of  new initiatives for this year.  I almost lost my mind to learn that there were over 20 just this year alone.  How is this humanely possible?

Sometimes I feel like the more I'm asked to do, the less effective a teacher I am. There has to be a healthy balance between taking on new things and growing what we've had in the past.

Furthermore, I can't even have buy in on all the initiates that may or may not be in existence the following year. Sigh.

Microhabitats and Biodiversity PBL w/ Technology!

Last summer our wonderful science department went on a department trip to D.C. for a Jason Learning conference.  While we were there, we were given a field experience in the Great Falls National Park. Using a netting, a pop-up table, rain boots and various hand tools, we looked for macro-invertebrates along a stream. Using a dichotomous key and pamphlet guides given to us by the program, we were able to determine the species present and determine if the stream was a healthy stream or not.

                         

We had a blast! Here we were, grown adults, and we didn’t want to get out of the stream for lunch. I can only imagine how excited our students would be if they were given the opportunity to do this. This activity covered multiple TEKS including abiotic/biotic factors, biodiversity, and dichotomous keys. As you can imagine, the teachers in us were completely geeking out. 


                       

My goal this semester to simulate this same activity on our campus. I’m meeting with our department chair to get the required materials to pull this off! I also want to leverage it further by including a pre-lab study and report at the end of the activity. Students would chart their data and type up a report in the library, and if time allows, present their findings in class.

      

I’m ready to give my students more LEARNING EXPERIENCES. I feel like real good learning makes you FEEL a certain way. You rarely get a feeling from a worksheet…unless that feeling is “oh geez”. I hope that by April I can post a follow-up blog with a success story!


-  Amanda Campos

Differentiation with the Tic-Tac-Toe Chart

Need an idea on how to differentiate your lesson?
Click to see an idea you can try: Tic-Tac-Toe Menu

Student Instructions: Since it is a tic-tac-toe menu students are instructed to select three assignments. The assignments must be in a row vertically, diagonally, or horizontally that would represent a winning game. My campus runs on a 54 minute period schedule so students were given three class periods to complete their three assignments. 
What it looked like in class: There were nine different options which led me to create my own outline of the tic-tac-toe on the white board, which you can see in the picture below. 

It made it easier to visually see a difference with color so I created a set of 8 for each assignment. Students completed their work in the "Book of Knowledge" aka interactive student notebook. When students completed an assignment they needed to get a teacher signature to show they had solved that assignment correctly.
Tips: If you trust your students to not cheat then you can create a self check station instead. If you are doing the teacher signature have your answer keys ready to go for a faster process. The assignment was created as a google doc so if you can send it through It's Learning or Google Classroom then make it digital. Lastly, get as creative as you like with the assignment options. 
Reflection: Next time I do something similar or like this tic-tac-toe assignment I would like to try and integrate a writing piece within each assignment to help my EL students. I would also like to include assignments where students create rather than just solve. 

Differentiating with Learning Menus

As I looked out over my classroom, I saw kids completely NOT on the same page. Literally. Five were sitting in a group, talking about the differences between conduction and radiation. Five more were scattered, sitting alone, coloring pages of cut-outs to glue into their interactive notebooks. There were three students with their Chromebooks open, taking the quiz on TEKS 6.9 A. Another five were using textbooks, iPads, and dictionaries to look up new vocabulary words and fill in Frayer models. Yep...it was going well. My class was up to their elbows in personalized learning. It was beautiful and ugly, neat and messy, streamlined and frustrating. It was awesome. It had kids engaged. It needed tweaking. I still have much to learn and even more to try out. My first attempt at using a personalized learning menu was definitely a dynamic work-in-progress and I can't wait to try it again.

Leadership: From Rags to Riches

Leadership: From Rags to Riches

The Rags

I graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with my degree in Elementary Education. I was ready to take on the world of education with brand new ideas. I packed up my college dorm room and made the 29 hour drive to Houston, TX. Not knowing anything about the area I secured my first job in another district teaching first grade. Needless to say, I didn't have the best experience. In fact, I absolutely despised teaching. I was a sinking ship full of panicking passengers. My students wouldn't listen, I didn't have a clue what TEKS were (Florida uses Sunshine State Standards), and I didn't even know where the faculty restroom was on my campus. I didn't have much support from my administrators and came home every day in tears of frustration. I was so close to throwing in the towel and deciding teaching wasn't for me. I actually went and met with a naval officer to try and join the Navy. Turns out I didn't qualify to fly jets for the Navy because medical conditions, so I only had teaching to fall back on in order to make my life 'successful'. I decided to try one more school in another district, and that is when God sent me Spring Branch ISD.

