Grading
Tune in this week for an episode on grading. Of particular interest is the “value” of the zero. Check out the podcast via iTunes or through a direct download.
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Author: Troy Patterson
Podcast is posted
It looks like we have our technical issues licked. That’s right, if you subscribe via iTunes, you’ll be able to grab both shows so far. This would also automatically download the freshest podcasts as they are posted. You can preview each episode in iTunes as well. We are happy as a well, let’s just say that we are happy. Now we can get on to important middle school stuff.
One of my first adventures will be working with our Advisory programs. This year we are going to use some of the ideas from the Adventure Education program. What an exciting time!
Show Notes #2
Today’s news story:Test Scores show early prep key
Here’s what I found most interesting about the story:
- “The effective way to raise ACT scores is to strengthen the rigor of the curriculum,” Drew said.
- Summer reading — reading during summer vacation
has been expected of older students for a long time, but Drew said the
summer reading requirement was extended to second grade recently. -
“The summer reading program isn’t enrichment, it is required. The
students are scored for their projects associated with the books,” Drew
said. - “Vocabulary books are used starting in the second grade. These vocabulary books correlate to other subject areas.”
The first point seems obvious and we say it often enough. But do we really implement it?
The second point is the one that fascinates me the most. It really talks about several different things. All of these things are quite beautiful. First of all, there is the presumption that students will work “independently”. Second, this assumes that parents will play an active role in the education of their child. Thirdly, there is a spiraling effect in place. Students are expected to just learn stuff and then move on.
The third point is equally interesting. It’s really easy to forget about the basics when teachers are told to teach to higher level critical thinking skills. And that is what we need to do. However, that doesn’t preclude the teaching of basics. Teachers do feel time pressures. That can lead to “skipping the basics” to get to the teaching of higher skills. However, what really needs to happen is that teachers need to fully utilize their time. Certainly teachers can’t take all of their teaching time on basic skills but need to incorporate them into the lessons.
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You can download the show directly here: http://www.divshare.com/download/1745883-708
Attitude
I was thinking back to a story that I had heard quite a long time ago. For some reason, the story has stuck with me. (Stories are really terrific ways to learn things as all middle school educators know). Anyway, the story is the story of Jerry. It’s a story about attitude that puts some things in perspective. Here’s a link to the story. It is an extremely short story, but worth your time. I hope that you enjoy it. Anyone who reads the story will certainly remember the part about the doctors.
Anyone else have a similar story about attitude?
Webinar
I had the opportunity to participate in a webinar through ASCD today. The topic was the “whole child”. This is a natural tenet for middle school educators, but it is interesting to see ASCD take on the issue. (You can check out the ASCD project through this link.) There were several interesting things about the webinar. There were about a dozen participants. We ranged geographically from California to New York. Our occupations ranged from State level administrators to Superintendents to Principals. It was an interesting way to discuss and share amongst people that wouldn’t have gotten together at all. It certainly was a different experience than a normal conference.
We had the opportunity to look over some of the documents and give feedback. The crux of the conversation formed around involving the community into the development of children. Part of this was focused around lobbying politicians, but most of it was very hands on about getting individuals in the community involved. This is something that is always easy in theory, but harder in practice. With everything else that is going on in school right now, this is one more “ball to throw into the air”. However, it is very important that we remember that kids are more than test scores. Please don’t misconstrue that statement. Academics is extremely important. Test scores are crucial. All kids need to achieve to high scores. However, schooling should also be about even more than that. Not at the expense of academics, but in addition.
First Podcast Ready
Well, after months of planning on the hows, we’ve finally finished out first podcast. We had a good time. I’m sure that some of the segments will change over time, but we’d really appreciate some feedback. Take a listen and let us know what you think.
You can subscribe via iTunes, you can download it directly from here.
Our next podcast will be published at the end of August. We’ll go to weekly podcasts after that. We have some exciting guests lined up. Give it a listen and let us know what you’d like to hear for the future episodes.
Summer Time and the Reading is Easy
Well, it’s summer. A time for rejuvenation. A time for reading. Up first for me was “Results Now” by Mike Schmoker. A very good read. It really re-energizes and points out that it’s time for the isolation of teaching (education) to end. And I guess that is a big part of our premise here. This is one more attempt to break down the barriers of isolation and provide for some meaningful discussion amongst educators.
Results Now focuses on leadership and the governance of schools. However, the underlying issue is that the only way to improve the results that a school will see is to focus on the teaching and learning in each and every classroom. Mr. Schmoker makes an impassioned case that what must matter is what is happening in the classroom. To that end, the most important thing that can happen is for teachers to truly talk to each other. Not talk as in “Hey, hows ya doin?”, but talk as in comparing tests results from the students sitting in front of the teachers. This is a huge culture shift. Are teachers ready to start having their students take the same test as the kids down the hall and then comparing the results? Even more important, do we have any choice? Is there a moral imperative to do so?
Curriculum + Wiki = Curriki
Here’s a fascinating idea that combines some old time interests (sharing lesson plans) with some new technology (wiki’s). Although not specific just to middle school, you can search by middle school to find lesson plans. Here is who they say they are:
“Curriki is more than your average Website; we’re a community of
educators, learners and committed education experts who are working
together to create quality materials that will benefit teachers and
students around the world.
Curriki is an online environment created to support the development and
free distribution of world-class educational materials to anyone who
needs them. Our name is a play on the combination of ‘curriculum’ and
‘wiki’ which is the technology we’re using to make education
universally accessible.”
Joining is free and easy. The idea is a simple one. Without a lot of input though, the idea will fall short. This brings forth a fascinating idea, What if every teacher contributed one of their best lesson plans?
At some point, some of this technology is going to hit the Tipping Point (a wonderful book by the way). The questions are what, when and will we be ready?
Educating the Whole Child
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) has just opened a new web site. This web site is all about “The Whole Child“. We’ve seen an interesting move toward addressing health issues as well as academics. I know that we have greatly changed our menu at my school to reflect better nutrition. Additionally, we have tied in many health issues into the curriculum and some of our Advisory activities. However, when push comes to shove, we are graded on solely on academic scores. Now, some of us believe that educating the whole child is not only a moral imperative, but something that the public and the government ought to recognize and support. How do you feel? What is your reaction to the new ASCD web site?
End of the Year
It’s the end of the year. Personally,I have really mixed feelings about this time of year. There is still so much to do. Plus, crazy as middle school can be, I really love working with the kids. I’ll miss them this summer as we send them off. It will be nice to get some time to prepare for next year. And of course, we’ll finish getting ready to “go live” with the podcast.
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