Please blog a response to each question for a total of two question for Chapter 6.
Question 1:
Boones Mill began its process of creating a school-wide system oftime
and support by building shared knowledge of the current reality in the
school in terms of how the school responded when a student was not
learning. It's staff demonstrated the discipline to confront the brutal factsof that reality. What is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn?
Question 2:
Once Boones Mill was able to create a time each day when students
were available for additional support, staff members were able to
identify a variety of ways to enlist the assistance of others in giving
student's personal attention. What additional human resources could youenlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels?
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1. My current reality at Gilbert High School is similar to Boone's in several ways:
ReplyDeletea. After school tutoring or Apex recovery is dependent upon student transportation--therefore, not all children who need it can be served.
b. Those who recieve help during school hours are only those who are served by special education teachers.
In my classroom, when students don't learn I:
a. slow down or back up to reteach difficult lessons.
b. conference with students about their progress.
c. allow late assignments to be turned in with a flat 10 point late penalty.
d. allow students to re-test after recieving a failing grade on a quiz or test.
e. communicate with parents to enlist help and support.
2. Like at Boone, I think teachers often feel isolated in their efforts to help students learn at high levels and could greatly benefit from the expertise of others.
Currently, I enlist help from:
a. Parents by communicating with them about areas their child may need additional help in.
b. John Trowbridge by identifying students who could benefit from credit recovery early in the semester before failing a course.
c. Special Education teachers by communicating with them about assignments our shared students need assistance in completing.
d. Team teachers by collaborating with them to improve my classroom curriculum and collecting new ideas and teaching strategies for targeted skills.
1. a. In my classroom, my reality is not that students struggle to learn but simply do not have the motivation ‘to do’. The courses that I teach only have a handful of concepts that are challenging to learn, but the primary concern is that students feel that they lack the talent to draw or to paint or to take a great picture. In the Visual Arts course, I come across the phrase “I can’t” quite often and I tell my students that it is not a phrase that I am willing to listen to. Many of these students are not going to be professional artists, or even ‘think’ they need to use art skills in their future. Many of these students are taking the course to simply earn an elective credit. This is frustrating for the handful of students who are going to be “artists” (in one form or another). But what can you do….
ReplyDeleteb. What I do when a child gets frustrated is different for each class I teach. Luckily my Photo classes have a size limit of 15. This allows me to work more one on one with students when they are learning technical aspects of Darkroom Photography. Also, these students benefit from working with a buddy. For the first couple experiences in the darkroom, I like to teach a handful of students how to develop photographs and then have them teach the process to their peers. They like to do this because they get a sense of pride for their little nugget of knowledge and also you can see the student mature (just a little bit) when you put them in this teaching role.
That is just one way. But when teaching classes of 25+ (Visual Arts), some with IEPs and others who are AP level students, I really struggle to help all students to get to the level that they can achieve at. Sometimes, I have to sit down with one student and draw a straight line over and over again. Sometimes I have to tell a child to add some meaning and content into their artwork because they have gotten to a different level.
Also, in Fine Arts classes and some other “singleton” classes (and definitely in Sports), I believe that the key to learning is PRACTICE. Learning by DOING…over and over and over again until you get it right.
2. I think what Miki Wright does is a great example of how to enlist ‘human resources’.
She gives students an opportunity to work with professionals in the Choral Community. She won the MCEC Bright Ideas Grant in order to hire a Musician to work with her students. She worked with SCETV to give students an opportunity that they will never forget, singing with Tim Janis. Artist in Residence are fabulous ideas when the funds are available, because the students see that they are not just singing notes on a page within the confides of our Gilbert bubble, but that they can actual become a Composer or Singer. And this applies to all areas. But without funding (which is our reality), resources that have are now available to us such as YOUTUBE!!, Blogging, Facebook, etc…can connect students with Masters in the field you teach, current professionals in the field and offer up instruction that maybe we didn’t come up with. It was really cool to watch youtube video interviews with Ansel Adams as my students were working on that project. It was like ‘ole Ansel’ was our guest speaker for the day. Technology will become a way to help students achieve at high levels, so we should be excited that our district is figuring this out…because I know others are not there yet.
1. From my perspective in guidance, the majority of students ARE learning and making progress. My concern is that they aren't maximizing their potential--they are satisfied with complacency and mediocracy. I'm not sure how to light the fire of motivation, but when I figure that one out, I'm going to write a book and go on the Oprah show.
ReplyDelete2. Learning at high levels differs for individual students because "high" to one doesn't represent the same thing as "high" to another. One idea is that students could develop an individual rubric for success on some assignments so that the could extend themselves within their own capabilities. Do I hear us doing away with the old bell-shaped curve???
1. The current reality at GHS is that most students are learning. The ones who are not learning seem to not have the motivation - don't know where they are headed in life. I see this more with 9th graders than anyone else. Many times the 11th or 12th graders will say they wish they had done things differently in school when they were younger - because now they are beginning to see the future for themselves. Having a role model and support at home is very helpful. I think our teachers do everything they can in their power to get students to learn. It is hard to know what students go home to.
ReplyDelete2. In every class there are students who are achieving above the level that is expected and there are students on the other end as well. Students will sometimes be more open to receive help from a peer than from another adult. Anytime these two groups of students can get together could be beneficial.
1. I don't think we have a problem with seeing the current reality here at GHS. For a limited few students here, the problem is ability. For the majority, though, the problem is motivation. How many students are in APEX recovery simply becuase they didn't do the work? How many of those could have passed the class if they had done the work? This is even a problem in my English I Honors class with a number of students who are quite content with getting "B"s and "C"s in the class because an Honors "C" is the same as a regular class "B." They should have an "A," but this is too much work. So, they get the "C" because that's easy to earn.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I do in my classes when students don't learn, the main thing I do is I'll pair up a weaker learner with a stronger one. This way, the lower level student can learn from his/her peer. Also, I allow students to retake the benchmark skills tests in order to learn from it, which does work. However, I'll be honest. I do still have 1-2 who still struggle, while the rest of the class is ready to move on. I have to admit to moving on when there is just those two students still struggling. Is this right? Probably not, but what else can I do?
2. I'll often talk to parents to try to motivate students, but this rarely helps. I often get the response of, "I don't know what to do." I'll ask my colleagues for ideas/suggestions, which does help. I always talk to the special ed teachers about their students.
1. The reality is that a majority of kids are learning. However, high achievement requires dedicaton, effort, & responsibility at a level that many of our students have choosen not to make. "Getting by" is perfectly acceptable to a large percentage of our student body. Our students have a pretty good idea of the amount of effort required in a class in order to achieve a specific grade, unfortunately, they have made a conscious decision to do just enough work to pass and many parents that I have talked with are just happy that they are passing.
ReplyDelete2. Most frustrating to me are those students that refuse to try or make an effort. Its not that they can't do the work its that they've chosen not to. In order to help struggling students I have in the past: Slowed the pace of the class, rearranged seating for students, added more review materials and varied these materials,changed the way material is presented (add more hands on assignments or projects)& called on struggling students more often in order to encourage participation.
What is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn?
ReplyDeleteMy current reality at GHS is that most students are willing to do what is asked of them and what is expected of them. Most students want to do well. Another part of the reality is that SOME students just do not care about success at school. They sleep in class. They don't do their homework. Talking to parents doesn't help. When they finally scrape by with a 60, they go to APEX. This is their goal. For the life of me, I cannot understand why a student would want only to make a 60 so that he could then stay longer at school in the afternoons. Why not just learn the material the first time?
When students in my classroom don't learn, I asked them to come see me for extra help. I give them extra enrichment work. I call parents. I slow down and do more review.
What additional human resources could youenlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels?
I think it would be neat if we had more parent volunteers like at the primary and elementary schools. Bree Williams and I are working together on a Physical Science class right now, and I think having two adults in the classroom is extremely beneficial to students. We have very few disruptions, and there is always someone to answer questions.
1.)I believe that the reality of Gilbert is that the majority of students want to learn. Unfortunately, many students, like the ones I teach, don't know how to study or prepare for tests. They don't know how to take notes or how to study those notes. These struggling students have learned to be satisfied with 69 or 70.
ReplyDeleteMy job is to help struggling students. I try to show students how to prepare for tests, how to find the important information in the reading material, and I offer extra time to complete assignments. I also have to do a great deal of extra explanation of questions to help the students understand what the question is asking.
2.)Even though it is very difficult, I would like to work more closely with regular classroom teachers to help struggling students. I think that regular ed. teachers and special ed. teachers could assist one another in helping our students find success.
