http://mrmcgirr.com/index.htmlHot News!enen2011-11-13T23:29:30-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:22:04 -0500AMLEAMLE112011-11-13T23:29:30-05:00http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/blog-3/files/c7237f7112cf6bdbbd4aa39b4974ce72-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/blog-3/files/c7237f7112cf6bdbbd4aa39b4974ce72-2.html#unique-entry-id-2Saturday Sessions

21st Century Testing: Teaching Visual Literacy Via Foldables

CEU Code LD-51
Nancy F. Wisker
Notebook foldables today.
How can we get our students get learning with visuals?
Today's goal: To Share Ideas with Us.
If students can't read visuals, they're sunk.
To reach 21st Cent. Learners, we must begin our instruction with images.
Sumo wrestlers: Balanced sumos, Sumo vs. Kid. Balanced vs. Unbalanced forces.
Foldables are a perfect fit for teaching visual literacy.
Dina describes Foldables as "three dimensional interactive graphic organizers that make data and concepts visual and kinesthetic."
"Chunk, Chunk, Chew, Chunk, Chunk, Chew, Chunk, Chunk, Big Chew"
Basic folds: The Fast Food Five.
Hamburger fold
Hot Dog fold
Shutter Fold (thirds) (A McDonald's Drive through window)
Taco: Form right triangles
Burrito: Roll, don't fold.
Mountains and Valleys
Inside fold: Valley
Outside fold: Mountain.
Why teach visual literacy?
Visual literacy is a learned skill, not an intuitive one. (T.Simons, 2004, Presentations Magazine)
Students learn more, faster, and retain it better with image-rich instruction. (L.Burmark, 2002, Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn)
Visual literacy can help children connect with each other and the world, develop their critical thinking skills, and "gain new ways to make meaning." (C. Cornett, 2003, Crating meaning through literature and the arts.)
Anchor Tab: Where the Glue Lives.
To make an anchor tab: Pick one edge of a paper and fold about a half inch on one edge of a flat piece of paper and then unfold it. That's the edge the glue goes
Glue
School glue is worse than all purpose glue.
Glue stick is not the best . . .
Glue Mantra: Dot, Dot, Not A Lot
Oozers are Losers!
Anchor Tab: Line, Line, Keep It Fine

Note: vaseline around the inside of the tip. Keeps it from clogging. Start at the tip and work down.
Why the duct tape around the mini-bottle of glue?
It reinforces the strength of the bottle.
The Law of More: If I give you more, you'll use it. Don't give more. :-)
Pyramid Notebook Foldable.
Visual Literacy = Intelligent Vision
Begin by asking a few key questions:
What am I looking at?
What is the relationship between the image and the displayed text message?
How is this message effective?
Pockets in Notebooks
Use a map as the pocket and then stick vocab strips in the "pocket".
Concept Cut: Make it purposeful
Maps, fault lines,
Where is the division I can use for the cut?
Three-Tab Notebook Foldable

She Will email slides w/out pics to us if we give her our email.


Taking the Lead in Learning: Student-Generated History Documentaries and Websites

National History Day
Intro Music Video: "We Didn't Start The Fire"
The documents and handouts are online and free from National History Day
Are middle school history teachers hitting their heads against the wall?
Cartoon: Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow
"Listen my children and you shall hear/ Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere/ On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;/ Hardly a man is now alive/ Who remembers that famous day and year."
Picture illustration: Paul in a low-rider shouting the message at night.
A small disconnect.
How do you reach the other 91%?
Wikispaces
Audience participation: She teaches Utah History.
Project Based Learning that works well in groups.
Business teacher: A Business simulation
History of the United States in 8 minutes
Slideshow w/music
Animoto
Keynote
Powerpoint
iMovie
Introduction: What is National History Day?
National Day is Innovative
Year-long academic program for 6th to 12 grade students
Not a stand-alone program. Designed to be supplementary.
Topics are in the book on page 12. See book in packet.
Revolution, Reaction, Reform.
Page that explains the words.
Centered around historical research, interpretation, and creative expression.
Teachers guide students through a step-by-step process of historical research and creative expression.
Students choose to create projects in one of five categories:
Academic paper
Exhibit
Documentary
Play/Theater
Website
Students submit their projects to local and state level History Day contests in the Spring.
Culminates in an exciting National History Day annual competition in the nation's capital in June.
From Ashes to Moon Dust . . .
6th grader: Shruti Vardharagan.
Theme: Triumph and Tragedy in History
Student Choice: Love of Science/ Technology
Learning the Content and Skills:
Reading with purpose: vocabulary development . . .
Writing Process
She was detailed, exact, factually correct, and multimedia.
Brainstorming Ideas for National History Day
See the National History Day Website: http://nhd.org
See the classroom connections link on the site also.
An Evaluation Study of the NHD Program
An evaluation study conducted by research firm . . .
NHD ...
Teaches critical thinking writing and research
She goes way too fast through slides!
NHD Inspires students to do more than they ever thought they could
NHD has a positive impact among students whose interests in academic subjects may wane in high school.
Among Black and Latino students, NHD students outperform non-NHD students, posting higher performance assessment scores and levels of interest and skills.
Compared to non-NHD boys and to all girls, boys participating in NHD reported significantly higher levels of interest in history, civic engagement, and confidence in research skills, on both pre-and post-surveys.
NHD stance on Wikipedia
Evaluating Internet Research Sources
'The central work of life is interpretation." -Proverb
Information is a commodity available in many flavors.
CARS (see website)
Credibility
Accuracy
Reasonableness
Support
YouTube idea: Type in topic and type "safe mode" and it will filter.
Tools
iMovie
Weebly for websites
Has templates
Parental Permissions
Most are covered by the school's internet/media policy signed at the beginning of the year. Bug check!
How to get more electronic devices?
BYOD type of plan.



