It's all about that bass oops, I mean it's all about that planning

Last week I dealt with an unforgiving migraine headache which left me doing nothing until I won the battle. You know what? Sometimes life gets in the way of things we want and need to do, however, the world did not crumble around me and I woke the following day alright. 

So it is back to the subject of purposeful planning for student success with you this week. 

I have continued to support 2 new teachers in my building and in 2 weeks we have spent 8 face to face hours together planning during our NTI pandemic. I have seen 2 intelligent adults struggle as new educators, I have seen them question the process, and I have seen them overwhelmed. 

I've dug deep into my bag of tricks to support them while encouraging the long process of planning. Ensuring them it won't always be this laborious. But, will it get easier? I do believe it will as they become more versed in the ways of backwards planning, gain more content knowledge, and understand what it means to be a teacher. 

Now, even the most seasoned teachers/educators take hours each week to plan. We must think about our students, the content, standards, expectations, data, assessments, reflect on our practice from the following week, school expectations, and on and on. 

One of the biggest commitments we agree to make as teachers/educators is planning. Our greatest moments are generally well planned for even when students take a route we didn't precisely plan on that effective plan lead us there. Seeing students take our hard work and make it their own is invigorating. "Yes YES YES", I have wanted to scream and often did. "I hadn't thought of it that way but you are right! Wow, that's really interesting, not what I had planned but still headed in the right direction so let's go for it!" 

What do I mean? When we take the time to consider all the factors listed above we are ready! Being ready gives us the tools and tricks to direct our students towards the end goal for the lesson/unit. On days when those plans go awry our preparation and effort provide us with the context to allow for student freedom while maintaining the focus. Make sense? Think about a vacation that has been mapped out and scheduled. You have done all the research on the location, know the hot spots, where the most delicious food can be found, where to stay, and what entertainment you wish to seek out. Then you get there...your hotel is overbooked...that's okay you know multiple locations to meet your needs...the local restaurant specializing in local lobster has closed for remodel...no sweat you know 10 more places and you discovered an outstanding local cuisine you didn't come across during your research! Turns out it ended better than you planned! Remember, YOUR PLANNING efforts ensured even when it didn't go exactly as planned it turned out just fine, maybe even better. And to top it all off you learned more about the area than anticipated. Way to go!

So, as we continue to strive for perfection (wink,wink) do not give up on the long hours you need to plan for your classes and students. Know that your efforts will pay off and you will be better for it. 

Before I sign off for this week, consider student choice in your planning and how it could make a positive impact on your classroom. During NTI is a great time to provide choice to students as a way for them to have buy into your content. As we all know being at home creates a multitude of choices and often school doesn't make the top of the list. I am reading another book, The Classroom of Choice by Jonathan C. Erwin and am enjoying it thus far. He discovered when he incorporated choice into his classroom through intentional practices, that he did not give up on, his classroom became a joyful place for both his students and himself. 

I will be sharing more about this next week...feel free to do some "planning" of your own by researching student choice! 

Have a blessed week!

Sincerely,

Holly 

 Welcome to another week, a week closer to holding class in person or virtually, either way it's almost upon us. 

Going into this week I hope you have reflected and planned over the last 3 weeks with the suggestions and resources you have been provided. There is some great stuff out there. 

This week I want you to dig into the assignments you are going to create for your students. Remember, the purpose of my blog is for you to be purposeful and intentional with each move. Think of teaching as a chess game. Although I don't play, I am aware it is a calculated game that requires strategy, just like a classroom full of students. You sure don't want your queen taken! 

I seem to have many favorite "teacher" texts and this week's is no exception. Intentional and Targeted Teaching, A framework for teacher growth and Leadership, by D. Fisher, N. Frey, and S.A. Hite. When I was principal this text was super important to me as I served as a guide with my teachers. We used this text to study how we planned and the choices we made for our students. These authors utilized the word intentional because "...teacher's actions matter. The planning teachers do as well as the instructional decisions they make should be purposeful. High-quality instruction starts with knowing what students need to learn, then moves them on to creating a wide range of learning situations in which students can engage. Intentional says teachers are deliberate and that learning is expected." pg 3-4.

So, how exactly is one intentional when planning a lesson? First, you must know where your students are in the content and which skills they have and or lack. In comes formative assessment. Teachers must look over their expected outcomes, know the skills necessary to get there, and assess how ready their students are for the tasks. 

