A Professional Learning Community Begins

January 16, 2012

I had a coaching opportunity to observe two math classes in third and fourth grade.  I saw some very good teaching and got a couple ideas to bring back to my own classroom.  As one teacher stated, reflection and preparation make for a great lesson.

January 20, 2012

I was able to chat with the fourth grade teacher and give her a couple ideas.    I think what she needed to conclude on her own was that preparation makes for a great lesson.  I shared how observing the same lesson I just taught had sparked a couple ideas for making it better and for helping students think deeper.

January 25, 2012

I found it pretty easy to conference with the third grade teacher.  He is so open to trying new things to help manage his very busy class.  I gave him some listening activities, a chime, the call and response ideas I got in La Crosse a year ago, and a few quick math focus activities.  I will also look into CESA 11 resources and see if I can find a Me Moves video.  A couple other teachers are using them for about five minutes a day to help calm and focus students.  

January, 2012

1/2/2012  Student of Concern Meeting

I am grateful that we are collaborating at our weekly grade level meetings.  Attending with us is a special education teacher, school counselor, reading support teacher, and speech teacher.  The special education teacher suggested taking a student with behaviors to the next step.  I am glad that she has been at each meeting this student’s name has come up.  She sees a need for a behavioral referral.  As I was completing the form, I realized that some of her behaviors are probably happening because the reading material is too difficult for her.  Reflection pulls the curtains back from the window so I can see clearer.

1/2/2012 Update on Collaboration and Reflection

After our Students of Concern meeting today I went walking with our speech pathologist.  We processed a student we shared, and she helped me brainstorm ideas to help the student succeed in homework.   I was able to call the parent and share these ideas.  My call was received positively, and I got to experience the positive effects of collaboration.  It benefited me and my student, and it encouraged me to make home contact. 

Walking with the speech pathologist also helped me learn more about data collection. She keeps data every day with every student, and talking to her was very helpful.   I hadn’t been able to come up with a great way to keep track of student behaviors.   My Response to Intervention (RtI) folder is in the back of the room, and I use it at Team Time for academics, but during the rest of my day, I am nearer to my desk in the front of the room.  A supervisor had suggested to write behaviors down in the same RtI folder.  But it is not convenient.   Keeping track at my desk has not worked well.  At the end of the day I find some notes in my notebook, on a scrap of paper, or I cannot find my form that I started at an earlier date.  Through our talk, I developed a form on the computer that is easy to update from a form I have on my desk.  Since I have two students to monitor behaviors for, one has a blue tag (boy) and the other has a pink tag (girl).  Each form has room for a week.  I handwrite on these at the time of the incident, and then update at the end of the week on my computer.  When I completed a problem solving referral over the weekend, I was able to attach the computer form without having to worry about sloppy handwriting or incomplete thoughts.  I am hopeful that this new procedure will continue to be easy, effective, and efficient for me. 

1/10/2012 Participation in the Classroom

I am working on being fair when calling on students in the classroom.  I believe that participation increases opportunities to learn.  Lately I have been using name sticks so everyone gets a chance to be called upon.  It is holding me and my students accountable.  I am also having the students turn and talk and interact more during class discussions.  This also increases participation and learning.   I think having a Best Practices Go-To Sheet will be a good thing!

12.23.2011 Update

I'm beginning to see why documentation is so important.  With documentation and reflection, conclusions or theories can be made.  The student I am doing a RtI with fell apart with behavior this month.  Then, as suddenly as it started, it was over.  I realized that behavior interfered with her ability to attend reading support and her 1:1 time with me.  When I corrected her unit reading test and looked at her score, I knew it was from lack of curriculum contact time.  But, where was my data in the loss of contact time?  I'm contemplating using a calendar grid for each student, and then I can document absences or behavior/academic status.  I am wondering if it is worth the time and effort.  It could be the beginning of a more organized daily reflection of my students.  I think I will try it for the month of January and see if it is beneficial.  I will ask a coworker if she has a form to use.  Maybe a calendar for each student would work.

A student of mine is moving over the holiday break.  We will all miss him.  On the Monday we return, I will gain a new student.  I have prepped the classroom, his desk, his locker, and my students so he will feel invited and welcome.  I want to be able to offer security and predictability in classroom routines to get him off to a good start.  After the holiday will be a good time to review class rules, recess rules, and the responsive classroom motto "go slow to go fast" to make sure we are all ready to learn in 2012.

Update - December 7, 2011

Research Project - I am working on the second half of my inquiry research project.  I don't have all of the answers for myself and for other teachers on how to do this perfectly.  But, by doing this research project, I have given my students the opportunity to participate in research.  I know other teachers who are not doing the inquiry; it is difficult to find the time and to know how to navigate the messy and muddy waters of research.  I am thrilled to be able to work with our librarian.  She has helped us strategize, pick key words, and find books and web sites.  The curriculum has sites that are helping my students on the second round.  I am learning that I need to use what is available, instead of feeling like I need to personally find all of the resourcesfor my students.

