Rigor. What is it? Why is it the topic of discussion in education these days? John Wink, education scholar writes, "Rigor is all the rage these days, both literally and figuratively speaking. Everybody from the President on down believes that students must have more rigorous curriculum, more innovative instruction and challenging assessments to prepare them for the 21st century, for a college ready future, for a solid career pathway, and for whatever else we want kids to accomplish in America in the next decade."
John Wink goes on to say that "the problem that I see with rigor is not that we don't have rigor in our classrooms. It's that we don't have an aligned understanding of what rigor must be so that students will be inspired to reach our rigorous expectations. What teachers and leaders need is a common language about rigor, so that when someone says, "We Need More Rigor!", everybody knows what that means for kids."
Wink put together this table to help understanding:
Rigor is NOT
Rigor Is
More work
More appropriately challenging work
Engagement
Cognitive engagement
Teacher Q & A
Classroom discussion & student collaboration
Hard classes
Rich learning environments
Hard work
Cognitive work
Selecting Correct Responses
Making the best decisions from multiple correct responses
Feb 10--Learning Walk at Slater Elementary Feb 13--Division 22 Standards Report Due--see EXECUTIVE NUMBERED MEMO: 004-2014-15 DIVISION 22 ASSURANCES 2014-2015 Feb 13--Alice Nine @ Harney ESD--register with J. Caldwell 541-573-4834 Feb 26-27 K and Early Literacy Summit
March 9-11 CCSS Regional Trainings
March 10--Jo Robinson April 10--Harney County Tech Conference 2015 @ BHS
April 30-May 1--Kevin Feldman Learning Walk and Training info to come soon
May 14--County-wide Spelling Bee at Harney ESD
"Great people talk about ideas. Small people talk about others." Unknown
"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Unknown
This past week I was talking with a teacher in a building and then continued the conversation with a colleague in Idaho. I can sum up the conversation with the following: As we approach the spring weeks of the school year, it is easy for many teachers to get into that familiar habit of complaining and wishing that the year would end. I want to be the one who encourages you not to fall into that rut; if you already have, I want to be the one who encourages you to find a rope and climb out.
Each and every day our students need us. I often embrace the fact that I was and may be the only constant presence in many of my former students’ lives. I make a choice each day that I want that presence to be a positive, constant factor. I encourage you to do the same.
It is a great opportunity that we have to come to school and have an impact on students’ lives from day to day. If we look at teaching as what it is—a huge responsibility—we will realize that it is not to be taken lightly. Sure, there are days when some students grate on your nerves or are like fingernails on a chalkboard. Sure, there are some students that you wouldn’t necessarily want to take home with you. Sure, there are some students from whom you might want to run away if you saw them at Safeway. But we didn’t take on the enormous responsibility of teaching to avoid students. Instead, we became teachers because we care about kids.
Over the next few months, I encourage you to eat lunch with your students. I encourage you to do games with your students. To laugh with students and have a blast with kids. Wow! It is amazing how much you can learn from them when they feel that you are interested in their lives. I encourage you to give them an “attaboy” or an “attagirl” any time you can. I encourage you to avoid complaining and keep showing how much you really care. When students feel that their teachers care about them, when they feel safe in our classes, optimal learning will occur.
At this time of the school year, it is vitally important that we serve as a stable, constructive factor in our students’ lives. Again, we may be the only constant factors they have—let us commit to being positive ones!
“One good teacher in a lifetime may sometimes change a delinquent into a solid citizen.” Philip Wylie
That “one good teacher” referred to in the quote above might just be you; have a positively wonderful week!
Videos to check out!:
What is a Learning Walk? Check it out here. If interested in participating please email Janet by weeks end.
Feb 10--Learning Walk at Slater Elementary Feb 13--Division 22 Standards Report Due--see EXECUTIVE NUMBERED MEMO: 004-2014-15 DIVISION 22 ASSURANCES 2014-2015 Feb 13--Alice Nine @ Harney ESD--register with J. Caldwell 541-573-4834 Feb 26-27 K and Early Literacy Summit
March 9-11 CCSS Regional Trainings
March 10--Jo Robinson April 10--Harney County Tech Conference 2015 @ BHS
April 30-May 1--Kevin Feldman Learning Walk and Training info to come soon
As a high school teacher I used to visit Kindergarten classes quite often. My leadership classes used to teach lessons to students in K such as safety, etc. If you've never had the opportunity to visit a Kindergarten classroom, you should absolutely find time to do so. They are really amazing places.
