Issue 78: Feb 15, 2010 Connections Newsletter

Expectations: A New Perspective After Attending the 2010 LEARNING-FOCUSED National Conference - Dr.

Barbara McSwain
Feb 15, 2010

Dr. Ken Meyers, principal of Kissimmee Elementary, sends out a weekly newsletter to his staff. After attending the LEARNING- FOCUSED National Conference on February 1 - 3, 2010 these were his reflections:

Every session I went to this past week at the 2010 National Learning-Focused Conference highlighted expectations. I listened to discussions on the expectations a district should have of the schools after spending time and resources to implement LFS, to the expectations principals should have for staff members trained in LFS, and to teachers having expectations for students to achieve. As the expectations become more demanding of us as principals and teachers, "doing" school and teaching the same ways we have done in the past become less acceptable.

The expectations are that I will run this school based on research and evidence of successful methods and that we will teach using research based strategies. LFS is that set of strategies. We are an LFS school. I have said before that we are like doctors diagnosing the learning needs of children, and just as a doctor must use the most current applications and procedures of medical treatment, so we must use the most current applications and procedures of teaching and learning. We may not like the spot light that expectations bring to our school and classrooms, but without it we might not see clearly enough what we need to change.

In light of expectations, here are three questions Professional Learning Communities should be asking at each meeting: "Is there something we need to stop doing that plainly isn't working? Is there something we are doing but need to do more of? Is there something we need to start doing that research says works?" If we teach the way we always taught and expect different results we are kidding ourselves and we are content to blame any number of variables for our own failure.

The bottom line is that I am responsible for the learning in this school. You are responsible for the learning in your classrooms.

Note: Kissimmee Elementary is a LEARNING-FOCUSED Preferred School. It is a school that is on a continuous improvement path and is highly impacted in the majority of No Child Left Behind cells for Adequate Yearly Progress. The school made AYP in 2008 and became an "A" Florida School in 2009. Dr. Meyers has an open invitation to all teachers to perform walkthroughs with him so they can collaborate and see what is and isn't working, so together they can continue to improve instructional practices.



How Do I Summarize a Multi-Day Lesson?

Jennifer Partrick
Feb 15, 2010

Summarizing is a critical component of both learning and teaching. When students summarize, they have the opportunity to use content vocabulary and solidify learning. As they summarize, students realize how well they know or understand, or do not know or understand what they are learning and the implication this has on their learning. If students are unable to speak about what they are learning, then they do not yet own the information. In order to speak about what they are learning, they must have the words. If students do not understand what they have learned what recourse do they have? Do they just sit? Can they ask you (the teacher) for support? Will they get the support they need? How will they get the support they need?

Lessons that span several days MUST have Assessment Prompts at predetermined times throughout the lesson. These are critical points where students are talking about what they are learning or manipulating the information they are learning. There are specific learning targets within the lesson that are identified before planning each lesson. At each Assessment Prompt, students have the opportunity to see if they understand the information presented thus far by talking about what they have learned or doing something with what they have learned. You need to look at student output to determine what to do next. Based on student output, make a decision regarding instruction: Should you continue with the lesson? Should you go back to the beginning? Should you hold and give students more time for guided practice? Assessment Prompts help you gauge the learning and make decisions based on student needs. Think about how much you will teach on any day, and use the them to determine how much to instruct per day since the they are natural stopping points within the lesson. At the beginning of the next day revisit earlier prompts allowing  students to talk about what they have learned.

Assessment Prompts help make decisions regarding how to segment lessons, support metacognition and allow you to gain valuable information used to make instructional decisions.

For more information on Assessment Prompts see Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons.



You Saw What in Class?!: Using Videotapes and Video Clips in the Classroom

Toni Enloe
Feb 15, 2010

The middle school class had just completed their study of the play "Romeo and Juliet" so as a final activity, the teacher thought the students would enjoy watching the movie. Students gathered around the television in the school's all purpose room for the much anticipated viewing. Things were going well. The students were paying attention and periodically the teacher would stop to talk about what was going on. And then it happened... the scene! Many of you remember the scene from the Zeffirelli version (a beautiful adaptation of the play) with Romeo and Juliet in a compromising position? Much to the teacher's horror, there they were in all of their glory. What to do? Fast forwarding only made the images worse. If you have taught for a while something similar may have happened to you. You either forgot some of the details or you just did not have time to preview the video or the clip.

Videos and video clips cannot replace good teaching but when used effectively to supplement classroom instruction, they can be powerful tools. An excellent way to launch units of instruction, build prior knowledge, and reinforce concepts, a good video clip can help make a topic come alive for students. However, selecting the best videos or clip for a lesson can be tricky. There are several questions that need to be considered when using videos:

1. How will this support the standards I am teaching?
2. Do I need to show the entire video or will a clip accomplish the same purpose?
3. If using the video or clip to show a simulation (ex. plate tectonics in science), is there a hands-on activity or live demo that will address the same standard and more actively involve students?

When considering the use of videos or video clips, there are several things to keep in mind:

  • Preview, preview, preview. By doing this you can avoid any surprises like the one described above.
  • Make notes when previewing the video or clip. Identify questions or points do you want to make sure you stress during the viewing. Many times the questions can be used as Assessment Prompts during the lesson.
  • Use portions or clips from videos. They can be just as effective for reinforcing concepts. It is not necessary to show an entire program. It may be appropriate to show several clips over the course of the lesson.
  • Be sure that videos are grade-level appropriate.
  • Keep students actively engaged during the lesson. Give students a task to complete during the video (other than just taking notes or making a list of a predetermined # of facts from the video). Prepare a graphic organizer to go along with the video or clip. Stop periodically to check for understanding. Pairs can discuss or check with each other.
  • Help students make the connection to prior knowledge and experiences if using the clip as part of instruction,
  • Watch the video with your students. This should not be a time for you to catch up on paper work. It sends the wrong message to students about the importance of what they are seeing.
  • Plan a follow-up activity after the video. If using the video as a unit launch, you will have many opportunities to reference points throughout  instruction during the unit.
  • Ask your media specialist, department chair, or curriculum coordinator to make recommendations. Make sure you are in compliance with all copyright laws.

REMEMBER:  A video should naturally support the lesson being taught and should never be used as an add-on or a time killer.