Urban Literacy


Striving Readers Grant Cohort
Memphis City Schools
Grant: $16,074,687
Background & Content (See flow chart)
University instruction
Instructional coaches would model
Teachers plan with coach
Teaching rehersal
Debrief and Lesson Revision
Performance Teaching
Final debrief with coach
Research for Better Schools was the evaluator for this process
What did we want to know?
Are there traits or characteristics that are useful to describe how prepared or ho often teachers use literacy strategies?
Does strategy use differ?
Among teachers with different
MCLA stus
primary content area ssignments
fidelity of implementation (FOI) ratings
highest observed level of cognitive demand
Spring 2010 Teacher Survey
Completed MCLA (n=63, 57.8%
Attended MCS n-53, 48.6%
Teacher Characteristics
Age in years
50-69: 25%
40-49%: 17%
20-29: 17%
30-39: 40%
Experience
Professional Preparation:
What did they find?
No significant demographic differences:
between MCLA & non-MCLA teachers
among teachers of different content areas
among high vs. lower FOI teachers
among teachers with different cognitive demand ratings.
Significant differences
MCLA teachers reported higher preparedness and frequent using all but three strategies
Math teachers reported being less prepared than other teachers to establish the purpose for reading
Social studies teachers reported being more prepared than Math teachers to use concept maps to summarize main points.
Differences between Teachers with High and Lower FOI
High FOI had higher levels of preparedness to:
Read Aloud
Show relationships using GOs
Have students read in pairs
Provide guided practice with feedback (from peers or teacher) using new skills
High FOI reported more frequesntly
Showing relationships using Graphic Organizers
Pulling it all together
Any theater (who wants to) can learn to use literacy strategies (well).
No differences in science, ELA and social studies teachers' preparedness and frequency using strategies.
Math teachers report feeling less prepared use and less frequent use of only 3 out of 24 literacy strategies
High FOI teachers report greater preparedness to use active interactive learning approaches and more frequent use of Graphic Organizers
The Big Twelve
Fluency
Read Aloud
Choral Reading
Reader's Theater
Repeated Reading
Vocabulary
Word walls
Concept maps
Frayer Model
Semantic Feature Analysis
Comprehension
RAFT
QAR
Retelling
Previewing Text
Practice:
If the World Were a Village by David Smith
Frayer Model
Put a term that you'd like them to understand in the middle.
Boxes:
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Picture or Non-Examples
Concept Map
Arrange by hierarchy.
Level 1: Circles
Level 2: Rectangles
Level 3: Other
Example:
Food supply in center
Level 1:
Developing Countries
War Zone
Developed Nation
Natural Disaster
Level 2:
Unrefined foods
Malnutrition
Contamination
Access/Distribution halted
The powerful get more food
Women and children victims
Junk food
Obesity
Semantic Feature Analysis
Terms horizontal boxes
Features of the words in the vertical boxes.
Vocab terms in the text are taken and put in the Concept Terms column
Features column gets the things that are decided on by the group.
In the example the horizontal gets Equal distribution, Food producing animal, and Animal eaten for food.
Features gets
Sheep/goats
Cows/Bulls/Oxen
Pigs
Camels/Horses
Chickens
Gallery Walk