Typically, there are 25 students and one teacher. That in itself isn't a huge deal, but add in the fact that many of these students have never been away from their home life or their parents. Some of the students have never been in an environment where there is structure and organization. Some of the students have never had to walk in a line and some have never been in a public restroom without the assistance of their guardians.
Kindergarten classrooms are really magical places where kids are able to collaboratively and independently create and design. Kids move like a well-oiled machine from one center to the next with very little if any teacher direction. These students, most of whom have never been a part of such madness, are able to find structure and are able to be trusted to do the right thing.
Students are able to 'playfully work together and learn about the creative process: how to imagine new ideas, try them out, test the boundaries, experiment with alternatives, get feedback from others, and generate new ideas based on their experiences.'
Kindergarten classrooms are spilling over with exploration and discovery. Kindergarten classrooms beam with pride as kids put their best efforts forward to please their teachers and expand their knowledge of the world.
Kindergarten classrooms are indeed a magical place.
So, what can other classrooms at other grade levels learn from Kindergarten classrooms?
What if 'instead of making kindergarten more like the rest of school, we make the rest of school – indeed, the rest of life – more like kindergarten?'
Children are playing and working with materials or other children. They are not aimlessly wandering or forced to sit quietly for long periods of time.
Children have access to various activities throughout the day, such as block building, pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as legos, pegboards, and puzzles. Children are not all doing the same things at the same time.
Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend time only with the entire group.
The classroom is decorated with children’s original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and dictated stories.
Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. Exploring the natural world of plants and animals, cooking, taking attendance, and serving snack are all meaningful activities to children.
Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Filling out worksheets should not be their primary activity.
Children have an opportunity to play outside every day that weather permits. This play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.
Teachers read books to children throughout the day, not just at group story time.
Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Because children differ in experiences and background, they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.
Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel safe sending their child to kindergarten. Children are happy; they are not crying or regularly sick.
This list sounds pretty good for ALL classrooms at ALL grade levels...
'We live in a world that is changing more rapidly than ever before. Today’s children will face a continual stream of new issues and challenges in the future. Things that they learn today will be obsolete tomorrow. To thrive, they must learn to design innovative solutions to unexpected problems. Their success and satisfaction will be based on their ability to think and act creatively. Knowledge alone is not enough: they must learn how to use their knowledge creatively.'
So, what if all classrooms were like Kindergarten classrooms?
Jan 15 Division 22 to Public Jan 16-Indistar Gathering Feb 10--Learning Walk at Slater Elementary Feb 13--Division 22 Standards Report Due--see EXECUTIVE NUMBERED MEMO: 004-2014-15 DIVISION 22 ASSURANCES 2014-2015 Feb 13--Alice Nine @ Harney ESD--register with J. Caldwell 541-573-4834 Feb 26-27 K and Early Literacy Summit
March 9-11 CCSS Regional Trainings April 10--Harney County Tech Conference 2015 @ BHS
April 30-May 1--Kevin Feldman Learning Walk and Training info to come soon
What a spectacular websiteor new readers! There are over 100 early readers with audio!
We have an obligation to our students to invest in digital connections. They are counting on relevance and our connectivity as educators will facilitate the systemic transformation that’s of critical importance. Isolation in education is a choice and it is NOT best for kids.
This past week I spent several hours replacing a section of lights on our family’s Christmas tree. Each burned out bulb required removal and some intricate rewiring…which necessitated a lot of searching amidst the artificial branches laden with clusters of needles and burned out bulbs.
When all was said and done, I triumphantly summoned my wife to view the grand re-lighting of our Christmas tree. As I plugged each successive string of lights back into the socket I beamed with pride. It worked…all of the lights were back on. Then my wife pointed out a blaring discrepancy. The 50+ lights I had toiled to replace were completely different than the tree’s original bulbs. How could I have missed it?!
I took a step back to confirm what she noticed immediately. I had been so immersed in the work of replacing an individual section of bulbs that I had isolated my focus on one section of the tree to the detriment of the whole.
Many analogies could be drawn here, but I equate this experience to our educational system. It is critical that we work together and take time to connect and collaborate with stakeholders working in different states and capacities. The quality of education we provide each and every student is our collective responsibility. When educators connect kids win.
A system-wide paradigm shift is desperately needed. The utility of an antiquated pedagogy and misguided assessment practices must also be reexamined. Yet for each school or state that is entrenched in the status quo, there are countless others committed to real change; high achievement, creativity, and connectivity for each and every student.