#1. Reality here at Gilbert? Is that a trick question? Seriously, I think the reality has always been that our intervention techniques are somewhat limited and piecemeal. We are unable to require, like Boones Mill, that students stay beyond the school day, before or after, for additional help or to complete work missed or just not completed. Quite some time ago, I taught Basic (oops! Can't use that word anymore)Freshman English. I could divide the class into three categories: one, those who were repeating English for the second or sometime third time (with me), and were just waiting to get close enough to 17, to drop out before the "system" could catch up with them; second, those who felt their mission in life was to torture the teacher and hopefully, "win" a few "vacation" days away from me and school; the last group, consisted of what were true freshmen, who, unfortunately, were not born with the same academic abilities and gifts the first two groups were and truly tried and wanted to better themselves. I tried to work with those who needed assistance either before/after school or even tried to work with them individually during our class time, while other students were working individually, or lunch. I think that is probably where we still are today; we try within the constraints of the regular school day or as students are available to us to try to provide additional help. Now, I am in an arts area and usually students do fairly well because they have elected to take the course. The problem, like others noted previously is motivation. I find that some students are perfectly happy with mediocrity or less. When individual students fail tests it is usually because of a lack of preparation. In that instance, they can come after school to do a Make-up test because anyone can forget they are having a test or have a bad day; still, some do not take advantage of that option even when I give more than one time after school to do so. If we had time built into our school day, students would NOT have the option to ignore help or another chance for success. The challenge is to not penalize the students who ARE learning and achieving. I really think we have the creativity and commitment from our faculty to make this our NEW reality!
ReplyDelete#2. I read earlier comments from colleagues who expressed that their experience is that parents have not been supportive or a good resource for helping students. Let's remember that some of these parents are probably under a great deal of stress in today's current economic climate. Also, they may be experiencing the same lack of motivation from their young person at home that we do at school. They may be working 12-14 hour days and when they get home, they are just not up to the challenge of a teenager. We could bemoan the ills of today's parenting skills for hours...let's move on...
Who could best support us? I think the best and most accessible individuals are our fellow teachers. What about more team teaching? I know that in lower grades, teachers of like levels teach the units at which they are experts. Maybe we need to look at the way we structure classes...could we structure classes so some teachers were freed up for an additional period or time to pull students who needed help during an appropriate time during a class? I think we have been stuck in a "box" for too long, and we need to break out and be innovative with the time we are given each day. Could we possibly find volunteers that are former teachers or professionals in specific areas who could come in and work with students who need additional help? Could we post virtual lessons on Angel next year that students could access for additonal help? Let's be CREATIVE!
My current reality is that when students don't learn the material, I offer them retakes on quizzes and tests. However, many of my honors students are often too lazy to take me up on this offer. I think if I contacted parents and encouraged the retakes to be made mandatory from the home front I could get more students to come back and master the material.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am often frustrated by students who don't come in for help or study between the first test and the retake. Again it is extremely disheartening to offer a student a second chance and have them put in no effort of their own to improve their situation. Somehow they think the material is going to magically come to them without studying. I have often contemplated making it a requirement to get one on one help with me before taking a retake. Again, with a little push from parents, I could probably enforce this.
Question #2: I'm not sure what human resources I could enlist for my honors students in Physics and Calculus. I could attempt to find engineers and other technical professionals to mentor or tutor my students.
I am open to suggestions.
Most of my students are willing to put forth enough effort to pass. Some of the students want more and work harder to achieve more than a grade in the 70 range. A few of my students just don't care about anything: themselves, life, school. These are the few that try to sleep, don't turn in assignments, and never try on a test.
ReplyDeleteAt GHS, I think we offer many extra possibilities if the students would take advantage of them. These include: APEX, peer tutoring, extra help sessions from teachers. For the students in my classroom who don't learn I try to get to know them. Sometimes if I can show a little interest in them, they will have a desire to please and try harder in my room. I also am available for extra help in the mornings and afternoons. I allow my students to make up homework and unfinished classwork for a better grade. I contact extra support including parents, guidance, administrators, ESOL, and special ed as it applies.
Additional human resources that I could enlist might include more parental support in the form of visits in the classroom to help or watch what the students are doing/presenting. I could also seek more advice/guidance from teachers in my department. I would enjoy the opportunity to try and team teach physical science with the others in my department. It would be a neat experience to teach just the chemistry or physics section and then swith the kids off. I did this at WKHS and it worked out very well for the students. Both teachers taught the part of physical science that was their area of interest and expertise.
The current reality is that most students are learning. You have that small percentage of students who are motivated and are a pleasure to teach and are doing well in class. The reason they are doing well, is that they do everything asked of them. The students who are not doing as well are not doing what is asked of them. They choose to pick and choose the work they would like to do, so zeroes on work never done hurts their grade. When I ask them about their grade, they say they just want to pass with a 70, so they don't do everything they need to do.
ReplyDeleteWhen students don't learn, I contact home to talk with parents about why their child is not performing, and offer help. Most will never come in for that help. I also will let students turn in work late at a cost of 10 pts a day.
Q. 2
I have brought in more outside professionals to the classroom, so that students can see the real world in action.
1) In my short time here at GHS thus far, I have noticed not an issue with the ability to learn, but a motivational and apathetic-driven one. Most students have wanted to learn and do well, but there are a few who do not. These students either settle for the bare minimum or just don't care.
ReplyDeleteI use differentiated instruction to help students learn, whether it be audio-learning, visual, or kinesthetic. I also believe in discussion and reciprocal teaching.
2) First, I have a conference with the student. If that doesn't work, I contact parents and try to involve them as much as possible. If it is a class issue, then I change instruction/re-teach and re-test accordingly.
In a class students form clicks. Some groups of students want to achieve and do well and encourage and help each other student and get the work done that is neccessary to learn a difficult subject. Then there are the other groups that play well together, but do not work well together. Many of them appear not to be interested in the subject, or have are only interested in certain aspects of the subject. I have offered afterschool help for many years and very seldom do students that are struggling come in because they see this as an infringment on their time. Some students cannot come in because of bus and car issues. I dound it interesting that the school had parents to come in for help in helping their students. Was this during school hours? I am amazed at all they were able to accomplish when I am having difficulty getting papers graded, study guides made out and thinking about midterms next week.
ReplyDeleteHaving time built in during the day for tutorin and mentoring seems like a good idea, because the students develop a habit of having a special time for academics that is more relaxed.
1. I will echo what some are saying: The students have to WANT to learn before they do. I have had some success in "turning around" students who say they hate English, always do poorly in English, etc. To do that, though, sometimes I feel as if I have to be an entertainer--if things are not "fun," some students won't do them. (The number of papers not turned in frustrates me.)
ReplyDeleteI think our biggest struggle might be convincing students that what we teach is relevant. OK, so maybe they won't need to know what happens in a Flannery O'Connor story, but they do need to familiarize themselves with societal traits and mores in order to be adults. I try to focus on outlining facts and then asking them to THINK about them in new ways--not just to parrot but to put facts together in different ways, to understand how they could be thinking. It's difficult.
I use a lot of group learning. I have found that I must choose the groups in order for students to benefit from working with those who have different skills or perspectives. This is difficult. Kids want the familiar (friends) even if that won't generate the best results.
2. What added resources ...?
I cannot wait for the one-to-one to start. This will make it MUCH more interesting for the students and much easier to teach writing--prewriting will be "editable" on the computer, for one thing. Research will be something we won't have to build in lab time for.
I concur with whoever said team teaching would be good. I, for one, would love to pair with history teachers in order to put some of our reading into context. Last year, I happened to use an MLK essay just after the time my Eng3 students had studied the civil rights movement and Rosa Parks. They were fare more engaged when they could offer their own knowledge to my instruction.
I need some help in differentiated instruction since it's unrealistic to assume all "my kids" will be at the same level at the same time.
For me, the best resources are my colleagues. I have learned so many practical things from them. I wish I had more time to observe what they do when the rubber meets the road, but it's difficult to do when I share planning period with people I'd like to observe.
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteSomeone once said that if a librarian is doing a good job, the students get the praise and the librarian’s work is invisible. Hopefully, that is true, but I don’t know. I often feel as if I am teaching in a vacuum because I rarely get an opportunity to see any assessments of what students actually learned during a library presentation. From a global view I KNOW the majority of the students are not savvy researchers, but I don’t have any data – just observations of students doing research in the library. The library catalog system does allow me to track searches for books – both successful and unsuccessful – and I know we need to do a better job of connecting students to information. Part of that is a cataloging issue which I can address “behind the scenes.” But a bigger issue is that students do not know how to expand/narrow their search strategy. I strongly suspect that if they can’t do it with a small database like our catalog, they are missing tons of valid information on the huge Internet database.