Teaching Civil Discourse in Middle Grades Classrooms During Uncivil Times

Dr. Kimberlee A Sharp
Associate Professor, Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education
Morehead State University
(606) 783-2853
k.sharp@moreheadstate.edu
Who, What, Purpose
Appalacihia, Central Appalachia is still the most economically depressed area in the United States.
Her research areas:
Citizenship education
How well are her teachers teaching citizenship skills to grow their area economically as a means of supporting the State and Union economically?
What do these events have in common?
1. The assassination attempts of Congresswoman, Gabby Giffords
2. The sexual harassment accusations of Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain.
Lack of communication between people.
With the freedom of speech comes the responsibility to use it.
Forces contributing to incivility today:
increased time spent using social media and technology as a means to communicate
increased polarization of the news media
decreased engagement in political and issue-oriented talk among people, especially in group settings. (Hess, 2009)
Where has Mayberry gone? People are spending less time talking with others in coffee houses, or similar locations.
Ideological Amplification
"a process by which your pre-existing ideological tendencies beome more pronounced and more extreme" (Hess, 2009)
"Group Think" takes over.
Factors causing teachers to think twice about discussion:
current national and state political climate
high-stakes testing/accountability
maturity of the students/appropriateness of the subject
lack of preparation/training to teach using discussion
lack of support by administrators and community (Sharp, 2010)
Discussions are often controversial:
Many teachers feel an aversion to teach issues
Issues can incite emotional and divisive attitudes in students and teachers.
Because of this, many teachers avoid them as a way to maintain decorum in the classroom.
What my research has shown:
Most teachers do not know if their school district has a policy for teaching controversial issues (53% out of sample)
Most school districts do not place restrictions on teachers when teaching controversial issues (73.6% out of sample).
94% of teachers think controversials issues discussion is important to students' participatory citizenship development
Read more about it: Eric #ED 507171
School districts DO have policies regarding the teaching of controversial issues;
School district policies provide significant latitude in teacher selection of appropriate controversial issues to discuss;
School district policies stipulate teacher training, objectivity, and age-appropriateness as requirements for the open discussion of controversial issues. (Sharp & Weckenbrock -- manuscript in process)
(also see Hunt & Metcalf)
The importance is . . .
There is a perceived disconnect between what teachers think they can teach and what the policies in their districts actually allow them to do.
Research into practice
Translating my research into practical and easy solutions for teachers!
Let's practice establishing a civil classroom climate!
The PEOPLE SCAVENGE:
1. five questions on next slide
2. write them in your notes
3. walk around and introduce yourself to someone you haven't met
4. ask that person a question from your list
5. write the person's name next to the question and the answer he/she gives
Adapted from Thomas Turner
The Questions
1. __________ Name one Republican presidential candidate. Haley
2. __________ Name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Shula
3. __________ What did the 1969 Supreme Court ruling Tinker v. Des Moines State? Why is this important for schools?
The kids who wore the black arm bands during the Vietnam War. In Loco Parentis: Cannot limit student free speech unless it disrupts school climate or potential to disrupt school climate.
4. __________ What was the "3rd. U.S. Department" that Rick Perry could not remember this week in a presidential debate?
5. __________ Who is the current U.S. Dept. of Ed. Secretary?
The Discussion Web:
Divide the room into small groups
An equal number of groups will address the YE side of the issue and the NO side of the issue.
The topic:: "All middle school students should be exposed to sex education."
Sample topic for us to play with:
We take the YES side for this:
It is a hallmark of the transescent
Should be taught instead of discovered w/out education
Kids raising kids
Accurate information
Health reasons: STDs
Job security
Define: It's a study of our whole lives because it is a study of our whole being.
Responsibility, Respect, and Relationships
The Roundtable
]]>WormeliAMLEAMLE112011-11-13T23:26:49-05:00http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/blog-3/files/ff579cfc13d7e69ee09d11ec01e440c8-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/blog-3/files/ff579cfc13d7e69ee09d11ec01e440c8-1.html#unique-entry-id-1Friday Sessions

Classroom Management & Student Motivation "The Keys to Raising Student Achievement"

Mark McLeod, 99 James Switzer Road, Purvis, MS 39475
(601) 270-8914 cell (601) 794-3814 fax MTMCLEOD66@AOL.COM
He has T-Shirts w/Cha-Ching on 'em. See also the handout on motivating students.
This session deals strictly with motivation.
Starts with the emotional bank account.
Starts with the Shirt: Cha-Ching! Have you made an emotional deposit with your student?
Motivating anybody starts with the relationship.
Questioning Techniques to Motivate Students to Participate.
Think of the name only of the best teacher ever you had in school.
TENSION - used to promote student accountability.
Create questions that get all the students to answer in their head, then ask for volunteers.
Ask questions in a pattern that is predictable and then ask the question that you want one student to answer after everybody has an answer in their head.
Questioning Technique #1: Ask, Pause, and Call.
Ask the question
Pause for think time
Call on a student randomly.
Stick Pick is good here.
Students are also prepped for discussion because they have an answer in their head.
Signals
Gives away what type of questioning technique we're using.
Think (with hand pointing to head)
Ask opinion questions to your special ed/needs kids so they can't be wrong and they experience success. Then go to factual questions later in the week/year. Give them success first.
Questioning Technique #2 - Volunteers
Signal
Hands (says it)
Make sure you go over tests and give pre-tests multiple times so they can get much better.
This is good practice.
"If you did know, what would you say?" For those students who say "I don't know."
Questioning Technique #3 - Choral Response
Reading the directions together.
Signal: open hands toward the students. both hands gesture outward to the class.
Questioning Technique #4 - Signal Response
Signal: Fist to the sternum, then thumbs up/thumbs down/windshield wiper for response.
Best response one is the old fashioned white board.
Put a sock on the other hand for erasing.
Lowe's and Home Depot will cut 36 squares out of a sheet of showerboard.
Paddles have the dry erase stuff on 'em. Group by color.
Four Corners Technique
Agree, somewhat agree, disagree, strongly agree and discuss your position.
Response board
Laminated


