The End of a New Beginning

I can't believe I'm almost finished with my first year of mentoring for Austin ISD at Andrews Elementary.  What a whirlwind experience this has surely been!  I learned an entirely new job in an entirely new environment.  I made some mistakes and I've learned a lot!  And as usual, I am emotional as the school year comes to a close.

In the morning, I watched students practicing for the talent show that is being held tomorrow.  I am constantly reminded that the natural state of a child is not at a desk with a pencil.  It is dance!

Today 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade went to Dottie Jordan Park as sort of an end of school year celebration.  I managed the inflatable slide and spent time getting to know even more students.  I was reminded again that the natural state of a child is not at a desk with a pencil.  It is running and playing!  And I love seeing the enthusiasm these children have for these activities.

What a great day!

Do me a huge favor...

Never start with the phrase, "Let's take a look at your mistakes" when reviewing an assessment to start a small group.  I repeat, never start with a phrase like that.  Who on earth would want to sit in a small group and immediately dive into all they did wrong?

I cringe.

Use the collective knowledge of your students to discover the correct responses, methods, procedures to solving a problem or answering a tough question.

Try this:
"Let's go through each question.  Some you answered correctly or partly correctly, while others were answered incorrectly.  Let's use what we know and have learned as a group to clear up any misconceptions."
-Call on students who answered a question correctly to explain their thinking.  Call on other students who answered partially correctly to explain their thinking.  Start with what THEY know.  Start where THEY are.  Use what THEY know to move them forward in their self-discovery and learning.

Thank you.

Kindergarten Students

I take I35 and 290 to get to work everyday.  The transition from 35 to 290 is relatively easy, it just requires one lane change.  Today, the traffic was surprisingly light.  I made it to work in a record 13 minutes!

Well, I was attempting to switch lanes when I noticed the man I was trying to get in front of (using my turn single and other driving etiquette requirements) was speeding up quickly so that I would not be able to switch lanes.  Well, understanding the actual time implications of being in front of or behind him, I thought nothing of it and just moved in behind him.  Then, a few minutes later, I noticed he did this to another car (who also used his turn single). 

This man was dead set on not letting people in front of him...at all costs.  As I was exiting Berkman Street I realized how much of a kindergartner he was acting like.  I can't tell you how many times I have intervened on 5 and 6 year-old kids pushing and shoving other students around so that they can make it to or stay in the front of the line.

And that made my mind wonder to the countless times I have seen adults in grocery stores "push and shove" their way to the front of lines to check out.  Although, the pushing and shoving has turned into a more manipulative approach (e.g., blocking the way of another who was first, cutting a corner around the merchandise stands, playing dumb, or rushing to the new cashier who says, "I can take the next person in line over here.").  Nevertheless, cutting in line and insisting on being first is a common practice from pre-k to extreme adulthood. 

First, I want to say that, generally speaking (some lines are inordinately long and people do benefit from being one of the firsts), you can save a good minute on cutting in front of someone or making sure that you are at the "front of the line".  In the case of the man driving on the same roads as me this morning, I estimate he saved 5 seconds in his total commute time by not allowing me or the other driver to politely get in front of him.  So, I don't think the function of his behavior is to save time.  I think the function of his behavior is something much deeper than that. 

Or something as simple as what a kindergartner thinks when he or she wants to make sure they are in the front of a line going to recess or lunch.  They really haven't given much thought to how much more time they will get to play at recess or how much more quickly they will receive their lunch by being in front.  All they know is that they want to eat and play and they want to be one of the first to do so.

So, the next time I get frustrated at a kindergartner for cutting or pushing in line, I will think back to this man or the countless adults who frequent grocery stores.  And I will show more patience. 

Children are Children

I'll admit, one of the things I was most nervous about coming into the mentoring position was working with several bilingual teachers.  These teachers' students are only Spanish speakers.  I was worried that I would not be able to support the new teachers in ways that made a true difference.  I do not have a bilingual background.  Though my professional goal is to become fluent in Spanish, I have definitely not achieved that goal yet.  So, being put into a position in which I was expected to support these novice bilingual teachers seemed, quite honestly, daunting.

And then the first day of school arrived.  And I realized something that had been told to me and that I was telling myself all along: kids are kids.  It doesn't matter what language they speak, where they come from, or how old they are.  Students in bilingual classes use the same curriculum.  And the same great instructional practices that I love work for every kid!  Every kid in Leander, Austin, Houston, LA, or anywhere.

Wow!  This makes me feel so much better! 

Green Light Classroom

Dr. Rich Allen presents 9 different ways to get kids actively engaged to "accelerate learning".

Memory
Connections
Movement
Novelty
Tone
Emotions
Socialization
Drama
Visuals

To me, there is nothing unusual or revolutionary about his ideas.  That, in no way, discounts them or even postulates these strategies are being implemented consistently and effectively in most classrooms.  In fact, I've read that, while most students prefer other non-lecture methods of learning (projects, movement, discussions, etc.), most teachers still use lecture as a primary method or strategy to teach in their classrooms. 

