because every Bulldog needs sustenance
"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society."
- Vince Lombardi
September 2016
volume 1, issue 2
by Michael Beckwith, Instructional Coach
As summer draws to an end and the honeymoon period with our students wears off, we are reminded of the hard work that lies before us. However, we take solace in knowing the work we do is the “right” work for the best cause. With this in mind, we explore several topics in this issue of KIBBLE pertinent to the endeavors we have recently embarked upon.
Many of us are excited about the potential power contained within problem based learning (PBL) as a means to help reshape the way we meet the educational needs of our evolving students. Though enthusiasm is abundant, questions linger as we take our first tentative steps down this path. With this said, Nicole Pech shares her thoughts from time spent at High Tech High, a globally recognized leader in authentic, deeper leaning instruction. Additionally, Debbie Bacon shares her musings and takeaways from a recent PBL undertaking.
The prospect held by problem based learning is invigorating but it will not be as beneficial if we do not establish a safe and welcoming learning environment. In a moving presentation, Matt Teegarden reminds us to never forget the power of positive relationships with our students. He focuses on the relationship model as a means to manage classroom behavior. Lastly, I provide some helpful tips to consider as you look to grow professionally and I also share a professional learning opportunity. I hope the end of summer is grand and remember to always put “first things” first.
by Nicole Pech, English & Special Education Teacher
I went into the High Tech High experience as both a classroom and special education teacher. As we walked into our initial meet-and-greet I was amazed, not just by the students but by the openness of the buildings. Windows everywhere with a very open floorplan. What I didn’t realize when watching the initial video was that 1) there are multiple schools within the High Tech High umbrella. The HTH school which was on the video, HTH International, and HTH Media Arts. There are also two HTH middle schools: Middle and Middle Media Arts as well as the on-campus elementary schools (Elementary and Elementary Explorer). HTH also operates campuses in Chula Vista and North County in San Marcos. We were initially guided through HTH International – which was founded on the basis of international travel – by one of the current students.
The students are ambassadors for the school, and our guide was able to answer almost all of our questions. The students start in 9th grade with the same cohort of kids, usually around 120 or so, and if students have to leave the cohort for whatever reason, they are not replaced. This makes the classes very cohesive because they are with each other all through their course of study. Each grade level has their own wing, floor, or area – all 9th grade teachers are in one section with English, Math, Science, and Humanities sharing space and having a common area outside the rooms. The walls between the classrooms can move so teachers can flow between classrooms and space can be shared – which is great for cohesive co-teaching! Students were scattered throughout the hallways and common areas working on projects, and were happy to answer our questions as we came through. Teachers were also happy to answer any questions we had. Student work was displayed EVERYWHERE, which shows tremendous pride in the building and their studies. Students on IEPs were serviced directly within the classroom and the SPED teachers would rotate through their grade levels and acted as “another trusted adult” in the room for all students to ask questions, receive help, or extra support to get their needs met.
We were able to have lunch with several teachers and ask how they structured lessons, worked on co-teaching and planning, and even their experiences with teachers. One thing that shocked some teachers, but was more commonplace to me, was that the students called every staff member, even down to the director, by their first name. HTH teachers felt that it worked better for relationship building. Much like our Bulldog time, all of the staff at HTH (including administrators) have 15-20 students in their advisement periods that they stay with for all four years of the program. The reason for this is that the staff are able to build long-lasting relationships with the students, are able to help them with letters of recommendation, scholarship info, and just be that one steady adult through their whole high school career.
After lunch, and for the rest of our day at HTH, we were able to freely tour any of the schools on campus to ask questions, watch teachers in action, and take it all in. Teachers were very free and open with answering all of our questions, students were active in their learning and didn’t even register we were there!
by Debbie Bacon, Math Teacher
The construction PBL I created for my honors geometry classes went very well for them. So, in the interest of hacking, I suggested another PBL to my geometry team, Cory Graham and Pam Hunter: Transformations in Butterflies. I used a guide shared with me by JP Sampson to help organize thoughts, align it to CCAP and plan the project. I shared the project with my teammates and received a lot of feedback. I tweaked it, wrote a rubric, and sought out Joe Ventola to interview, which we later played for the students as a launch for the project.
We did not show the students a finished example because we wanted them to be creative in making their presentation unique to them. We structured HOW the learning would happen, gave them rubrics at the start of the project so they knew what content was expected, and then expected them to be able to put their new knowledge onto something physical to display - that bombed!