I would love to work with classes to improve this!
Question 2:
I would like to enlist the help of every teacher at GHS in helping students learn information literacy! This is a definite higher level type of thinking that can be done, no matter what the intellectual level of the student!
Similarly, I will volunteer to help with research projects in any curricular level. You are all the subject experts, but I can help with the development of a research project by identifying resources available (print and electronic) I can help with ethical use of information (copyright and citation stuff)
If you have a student who is struggling with a research project, I’m also available to assist that student during the regular day. Just let me know what the student needs and I will help. (I do need a little more information from you than “Johnny is coming to the library.”)
I just found this blog that I really liked – read it when you have time.
What does a good library tell you about a school?
http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2010/1/24/what-does-a-good-library-tell-you-about-a-school.html
1) I believe if you compared our school to others across the state, you would find we are better than most. Try teaching in ......... (ask me when you see me), you will realize how good you have it. The reality I have is that most students at GHS are learning. (More than most schools) Is that good enough? No matter where you go, there will always be students who are underachievers. I try and set students up for success. I will take material until the end of the 9 weeks. Seldom a zero appears in my grade book. But they do appear. I think some students don't want to be helped and failure could teach them a valuable lesson early in life.
ReplyDelete2) What can we do? The greatest indicator of student achievement is socioeconomic status. We can move to Hilton Head, we can give all our parents a million dollars or we can do the best we can with what we have.
1.Current reality at GHS: I find some students each semester who are not motivated to learn, and many parents find it hard to motivate their own children. I really think teachers and staff at GHS work hard to reach every student, but with family situations and all the external influences on students, we will probably and unfortunately always lose some.
ReplyDelete2. Talking with students, parents and other teachers/staff is very beneficial in trying to reach students.I use reteaching/retesting for those who have IEP's and add enrichment assignments to help their grades. I have found that talking individually with a student about their work really gives me new insight into problems that may be leading potential failure. Fortunately, students in my program have a chance to show skills in lab that help balance out paper evaluations. They may not be strong academic students, but can " shine" in hands on skills.
Q1 I believe the majority of students want to learn. Those students who have academic difficulties often lack the skills and resources necessary to achieve success.
ReplyDeleteQ2 The use of peer tutors and recruiting members of the community to serve as mentors.
Q1: My reality of Gilbert is that teachers try to be available to students for help, but transportation limits getting help for some students who must depend on busses to get to school and home again....so access to extra help is not equal. It is also voluntary, so students who are not learning can still often find ways to avoid the help sessions.
ReplyDeleteIn my own classroom, I re-teach, or re-test, or both. I can individualize this because I have only a few students at one time. I have also made efforts to group students so I can have optimal time for individual work to reinforce learning.
Q2: In my own classroom, I'd like to have volunteer bilingual people available to help with support sometimes. So far, I have not found people available in the community who could volunteer. In the school, we might also make good use of adult bilingual volunteers to perhaps sit in as volunteer aides for the lowest ESOL students in content classes. As it is, we sometimes use other more advanced bilingual students for this, which is not always fair to them and their learning..although they are willing.
The other need I see is to help all teachers make content comprehensible (Krashen) to all students by using more multi-media approaches. Our new computer initiative can really aid in this, if we can locate appropriate online resources for all levels of learners. For example, the goal for an ESOL student is to improve English to academic levels...BUT the goal is also to learn content material in various subjects. Online resources in the L1 (first language) could be used to help students with content knowledge until their English improves to the level of being able to assimilate this information in English. Since academic language acquisition can take as much as 5-7 years to acquire from the point of introduction of the L2(second language), we just can't wait for the student to "catch up" in English....expecially for students who come to the U.S. as young teens.
reality??? sometimes it is hard to face. we have such a wide range of kids at gilbert...rich, poor, busy, lazy, good home lives...aweful home lives...the list goes on. in my class...i tell my students that it is harder to fail my class than it is to pass. i firmly believe that everyone who enters my room can make an effort. are they all artists??? NO. but can they attempt and learn?? absolutely! nixie kind of summed it up in the art world. if you make the attempt to create the work...you have learned...what you can do or not do! it is hard to give individual help to everyone...I can't is a word i hear often. if you "can't" then "don"t"..if you "do" you learn.
ReplyDelete2. i learn everyday...from watching, listening, sharing, failing, and succeeding from others...students and teachers. so many students seem to need an extra boost or push. in art,,,it is obvious who has it and who does'nt. trying to travel around 25+ students is a chore. others help others...some catch on...some rely on others to cater and do all. i see it everywhere...homework assignments in the cafeteria being pasted on from student to student from the "smart one". we all have done it! are we really preparing the students for the challenges in life or are they setting themselves up for failure???
I agree with those who have already posted a comment. Most of the students here at GHS want to learn but just don't want to put forth the effort. If it comes with little effort then great, if not then they don't do it.
ReplyDeleteWhen students don't learn in my classroom we will review the material if the majority of the class had trouble. If it is just a few students, I offer morning or afternoon tutoring, extra practice problems, or they can go to the math help center. For my lower level classes, I offer a retest for those who fail. But the highest grade they can get is a 70/D on the retest. Before they can take the retest they have to get some form of extra help (either by me, tutor or another teacher).
In the math department we have been very fortunate to have a former math teacher come in and help one day a week. Sometimes it works out for some of my students to get additional help but sometimes it does not. It would be great to have a "floater" math teacher who could go around daily to help students who are struggling. I email parents weekly letting them know of up coming test and other assignments. This has seemed to help with some students and it keeps the parents informed of what is going on.
The current reality in my classroom is that most of my students want to learn or be challenged. It is the few that do not want to learn or lack motivation that we somtimes find ourselves spending alot of time and energy on during the course of the day. What happens when a student is not learning in my classroom?Extra help, one on one tutoring, additional materials provided,flood the parents with communication and sending weekly grade reports home are a few steps that I use in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteAdditional Resources? Updated email contacts on Edline on the parent email list, discussion with other teachers who teach the same student that is not motivated in my classroom, one-to-one starting should also help. Parent visitation opportunites and additional tutoring time during the day would also be helpful....
1. To the best of my knowledge, I have never had a student fail my class due to inability. Lack of motivation and failure to submit assignments are what lead to grades below 70. I have become increasingly intolerant of zeroes in my grade book and continue to remind/pressure students until they turn in their work. If students still won’t turn in their assignments, I speak with their parents. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. I have found it is most effective when the parents of a student require him/her to bring home an agenda indicating homework and signed by the teacher. Parents can then exercise more leverage on their children than we can.
ReplyDeleteIn the cases where a student is having difficulty mastering a concept/unit, I offer additional help before or after school. As with Boones Mill, these tutorial sessions are by invitation…most of the time I am not taken up on the offer for extra help, unless it is required by the parents. I also allow students to re-test or re-submit work, but again I rarely encounter students willing to take advantage of the opportunity. Occasionally the majority of a class will struggle with a concept/unit. In these cases I re-teach key concepts and re-test as necessary.
2. Additional human resources I could/do enlist to help students learn include:
-Parents. I try to involve parents in the education of their children. However, if I had to guess, I would estimate only a 30-40% success rate in this department. The fact of the matter is, most parents have already tried everything they can think of to promote success for their children. Some have already been successful at instilling educational values or applying the necessary pressure – I usually don’t observe this because I don’t need to contact these parents with concerns. When I do contact a parent, my typical experience is this: the parent mirrors my concern over their child’s welfare and then proceeds to offer an excuse as to why their child has not been applying him/herself OR resignedly admits that their child is lazy/unmotivated/getting into trouble and that they have tried everything under the sun, but to no end. Occasionally the parent attempts to defend their child’s lack of motivation and put the blame on me. Occasionally the parent puts in extra effort and the student’s work ethic begins to manifest. I still attempt to contact parents whenever possible, but I find the outcome is usually a toss-up.
-Resource/Special Education/ESOL teachers. These teachers and programs offer the best chance of timely intervention because they see a portion of struggling students on a regular basis, they get to know these students’ strengths and weaknesses, and they are able to provide additional help during regular school hours.
-The school interventionist. John Trowbridge has approached me several times concerning students who are falling behind in my class. By seeking to help these struggling students during the semester, we have a chance to get them back on track rather than waiting for them to fail the course and use APEX as a crutch for moving on in high school. Of course, this system also requires effort on the student’s part, so the results vary.