The Inspirations

I walked into my interview with Vivian Pratts at Edgewood Elementary and immediately fell in love. The building being beautiful was enough in itself, especially since my last school looked like a jail yard with metal detectors, but Mrs. Pratts was a gift sent from heaven. She was the principal and mentor I needed to remind myself teaching was for me. She saw something in me and has pushed me to leadership ever since our first time meeting in my interview. She immediately got me involved at school with various projects, invited me to attend district events, and introduced me to many important people. By working with Mrs. Pratts I slowly began to realize that I do possess leadership potential, and it is something I am very much interested in and want to pursue. So because of her I have begun taking the leadership journey.

The Riches

So now I'm sitting here in Vanguard Onboarding. I am taking on as many leadership opportunities as possible. I am concentrating on building my network of professional educators and filling my brain with as much knowledge as possible. I have met and formed relationships with many ingenious people in this district, and learn something amazing everyday. Over the summer I had the fantastic opportunity to be in the first cohort of aspiring leaders, and got be an intern for Jennifer Blaine. It was a fantastic experience this past summer. Due to that internship many other opportunities presented themselves. I am currently engaged in itslearning daily with my students which allowed me to lead staff developments on my campus and at the district level. Everyday leadership is at the forefront in my mind, and I can't wait for the next steps. My next step is to pass graduate school, get my principal certification, and become an AP this upcoming school year. Everyday, due to a completely packed scheduled, I tell myself 'just breathe'. Everything will all come together with time.

Student Voice

During the summer I discovered Flipgrid at ISTE. I found interest in the Flipgrid booth because their people seemed very upbeat (you obviously don't stop at a quiet, lonely booth). I automatically caught #flipgridfever because it reminded me of Youtube videos, which my students are obsessed with!

I have used Flipgrid twice in my room and my students LOVE it! They feel that they are "Youtubing" when really, they are answering a math problem. My goal for my students is to find different ways to show their work, explain the reasoning behind their work, practice using academic vocabulary and have fun. I have had students make an outline of their video before recording themselves as well as students who have gone to pull a word from our word wall to have it ready for the Flipgrid recording. 

What we've done well: 

• use of academic language
• putting an individual twist to individual thoughts

What we need to improve: 

• using only 2 stickers as opposed to 10
• placing stickers AROUND our face
• NOT deleting a video because our hair did not look cute

I'll definitely continue using Flipgrid this year. I can't wait to see more of my students' responses. 

Hopefully you'll catch #flipgridfever too!

Flipgrid

With discomfort comes growth...

Once again, my professional mantra has steered me in the best direction. 

For the past two years, I had no idea what Vanguard was about, other than the fact that all of the people in the photos tagged #SBVanguard seemed happy. I wondered occasionally what might be causing the smile, and I pondered if I was willing or able to join them one day. Luckily, Amy W. and Krystal W. encouraged me to apply. 

Even with their encouragement, and the seemingly happy people in the photos, I still questioned the move. However, I was considering it. I was considering it in a year that, on paper, seems completely overwhelming. I have taken on new roles, have new teammates, new curriculum, among other things. For these reasons, applying for Vanguard made me a little apprehensive. I considered putting it off until next year. I thought about all of the reasons that I should not apply. I noticed that there were multiple steps to the application, that there was a deadline to apply, and it was not that far away. I considered all of the obligations I had already agreed to, and thought it not wise to take a new thing on. Especially something so vaguely described.

Then, my mantra popped up at the end of my brainstorm. All of the things that were dissuading me to apply were causing a sense of discomfort that registered. I am learning to turn into the discomfort instead of running away from it. I decided to do it. I completed the application and went to the interview. Then, I was accepted! I was excited, but still unclear about what to expect and that was okay. I knew I would grow but I did not know how.

Today, I came to realize that I still don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into. I am certain, however, that this was the right move. I look around the room at strong, yet friendly teachers. I see a cohort forming and I am excited about the possibilities. I am excited about the uncertainty of what lies ahead. I am ready to push myself to a productive level of discomfort. I am ready to grow with these people. Let’s do this, SBVanguard (and go team ... )