In my idealistic, pie in the sky vision of American education, this is the type of stuff we should be doing in class. Instead of tidy little math problems that can be looked up in the back of the book, why not have students use this information to formulate formulas or test principles as so on?
Why not give students real information and see what they can do with it? Sure there will be some failures and mistakes, but maybe a few will hit it out of the park as the student did with this video.
So what is on your to-do list today? Here is one artist's illustration of an example of Da Vinci's to-do list.
Twitter as a professional development tool.
Here is a great quote -
Twitter can be a fantastic professional development tool though. I can think of no other way to find people working in your own area so quickly and have such a direct contact with them. They will tweet links and articles and thoughts which will be immediately useful to you. It’s like duplicating yourself many times over. The slight time penalty of checking your timeline should be more than paid off with your enhanced view of what is happening in your area right now. And the paradox is that you can do this without ever sending a single tweet. Simply follow people who tweet about stuff you are interested in and these benefits will accrue immediately. Some will follow you back, some won’t. But you get to earwig the conversation like a bystander at a cocktail party. Once you start to tweet, your following should increase quickly and you’ll be drawn into the virtuous circle of sharing, debating and conversation which is twitter at its best.
The potential is so vast for Twitter that I can't see why it isn't used by more educators. Sure, our students use it to gossip and post banal things, but they can be shown how to use it for development too.
And here's more on the importance of Twitter - 5 Ways Twitter Strengthens a School's Learning Community.
- MAXIMIZING FIELD TRIPS - 5th grade field trip to @TheFranklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA and Kindergarten field trip to @ElmwoodZoo1, Norristown, PA
When your field trip is “broadcasted” in real time using Twitter,
parents at home, at work, as well as school personal unable to join the
physical trip can experience the learning in a virtual way. For parents,
these photo and text filled “tweets” help them stay engaged and allow
for pinpoint follow-up opportunity on exactly what the child experienced
on his or her trip. For other teachers in the building, including the
principal, it allows for continued conversations and building upon that
learning in other areas such as music, art, gym and library classes. For
each field trip, we shared a “Twitterfall” of teacher and parent field
trip tweets on the front lobby monitor (a recent gift from our Home
& School Association). The students, staff and parents may have
returned from the trip, but the learning continues and the dollars are
spread further. The Twitterfeed also lives on a Family Engagement Wiki using a free tool called Timekiwi.
Front lobby display of Tweets - SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / CONFERENCES - International Speaker on Bullying & Teen Suicide John Halligan Spoke earlier this year at NPSD. We were able to share this tweeted transcript with parents and staff to enrich our classroom meetings across our building and district. An Edutopia article was drafted following this presentation, which included takeaways from a teacher and parent who took part in the discussion.
- DAY TO DAY COLLABORATION AMONGST STAFF - Teachers share plans, photographed project completion and lesson reflections across the school and district. For example, here’s a few tweets from a recent mystery Skype setup with some reflections made possible by one of our 5th grade teachers, Glenn Yetter (@coachyetter). After seeing his tweets, two more teachers plan to take part in a mystery Skype in their own classrooms next week!
- SIMULTANEOUS SHARING AT A NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE - During this year’s #ASCD12 conference, even though the budget didn’t allow for many staff members from our district to be physically present, with Twitter, we were able to gather notes and takeaways from over 30 sessions and develop a shared ASCD Evernote conference notebook . During Reed Timmer’s (@reedtimmertvn) Discovery Education keynote session on Stormchasing, we were able to tweet links back and forth with parents, who then played the same raw storm footage with their 5th grade student at home – powerful at-home learning of a tornado on a Saturday morning.
- STRENGTHENING PLC CONVERSATIONS - Several teachers and parents in our building have begun participating in weekly chats such as #PTchat (Parent-Teacher Chat), #EDchat (Education Chat) #5thchat (5th grade Chat) and even #NTchat (New Teacher Chat). Storified archives like this one on meaningful report card comments were brought into morning PLC discussions to serve as conversation starters in pushing our thinking. You can archive entire chats or just pick out the most valuable tweets for your setting using Storify.