-Team teachers. Other English teachers are an excellent resource for me: we swap ideas and strategies, we collaborate to form common assessments, and we specify key content/skill goals by unit. I don’t think we need to make teachers into simulacra of one another, because forced similarities of instruction would be superficial and artificial. However, genuine, requested assistance can be a great boon in this profession.
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteI am fortunate that the classes that I teach are electives that are directly related to the student’s major/career choice. I find that the majority of my students WANT to learn and are willing to put forth the effort needed to be successful. Occasionally, I will have a student tell me that they are not sure why they are even in my class…that they have no desire what-so-ever to be a health care professional…and they are the most likely to be apathetic. In speaking with other teachers at GHS, I know there are those students that do not put forth the effort needed to make it and will do just enough to “get by” and I know there are some students that are holding on just long enough to turn 17 and walk away from education. As I said earlier, most of my students are focused on their education and realize that the competition to get into health care training programs can be tough, which really motivates them to work hard. When I do have a student that doesn’t learn, I attempt a number of things to help them be successful….speak with the student about how I can help them; provide extra help before/after school; call parents/send note home; provide enrichment opportunities (via online resources, books, etc.)…whatever it takes!
Question 2:
I have always just thought to use those around me to assist with the support students need…the core teachers, the interventionist, administration, other students, etc. However, this question got me thinking that perhaps there are parent volunteers that would be willing to assist. Perhaps there are health care professionals in the community that would be willing to meet with students to offer a different perspective on the things that I teach and/or provide enrichment that I am not able to offer with my background in nursing (i.e. a local pharmacist helping students with math related to medical calculations they might use on a daily basis). Hmmm…I should start making a list and contacting some folks!!
1) The reality here at Gilbert is that we have overall good kids that want to be challenged and learn. Overall is the key term. There are a few kids who don’t want to be challenged. In my classroom I give extra time to finish missing assignments (such as after test), contact parents when a child is missing work, and make sure parents know when a child is approaching failure. Even though we can try anything and everything to make a child learn (and we should) we are not going to reach them all. There will always be people in the world that want to get by with someone else doing all the work (look at some of the welfare program that are abused). We also see this in the school setting. Another reality is that in our effort to help the students (taking late work, offering multiple opportunities, etc.) we may be doing the students a disservice. Even though we have the best of intentions in the real world you don’t often get second chances. One of the best lessons for some of our students would be just that. When your boss says to do something you do it then, not when you feel like it or when you aren’t sleepy.
ReplyDelete2) I think the best thing we could do is to get the parents more involved. We can work as hard as we can, but sometimes we need a strong presence at home to help. If we could somehow get the parents to help us enforce the qualities of hard work and determination (talk about mission impossible) we would see a tremendous leap in student learning.
1. I think the current reality is that some students who could really utilize extra help are unable to get it b/c of several factors.
ReplyDeletea. Transportation issues
b. They have to work to help provide
money for their household
I also feel we have several students who are unsuccessful not because of a lack of ability but because of a lack of effort. I do not directly teach students so this is an outside observation. If the importance of education is not stressed in the household then we are put in a difficult situation. However, I do see teachers at GHS who thrive with this type of student b/c they develop relationships with students and build them up in whatever way the teacher can. It all starts with a relationship and I feel our teachers understand this.
2. I think we need to utilize our SPED teachers more and get their input on how to reach all types of students. They deal with different types of learners every day and undoubetdly have developed numerous strategies to engage them. Our peer tutor program needs to grow as well b/c I have often seen a student tutor waiting after school with nobody to tutor.
1. My current view of what we are doing at GHS is that we (the staff) care a lot more about these students passing and graduating than they do. I offer extra help time before and after school. Do students come? NO! I have had to go to the cafeteria to pull students down to my room for help. My being here isn't helping students if they don't want to take the time to come down and get the help they need. More and more, I'm seeing students who feel that I need to give up my class time to teach them material that they have missed due to absences. They are missing the reality that it is their responsibility to COME BACK for help. Don't get me wrong, I do help these students when others are doing classwork, but this only puts them even further behind.
ReplyDeleteI think the concept of APEX is great, but students have learned how to work that system so it isn't really preparing them for the next class.
2. I think we need a dedicated 20 - 30 minutes during the day where students don't have any option but to go to teachers for help. By providing time during the middle of the day, students can't use transportation, jobs or athletics as an excuse.
Parent involvement would be great - just tell me how!!
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteWhen students do not learn or struggle with material in my classroom, I have the following procedures in place to assist:
a. Students are encouraged to come in before or after school to receive extra help on topics they are struggling with.
b. Students are given time in class to work on new material. They are allowed to collaborate with the teacher and other students on classwork.
c. Students are given extra time to complete assignments. For example, if a student takes a test on Monday but does not feel confident in their work or did not have time to finish, they are given as much time as needed to complete the assignment.
d. I also contact parents of students who are struggling in math. Often the parents can give me a better idea of why the student my be struggling. The parent is often the one who gets the student to me before or after school for extra help.
e. Often a topic needs to be retaught to the entire class. If I notice after a quiz that the entire class seems to be having difficulty with a certain type of problem, I will take time to go back and review.
Question 2:
I think it is important that a teacher knows there are resources avalible other than the teacher themselves to help struggling students.
a. Teachers need to utilize the APEX program. It is not just for students who have failed a class. It can be used for unit recovery. In other words, if a student struggled with Chapter 2 but does well in the following chapters, that student could use APEX to receive tutoring on Chapter 2.
b. Students themselves are another good resource for teachers. Often students can explain material to other students in ways that teachers can not. Encourage your students to be apart of the learning process, don't just lecture to them.
c. Special education teachers are a wonderful resource. I have used our SPED teachers often while here at GHS. They are willing to give up their classroom time to allow students to work on quizzes and tests from your class. Contact them...they have great ideas!
d. I need to encourage my students to use the math student tutor more often. What a wonderful resource for struggling math students who prefer to receive help from someone their own age. Again, sometimes students can explain material to other students better than the teacher can!
1. My reality here at GHS is that I am working with students that display a variety of weaknesses. They display low reading skills, low math skills, weak writing skills, low self-esteem and lack of motivation. Many of my students feel defeated because they know that they are not earning a high school diploma and wonder why they even put forth any effort. Being a special educator, I have the flexibility to monitor and adjust my instruction as needed. When my students do not learn a certain skill, I am able to reteach that skill until mastery is obtained. I also try to point out to my students how these skills will help them in the working world.
ReplyDelete2. I use peer tutoring when needed. Sometimes a student that has mastered a skill is better able to teach that skill to his peers. I also have access to a teacher assistant that can provide small group instruction as needed. I invite students to come before school or after school any time they need extra assistance. I have one student who has a great desire to learn to read like his peers. I have offered to stay after school in order to give him extra instruction in reading and have given him access to a computer program that will improve his reading skills. Sadly, he has refused all assistance.
1) GHS current reality is that all students learn. However, most only learn for a temporary (objective) mind set and don't make knowledge transfers from one building block to another. My college prep classes come in with a much more competitive learning style and I feel we're are making true competitive learners out of them but the concepts students don't adhere to retaining hardly any information from one objective to another.
ReplyDelete2)I seldom receive any extra help from human resources however occasionaly Chrissy McNabb will offer to help on thursday while volunteering on campus. My personal conviction is we need the 30 minute built time on a daily basis during the school day to address those critical needs students. We need to reorganize our preliminary plan to impementing this time.
My current reality is that teaching Honors kids is a pleasure and a curse. I have the "cream of the crop" and I feel lucky to a degree, but a little out of the realistic loop. My kids are going to turn in assignments and as a whole have really learned what I have intended for them to learn. I feel proud of that, but not in the same way I feel proud when a struggling learner or reader "gets it" and performs well.
ReplyDeleteWhen I teach non-honors students, there are many things I do in an attempt to get them to learn. I talk with them individually about their progress and also try to engage their parents and let them know what my observations are about their child's learning. Of course, sometimes the student does not learn the material and cannot master the skills because of behavioral issues, which to me is one of the bigger issues facing teachers today. I think it is more imoportant than ever to have effective classroom management techniques so that all students have an environment where initial learning can thrive.
I also offer extra help for students who need it, and communicate regularly with the teachers of those students who are on IEPs. This helps the student know that I am sincere in my efforts to help and sometimes two heads ar better than one in trying to work out issues.
I would also make it a point to look at the student's academic and testing history to see what patterns are present. I have often times paired the student who is struggling with one who is not and allow some peer tutoring to take place.
