Last night Jorge said in the second session of class a phrase that has been rattling around my head since... I asked permission to steal it, it was granted, so here goes. "Children are technology natives, while the rest of us are Tech Immigrants." Wow, is that ever genius.
I was shocked in a meeting the other day when the head of my department was confused when another teacher said the phrase "Just Google it."
"What is Google it mean?" She asked.
The thirty-ish teachers all laughed at the question because we honestly thought she was kidding. But, the next day, in yet another meeting, she asked again what was meant by the statement?
So today with Jorge's words banging around my head I decided to take it upon myself to put out an invitation to the entire staff for a training next week on the power of search. I am excited about the prospect, especially coming off of last nights presentations from everyone in 641. Yes adults are Tech Immigrants, but amazingly some adults don't speak a word. I will reflect on my experiences leading up too and following my little foray into teaching computers as a second language.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
MY NEW MANTRA
"By doing your research you can claim to have generated your theory of practice, that is, you can say with confidence that you know what you are doing and why you are doing it. You are showing that you are acting in a systematic way, not ad hoc, and that you are developing a praxis, which is morally committed practice." (McNiff & Whitehead 2006 pg. 20)
This blog is for me...
I finally get it. I see it now. I had gone back to look at All You Need to Know About A.R. and I stumble upon this section. I must have read this paragraph, as well as the preceding one and following one, a hundred times. I started reading them out loud like theater and I felt a release, my 'research is hard science only' bias lifted like a weight from my shoulders. I see it now. I also see a lot more in my minds eye about my field of action, my idea is going to have a hard time finding the 'I' in the process. That probably didn't make a lick of sense to anyone but me... but thats why I started with "This blog is for me..." Why are you still reading this? Hey man back off I said it was just for me! Never mind go ahead and keep reading.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Use the Force Luke. I said use it punk!
Doing a force field analysis for my field of action is a straight forward activity, so here goes.
Middle school mathematics and the roll getting out of the classroom can play in creating concrete understanding in the struggling student.
Pros.
Moves math from theory to action
Helps ELL
Helps SPED
Fun for students
Quality activities
Tricks anti-math types to compete
Reinforces 3D thinking
Tech holds their attention
Feels like play
Kids will love it
Con.
Kids most in need often cant handle outside freedom
Difficult to include Vocabulary
More work for teachers
Difficult to assess
Getting Non-doers to not be shamed into not participating
Making sure the kids recognise the connections
Getting enough access to computers
Getting Administration to agree its not just play
Getting teachers to buy in and take a risk.
Seems to me that this is going to be difficult but very worth while... crossing my fingers.
Middle school mathematics and the roll getting out of the classroom can play in creating concrete understanding in the struggling student.
Pros.
Moves math from theory to action
Helps ELL
Helps SPED
Fun for students
Quality activities
Tricks anti-math types to compete
Reinforces 3D thinking
Tech holds their attention
Feels like play
Kids will love it
Con.
Kids most in need often cant handle outside freedom
Difficult to include Vocabulary
More work for teachers
Difficult to assess
Getting Non-doers to not be shamed into not participating
Making sure the kids recognise the connections
Getting enough access to computers
Getting Administration to agree its not just play
Getting teachers to buy in and take a risk.
Seems to me that this is going to be difficult but very worth while... crossing my fingers.
Field of Action
Field of action... wow... I think to make sure that I do not pigeon hole myself I am going to break this thought process down into manageable chunks.
1. Middle school Mathematics
2. Reaching multiple modalities
a. Kinestetic Learners
b. Tech learners
3. Taking Math out of the classroom
4. Focusing on Spacial Awareness and Geometry
My thought process is a progression from large physical activities (for example the idea of placing a huge graph made of ropes on the lawn 50' x 50' and have kids walk the graphing activities) to computerized activity using graphing programs to reinforce the walking activity with the hopes of seeing my low preforming math students improve on their state exams in mathematics.
I have also been considering a school wide Math Bootcamp, in which all of the weeks activities are divided by grade and level, in an effort to create a series of games and activities, to expand the idea above. Can the entire school take math off of the 'ditto' and into the world. Can real world connections be made in a fun engaging way.
Idea... kids receive a math problem with an answer on the mega-graph (comparing the line y=1/2x + 7 to the line y= 2x - 3) can the group figure out where on the graph the two lines will intersect? Place their bean bag on the spot, justify their answer then check.
Can a group of students follow the coordinate directions of another group and end up with the correct image that was intended after placing colored bean bags on the correct spots. This activity gets one group creating online while the second group places the bags to check.
The idea of the field of action being neither to specific or to general feels a little bit like describing the concept of 'warm'... Hot sure, cold of course, warm feels a little wishy washy.