So, I believe in what Rich Allan is doing- reminding us and sharing new information and research that supports the continued efforts to increase the use of different instructional strategies that use a variety of modalities and learning styles.

I was thinking about creating a visual that highlights or bullets these 9 different strategies.  This will keep these 9 strategies or techniques fresh on my mind as I work with new teachers.  My end goal would be to increase the likelihood that these new teachers will be lifelong users of these "green light" teaching strategies!

A Fatefully Small World

Joseph has recently become friends with the new English teacher at Lanier, Sarah, who is from Iowa.  Last Sunday we went to a bbq at her house in Cedar Park.  Sarah and her partner are best friends with their next door neighbors, Joe and Amanda.  Because of their friendship, they built a gate that connects their backyards.  We ended up eating ribs and potato salad with the four of them.

During the bbq I learned that Amanda was a SCORES teacher at Mills Elementary in Austin ISD.  SCORES is an inclusion support position for children on the spectrum.  She does essentially what I have been doing in Leander ISD.

Tuesday comes around and I see Amanda sitting in the front office of my school in a nice outfit holding a notepad and folder.  Both of us were quite surprised.  I asked her what she was doing at Block House Creek.  She exclaimed, "I'm interviewing for the autism inclusion position!"  In excitement I informed her, "That's my position!"  Both in shock, we went on about our business.

We talked after school.  She expressed a deep interest in the position and working with kids on the spectrum.  She has a heart and mind for behavior.  I can tell she is truly passionate about her job and her students.  I would sleep so much better at night knowing that Amanda has inherited my students.  I feel confident she would take good care of them and oscillate ever-so-thoughtfully between the delicate balance of supporting and pushing the students to move forward during their elementary years.

Fate or coincidence?  Let's go with fate.  I hope she gets my old position and gets to work with my former students.  I will miss them dearly.

Twenty Strategies That Engage the Brain

I will remember the 20 brain-based strategies to promote student learning found in Marcia Tate’s, “Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites” using the technique to memorize twenty concepts as demonstrated by Rich Allan this year at Leander ISD’s Continuous Improvement Conference.

This is the format:

I will briefly describe the body movement as demonstrated by Rich Allan.  I will use that body movement to then memorize the 20 brain-based strategies.

-1 is the sun (make a circle with your arms in front of your body):  I will bounce my arms and imagine the circle being a brain (brainstorming and discussion).

-2 eyes (use two fingers to point to your eyes):  I will start out by pointing to my eyes but then I will begin drawing random things in the air in front of me with those two fingers (drawing and artwork).

-3 is a triangle (using both hands to outline the vertices of a triangle):  I will start with outlining the vertices of the triangle and then start “pointing at objects I am seeing at the museum” (field trips).

-4 burners on a stove (using one hand, press each burner on the stove):  I will move my pawn around the game board 4 times (games).

-5 fingers (wiggle fingers):  I will recall the graphic organizer that students can learn to memorize a summary on their fingers—somebody, wanted, but, so, then (graphic organizers, semantic maps, and word webs).

-6 pick-up sticks (using one hand, begin to “pick up sticks”):  I will think of the sticks and remember “slapstick” humor (humor).

-7-Up (pretend to drink a can of 7-Up):  I will begin to drink the can but then begin to “analyze the specimen” (manipulatives, experiments, labs, and models).

-8 tentacles (wiggle 8 fingers):  I will think, “The octopus’ tentacles are as long as fire hoses” (metaphors, analogies, similes).

-9 line (draw a line with your pinky):  I will pretend I am unzipping a really neat way to remember facts or information (mnemonic devices)

-10 chicken (flap arms like a chicken):  I will flap my arms like a chicken and move around the room (movement).

-11 pickets on a fence (drum your pointer fingers down a line of fencing):  I will drum with my fingers (music, rhythm, rhyme, and rap).

-12 dozen eggs (crack an egg):  I will crack the egg and see what “problem is inside” (project-based and problem-based instruction).

-13 unlucky cat (pet an unlucky cat):  I will pet the cat in hopes that it becomes cooperative (reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning).

-14 is a heart for Valentine’s (using both hands, make the shape of a heart in front of your body):  I will make the heart in front of my body, but do it dramatically (role plays, drama, pantomimes, and charades).

-15 minutes of fame (do the jazz hands and proclaim your 15 minutes of fame!):  I will pretend that I had 15 minutes of fame because of a really crazy story from my life (storytelling).

-16 legal age to drive (hold a steering wheel and pretend to drive):  Change the radio station as you are driving the car (technology).

-17 magazine (flip the pages of Seventeen):  Visualize the pictures in the magazine as you are flipping the pages (visualization and guided imagery).

-18 legal age to vote (make a checkmark with your hand):  Imagine you made a checkmark on a huge voting ballet (visuals).

-19 remote (turn on the TV with a remote):  Pretend that the remote needs repair and you are attempting to fix it (work study and apprenticeships).

-20-20 vision (hold binoculars and look around):  Start off holding binoculars and then use your right hand to start writing (writing and journals).