January 16, 2015

Curriculum Connections...

Happy TGIF and here is to an awesome three-day weekend as we celebrate the efforts of the great Martin Luther King Jr. With that in mind, I highly recommend the movie Selma, which features King and tells the story of how blacks used peaceful protesting (didn't always end so peacefully) and incredible strategizing (and sacrifice) in Selma, Alabama to secure the right to vote. It was powerful, moving and sadly reflective of the lack of progress we have made as a nation as it relates to racism and segregation. I think it is a movie worth watching and am seriously considering taking Paul to see it too this weekend. Paul transitioned back to life with Kelly right before the New Year so this is our first weekend of 2015 and I am so excited to be spending time with him! 

As we all know, two of my favorite topics to discuss and reflect on are test prep and homework... well, throw the two of them together and it goes to a whole other level! Being that this time of year always seems to bring up questions about test prep, homework and the perfect storm of the two, I just wanted to share my position on both and open the door for future conversations - I would be more than happy to follow up in person. First off, I have spent hours over the last couple of days pouring over articles about the impact/importance/role of homework at the elementary level and the bottom line is this... at best, homework's positive impact on children's academic achievement and performance is questionable. Check out this article or this one to read about the fact that homework at the elementary level cannot be linked to any meaningfully positive outcomes. In fact, in one study I read, the children who are struggling academically in school, for those kids, homework actually has a negative impact. If we think about it... that makes sense! If a child can barely do it while they are at school without extensive scaffolding and support, how can we expect that they will meet with success when doing it at home where the level of support varies tremendously. So, when thinking about homework, please be thoughtful and keep it to a meaningful minimum - less is more in this instance. Make the homework matter; place value on the homework by checking it and giving the children feedback; and finally, try giving the children voice or choice in the development of homework assignments... I think the outcomes may surprise us. And, if we get push back from any families, we have research to support our thinking.

In regards to test prep, I have three things I must share because I think consistency in practice here is imperative to our collective success. First off I really believe that good instruction rooted in rich texts and resources that teaches children the skills they need to be good readers, writers and mathematicians is the bulk of the test prep that is needed. Embed test "preppy" questions into the shared reading or read aloud; embed reading responses that mirror the writing expected on the test in a limited but contextualized way. For example, I recently was in Meryl's room where she explained that once a week, the actual day of the week was up to the kids, the children had to write a reading response that they would share with her so she could get a sense of their thinking as readers. What an awesome idea... AWESOME way to embed test prep because Meryl could pose specific questions each week that mirror the language on the test and there is embedded test prep. Worksheets with pages of passages and multiple choice questions will not accomplish the same goal because I think that access lower level thinking. In fact, in this article on test prep, especially on page two, teaching to the test actually dumbs down teaching and learning! So, secondly, I am not saying that test prep should not occur (our kids need exposure to test taking skills, certain language, etc.) but make it as meaningful as possible and keep it at a minimum. I will support any decisions made in the classroom as they relate to test prep as long as we can all see the value in them and the positive impact it has on the children. Finally, the one thing I am not comfortable with and will have difficulty supporting is sending any test prep packets or worksheets or workbooks home for children to complete for homework. This type of work, if it is occurring at all, should be happening in school under our supervision - not at home for a child or family to complete for homework. From my vantage point, test prep, if it is to have any positive impact on our children, needs to be happening in school - not at home. So, please do not send any test prep home for homework and I ask that grade level teams are aligned in this practice because I do believe this is in the best interest of the children.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rantings from atop my little soap box and please know that my only goal and intent is to promote practices and approaches that are in the best interest of all children. On that note, I would like to announce our second annual NO WORKSHEET WEEK CHALLENGE for the week of January 26th! That's right... we did it last year so we can do it even better this year! A week without any worksheets... no worksheets in class... no worksheets for homework... NO WORKSHEETS!! Now, let's take a deep breath... I am not saying NO PAPER... just NO POINTLESS, THOUGHTLESS or MEANINGLESS WORKSHEETS! You know the ones... so join me on our annual NO WORKSHEET WEEK CHALLENGE during the week of January 26th!     


This week, as I walked around #Cantiague this week, I spotted the following #EduWins...

• I had a chance to be in Carly and Nancy's room while they were kicking off a revamped math lesson (thanks to the PD session from Jen and the other teachers at our F.E.O. on Tuesday) and was blown away by the fact that while the children were solving a basic division problem, Carly and Nancy walked around the room, took informal data and quickly met to discuss their data, compare notes and make some tweaks to the plan for the day. WOW... what an awesome site to observe because it showed the power of formative assessment data and how it can directly impact and guide instruction. AWESOMENESS!

• I spent some time in all three of our kindergarten classrooms this week during their centers time and I have to say KUDOS to them for remembering the developmental importance of creative play as part of the kindergarten experience! To see the children engrossed in building with blocks, creating with LEGOS and imagining in the Drama Center is a reminder that at Cantiague, we get it! The Common Core or high stakes testing is not going to deter us from meeting the needs of our children. BRAVO Team K!!

• Tali did a fun activity where her children created a STAMINA Ladder where each rung was an inspirational quote or idea that challenged the children to continue building their STAMINA for learning and getting better. The kids were so excited about the activity and after they analyzed the lyrics to the song The Climb, they generated their inspirational quotes and now their ladder is proudly displayed in the hallway by their classroom - definitely check it out!

Tech Tip of the Week...

One of my new favorite apps is Voxer! It is like a "walkie talkie" app that allows you to leave voice messages and text messages for people far and wide (you can have chats with one person or create groups... this might be a powerful tool for grade-wide and building-wide collaborations). I have used this resource to foster some really powerful and deep connections with members from my Personal Learning Network... people who started out as just Twitter friends, have now become real friends who I rely on daily for support, insight and perspective. Are you interested in learning more about this awesome tool? Click on this link for a Voxer tutorial by my friend and mentor, Dr. Joe Mazza. 


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, January 19

"B" Week
Happy MLK Day... School Closed!

Tuesday, January 20

WRAP Testing
NO F.E.O.

Wednesday, January 21

Happy Wednesday!
Shared Decision Making Team Meeting - 3pm!

Thursday, January 22

CST @ 1:20pm
Cultural Arts
Board of Ed. Meeting - 7:45pm at Seaman
Innovation Day Planning Committee Meeting - 7:45am.

Friday, January 23

Happy TGIF!
Tony will be out at Penn... only two more trips to Philly!

Kids' Korner

While visiting Allison and Marissa's classroom, where Allison was randomly incorporating a spontaneous British accent during the shared reading text, I was told that I spontaneously use a southern accent and that I look like a wannabe rapper during the weekly video updates because of the way I use my hands... LOL! Good times! I will say this about our school community... smiles and laughter are easy to come by and for that, we are lucky!        

Pics of the Week...

Check out Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following link to see our Pics of the Week...

WEEK IN TWEETS