1. Middle school Mathematics
2. Reaching multiple modalities
a. Kinestetic Learners
b. Tech learners
3. Taking Math out of the classroom
4. Focusing on Spacial Awareness and Geometry
My thought process is a progression from large physical activities (for example the idea of placing a huge graph made of ropes on the lawn 50' x 50' and have kids walk the graphing activities) to computerized activity using graphing programs to reinforce the walking activity with the hopes of seeing my low preforming math students improve on their state exams in mathematics.
I have also been considering a school wide Math Bootcamp, in which all of the weeks activities are divided by grade and level, in an effort to create a series of games and activities, to expand the idea above. Can the entire school take math off of the 'ditto' and into the world. Can real world connections be made in a fun engaging way.
Idea... kids receive a math problem with an answer on the mega-graph (comparing the line y=1/2x + 7 to the line y= 2x - 3) can the group figure out where on the graph the two lines will intersect? Place their bean bag on the spot, justify their answer then check.
Can a group of students follow the coordinate directions of another group and end up with the correct image that was intended after placing colored bean bags on the correct spots. This activity gets one group creating online while the second group places the bags to check.
The idea of the field of action being neither to specific or to general feels a little bit like describing the concept of 'warm'... Hot sure, cold of course, warm feels a little wishy washy.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Problem with Success
As I reflect on my practices in my ongoing search for an Action Research project for the year I have come across a problem; success. The school I teach at has the triple whammy of bad demographics; low preforming students, economically challenged families (we are a title 1 school,) and culture and language issues. Due to our history of low test scores we were taken over by the fed last year and placed in the process of 'restructuring' our school. What does that mean exactly? It means that all of our title 1 monies were stripped from our school (an excess of $300,000) and given to a private corporation called Edison Education. For this money we get four part time employees who work from 10 to 30 hours a week, who walk through our rooms and say... "hmmm could you have done X instead?"
I joined this school in the middle of last year after previous teachers were removed from the room due to the inability to reach the very difficult group of kids. The first teacher retired after a couple of weeks and the last was removed after nearly laying hands on one of the most disrespectful young people I have ever worked with. He is from a small island in the South Pacific, his family doesn't understand school and he was born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Being that I took over a class in total free fall, the administration as well as the people from Edison Education stayed away from my room. As long as it wasn't burning everything was fine with all of them. I don't know that they noticed, but my scores jumped up quickly and the onslaught of referrals and detentions stopped. I brought a sense of math fun and wonder to the room and the students responded. In a mere two months I caught my group of 140 up with the two other 6th grade houses; as evidence our monthly test scores went from an average 20% points below the second place class to coming in second.
Edison had forced curriculum changes and pacing guides on the school which was a wake up call for the older teachers and a positive change in the overall focus of the school. For the school to survive we had to strive for excellence from our students. For this Edison was correct. However, no teachers were replaced, the Administration (an excellent one by the way) was unchanged, the same dedicated professionals that had been there for a decade were teaching the same kids they always had. The only change was that they taught with a fire under their asses... a fire burning hot with one goal, jump these kids scores and get Edison out of our school!
Then a wonderful thing happened, we as an entire school saw an end of the year jump in overall math scores on our state exams of 23%. We jumped from among the worst schools in the state at 17% math proficiency to the middle of the state with 40% proficient for the year, the single biggest jump in the state. Reading scores jumping an impressive 9% as well. ***
Before you go and give Edison Education Credit... they preach the same exact things at a dozen other schools in Hawaii and have for several years without change, it is the same exact mantra from school to school, but our school moved the scores, our staff moved these scores.
So I shouldn't have been surprised when on the second day of school, the State Superintendent, Complex Superintendent, two Department of Education bureaucrats, Edison people and my administration were all walking into all of our rooms to see what we were up to. In the first five days of school I had seven random groups parade through my room unannounced. Clip boards in hand, they walk through my room like scientists watching the lab rat as he scurries through his maze.
So here is my dilemma... I did absolutely none of the things Edison forced the other teachers to do... none! My scores climbed higher than my fellow math teachers and did it in half the time... I actually do the direct opposite of what the corporate teacher leaders are suggesting. I fundamentally disagree with their entire premise.
Was the school successful? Absolutely.
Did scores school wide go up? Absolutely.
Did Edison change my practices at all? No.
So my question is this... do I allow them to change my teaching when, not only do I know in my heart it is correct, but the direct empirical evidence supports it as well? That given a year of my teaching style, combined with a fresh start of kids who have not already been jaded and scared by the previous teachers, there is no limit to how far I can take this group?
What do I do? They love my outcomes, they just want me to change the way I get them.
I joined this school in the middle of last year after previous teachers were removed from the room due to the inability to reach the very difficult group of kids. The first teacher retired after a couple of weeks and the last was removed after nearly laying hands on one of the most disrespectful young people I have ever worked with. He is from a small island in the South Pacific, his family doesn't understand school and he was born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Being that I took over a class in total free fall, the administration as well as the people from Edison Education stayed away from my room. As long as it wasn't burning everything was fine with all of them. I don't know that they noticed, but my scores jumped up quickly and the onslaught of referrals and detentions stopped. I brought a sense of math fun and wonder to the room and the students responded. In a mere two months I caught my group of 140 up with the two other 6th grade houses; as evidence our monthly test scores went from an average 20% points below the second place class to coming in second.