Classroom Management Strategies

Mark McLeod
Stages of Teaching
Stage 1: Fantasy Stage
Teaching in its most ideal form.
Not real life situation.
Stayed in that stage one day.
Someone who's never been in the classroom! hehe
Stage 2: Survival Stage
Sarcasm
To change: fight hate with love. fight sarcasm with love.
Worksheet King
Dreads Monday morning.
Get the environment for success correct, you can get the effective classroom environment you want.
Book: The Greatest Salesman In the World
Expectations: Rules and Procedures.
Needed Relationships and Classroom Management
Stage 3: Master Teacher
Excited about going to work.

Stage 4: Impact Teacher
Relationships and Management will set you free.
I LOVE THE CLAP ONCE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, CLAP TWICE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, CLAP THREE TIMES IF YOU CAN HEAR ME.
Strategies
Evil Eye: "Give 'em the Mom or Dad look."
Give a look that lets them know their behavior is bad.
Evil Eye with a signal.
Wiggle the finger, the "Come Here" finger.
Don't talk. Non-verbal is better.
Writing Pad Technique
Carry a red clipboard and write the referrals on the clipboard. Then use the clipboard as a deterrent.
Proximity
Change the distance between you and the student.
Proximity with a touch.
Could use a touch on the desk instead.
Proximity with a sticky note.
Please put up the ________ now. Thank you.
Don't make a lot of eye contact.
Put the note on there and get out. Let the note do its work.
Whisper technique
Lean in and whisper what you want them to do.
Send them on an Errand.
Send them on an errand with a note.
Bell Work
First day of school bell activity: Word Search.
Character Education words.
Teachers need some calm before each class period to get them to give their best to the class.



Language Matters: Tools of the Trade from the Essay to the Tweet

Ruth Tounsend Story ruthTstory@gmail.com
Cathy Greenwood cfgreenwd@gmail.com
Welcome
The Three C's of the 21st Century (As identified by Thomas Friedman)
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Common Core ELA Anchor Standards
Reading critical types of content:
Classical myths and stories from around the world, foundational documents
Writing: both short focused projects (as commonly required in the workplace) and longer in-depth research and critical analysis, as well as arguments, informational/explanatory texts, and narrative.
Speaking and listening: focus is on speaking and listening to discussion in one on one, small-gorups, and whole-class settings; formal and informal . . .
Language: to explain their vocabularies, determine word meanings, appreciate the nuances of words, and steadily explain their repertoire of words and phrases in real life experiences. Language skills shoald be incorporated in reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities.
Headlines from National Newspapers
Marching their way into Title Game's Camera
Hoyas' Defense smothers high-powered IrishKicking and scheming, 8 NFL teams in action this weekend.
Embracing winter instead of fleeing it.
Flying to Canada? Better remember your passport
Feeling at home among the Elite.
Six word headline
Shopping Trip Ends in Near Disaster
Teacher confesses to being ski-challenged
Oscar and winnie survive Travel Ordeal
Make our own about the conference: Presenters Make Better Doors Than Windows.
Opens it up for a story behind the headline
From Headline News to the Personal Essay
Leap of Faith
Never once in my life have I ever thought that I would find myself standing atop a telephone pole. It's not a thought most people have, and not something most people have experiences. So, the majority of humans can't really imagine what it feels like. But I don't have . . . . (she switches screens too fast.) (and she reads her slides to us)
Participles for lively writing
Present Part:
Cheering
breaking
eating
speaking
Past participle
cheered
broken
eaten
spoken
Verb
are cheering
had broken
etc . . .
Putting participles to work
The coaching genius knows how quickly his reputation can be tarnished.
Screaming with frustration, the angry fans rushed onto the soccer field.
Antoine Winfield's crunching tackle sent the ball flying end-over-end toward the end zone.
Caution: Misplaced participles!
Hissing and yowling in the tree, the fireman tried to rescue the cat.
The baby was delivered and handed to the pediatrician, breathing and crying immediately.
The neighbor's lawn mower was reported stolen by the police.
Flying over New York City at night, the Empire State Building looked like a welcoming beacon of light.
Playing with Participles
The Challenge
Confronting the mountain, fear
Tickling my belly on the bunny hill,
Fearing to push myself off the ledge,
Looking like Mt. Everest to me.
Getting on the bullet-fast lift,
Turning faster than a jet . .
Student wiki responses to "The Challenge"
Student has to give feedback to another student.
Twitter assignment
Dead Man in Indian Creek. Dad will never let me go camping again! #Overprotective (Armentrout)