An amazing story on how a student lets nothing stand in his way. Let's just hope the little kid gleefully singing "no homo will ever get into heaven" has half the success this young man has had already.
Here is the author Dan Pink's TED Talk on the surprising science of motivation.
And this blog entry is an example of the importance of Twitter as professional development. I've been going through links I've found interesting on Twitter and sent them to my email account. As I go through them, I'm bombarded with great ideas and concepts to think about and apply to my teaching.
Here is one small example of that.
First, I found this article that was Tweeted last night.
Second, that article led me to this blog, which I have now bookmarked and will use as part of my daily reading.
Third, scrolling through the blog, I came across this interesting entry called "What Makes a Master Teacher?"
Here is the blogger's take on it -- (my comments are typed in red)
The term “master teacher” seems to get thrown around a lot, but is something that many educators aspire to be. In my ten years in the field of education, I would say that the definition of “master teacher” has definitely changed. When I think of a master teacher, here are the qualities that I would suggest they have:
1. Connects with kids first -For all students to excel, teachers must learn about them and connect with each child. This is not just about finding out how they learn, but it is finding out who they are. It is essential that we get to know our students, learn their passions, and help them find out how we can engage them in their own learning. If you are not able to do this as a teacher, the following characteristics will be moot.
Again, this is where teachers need to forge relationships with kids. That's why the old saying "high school teachers love their students while college professors love their subject" is a crock. Even if you do love your subject, you can't just expect students - even at universities - to show up just to hear you pontificate your brilliance on your subject.
This is also why social media is so important to the teacher. You don't have to be students' friend, but you have to be there for them when they need you - and with the millennials that is whenever they want. Like it or not, you won't be as effective as you can be as a teacher in this flat world until you accept that.
2. Teaches kids first and curriculum second – Teachers must ensure that they differentiate learning and work to meet the needs of each student and understand how they each learn. I believe that students have different learning styles and if we can best figure out how to help them meet their own needs, students will excel in the subject areas we teach.
This is what makes teaching so difficult. Differentiating assignments for students is damn tough work.
3. Ensures that they draw relevance to curriculum – The question, “What does this have to do with real life?”, is something that I would prefer never be said in a classroom. Not because it is not a legitimate question, but because teachers should show the relevance before there is an opportunity for it to be asked. As we are obligated to teach curriculum objectives outlined by our government officials, this is something that must be done. It is not always an easy part of the job but it is something we much continuously strive to do.
Not only is it essential that we draw relevance to the subject matter of what we teach, but it is also essential that we use mediums that are relevant to how students learn. Disconnecting from devices that WE use as adults and kids use all the time the minute students walk into school is wrong. A master teachers knows that it is essential to use technology in the classroom to enhance learning in a way that is relevant to students.
Perhaps this is one of the things I've tried to do the most in my classes. I can go on and on about how what I teach connects not only to the lives of my students but also to the mythical 'real world.' That reminds me of this great TED Talk on rejuvenating math teaching.
4. Works with students to develop a love of learning – We are obligated to teach curriculum objectives but we are also obligated in our profession to help students find their own spark in learning. Why do I write this blog? It is my way of connecting with others and reflecting on my own learning. It is a way that I choose to share and learn with others. There is no pay or compensation that I receive from this. A master teacher will try to tap into those ways that students love to learn and build upon that. Creating that spark in each student will lead them to continued success and growth.
I try to model a passion and love for teaching and for learning. I am most proud of this aspect of my teaching. I try and talk the talk and walk the walk. As a teacher of writing, I am proud to say in the last two years I've had two essays published. I am currently waiting to hear back from an editor to see if a third submission will be accepted.