Edison had forced curriculum changes and pacing guides on the school which was a wake up call for the older teachers and a positive change in the overall focus of the school. For the school to survive we had to strive for excellence from our students. For this Edison was correct. However, no teachers were replaced, the Administration (an excellent one by the way) was unchanged, the same dedicated professionals that had been there for a decade were teaching the same kids they always had. The only change was that they taught with a fire under their asses... a fire burning hot with one goal, jump these kids scores and get Edison out of our school!
Then a wonderful thing happened, we as an entire school saw an end of the year jump in overall math scores on our state exams of 23%. We jumped from among the worst schools in the state at 17% math proficiency to the middle of the state with 40% proficient for the year, the single biggest jump in the state. Reading scores jumping an impressive 9% as well. ***
Before you go and give Edison Education Credit... they preach the same exact things at a dozen other schools in Hawaii and have for several years without change, it is the same exact mantra from school to school, but our school moved the scores, our staff moved these scores.
So I shouldn't have been surprised when on the second day of school, the State Superintendent, Complex Superintendent, two Department of Education bureaucrats, Edison people and my administration were all walking into all of our rooms to see what we were up to. In the first five days of school I had seven random groups parade through my room unannounced. Clip boards in hand, they walk through my room like scientists watching the lab rat as he scurries through his maze.
So here is my dilemma... I did absolutely none of the things Edison forced the other teachers to do... none! My scores climbed higher than my fellow math teachers and did it in half the time... I actually do the direct opposite of what the corporate teacher leaders are suggesting. I fundamentally disagree with their entire premise.
Was the school successful? Absolutely.
Did scores school wide go up? Absolutely.
Did Edison change my practices at all? No.
So my question is this... do I allow them to change my teaching when, not only do I know in my heart it is correct, but the direct empirical evidence supports it as well? That given a year of my teaching style, combined with a fresh start of kids who have not already been jaded and scared by the previous teachers, there is no limit to how far I can take this group?
What do I do? They love my outcomes, they just want me to change the way I get them.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
AR brainstorm...
Some ideas I have been kicking around for my AR are as follows...
How can I build better lesson plans for geometry and spacial awareness utilizing technology.
How can I help foster algebraic thinking in my students utilizing digital imaging and film.
How can I utilize web 2.0 tools to help develop better community thinking in my democracy class through real world communication.
How can I incorporate student lead personal Action Research into the lives of my students to help foster more self aware success oriented children.
How can I build better lesson plans for geometry and spacial awareness utilizing technology.
How can I help foster algebraic thinking in my students utilizing digital imaging and film.
How can I utilize web 2.0 tools to help develop better community thinking in my democracy class through real world communication.
How can I incorporate student lead personal Action Research into the lives of my students to help foster more self aware success oriented children.
Something to share...
I find myself grappling with action 'research' due to my love of the hard sciences, however last nights class helped considerably. Jamie's comments about the research as art not science liberated me to open up to this idea of the art of personal growth. I do very much recognise the power of the scientific method in AR. The cycle of of hypothesise, observe, gather data, reflect and then form a new hypothesis and repeat makes the research valid however I am having some personal trust issues... bottom line I don't know if I trust myself yet.
Personal side note I was very glad to hear Paul say that the Cadre was over reaching early and to take a breath. My feelings going into the class were... "How are my cadre members editing a wiki about group cognition hundreds of times when we have yet to have a class meeting, lecture, or group discussion on the topic?" I know one thing about myself and its this... I want to have thoughtful deliberate discussions on a topic. I find myself wishing for depth vs surface, especially before I would dare to edit the work of a group of people who have worked on said document for an entire year. It strikes me as arrogant to edit something prior to some form of mastery. I understand I can correct spelling errors or perhaps fix some poorly constructed sentences, but when it comes to content... I am just not there yet. I am not out of the tunnel but I am not wandering in the absolute blackness either. I am looking forward to having something truly valid to share.
Personal side note I was very glad to hear Paul say that the Cadre was over reaching early and to take a breath. My feelings going into the class were... "How are my cadre members editing a wiki about group cognition hundreds of times when we have yet to have a class meeting, lecture, or group discussion on the topic?" I know one thing about myself and its this... I want to have thoughtful deliberate discussions on a topic. I find myself wishing for depth vs surface, especially before I would dare to edit the work of a group of people who have worked on said document for an entire year. It strikes me as arrogant to edit something prior to some form of mastery. I understand I can correct spelling errors or perhaps fix some poorly constructed sentences, but when it comes to content... I am just not there yet. I am not out of the tunnel but I am not wandering in the absolute blackness either. I am looking forward to having something truly valid to share.
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