Mastery and How to Assess It

Rick Wormeli
This is based on Fair is Not Always Equal.
Has a discussion guide, participant study guide, and videos
Define Mastery
Can use it and apply it in another context?
Must incorporate it later in the year . . .
Final exams given over last 2-3 weeks and never for a long period of time/sitting.
What evidence will you tolerate?
Sit down with your team/department and decide.
What exemplars?
What are teachers putting on their tests?
"Agree on a commonly accepted definition of mastery."
What is the difference between proficient in the standard/outcome and mastery of the standard/outcome?
What does exceeding the standard mean?
Common Assessments
Written by local teachers
Given when the kids are ready to take them.
Do a variety of them.
They don't count a huge amount on the report card.
Ask him for the article on Clarifying the Curriculum.
Feedback vs. Assessment
Feedback: holding up a mirror to students, showing them what they did and comparing it to what they should have done - There's no evaluative component!
Assessment: Gathering data so we can make a decision.
Greatest impact: Formative Assessment.
Be clear: We mark and grade against standards/outcomes, not the routes students take or techniques teachers use to achieve those standards/outcomes.

]]>WormeliAMLEAMLE112011-11-13T23:22:50-05:00http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/blog-3/files/f8aba493011c996c3c7386bbd6f40109-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/blog-3/files/f8aba493011c996c3c7386bbd6f40109-0.html#unique-entry-id-0Thursday Sessions

NMSA/AMLE Affiliate Meeting Thursday 7:30 am.

Session Title: Advocating for AMLE
Article passed out at registration: Mark of Leadership: If Not You, Then Who? by Tom Burton (p. 44 AMLE)
(I get to sit next to Ross Burkhardt!)
Opening remarks
What to expect from the Association?
1. People come first!
Tell our stories through our members
2. Focus on delivery on what members need through This We Believe
3. Serving our customers is why we are here.
4. Increase our build of brand, especially as we change to new name and logo.
Funding in schools is incredibly tight.
Still can't lose sight of the need to learn and improve.
Teams that Make A Difference
Recognition of dignitaries.
Ross Burkhardt
Something new on Page 8.
Friends of the Foundation (105 people)
Encourages us all to donate to the Foundation.
Char Pike is one who helped start the Foundation.
Nancy Polosino
Introductions of Board of Trustees
Jeff LaRoux!
Teams That Make a Difference Award Presentation
Advocating One Day At A Time: IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO? by Tom Burton
These best practices are "gone".
Today's message won't always be nice, but it will be honest.
We haven't done enough, "I" haven't done enough. The effort needs to be personal and one to one level.
True Advocacy: What does it mean?
Racing Against Time Honestly
Month of the Young Adolescent
We need to do research that supports us.
There's a video called "Racing against time" (Honda?)
Overcome every challenge. Have no fear.
The Racing spirit is one of power.
Set a goal, set it high. Raise expectations.
Tune out the noise: What is the one thing I want to see?
Honda has a project clarity department . . . that's interesting!
We put tons of energy into a product we're not sure people will use because we know it's right.
"Would be nice if we could end the "oil age" not because we're out of oil, but because we found something better."
Asking difficult questions:
Are we doing enough?
What do we need to do?
Racing
Pressure
Conversation
Goals
spirit
Ticking cliock
Transformational shift
Ahead of the competition
Against
Want to be the best!
Unleashing power
Reach the top and then cruise
Push the envelope
Those that can do it when it absolutely counts (It counts now-right!)
Make it happen!
A false urgency is an urgency created out of a sense of fear.
Time
Provide solutions
If you have people on the board, not doing the job, need to go.
Find out who the mavin is in your district and state, find out who your salesperson is. Get 'em to sell it.
We know it is RIGHT!
Future will be brighter
We need teamwork
Dream the Impossible!
Books
Sense of Urgency: A Sense of Urgency (A Must Read for Affiliates.)
Our Iceberg is Melting
True vs. False Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency in your affiliate.
Confronting the brutal facts of your current situation.
Underlying a true sense of urgency is a set of feelings: a compulsive determination to move, and win, NOW!
Must win attitude
Never letting up- After . . .
What can I/you do?
Promote! Promote! Promote!
In your classroom/office
Team
BuildingDistrict
MOYA what did you do?
once
twice
every day
DID YOU DO ENOUGH?
CAN YOU DO MORE?
Lessons from a Roosevelt
"it is not the critic who counts: not th mean who points out how the stron gman stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man hwho is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who ears and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasisms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who , at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst . . ."
If not you, then who?
Commercial: Man choking video, "Make it Happen."