5. Embodies lifelong learning – A master teacher knows that they will never become the “perfect” teacher since that is unattainable. They will look at ways that they can grow along with students and develop their own skills. Education and learning will always change and a master teacher knows that they need to change with it. I have seen teachers that have proclaimed that they are master teachers but have not changed their practice in years. Growth is essential as a teacher. Society changes continuously and so do its needs. We need thinkers in our workplace and teachers must show that they are on the leading edge of this.
This is what is so important about staying relevant with technology.
6. Focuses on learning goals as opposed to performance goals – Reading “Drive” by Dan Pink, he talks about the difference between performance and learning goals. A performance goal would be similar to having students wanting to receive an “A” in french where a learning goal would be a student wanting to become fluent in the language. Many students are smart enough that they know how to meet the objectives of a rubric and still not grow much in their learning. A master teacher sets the goals based on learning not on receiving a grade. This type of assessment is not about understanding what a students knows and reporting on it, but it is a tool used for learning.
Again, more about Dan Pink's work. Time to add Drive to my summer reading list.
7. Ensures that “character education” is an essential part of learning – Character education is just as relevant, if not more so, than any learning objectives set out in a curriculum. We live in a world where collaboration is vital to success and working with others is an important skill. Working with students to teach the fundamentals of respecting others and being able to listen and learn from others is vital. Students can have the smartest understanding of objectives but not have the ability to share these ideas with others in a respectful way or take the time to listen to other ideas. A master teacher ensures that students not only grow mentally in class, but also emotionally.
Not one of my strengths. But this is what I was always amazed with what Coach Mumm used to do. At every morning football meeting prior to practice, he always talked about not only becoming a better player but also a better person.
8. Passionate about the content they teach – If a teacher works in the area of math and LOVES the subject area, that passion will spill over to the students he/she works with. As an administrator, I work hard to help teachers work in subject areas that they are passionate about because I believe that enthusiasm is infectious. A master teacher shares their passion and enthusiasm with those they work with. However, if you are a teacher in an area that you do not “love”, it is important that you find ways to spark that passion for yourself.
Passion, baby. That's the key. Think back to your very favorite teacher. I bet they had a significant passion for what they taught. And I bet that's one reason they became your favorite teacher.
Now, ask yourself, as a teacher do you embody and express that same kind of passion? If not, why not?
(UPDATE: Reading through the comments I feel that I had to add a couple of characteristics to my list.)
9. A master teacher is a “school teacher” - I often talk with people about the difference between a classroom teacher versus a “school teacher”. It is essential that a master teacher does not only impact the learning environments of the class that they work with, but that they also have an impact on the school culture. This can happen in sharing their passion through extracurricular activities or their knowledge on strong teaching strategies with school colleagues. It is important that teachers do not just build connections with students that they teach now, but with students they had in the past or may have in the future. It is great to see teachers that connect with kids that they do not teach at the time leading to enthusiasm for that student to one day be in that very same teacher’s class.
I couldn't agree more.
10. Strong communication skills - Obviously it is important that teachers are able to communicate with the students they teach, but what about their colleagues and parents? Sharing knowledge, back and forth with colleagues is essential to the growth of the individual as well as the collective. It is important that these skills are continuously developed. It is also imperative that you are able to effectively communicate with parents as they have great insights on how their child learns best. I have learned more and more as an educator the valuable learning that can come from communicating with parents and how important they are to the development of the school and class culture. A master teacher will effectively draw upon this knowledge.
Again, this is where technology and social media can play such a vital role. I was listening to a podcast on Angela Maiers. The podcaster mentioned that she had an incredible 16 different ways that here students or parents could contact her.
How many ways are there for students or parents to contact you? If it's just calling your classroom or emailing, I think that's a terrible thing. Why can't they follow you on Facebook or Twitter or read your blog or your website?
Not bad for a morning's worth of thinking and reading and writing, eh? And you know what, as a result of this, I've become a better teacher than I was yesterday. And it's only a couple days in to summer vacation. I can't wait for tomorrow . . . or the 2012 school year.
1 comment:
Wow thanks - I'm sharing this for sure!
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