It’s not about how brilliant any one classroom or school shines. Our students deserve a system that serves them well and illuminates the path to being #FutureReady. We can’t realize a paradigm shift working in isolation.
Educators and school leaders MUST cultivate the characteristic of “connectivity” to help realize real change and relevance. Our kids are counting on us to tap into the brightest and most abundant resource available; each other.
Call to action: Commit to cultivating skills for the digital age using digital tools to collaborate. Set-up a Twitter account and leverage it for professional learning. Reflect upon the degree to which you’re providing learning experiences for students congruent with the tools and technology they are exposed to outside of school. If you’re already serving as a “connected educator,” provide support to a friend that has not connected yet
Thousands of teachers use LearnZillion every day to help their students learn. But how do they do it? How can a 5 minute math or ELA video lesson help to drive high quality Common Core instruction? These teachers think of LearnZillion lessons as orange juice concentrate: they’re short but if you add water – in the form of questions, practice problems, and tasks – they expand into an amazing whole lesson. In other words, these lessons are a perfect starting point for their whole class planning and instruction.
How LearnZillion Works
Each lesson on LearnZillion has been created by a member of our Dream Team directly from the language of the Common Core State Standards. As a result, every lesson is grade-level appropriate, visual, and focused on explaining the concepts at the heart of a standard. In other words, it’s dense with high-quality, easy-to-understand Common Core content. It’s also practical – each lesson comes with a set of power point slides that can be downloaded and customized to your particular class.
Learn how to customize downloadable slides
Turning LearnZillion concentrate into juice
Here are a few tips from our community about how to turn our short videos into powerful whole class instruction:
Add stopping points and questions to the video lesson. For example, stop at the “Common Misunderstanding” part of the video lessons and ask, “why do you think students make that mistake?”
Use the guided practice and extension activities at the end of many of our slides as a basis for in-class practice.
For more ideas, check out the lesson plans we’ve developed for the essential 3rd-8th grade math standards, or watch this engaging video discussion with Nick Pyzik, an elementary school teacher and math coach at Tuscarora Elementary School in Ballenger Creek, Maryland. Nick gives specific examples about how he uses LearnZillion to streamline his own planning, reflects on student reactions to using LearnZillion lessons in the classroom, and shares how he’s using LearnZillion as a coach.
What else can you do with the lessons?
When LearnZillion lessons are the building blocks for whole class instruction, it’s even easier to use them for differentiation, for homework, or for parent engagement. Students will benefit from that direct link to what happened in class, and parents can finally make sense of the standards-driven shifts. Administrators, too, are usingLearnZillion Premium as the backbone of a digital Common Core curriculum, and to help drive high-quality professional development.
Posted on by Claire Alexander @ https://blog.learnzillion.com/2014/04/07/5-minutes-to-powerful-whole-class-instruction/
Here is a parent/guardian letter that you might send home with each unit in math and/or ELA.
Parents and Guardians, Many of you have asked how you can support your student’s learning at home. Here is an important way you can do that.
Go to www.learnzillion.com. LearnZillion is a website that provides teachers and parents with video lessons showing what your student needs to learn each year. The lessons include a 3-5 minute long lesson video, downloadable slides, and other resources for practice and assessment.
When you get to the site, type the following lesson codes into any search bar on the site. The codes will bring you directly to the lessons for your student.
Place LearnZillion Codes here (You can find the LZ Codes on each lesson page when you click on “quick code” underneath each lesson video). It’s recommended that you include 2-3 codes for the upcoming week. Your student can watch the videos alone or with you. Have your student take notes while watching. I have provided a notes sheet to help. If your student doesn’t have the notes sheet with them, he/she can recreate it by taking a piece of paper and breaking the front page into the following sections:
What is this lesson about?
Review
Mistakes to avoid
The main thing to learn
He/she can use the back of the paper to work on the “guided practice” video or other activities that come with the lesson.
Thank you for supporting your student’s learning at home. Let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely,
Jan 16-Indistar Gathering at ESD Feb 10--Learning Walk at Slater Elementary Feb 13--Division 22 Standards Report Due--see EXECUTIVE NUMBERED MEMO: 004-2014-15 DIVISION 22 ASSURANCES 2014-2015 Feb 13--Alice Nine @ Harney ESD--register with J. Caldwell 541-573-4834 Feb 26-27 K and Early Literacy Summit
March 9-11 CCSS Regional Trainings April 10--Harney County Tech Conference 2015 @ BHS
April 30-May 1--Kevin Feldman Learning Walk and Training info to come soon