Keynote: Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education

See Dept. of Education website.
Basically quoted a bunch of Dr. Balfanz's research.
Importance of Middle Schools
Key to keeping kids in high school.


Rick Wormeli: Tiering Assignments and Assessments

CW121 Tiering Assignments and Assessments
Rick Wormeli
Thursday, Nov. 10 2:00-5:00 pm 212 Convention Center rwormeli@cox.net
Two ways to differentiate: Loud and Slower. Ha!
Out of survival in 1982 . . . . Tiering
Tiering is . . .
His: Group by readiness, not by ability.
Readiness implies a temporary condition "I'm not ready, but I hope to become so . . . "
Talk about he hard work they put into a project.
Talk about the process they went through and the energy they put into the work.
Only talking about the complexity of the challenge level.
Not about ability or learning profile.
Mike Schmoker, "Focus" & "Results Now" has an editorial
Blew it on differentiation and Tiering and "all this stuff."
They think there's not a lot of research on learning styles.

Everyone else: 504, IEP, Multiple Intelligences, Learner profile, readiness.
Ability or ability group, belch.
Interest, ability, learning profile.
AKA Responsive Teaching
Tools to raise and lower the content level.
Ask him for the color or black and white slides.
First accept the fact that most regular education classrooms are not set up to meet all students' needs.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could tell parents to take back their students that aren't ready yet. Ha!
Shopclass for Soulcraft, book that fits in to middle level ideas.
Second, identify how your lessons and interactions reflect expertise with the unique nature of the students your serve.
Kids need to move every 10-12 movements.
Everybody stand up and poke a neighbor in a non-private place.
Relieves stress on the end of their growth plates.
Show a video: show 10-15 mins. and then have them get up and process for 2-3 minutes.
What you teach is irrelevant, nobody cares. Tell me what they're learning, not what you're teaching.
Example: The Unique Nature of Young Adolescents
Physical Activity
Creative expression
Positive social interactions
Structure and clear limits
Achievement and competence
One day w/out experiencing competence will cause a 3-4 day downward spiral academically.
3 days for a good home.
Opportunities to define who they are
Age 14 is the last point of teaching difference, compassionate, and responsible.
Connection to adults and communities.
Great Resources for Developing Expertise on Young Adolescents
Turning Points 2000
This we Believe (AMLE)
RMLE On-line
Slices of Life: Managing Dilemmas in Middle Grades Teaching
Managing the Madness: A Practical Guide to Middle Grades Classrooms
Everyone's Invited!
Making the Most of Middle Schools.
Advancing Differentiation
Differentiation and The Brain
Dayna Sousa and Carol Ann Tomlinson
Sample of Tiered Tasks
Grade Level Task:
Draw andy correctly label the plot profile of a novel.
Advanced Level Tasks:
Draw and Correctly label the general plot profile for a particular genre of books.
Draw and correctly label the plot profile of a novel and explain how the insertion or deletion of a particular character or conflict will impact the profile's line, the judge whether or not this change would improve the quality of the story.
Workload is Time + Energy. Try to keep the "Workload" the same when tiering.
When designing:
Define grade level first.
Define High level second
Define low level last.
Early Readiness Level Tasks:
Draw and correctly label the plot profile of a short story.
Draw and correctly label the plot profile of a single scene.
Given a plot profile
See handout
Common Definition: Tiering is when we adjust the following to maximize learning:
Interest
Readiness
Learning Profile
Rick's preferred: When we change the level of complexity or required readiness of a task or unit of study in order to meet the developmental needs of students involved.
Common Assessments are valuable.
What is Mastery?
"Tim was so learned, that he could name a horse in nine languages but bought a cow to ride on." Ben Franklin
"The student will investigate . . . ."
Center for Media Literacy in New Mexico -
"If we are literate in our subject, we can: (See slide)
What is the standard of excellence when it comes to tying a shoe?
Now describe the evaluative criteria for someone who excels beyond the standard of excellence for tying a shoe. What can they do?
Book: The Pluto Files is a good book.
Example:
Determine the surface area of a cube.
Determine the surface are of a rectangular prism (a rectangular box)
Determine the amount of wrapping paper needed for another rectangular box, keeping in mind the need to have regular places of overlapping paper so you can tape down the corners neatly.
Determine the amount of paint needed to paint an entire Chicago skyscraper
Which one gets'' the A?.
Anchor Activities refer to two types of learner management experiences:
"Sponge" activities that soak up down time, such as when students finish early, the class is waiting for thenext activity, or the class is cleaning up or distributing papers.
Graphic Organizer
Anchor Lesson Design
Activty/Group: At four walls