As a team, we discussed the difficulties. Lack of motivation? Lack of guidance? Unclear directions? We decided to give the students a reflection sheet to complete. The feedback I received is that the students understood what they were expected to LEARN, but they found the openness of the presenting their knowledge to be too much. They wanted examples of finished projects and more clear expectations. They also admitted that PBLs require good attendance and active participation from all group members.
Moving forward, I interpret this as our typical student will need a lot more help in transitioning to project-based learning. Students do enjoy learning by way of projects, but they need more scaffolding. I also believe that the more PBLs we do in our classes, the more excited students will become about learning and the better their attendance and behavior will be.
Will you join me in failing forward? It's not as scary as it seems, it's actually quite exciting! Collaborate with your team, be patient with your students and scaffold for them as needed, and Get Your Hack On!
managing behavior while building relationships
by Matt Teegarden, Social Worker
Young people have three essential needs from the adults in their lives: Structure and Support embedded in Love or Compassion. The Relationship-Based Model is a powerful guide to support adults in answering three critical questions related to positive, proactive behavioral interventions with young people: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? and, Who am I doing it for? This model empowers adults to both address behaviors of concerns while building developmentally appropriate relationships for growth and learning.
Over the course of the month, we invite you to view and reflect on the presentation:
by Michael Beckwith, Instructional Coach
As we teach our students to be leaders of their own learning and we delve into problem based learning, professional technique indicator 2b (modeling and facilitating higher-level thinking, problem solving, creativity, and flexibility) becomes indispensable. To professionally grow in the direction of “highly effective” means we need to model and create structures that facilitate the transfer of higher-level thinking to new and/or unpredictable situations resulting in high levels of student engagement and student-generated questions.
With 2b in mind, here are some “look-fors” that indicate we are meeting our students needs:
- Intentional planning for and development of critical thinking (flexible thinking, problem-solving, many perspectives) is evident
- Provides structures to allow for all students to have higher-level thinking opportunities (intentional modeling of expectations, sentence stems, visual representations, scaffolding questions and teacher think aloud)
- Appropriate balance of teacher vs. student talk
- Students use a variety of tools to construct and deepen their thinking
- Implement reciprocal grouping or flexible groups of students
- Activities allow students to access their learning in a variety of ways
- Open-ended, probing questions elicit thoughtful student response and construction of their own learning
- Questions encourage students to think flexibly and creatively from different perspectives
- Elicits thoughtful responses from students
- Teacher facilitates student learning using Higher level of taxonomy (analysis, synthesis, application, evaluation, creativity)
A science example*
Lower level of thinking: The student can identify and define pH levels.
Higher level of thinking: The student can describe the factors that affect the pH levels in an aquarium.
Highest level of thinking: The student can design and create an aquatic ecosystem that accounts for varying pH levels.
*Students obviously need additional lower level knowledge to be able to master some higher level activities. In this example, students may also need to learn about nutrient requirements of the species in the ecosystem etc.
In a nutshell
Our lessons and units should include a variety of opportunities for students to show growth over its duration. The learning process is scaffolded so our students acquire essential understandings but they also have an opportunity to apply and reflect on the essentials. It is not expected that a lesson include every look-for. However, every attempt should be made to intentionally plan for one or more aspect of higher level thinking and/or problem solving within a lesson.
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The best way to meet our students needs is to go Emeril Lagasse and add some BAM to lessons. Identify two look-fors you feel are strengths in your teaching technique. With an asset based mindset, anchor the lessons you plan with these good practices. Now, pinpoint two look-fors that you will explore. Employ a growth mindset with the conviction you will give it a hack. Lastly, contact me if you need to bounce ideas off an impartial observer or would like someone to provide non-evaluative feedback. Thanks for your time and remember to put “first things” first.
Through various Jeffco departments, numerous options for profession learning exist. It is impossible to track them all so keep your eyes peeled. Here is a notable upcoming opportunity (teacher rubric indicator: 3a):
"I Can Do It 2.0” Classroom Management Training
This training includes elements necessary for successful classroom management, communication or learning styles, interventions for difficult behaviors, hints to create a smoothly flowing classroom, tools to begin building positive parent/teacher relationships, and an opportunity to link with a partner for future support. The training is designed to impart as much information as possible while maintaining an interactive approach. The trainers are master teachers in Jefferson County, and their experience ranges from elementary to high school. (teacher rubric indicators: 2i, 2j, 2k & 2l)
- Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Lunch provided.
- JCEA office: 1447 Nelson St., Lakewood, 80215
- Graduate credit (0.5 credit hour) available through Adams State.
- JCEA members: free
- Non-members: $50 - bring payment (check or cash) to the training
- Register through ESS - Course Code: INICDI session 0001
- CLICK here for a flier with more details
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