As far as human resources to use to help students who are struggling, I am at a loss. We don't have a "math tutor" as the math department does, but it might be worth our while to see if some former students or maybe even some former teachers could help kids during the day and would volunteer their time. So many of us spread ourselves so thin, that it is hard to provide the kind of mentoring and extra assistance to all of our kids on an individual basis. I am still a fan of the advisor/advisee groups, a component of HSTW. We could also use the Beta Club kids as tutors, and it would be great community service hours for them. These are the few ideas I can generate at the moment.
1.I believe the current reality at GHS is that most students are learning. As a resource teacher, the majority of students I am responsible for on my caseload want to be successful. Their idea of successful, however, is not always A's and B's, but often times they are simply satisfied with just passing.
ReplyDeleteMany of these students lack the study skills necessary to be successful. I attempt to teach study strategies to complete reading assignments and prepare for tests and I constantly "preach" not to procrastinate, but make studying/completing assignments a daily thing. Students are given time in resource to do this.
2. As a resource teacher, I would love to be able to work more closely with regular education teachers by going into their classrooms on a weekly basis to assist students who are struggling. For those students who are more academically challenged, I believe this approach might be more beneficial than a resource setting.
My current reality with my students at GHS seems to be students who struggle academically and therefore set low expectations for themselves and who have decided “just passing” is good enough. They have potential to do better but are not motivated to do better because they have to work that much harder. At some point, the students have learned to do just enough to get by is good enough for them. It is hard to change the motivation. It isn’t impossible but very difficult.
ReplyDeleteAs the other resource teachers have stated, I would like to have time in the day to be able to work more collaboratively with regular education teachers to provide support within those classes.
Question 1:What is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn? From what I read on the blogs and see on a daily basis at GHS, I think that we have a staff who will do anything to help a student be successful. We encourage and remind, have Edline and email, stay after school and before school, offer retests, take late work, have APEX for credit recovery, have resource/ESOL for remediation, have peer tutoring programs, and offer a wide range of extracurricular activities where students can become involved outside the “normal” course of studies. The opportunity for successful academic and personal growth is here.
ReplyDeleteWith all this support we should have no one who fails a class and no one who does not get involved in activities that span such a wide range of options.
As many have stated in these blogs, most unsuccessful students have the ability, but lack motivation. Ironically, many times the few students who do lack the skills to achieve at high levels are often the ones who work the hardest and come in for extra help and, consequently, make the most gains. There are many true success stories at GHS. But it comes with hard work, perseverance, and dedication. One of my favorite quotes is from Michael Jordan, He said, “I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.” He also said, “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” The message is that hard work and perseverance on a daily basis equal success.
Question 2:What additional human resources could you enlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels? The one single human resource that could help students learn at high levels is already here. It is the student. We here at GHS are a caring and supportive group. We want to see all students learn and be successful, not only in their academic careers, but also in their personal endeavors. However, they must realize that it is the little things that make a difference...things like doing homework, completing all assigned work (especially makeup work) in a timely manner, and studying. It is the little things that we do on a daily basis over a period of time that add up to success.
Possible resources that could help motivate students would be to provide experiences that will make them think about their futures. Possibly having outside mentors come in to work one-on-one with students would help. Also, we sould continue to make sure that all students have job shadowing and career building experiences. In addition, we can try to have more field trips to see colleges and/or other educational experiences that can give students a goal/vision to work towards.
The reality is as it has been described: lots of kids with poor motivation. While this has no doubt always been the case with students, our modern tech/society/culture seems to exasperate the problem. 1) I try to point out socio/psychological principles (like peer pressure, insecurity, adolescence) out loud to defuse their effect on students. 2) I try to convey that what we do here (learning,reading, writing) is a regular, normal, adult thing. 3) I allow for late work and re-taken tests (with heavy penalties) to force students to decide to learn.
ReplyDeleteAs for resources/fixes, Boones Mill implemented help sessions, etc. 2 comments: 1) I'm not sure how to do it, and I hate the idea of unstructured time with kids (because it either leads to trouble or leads to hassle as it gets more and more regularized, checked-up-on, observed, recorded, etc.) BUT somehow I like the idea of a study-hall. So many of my complaints are about students not doint their work. Why not give them time to do it? The devil is in the details, though, and I just don't know what would work. 2) When the school works as a SYSTEM, things go better. I love talking to a student's SpEd teacher and hearing them say, "Since you notified me I noticed he was failing other classes too. Mr. Trowbridge called his mom, and Ms O'Cain called him in...." With everyone working together, the teacher responsiblity is diffused but the expectation of students' hard work is acually reinforced. Cool.
My current reality here at GHS is that most students are willing to learn. When students don't learn I send emails, phone parents, conference with the student, provide extra help before and after school, provide additional study skills sheets and activities, and more. Many students expect to do their "work" at school and are not willing to do homework after school. Therefore, they are not as succesful in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen my students don't learn, I use a variety of methods to teach them. Depending on the situation, I use peer tutoring, extra help, reteaching, seating charts, and parent communication. Sometimes the student does not want to learn, is slow to learn, or is distrated by issues inside or outside the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI would make several suggestions to help all students learn at a higher level:
-limit class size
-limit number of IEP's per class
-parent involvement
-adhere to prerequisites
Gilbert High students are ready to learn. With the right motivation students are more than willing to work with teachers. If teachers are excited about their classes and are willing to help students, students pick up on this and know which classes they like best. Teachers who have built trusting relationships with students have the least amount of problems. Leading by example is the strongest motivation students have. The emphasis should be on the learning not how many tries it takes to learn. We have Apex for student who need extra help, and every teacher has after school or before school help times. Special education teachers help slower student or students with disabilities. I talk with parents daily about students and gaining access to teacher web pages. Teachers post information on their web pages to help students who need more practice and to enrich what students have learned. Students stay after school often to coomplete classwork and projects. Coming early to finish work is a regular activity for many students. I try to arrive early and leave late to accomodate these students. Many teachers reteach, retest and accept late assignments to help students learn the information they need. Students have many opportunites to learn at GHS.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ideas I have about helping students is to have a teacher from each department available to the ISS room. The students are in ISS for the entire day and this could be used to help students in specific subjects. Teachers could go to ISS to help one block each day. First block a Math teacher would be in ISS to give help, Second block an English teacher, Third block a Science teacher, Fourth block a Social Studies Teacher. Students could get help on classwork and projects while in ISS. If the student is having trouble in a specific area the teachers could help them. Teachers could plan by having a specific day to help. Monday - 1st block math teacher 1 Tuesday 1st block math teacher 2, Wednesday 1st block math teacher 3. This could be one specific teacher every day or each math teacher is assigned a day to help in ISS. If there are no students in ISS the teacher would return to planning. This would be a captive audience and help could be provided without student staying after school. The blocks could change depending on the teachers planning block but the four core subjects could be addressed every day. Even if only a few students are reached that is one more student that could be saved.
Question 1. The brutal facts are there. I see that many of us feel student should come to us with certain skills and fall within our perfect curriculum. However, this is not reality. When I deal with students I realize that many are affected by the downturn in the economy and it carries into the classroom. Many cannot see past today, much less the end of a course. Students want us to tell them exactly what to do -- especially the lower-level students -- and we must find a way to help them want to excel and find out what they need to know in order to be successful. We all must work together to reteach, even if it means reteaching ourselves. I know we all want all students to be successful, we just need a plan for what to do when students do not have the skills necessary to master our standards.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: All of us need to work together to help students in each other's disciplines. I loved the Boone's Mill plan where the media spcialist worked with one team, the guidance counselor worked with another team, and it was obvious that every person on the staff had something to add so all students could learn. Administrators are all teachers, and we could help as well. I hope we can have a schedule soon that affords us some build-in time for extra help during the school day. The smaller the group, the better. I know we can come up with a systematic response to intervention for all our students.
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteWhat is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn? I am very lucky that I teach a course that is an elective or ‘choice’ for most of my students. Many of my students are highly motivated to succeed. But in reality, there are a few who make it in to some of the sophomore or junior level classes who are just buying their time until they can leave school and do “what they want to do” (flip burgers, whatever!) It is frustrating to see them with so much potential and so little motivation to succeed. The first thing I try to do when I recognize those less motivated students is to make a parent contact ASAP, praising the student for something positive the student has done the first week or two of class. Sometimes, this encourages the student to try a little bit more and give the course a chance. I find that this also gives me more validity with the parent when I have to talk to them later for a concern. But, unfortunately, there are those who just set themselves up for failure with attendance issues, failure to make-up or even complete assignments. Sadly, many of their parental influences have the same lack of concern… creating a snowball effect that may go on from generation to generation. I wish I could find the magical answer to help these students break the cycle. I offer to give extra help before and after school and even during my lunch break. I have given students extra time to complete assignments, but this seldom works….they just continue to procrastinate and then are not prepared to complete the assignments. The goal is to motivate these students without permitting them to infect the class like a virus.