Center: Anchor activity
Anchor Activities Advice
Use activities with multiple steps to engage students.
Require a product
Train students what to do when the teacher is not available.
Start small: half the class, half the class. work toward more groups.
Double T-Charts
Eye
Characteristics of success we'd like to see
Ear
Characteristics of success we'd like to hear
Heart
Characteristics of success we'd feel.
Practice new behaviors in short chunks and always debrief.
Real learning has little to do with instruction. It's what they got out of it.
Need to use it outside of our own classroom.
Process the lesson at the end.
Task Cards may help.
Use and train students in attention signals.
How much time is lost in the beginning of class and the end of class with just getting their attention?
As much as three weeks during the school year.
Practice the behavior.
"Fish Bowl"
The small group is in the center and the rest of the class is observing and then writing feedback on the performance of the group.
Give them a chance to analyze each other's behavior.
Scaffolding
Example:
3 questions to ask, 3 questions to ask and write down the responses.
2 quesitons to ask, 2 questions to ask and pick one follow up question. Write down.
Here's a list of 10 questions, pick 3 and write down the responses.
Examples and non-examples
20-45 minutes in length for secondary students, 10-20 minutes for primary and early elementary students.
Train students in how to engage from one activity and move back into another one successfully.
Sample Anchor Activities:
Language Arts:
Science:
What to Do When the Teacher is Not Available
Suggestions include:
Move on the next portion; something may trigger an idea
Draw a picture of what you think it says or asks
Re-read the directions or previous sections
Find a successful example and study how it was done
Ask a classmate ("Graduate Assistant", "Teacher Assistant", "Technoids")
Define difficulty vocabulary.
Try to explain it to someone else.
(Kids come up with three more)
Football!: Sequence the Class Hour
General lesson on the topic - everyone does the same thing. 10-15 mins. or so.
Students practice, process, apply and study the topic in small groups according to their needs, styles, intelligences, pacing, or whatever other factors that are warranted. 15-20 mins.
Students come back together and summarize what they've learned. 10 mins.
Needs to be respectful tasks with meaning!
Always keep the bigger picture in front of them throughout the "pieces" lessons.
Additional structures that May Help: Video-At Work in the Differentiated Classroom.
Use Anticipation Guides
Reminder: You can have different levels of these. Reading Journals, etc.
Create personal agendas for some students.
Top half is something that is there all the time.
The bottom half is the steps of the lesson that are important to that day's lesson.
Keeps the distractions down.
Use centers/learning stations
Have a higher level and a lower level of station . . .
Adjust journal prompts and level of questioning to meet challenge levels
Incorporate orbital studies "Orbitals" i.e. Satellite Studies
Surrounds the basic curriculum and leads to something that is presented in class.
Example: Graph these two coordinates on a plane.
For Early readiness
Limite the number of variables.
Limit the inequality symbols to, "graphing" thing.
For Advanced
Require students to generate the 4 quadrant . . .
Begin by listing every skill or it of information a student mys fuse in order to meet the needs of a task successfully. Most of what we teach has subsets of skills and content that we can break down for students and explore at length.
Steps to Tiering Assignments and Assessments - Advice
Figure out what the critical elements are the kids need to know.
Tier tasks by designing the full-proficency and then design the high and then the low proficiency.
You don't have to have high, medium, or low.
Don't tier every aspect of every lesson. It's often okay for students to do what everyone else is doing.
When you first start this, stay focused on one concept or task.
To Increase or decrease a Task's complexity, Add or remove these attributes:
Manipulate information not just echo it:
Extend what you're teaching to some other area.
Work with advanced resources
Add an unexpected resource
Reframe a topic under a new theme
Synthesize two or more unrelated concepts or objects to create something new.
Work with the ethical side of the subject.
The Equalizer (Carol Ann Tomlinson)
9 elements in a learning experience
Google this.
Learner Profile: Any factor that might influence Learning.
see the handout
Learning Contracts - Basic Components
Student and Teacher responsibilities
Teacher expectations of Student
Consequences for the student if he does not live up to responsibilities and expectations
Spaces for both teacher . ..
See handout
Checkpoint:
These dates and descriptions . . .
Example
Science Class: The student will complete the following tasks by December 10th . . .
Working on these tasks during contract time the student will . . .
Contractual consequences
Frank William's Taxonomy of Creative Thought
Incentive Publications builds their stuff around him.
Fluency
Flexibility
