Friday, January 18, 2008

A Prayer for Writing

May today there be peace
In the classrooms, brought on
By the creation
And manipulation of the written word.
May today there be time
To put learning on paper
And to see in words
What is being processed in the brain.
May today students see that writing
Is essential in math,
In science, in English,
And in fine arts.
May today students be moved
By an obsession with something to say,
By new ideas,
And by infinite possibilities in front of them.

~D. Hartness, 2007

Thinking about assessment...

As a part of my assessment graduate course, we are working with Rick Wormelli's Fair Isn't Always Equal. He addresses assessing and grading in the differentiated classroom. And aren't we all so differentiated nowadays?

So how do we create successful assessments for our students? Differentiation does not mean using three different levels of worksheets. However, differentiation can be as simple as allowing students more time, regrouping by student interests and levels, or a list of choices for assessments. Some teachers are differentiating without even thinking about it. They are just acting in ways that they think are fair for individuals and they are realizing that fair doesn't always mean the same thing for everyone. So imagine how equitable classes would become if in-depth training and study was allowed into differentiation?

Wormelli speaks of beginning with the end in mind. He deals with two types of assessments--formative and summative. Summative is the summation of your lesson. The final assessment. But its also the beginning. Mapping out the final assessment first lends itself to successfully covering the lesson's essential objectives/standards. Wormelli even speaks of giving students the test at the beginning of the unit and allowing them to listen carefully for information that they know they will be tested on at the end. We have to stop letting assessments be a surprise to the students. Letting them know what is on the test isn't always about a review sheet the day before the test. Give the review sheet--or a skinny version of it to be filled in--at the beginning. Imagine the purpose that is set when you know ahead of time what you are expected to learn!

Teachers also have to use formative assessments--mini-checkpoints along the way--to examine what they are doing in their classroom and what is working. Instead of lamenting what students aren't doing, let's examine what we aren't doing. The most powerful question from Wormelli's reading is "What did you learn from a student today and what did you do with that knowledge?" What exactly are your students teaching you about your practices and what are you changing? Formative assessments, followed by teacher reflection, can help raise student engagement and achievement.

I feel that teachers are where the change has to occur, but that's the easy part. How can we begin with the end in mind when the end is being created in another state by a test-making company? How can I convince teachers to change the way they assess throughout the year when their major accountability comes from outside the room, outside the building? I feel very frustrated when I start to think about the role of government in education. Rules are being made by people who do not know at all what students are like in the classroom. So how do I fight that battle?

Monday, January 07, 2008

The Disenchantment of January

I am finding it so difficult to be fired up about being back in school for the second half of the year. The monsters are all hanging in the air--graduation rates, end-of-course tests, exit exams. What do you do when those things that are most frustrating are the ones that you have no control over?

For two years, I taught the same students. I had them as a group of juniors and then again as seniors. I loved this group of kids. But they gave me grey hairs. Lots of them. There was a group of boys in particular that were constantly giving me fits. It was something all the time--flatulance, late work, talking, talking, TALKING. (Did I say I loved these kids?) But I knew that when I reached my frustration level, help was only a phone call away. There were parents to call, coaches to run to, and even an administrator in one or two worst case scenarios.

But now I'm out of the classroom. There are no more unruly young men who just need to be pulled back down to earth. Now there are teachers who can't even see the top of the water that is covering their heads, much less tread in it. And here I come with no students and grandiose ideas about becoming better practitioners. Well, who am I?

I am good at what I do. I do know my stuff. But there are so many more daunting factors out there to deal with. While we know that student engagement is a major issue, there are also test scores to cope with. How do I counter the history teacher who has to teach 300 years worth of history in 90 days? How can I encourage him to incorporate supplemental texts when I know the ax that is hanging over his head?

I get very disenchanted periodically with my job. I really want to close the door and teach sometimes. That's not going to happen any time soon, so I'm looking for classrooms to borrow. I've found two...can I borrow yours?