Question 2:
What additional human resources could you enlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels? With my seniors that take Clinical Studies, we utilize many health professionals in the hospital, private offices, and nursing home that model and reinforce the product of ‘hard work’…good paying, professional careers! Parents can be your best resource, if they have found success and understand the benefits of a good education. One thing we have discovered this year with HOSA is the importance of senior leadership. We have lacked positive senior leadership the last few years, and this year our seniors were amazing. They offered to meet with the students who were preparing for competition every Tuesday and Thursday, plus they offered words of encouragement to the younger members. We had a phenomenal number of medalists who were freshmen, sophomores, and juniors thanks to our senior leadership. Maybe we need to use the students more to mentor and reach the less-motivated students.
1) I think the reality here at GHS is the students who really need the extra help are either unable to come in before or after school due to transportation issues.... or are not motivated to come in for help. Unfortunately many of these students do not think they can succeed, they do not believe they are "smart". So many times they do not even try so they do not risk failing. In my classroom when students are not learning I re-teach, re-assess, and offer extra help. However many do not come in for the extra help.
ReplyDelete2) I think one of our biggest resources is eachother. I think working more closely with the ESOL teacher and Resource teachers would be helpful to the students. I also think more parent involvement would make a big difference, however I realize that for some students that is just not going to happen.
We cannot control what happens at home, but I think we can help students who are struggling by making extra help mandatory. I think building in extra help during the school day would help level the playing field for some students. It would also allow us as teachers to require students to receive individual help when their grades reach a certain level. This would show students that failure is not an option and THEY need to do "whatever it takes" to succeed.
1. I think we are aware of the current reality and the administrators and teachers are working together to find what’s going to work best for each student. One problem we face with most students is the lack of internal motivation. Of course this also depends on the grade and student. I see some students who are very aware of what they want in the future and set the goals necessary to arrive at that future. Other students don’t know what direction they are headed in so the drive to do well in high school isn’t there nor does it seem important. It’s good that we have majors to give students direction but we also need to show them all possible outcomes of the choices they make. When I was in school we had a “Budget Project” where students researched the earnings of different professions and then created a budget which allowed them to see what lifestyle they would live with that profession. I think it was eye-opening for students to see that the jobs their parents have now won’t necessarily be enough to help them in our future, especially with the current economy. I also believe that internal motivation can start with external motivation which is one of the goals of the At Risk committee. There are several objectives of the At Risk Committee ranging from simply letting a student know that they have someone at the school they can talk with to choosing students who we find most eligible for an award at the end of the year based on progress and improvement. If students work for external awards, then perhaps the rewards of good grades will eventually be enough for them. It is also our job as teachers to not only teach the students but to inspire them and show how important learning will be to them.
ReplyDelete2. I think teachers need to do use the resources at their school more if possible. I am guilty of not using all the options available to me. I would like to start by staying more connected with the resource teachers. It’s great that most resource students have a block per day with a resource teacher. A goal for me is to make the most of this time for my students. More communication will allow the resource teachers to know exactly what I’m expecting out of my students and we can work together to give the student all the help he/she deserves. I would also like to spend more time working with the literacy coach so she can help me find books to interest my boy students. Being female, I have plenty of books that the girls enjoy but I’m lacking in boy-book-picking-out skills. I think reading can sometimes be “girly” to guys and I’d like to show them that ‘real men read.’ Lastly, I’d like to work more closely with the media specialist. With such a vast amount of information so readily available to our students today, it’s important they learn the research skills needed to sort through all the information in order to find the most important. More time spent researching in the library will help build these skills.
I think we are pretty fortuanate here at GHS, the majority of the students want to learn. I can say from being in other school districts that this not always the case. I think their are students that are not very motivated for whatever reason and we have to try and find a way to motivate these students because they have the ability and just need to pushed. Then there are the ones that jsut seem as if they could care less and alot of this comes from the support or I should say lack of suppport they receive at home. I like most all teachers here at GHS offer times for extra help and I will do whatever is necessary to help a student be successful. I believe that the only way some students will change their mind about learning is by failing to learn first.
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing for us to do is try to communicate on a rgular basis with parents regarding their students progress, colllaborate with other teachers that may have the same student to see if anything they are doing is successful, and offer additional times for students to come to us for help. The more involved we are with these students the better chance we have to get them moving in the right direction.
My current reality is that GHS makes available help for students when they need it. However, many students are often reluctant to ask for help or follow-up with the teacher when they are challenged. In addition, the students who need assistance the most have difficulty coming to school early or staying after school. As educators, it’s important for us to communicate with the parents to let them know when their child is struggling. We need to be able to offer more solutions for students who are having difficulty in class.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the SOS or Save Our Student program. I think having at least one school staff person mentor an at-risk student would make a world of difference. Most of these students suffer with low motivation. In some cases, they even lack the necessary academic skills to be successful. So, one-to-one mentoring and tutoring can really be beneficial. Another strategy is having upperclassmen serve as mentors. Sometimes hearing things from a peer will have more of an impact then getting it from an adult.
1. Reality is that many students are very unmotivated - resist any kind of work - and a due date means nothing to them - whenever they get around to turning it in should be ok with the teacher. Parents are not holding the children responsible for the work. Teachers are willing to help, but students don't want to use "social" time to come. To help, I:
ReplyDeleteOffer (actually beg)help before/after school and during lunch to review/help with projects/writing, etc.
Reinforce material after a test is taken by going over the material and allowing recovery points for telling why an answer is correct
Allow work to be turned in late and deduct 10 points - I want them to do the work and 10 pts won't destory the grade if it is done correctly/hopefully teaching them deadlines
Give bellringers for practice and reviewing (to help prepare for benchmark quizzes and EOC tests)
Ask oral questions to make them think about the material
Review in class before benchmark quizzes
2. Getting Trowbridge involved before the students fall too far behind is helpful. (This is letting them recover a grade during the 9 weeks. Also this should not be just seat time; they should be reading the material and passing the quizzes.) However, they must work harder to improve in the class and not just wait for APEX to save them.
I need to do a better job of calling parents to get them involved. The parent conference night/half day helped, as I devoted the time to calling parents if they did not come to the conference. I send reports home more often now and keep my grades up to date on edline. Parents also need to take the responsibility of checking grades.
Our collaboration has helped, as we review benchmark quizzes and discuss ways to improve our teaching. Teachers are willing to help each other and are probably our best resource; finding time seems to be the biggest obstacle
1.)The majority of students want to learn, unfortunately, many students are satisfied with taking the easy way out, IF they are allowed to do so. Most struggling students have learned to be satisfied with 70 in class and our society is becoming more tolerent of mediocrity. I guess that is why we need to figure out ways to combat this mindset. While maintaining consistency, I try to change things up daily with regards to how I teach or how I allow students to learn.
ReplyDelete2.) There are so many other variables outside of school that affect a child's behavior and motivation on learning. We can't always connect with every child on every level, however, we need to try different strategies for every student to find what works best for each one individually.
What is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn?
ReplyDeleteI feel most of my students put forth the effort it takes to pass. I also think most of them could do better if they would try a little harder. A few of them try to sleep and just want a high enough grade to pass the class. The students know I'm available for extra help in the mornings and afternoons. I also allow my students to redo work they didn't do very well on the first time. I think motivation is the key to helping students learn.
What additional human resources could you enlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels?
I think having time built in during the day for tutoring and mentoring seems like a good idea because the students develop a habit of having a special time for academics that is more relaxed. Team teaching would also be beneficial to students as well as teachers.
What is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn?
ReplyDeleteI feel that the current reality here at GHS is that the majority of students do want to learn. Some of them have a history of not being successful in school and have developed some very poor habits, but when you get down to it, most of them do want to succeed. We do have a few students who lack motivation and do not want to learn, but they are definitely a minority.
In my classroom, when students do not learn I begin by slowing down and trying to help them catch up. If this does not work I encourage them to come before or after school
to get extra help. For some students this is not possible, so I try to help them if there is extra time in class. I also often allow students to turn in work past the deadline - for a penalized grade, and allow student to re-write journal entries to improve their grade. I have also allowed students to make test corrections (with all work shown) to earn points back on tests.
What additional human resources could you enlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels?
Parents - they are extremely important for helping students to increase their learning. Without parental support even our best efforts can be in vain.
Like-Subject Teacher - they are vital resources for helping us to determine the best manner in which to help students learn the subjects we are teaching.