Originality
Elaboration
------------------
Risk Taking
Complexity
Curiosity
Imagination
Fluency: We generate as many ideas and responses as we can
Flexibility:
Originality: We create clever and often unique responses
Elaboration
Cubing
Ask students to create a 3-D cube out of foam board or poster board, then respond to one of these prompts on each side:
Describe it
Compare it
Associate it
Analyze it
Argue for or against it.
Apply it.
We can also make it higher and lower-level complexity cubes for varied groups' responses.
RAFTS
S has been added for strong adjective or adverb.
Raise complexity by adding things that aren't a natural fit.
Four or five choices per role.
Learning Menus
Entrees
Hors d"oubres
dessert: Short and fun.
side dishes
beverage
Put the kids on a meal plan.
Tic-Tac-Toe board
Tic Tac Toe any way but vertical
Horizontal: Summarise (Describe) Compare (analogy) Critique
Vertical: ?
Tier 1, 2, 3 etc.
Practice complexi-fying. Really. A Lot.
Example:
Theses
1. Students will come up with an appropriate thesis for a paper.
2. Kick it up a notch: Give the writing and come up with a thesis. Analyze other thesis and come up with a better one. Make a reteaching plan for your classmates.
3. Use a thesis.
Here's three economic principles of FDR. Rank them in importance to Hermine Granger. How is that different from Ron Weasley?
Explain it to an Amazonian tribe that doesn't have electricity.
Tier questions as warranted.
Test design: easy, hard, easy and hard alternate and then go easiest at the end.
Principles for Teaching ADvanced Students
No mater what readiness level, we teach essential and enduring knowledge first or at least at the same time as advanced standards.
The teacher oesn't have to know it all. He has to facilitate the learning.
Advanced experiences illuminate more material during the course of the year, whether by moving more rapidly, by exploring concepts in greater depth, or by offering more breadth in the field of study.
CEC and NEGC (Susan Rakow) National Associationo of Gifted children.
Failure is Not an Option, it is Preferred!
A blind alley always teaches more than an easy street.
With advanced students, we affirm effort and perseverance, hot how intelligent or capable they are.
They love humor so much more!
We incorporate student's multiple intelligences and the characteristics and challenges thereof.
They love slapstick!
USE THE HUMOR!
We affirm and use shared leadership in the classroom.
Textbooks and novels are resources, not the curriculum.
Primary sources in research are more heavily valued.
In general, advanced students do not like whole novels to be read to them. Excerpts are fine.
Advanced experiences expose students to a larger variety of language and literature.
Non-traditional grammar, sentence structures, vocabulary words and writer's voice are encouraged.
Assessment is more authentic and alternative assessment is are more likely to occur . . .
We intentionally provoke thinking and confront the status quo and invite students to do the same.
There can often be a wider range of readiness levels in a classroom of advanced students than there is in a classroom of general education students.
Advanced students tend to appreciate the teacher's use of humor more than other students do.
ADvanced experiences will have some unique opportunities: Socratic Seminars, debates, working directly with experts in the field, integrating subjects.
Accountable Talk (Checking for Understanding ASCD 2007)
Press for clarification - "Could you describe what you mean?"
Require justification - "Where di dyou find that information?"
Recognize and challenge misconceptions .. .
see handout
We still make the implicit, explicit and not assume anything.
We compact the curriculum for advanced students as warranted.
Advanced students often perceive subtlety and nuance. We notice, too.
Home vs. House
Mastery vs. Excellence
Advanced students embrace complexity, often transcending simplistic or binary responses.
Advanced students can often lose track of time, space, and people; they easily enter, "Flow."
Advanced are often quite good at switch-tasking
Independent studies (orbitals), adjusted prompts, and learning contracts work.
Advanced students appreciate patterns and connections and rarely leave content to its individual pieces.
Integration with fine and performing arts works well with advanced students, even with those not advanced with those arts.
Just because I can't think of it doesn't mean it can't be done.
"Little Geniuses" Article
Advanced thinkers: "Dumbth"
Aren't afraid to change their minds.
Are aware that their opinions
Quick Reference: Differentiated Lesson Planning Sequence
Design the learning experiences for students based on . . .
When designing your actual lessons ...
Brainstorm multiple strategies
Cluster into introductory, advanced, and strategies that fit between these two.
see hand out
Students have to do both,
Access to sense-making
Process to Meaning-Making
Ask him for the article on meaning making.
What to do with the kid who . . . . by Kay Burke
"Even a man on the right track will get run over if he just stands there" -Will Rogers.
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