For example, if my standards expect 7th grade students to complete a 3 page essay on the causes and affects of WWII I will need to look at the skills required and work back from there assessing the readiness of my students. I will need to know their computer literacy, reading level, understanding of cause and affect, ability to search out high quality resources, etc. To begin to determine their abilities I will start with a formative assessment on basic Internet navigation and computer literacy. This essay cannot be completed without those two skills therefore they will be my baseline data. The information can provide me with information on what I need to teach, re-teach, and or provide scaffolds to allow student success. From there I will do a simple reading assessment. I may not be a reading teacher or am I? Yes, we are all reading teachers because literacy is key in all we do as citizens of the world. Once I know each student's reading level I can teach discrete skills provide scaffolds, and even programs to assist students when researching our topic. Of course I will need to know more about the students as we are working toward the goal of cause and affects of WWII, so I will assess along the way ensuring we are all on the correct path. 

Each of the above steps in the example are intentional moves made to ensure student learning and successful standards acquisition. Formative assessment happens intentionally throughout all parts of a lesson. 

Let's think about a chef teaching a student how to cook marinara sauce for the first time. Suppose Chef set out a recipe and walked away. How confident would you be that it would taste it's best? Sure, it may look like marinara sauce; but will it taste as good as his? Would Chef be willing to serve it to his clients? Most likely, no. Cooks and chefs need more than just the paper, there is a finesse to creating a wonderful meal. You are the chef and what you do takes finesse. Don't think handing out definitions will be enough for your students. They need you all along the way to model, re-teach, extend, scaffold, and support as they grow. 

So, as you set out to plan this week think about formatively assessing your students on the skills necessary to be successful in your class during the first unit. What do you need them to know and how can you support that learning in tandem with your content?

Planning during a pandemic step two

 Welcome back! You had the previous week to learn more about pedagogy and I am confident you were dabbling in your content. Let's begin to plan how we will determine what the learning styles and needs of our students will be remotely. 

                                          

                       

Accredited Schools Online offers a learning styles quiz right there online, one option is to have students take the quiz, screen shot the results, and drop their shot into a Google Slide you provide them through the Google Classroom. This is valuable information for your online classroom. 

The University of Illinois Springfield.org has an article titled Learning Styles and the Online Environment. Here is a quote to keep in mind. "Because learners have different learning styles or a combination of styles, online educators should design activities that address multiple modes of learning in order to improve the likelihood of successful experiences for each class participant. In designing online courses, utilize multiple instructional strategies." The article provides some of the instructional strategies as well. 

With little time in front our our students and no time physically in front of them we are going to need their full participation to get to know them. HOW do we achieve that daunting task? Our hook of course! It's our responsibility to draw them into our virtual world and keep them coming back for more. Inside Higher Ed online has an article titled, The Human Element in Online Learning were they offer ways to keep students hooked. 

                                       

TOP CLASS online offers 9 ways to increase student engagement. With each one listed I will provide examples to get your mind rolling. (Remember the diving board!)

#1 - Prepare students for the online learning experience. --Send out communications early with links to your landing platform such as a Google Classroom with code. Send your information virtually to parents and students and if possible via snail mail as a postcard which will contain all the info ready to be taped to the fridge. (We all love snail mail, even if it's from school.) 

#2 – Frequently review learning outcomes.  --Utilize your Google Classroom Stream for the learning outcomes and update them frequently. Link short 30-45 second video clips of you discussing the outcomes as well for those who are auditory learners. 

#3 – Present clear, organized learning materials. --Keep it simple; do not overload students with too many places to click; remember they have 5-7 other classes. *Check your district for approved sites. Create a routine for students; i.e. your entrance/exit slips, quizzes are always in a Google Form, class discussions are in JAMBOARD or Padlet, summative assessments can vary. That being said let them take the driver's seat at times and present their learning in a digital way that is fun and creative. Heck, they just might teach us a few things!

#4 – Prevent isolation by increasing the presence of instructors. --Have scheduled times you are live to provide synchronous learning and do not deviate from them. Schedule office hours where you are available for questions from students; (you can be working in the background until they ding into the Google Meet). 

#5 - Build a learning community. --Padlet or JAMBOARD provide places for students to hear from each other. Consider having an online party weekly where students can join you live to just talk about their week. 

#6 - Deliver bite-sized, spaced learning. --Remember, students are trying to learn and keep their commitments to school in varying situations. We do not have the luxury of holding them in a desk for 90 minutes a day. They are most likely distracted and overwhelmed just for being at home. Your lessons, therefore, must be short and precise; there is no time or need for busy work. We must be busy ensuring the standards are clearly presented in small manageable chunks. These chunks provide us with feedback platforms where we can know if our students are learning. 

#7 - Get students to take action on what they’ve learned. --Students are generally proud of what they have learned and like to show it off. Give them ways to do so. Through Google Meet you can have chat rooms where you group them based on need, provide them with an outline/checklist/rubric/format to work collaboratively. During this time students can be in homogeneous or heterogeneous groups to either reteach each other or extend the learning. 