John Trowbridge - he is an excellent resource to help students to "catch-up" if they are behind in a certain subject area.
I think the majority of students at GHS are learning or willing to learn. All of them are unique individuals and differ by level of their motivations, learning skills, maturity, self-discipline and their personal goals as well as their social and family background. It is a big challenge to reach all of the personalities. I’ve noticed that students learn at their best when they can to relate the material to their lives and understand why they have to learn it. Therefore, every day I try to make the content meaningful to them. Of course, they like the classes to be fun.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest struggle is with the students who live in an unhealthy family environment and who concentrate all of their thoughts on the problems at home.
In order to make sure that students are learning, I do the following:
1. Stay positive and optimistic.
2. heck and monitor students’ work during the class.
3. Create an atmosphere of trust where students feel comfortable to make mistakes and verbally reward them for attempts to participate.
4. Encourage students to ask questions.
5. Peer with a stronger student.
6. Remind and provide possibilities for the make-up work.
7. Differentiate instruction to reach all type of learners.
8. Visuals, Visuals, Visuals…
#2 The additional human resources could be parental support, guest speakers that could share real world experience, collaboration with other teachers and guidance office (just sharing personal experience about motivation students), peer tutoring, communication with pen pall students from a different country for world language classes.
1. I feel that at GHS the majority of students are learning. However, many of them are apathetic and only do what it takes to get by. Rarely do I see a student go above and beyond. . . and I teach the college bound kids!! It really breaks my heart to see kids who can easily have an A in the class, but just doesn’t care. . . as long as they get a passing grade, and then to see the kid who struggles with the material, but try their best, and then not quite make that A in which they were striving.
ReplyDeleteWhen students don’t learn I back up and review. I provide additional materials for the student to work on and practice, whether it is worksheets, websites, etc. In addition, I have students come in for extra help. Very few students take the time to do this, but I am available for tutoring sessions. I also have them do groupwork a lot so they can learn from their peers. I also help set up tutors for those who want a tutor or who cannot meet with me due to scheduling conflicts.
2. I would utilize parents (volunteers would be great), APEX, colleagues (it is always great getting fresh new ideas), guest speakers to share real life knowledge, team teachers, and lead teachers/curriculum experts at the DO.
1. My current reality here at GHS is all the student's that I teach are functioning 3 or more years behind their peers. Some students still have a desire to learn and put forth much effort. Other students compare themselves to their regular education peers and don't see the point in trying because they are so behind. Cheri mentioned that some of our students stop trying because they will not receive a diploma. In my classroom we focus on many academics skills but also preparing the students for their post secondary setting. This means that we need to equip students will appropriate social skills, self determination, motivation, and learning to be successful individuals in the workplace. With students all be leveled and having different ablities and skills in the classroom some students may acquire the skills the first time being introduced while other students will need more instruction. This can occur through differenatied instruction and also pacing for each student.
ReplyDelete#2 Since these students need to learn many basic living skills encouraging and inviting community memebers into the classroom would be very benefical for the students understanding of topics such as; car insurance, money management, interviewing, and etc. Also the students need to attend life based field trips that they can apply what they have learned in the classroom to the real world situations such as; budgeting (grocery store), interacting approrpriate in a social setting (resturant), and etc.
1) My classroom is totally centered on mastery as a whole. We use a mentor program. Each year the students vote on the leaders for the following year. My philosophy is that students need to choose who they are going to be willing to listen to the following year. Since students are able to retake my classes up to 4 years (or more), those who have mastered a skill further than others, tutor them daily. When one student does not master a skill, it is noticeable. All of the students are graded as an ensemble in any performance. Just like a sports team, an individual’s weaknesses are the team’s weaknesses. The current reality at GHS is that students do fall behind for various reasons. In the music and Leadership 21 classes, I have witnessed this a great deal. Our current reality is that we don’t know what to do when not only a student does not learn but a student knows that he or she does not care and refuses to participate. It is frustrating when a student has the mentality of “I’ll take the 0.” This, in my opinion, is a big obstacle for us. For the students who want to do better, we can help and do help. These students will be successful. However, those who do not want to or who need a change of mind set, this is going to be difficult. I agree with Boone’s philosophy that you not only have to educate the students but the community as well. Raise the standards for parents and community leaders to reinforce what the education system is doing for the betterment of students. But, how do we change a mind set that is satisfied with low expectations and/or failures?
ReplyDelete2) It is documented that music enhances education in all curricula (across the board). We talk about Music and its’ relationship with English, Math, Science, Anatomy, History, etc… All subjects are utilized and tie into a well rounded musician. I would be willing to collaborate with other teachers to develop lessons that join music and other content areas’ curriculum in order to make material more meaningful to students. Songs could be developed by students to help them retain information. Musical pneumonic devices can be made to help remember orders of material. Musical cues can be used to trigger events in history or types of sonnets in English. There are a multitude of ways music can be used in any classroom to enhance learning.
1. The current reality in my classroom is about the same as others'. Most students are willing to try; some are not. What sets honors students (and some college-prep students as well) apart is an expectation of success which is part of their culture. They know it will take some extra work and time and they are, for the most part, willing to do what it takes to succeed.
ReplyDeleteWhen students don't learn, I contact parents, work with special-ed teachers, offer extra help sessions (rarely attended) and I do reteach as time permits. I have test review sessions before school on the days of major tests. These sessions are almost exclusively attended by honors students, when the theory students are the ones who would most benefit.
2. I firmly believe that we need a system in place, beginning in middle school (where we REALLY lose the students who get lost) and carrying at least through 9th grade, that requires students who are not succeeding to get extra help in core areas either before or after school and during the summer if necessary. I have long thought it rather curious that we spend a bunch of money identifying students who are below basic, yet make no more of it than to group them together in low-performing classes and make them attend short, and from what I hear, largely ineffective help sessions in middle school. Then, in high school, we wait until the students are failing (surprise!) to put them in credit recovery. There would be a rather large expense involved in such a system of remediation, but I would be willing to bet it would save a lot of money in the long run. The question we need to address is: Do we want to do everything we can do at the front end to lift students up so they can achieve at the high level we say we want them to achieve at, or do we merely want to put a patch on the problem to improve our graduation numbers?
1. My current reality at GHS concerning when a student does not learn is that some students lack the motivation to learn or just want to "get by." And, other students want to learn but are unable or unwilling to come in for extra help sessions. However, I feel that the majority of students do want to learn.
ReplyDeleteWhen a student in my class does not learn I first talk to the student to get feedback on where the disconnection occurs. I remind them that I am here to give them extra help before and after school and there is a tutor in Student Services before and after school. Sometimes this can remedy the problem. If not, I then talk to the parent(s) to get help from them. Often, I have contacted Mr. Trowbridge for support. Many times he will already know the student and will call the student in to talk with him. In my lower level class I use differentiated instruction.
2. The human resources that I enlist are parents, special education teachers, Mr. Trowbridge, other teachers, and other students by getting them to work together in groups. On occasion, I have contacted the assistant principals and Student Services.
1. A. My current reality is a very mixed group of students. My students are 9-12th graders so I get a variety of life experience and maturity as well as prior knowledge. Most show interest in learning-I love that about Gilbert High School-but honestly those that want to do little or nothing but play games on the internet or sleep are a real drag on class energy and focus. Too often I have classes over half full of students that do not have the state prerequisite for the course and so they start off behind. This is very frustrating to the other prepared students. B. I deal with these issues by creating seating charts so that students are paired with peers that can assist them. The paring is based on prior coursework, conversations with other BizEd teachers, data from test view and info from a survey and online reading test. We also do a lot of formative assessments that I score and return quickly-if they make the requested changes/corrections they can receive a 100. This lets me know what needs to be reinforced and who is ready for working on projects. I also offer extra help mornings and afterschool as well as during lunches. Most students are not willing to give up lunchtime for help; some will come in to make up tests.
ReplyDelete2. Boones Mill was unique in that they could schedule sections of help that would meet a specific grade level. High schools are not structured that way. My greatest source of human resource is the students themselves. I am always encouraging and sometimes insisting that they ask at least 3 other people, how to do something, before they ask me. If they have, I ask who they asked and then I know I need to help 4 people at once. I also ask students who are working ahead or finished to go assist another student-most of the time this works very well. I am trying to help them build a collaborative learning environment. They will need to do that in the workplace as well.
Most comments have agreed that students are motivated. It does depend on the class. Giving students a second chance is a good idea because we all have an off day. When students don't learn, I try to teach it a different way or repeat the material several times. That's why I struggle to get all of the standards covered. I have to keep telling myself with all of these Biology standards that the students need to be exposed to all of them; I can't dwell on a few of the standards too long.
ReplyDeleteParents are a good resource. I have also found that if students don't understand; if they meet with me one-on-one, that extra attention is the key. They can ask questions at any time and they aren't afraid of calling attention to their lack of knowledge as they would be in front of their peers. Sometimes, resources such as experts are good but sometimes they're not. Sometimes, they talk above the students or expect too much of their prior knowledge.
I think we are pretty fortuanate here at GHS, the majority of the students want to learn. I can say from being in other school districts that this not always the case. I think their are students that are not very motivated for whatever reason and we have to try and find a way to motivate these students because they have the ability and just need to pushed. Then there are the ones that jsut seem as if they could care less and alot of this comes from the support or I should say lack of suppport they receive at home. I like most all teachers here at GHS offer times for extra help and I will do whatever is necessary to help a student be successful. I believe that the only way some students will change their mind about learning is by failing to learn first.
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing for us to do is try to communicate on a rgular basis with parents regarding their students progress, colllaborate with other teachers that may have the same student to see if anything they are doing is successful, and offer additional times for students to come to us for help. The more involved we are with these students the better chance we have to get them moving in the right direction.
What is your current reality at Gilbert High School? What happens in your classroom at GHS when your students don’t learn?
ReplyDeleteI feel most of my students put forth the effort it takes to pass. A few of them try to sleep and just want a high enough grade to pass the class. Students may redo work they didn't do very well on the first time.
What additional human resources could you enlist in the effort to help all students learn at high levels?
Built in time suring the day for extra help.
When students don’t learn in my classroom, I believe that it is my responsibility to do all I can to fix the problem. I reteach the material—either to the class, a small group, or an individual. I try to present the material in a variety of ways in hopes of reaching each student in his or her way of learning. I especially enlist classmates to help me reteach by allowing group or buddy work during the review process. Students know that they can meet with me after or before school. Students know that they can contact me at home—by phone, text, email, or Facebook—to receive extra help.
ReplyDeleteBecause I am an English teacher, a lot of my reteaching has to do with student writing and students know that no piece of writing is a final copy. I allow re-writings—as long as students come to me for additional help. I write all over students’ work to show where corrections, editions, or additions would strengthen their work. I also provide rubrics—ahead of time—that show students exactly what the expectations are. If a piece of writing comes in poorly done, the student and I meet and determine whether the lack of success was due to his or her not understanding the expectations, not knowing how to meet the expectation or not putting forth an adequate effort. After that conclusion is reached, steps to correct the problem (which results in a new grade only as a secondary fact)—the lack of understanding or production—are made by the student. The final responsibility for learning is left with him or her.
When a student does not learn, it can be many reasons. 1. They did not have the background for the material covered...in that case afterschool or before school help will be needed. 2. I did not present the material in a way that the students understand...in that case I reteach using a different stategy. Concrete examples usually work better for some students. Movement helps others, singing others, etc. Sometimes a peer that understands can work magic on a friend that can not get my explanation 3. The student was not paying attention in class and got lost when a reality check came into play...in that case you reteach and accept late work and send an email or call to a caring parent. No matter what I do the a student must learn and it is their choice to pay attention in class and to come by before or after class for help. All I can do is offer my time, but the student also must be willing to give of his/her time.
ReplyDeleteWhen students don't learn in my class, we often go back and review what they did not understand. Because of the reality of an EOC and and AP Exam facing them, we don't have the luxury of time to slow down tremendously. Therefore, students who need extra help are encouraged to see me before or after class every school day.
ReplyDeleteThe current reality at GHS is that most students are willing to learn. There are only a handful of student who just do not care. These are the kids that into trouble all the time, sleep in class, refuse to participate, have no support from home as well. They lack the motivation needed to learn. The teachers at GHS go above and beyond to help all of these kids and the students do not take the oinitiative to seek out additional help.
ReplyDeleteWhen students don't learn I reteach difficult lessons, talk with students about their lack of progress/expectations for the class; allow late assignments to be turned in with a flat 10 point late penalty; and communicate with parents to enlist help and support.
The reality of the situation is that in many of the classes I teach the only additional assistance I can use is GRADUATION. If you do not pass PE you cannot graduate. To some this works, for others it is pulling teeth for 18 weeks to get them to dress, participate, try the skills, and even do any of the work. Their is no APEX for PE or Leadership 21. This outlet does not apply to my area. Their is no consequence for this student except in the grading and lack of graduation. It ultimately becomes the students choice and motivation. We only have a handful of students whom ever fall into this category, because for the most part many kids love to come to PE!!
I too believe the reality at GHS is similar to the Boone's school....
ReplyDelete-After/before school help becomes an transportation issue for some
-Other areas may be sacrificed in order to have the time for extra help or assistance (athletics or other extracurricular activities)
-Students do not recieve any extra help during the school day (built in) unless they are already identified as special education or special nees
In my classroom, I try to confront some of these issues by...
-slowing down instruction if many are struggling
-reteaching and enrichment activities
-redo/retake opportunities to show mastery
-accepting late work (with penalty)
-contact and stay in contact with parents to see when we can get a student extra help or find someone who can
2. Many times I feel limited in finding others to help aid in the success of my students. Some areas I could look into and may find more help would be...
-Tutors (maybe free? student)
-Hispanic parents from the community to have "conversations" with students (would be beneficial to both parties)
-Retired teachers that could come in to help with varied level assessments
1a. I believe Gilbert is like a majority of schools in this country. Many students care about their grades and try to be successful. However, there are more are more students that seem to think that we, the teacher, owe them a grade for just showing up. There is less and less effort, or self motivation by students. They start to play the teacher. The students have the view of; the district wants less drop-out and higher test scores, so teach, what are you going to do about it. I have actually had students and their parent compliain to me that I should just give the student credit for turning work in, even though the work was not finished and what was finished was crap. "I turned it in, give me something." "My daughter wrote down some answers, give her a passing mark." It frustrates me.
ReplyDelete1b. When students don't learn I allow students to make corrections on test and quizes. Change my teaching styles and reteach the lesson until it makes sense. Offer extra help before or after school. Allow late work to be made up for a lower grade. Ask students what they feel the problem is or what they don't understand and move from there. Teach the same material using several different teaching methods. Communicate with parents. Dont' allow the student to sleep.
2. I talk with Parents and let them know about the areas their child may need additional help in.
I have talked with John Trowbridge and identified several students who could benefit from credit recovery early in the semester before failing a course.
If a student has an IEP I review it and talk with his or her special education teacher about assignments or extra help the student may need.
I collaborate with my fellow teachers looking for ways to improve my classroom curriculum and collecting new ideas and teaching strategies.
We test and retest when it is obvious the learning lignt did not go on. Group/partners to reteach helps tremendously. The main goal is to remove the stress from the students who have failed to grasp the content the first time around. Build confidence and then retest. Goal is not perfection but passing.
ReplyDeleteThe current reality is that most students are learning. There are a few students in each class that are in school for the right reason…to learn. They may not always enjoy the subject area, but they are willing to pay the price to have success in the classroom. Those students who are not doing well, generally, do not do much of anything in class. These students choose to sleep, write letters, or simply just not do assignments. Their goal is to “just do enough to get by”. When this type of attitude present itself, I do contact home and offer help, but generally, they do choose to accept this help.
ReplyDeleteQ. 2
I have tried to allow student to work with each other. Sometimes, they will work with their peers as they do not want to be the weakest link.
I know I posted for this blog weeks ago. But I will post it again. Yes, students do learn and most do want to learn. Unfortunately, some students have attitudes that cannot easily be changed or can be changed at all. We have to deal with them. As for the second question, students do seem to work better in groups so long as the groups can function well. Sometimes I will assign the groups and other times I let them do it. Calling parents will help in certain situations, but not all the time. Sometimes it takes peer pressure to make changes.
ReplyDeleteMy current reality with my students at GHS seems to be students who struggle academically and therefore set low expectations for themselves and who have decided “just passing” is good enough. They have potential to do better but are not motivated to do better because they have to work that much harder. At some point, the students have learned to do just enough to get by is good enough for them. It is hard to change the motivation. It isn’t impossible but very difficult.
ReplyDeleteAs the other resource teachers have stated, I would like to have time in the day to be able to work more collaboratively with regular education teachers to provide support within those classes.
1. Most students in my class are learning. The few that are not have given up for the most part. There are resources for them (APEX, test/re-teach/re-test).
ReplyDelete2. One of the resources I use for students that are struglling is to pair them with another student that they are comfortable with and allow them to work together.