#8 - Provide regular feedback. --Don't we all want to know how we are doing at work? So do our students and our feedback is the catalyst. Set your schedule to ensure you provide timely feedback to students. (Manage your time so you are not feeling the stress to be online all hours of the day and night.) You need a routine as much as your students to ensure you are meeting both of your needs. NTI is overwhelming do not let your self care become compromised. Set times and stick to them. *Keep in mind, all teachers worked after hours grading and planning therefore you should expect time to be devoted outside of your contracted hours, just don't go overboard for your own sanity.)

#9 - Make time for fun. --If you were in person with students you would have Fun Friday or Wacky Wednesday times; well why not do the same online? Remember we are trying to keep them on the hook. 

Students crave consistency and the simple steps above will provide that for your students. This time has been difficult on so many levels these steps can bring some normalcy to a situation that is anything but. 

Alright, the start of school is quickly approaching! Remember, you got this! Focus this week on how to learn about your students from an online platform to ensure you know their learning styles, strengths, deficits, and readiness for your content. 

Planning during a pandemic step one...

Hi! How was your week? Did you think about your passion, perseverance, expertise, and effort? Did you think about how you can maximize your efforts for your students this year through non-traditional school days (NTI) over the Internet if that is your district's path and then face to face in the classroom?

I sure thought about how I can maximize my position as Academic Instructional Coach with new and veteran teachers alike. I met with 2 teachers this week at different places in their career, yet, both young in the field of education. One I spent time with going over how to design a lesson while the other I just tried to provide him with an overview of our school/district. A reminder of individual needs within one building.

With our district choosing to go into NTI for the first grading period I thought a lot about how my role will look. I decided am going to begin coaching on how to teach without an audience. Guess what? That starts with purposeful planning and being very intentional. Funny, how it all circles back to my purpose for this blog! I love it! 

Leadership for Differentiating Schools & Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson & Susan Demirsky Allen explain that planning and preparation show if a teacher has knowledge of content and pedagogy, their students, are selecting (quality) instructional goals, have knowledge of resources, can design coherent instruction and are preparing to assess student learning. For virtual learning we are going to focus on everything for the first few weeks with the exception of knowledge of students. New year equates to new students; unfortunately in a pandemic we will lack the personal aspect of getting to know kids; at the very least it will take us a bit longer. 

Teachers under a pandemic are experiencing uncharted territories; but do not fret; when you plan with purpose and intentionality students will learn and thrive. YES, they will thrive; so long as you keep your expectations high, be available, well planned, and enthusiastic...you'll watch them reach their goals with pride. 

Step one know your content and pedagogy. Content is pretty basic and years ago (many years ago) it seemed that was the end of a teacher's job. Teach algebra, teach Spanish, teach English literature, etc. With the responsibility of teachers changing and growing and our knowledge of the brain and how students learn at varying levels we are expected and required to go beyond lecturing our content from the front of the room. 

In walks pedagogy. "Pedagogy in education concentrates on the different learning styles of students." This is from Schoology's blog and article Pedagogy in Education: More than just a buzz word, https://www.schoology.com/blog/pedagogy-education-more-buzzword. We are held accountable for student learning and therefore we must know HOW they learn and since they do not all learn the same we must differentiate. Differentiate? WHAT? We haven't even begun planning, now I have to differentiate? Yes you do because it is best practice and will provide the opportunities for learning. (It IS part of planning, no worries.)

Non-traditional Instruction or NTI lends itself to differentiation and may help you feel more comfortable with ensuring you differentiate when we all come back to the school building. Let's go back to Tomlinson and Allen's text and learn what a differentiated classroom looks like. Pg. 96 provides an outline; I will share some of what they listed.

• Flexible groups
• Students responsibility for learning is fostered
• Provide a mechanism for students to get help when the teacher is busy (or not online)
• Provide ongoing learning activities when they need help but the teacher is unavailable
• Less lecture more investigation
• More small group or individual
• Allow for a variety of response types
• Provide conference time between teacher/student
• Vary in difficulty
• Allow for student choice
• Vary in time allotted
• Reflect student's learning goals
• ....

Looking above I feel better about NTI already. Setting specific office hours will allow me to provide feedback through conferencing as needed. Utilizing Google Meet for live instruction that is recorded for those unavailable. Purposefully placing students into Google Meet chat rooms for small group time. Ensuring all students can access and use their email for communication when the I am not online. High expectations holding students accountable for the work. Providing models and exemplars yet allowing for student creativity. Each of these can be built into my planning. 

Alright, enough to think about for the week ahead. I look forward to your comments or questions. I will see you next Sunday! Happy Planning!

Sincerely,

Holly Walker, Ed.S.