With the second round, my students chose their partners and their topic of research.  I wish I had not told them they would have choice of partners.  I sensed that students were choosing topics just so they would be with their friend.  That is water over the bridge, though.  I think once they get a little farther, some groups will continue to be high maintenance, while others will be fairly independent.  Students seemed to choose partners who are at their same ability level in reading.  I will be helping the lower students with more reading.  On the other hand, it will be interesting to see if they learn more, because they will be totally responsible for the project (instead of giving up control to more academically advanced peers). 

Master's Reflection - I am amazed that I am almost three-quarters of the way into this program.  At the start, I didn't think I would make it.  The program has put demands on me in many ways.  It has challenged me to grow, think, collaborate, lead, research, read, reflect, and define who I am as a teacher.  It has been the catalyst that will make me a successful teacher for the rest of my career.

I remember a very awesome third grade teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, who retired about seven years ago.  She once told me that she tried to put a new idea (or two) into each her lesson plans each week.  Now I think I get that.  If I am reading, researching, and continuing to learn, I will have ideas to try and share each week.  That is the kind of teacher I want to be.

Math Coaching November 22, 2011

I approached TG at the beginning of the year, and asked him if I could observe as a math coach in his classroom this year.  He is a veteran teacher, and I know that I will learn a lot from him.  I could also share best practices with him.  Three times this fall I have asked him if I could observe, but our schedules are busy, and he hasn't felt comfortable with it yet.
In the past week I have met him, TG, twice about two low math students in his room.  At conferences a mom requested that he refer her child for testing as he has been low in math and reading all of his school career.   I checked out a Do The Math Kit and looked it over.  It was too high, so I requested lower level kits.  TG has expressed a lot of frustration over when to do an intervention, what qualifies as an intervention, and how to acomplish this.  I do not claim to have all of the answers, but it has made me step up my game so I can be helpful to this teacher.  He is not certain if a math intervention is the first step, or if a behavior program is needed.  I told him about Intervention Central.  Now, I want to help him identify the behaviors that could be getting in the way of the student's learning, and decide on an intervention if needed.  TG is calming down and appreciates someone to vent and talk to.   I've always respected him as a teacher, and sense that he does not feel appreciated.  I look forward to developing a collegial relationship with him.

First Inquiry Comes to a Close - Nov. 16

Students continued to work on their inquiry posters on November 8, 9, and 10.  Three groups presented on Nov. 15 and two groups presented on Nov. 16.  Students went to the lab and completed the Survey Monkey on Monday, Nov. 21.    My overall impression of the inquiry process is positive.  Using exit slips in the form of a rubric helped to keep students focused and learning.  Students met on chairs in circles, and that also kept them on topic.  The librarian helped to find web sites and books, and other teachers shared web sites, also.  The librarian and I talked about how "messy" the research process is.  This can be difficult for teachers and students.  The reading series set up the inquiry time to be on Fridays, but I've found that students lose momentum and focus if they only meet one day a week.  It is also unrealistic for them to have a project idea after the first week of the reading unit.  Best would be for students to meet within the Daily 5 rotation.  This does not work if the groups are set up with one student from each of the leveled readers.  In this next project students will be able to choose their partners based on interest.  Students will most likely be able to find a time each day to meet.
The La Crosse Conference was great.  I got many ideas from our JAG group.  Hudson 2 members shared more community builders and ideas online to implement.  Sometimes I wonder how I can keep up on all of the ideas.  In reality I can't.  But as the third semester comes to a close, I wonder where I will get all the future wonderful ideas I have gained from my community.  I really love this program!  Without it, I don't think I would be ready for all of the changes that are happening in our district with learning communities, Response to Intervention, and using data to implement changes.

11/7/2011 Research Update

Dear Blog,
  How I have thought about you each week for awhile now.  Why have I stayed away?  At first it was because I didn't get going on my research right away.  My classroom schedule is crazy-busy, and I have been frustrated with so much to do and so little time!  I wasn't getting my research in, and struggled to blog about it.
 
  Our first Inquiry Project meeting was on October 26, 2011.  I was totally impressed with the way the students sat in their groups and asked questions about their topic. They rated themselves and each other high, but I saw it in action.  Our second session was on October 27.  There was almost the same degree of on-task behavior and engagement.  I gave the students some books from my local library to begin with.  Students asked more questions about their topic and began their research.  Our third session was on November 1, in the library.  Students worked with the librarian and myself to find more books to learn about their topic.  After this session, students went to the adjoining computer lab, and used web sites the librarian, a coworker, and I had come up with.  Students were allowed to print the documents they felt would help them.  The research moves ahead!  On November 4, students used the two classroom computers and their book resources, and added sticky notes to their materials.  They did this with a substitute, and some of their ratings are not as high as before.  Today, November 7, we met again.  Students began to compile their sticky notes.  I took a picture of a student as she stuck the notes on her research folder.   I watched her group go through them and decide which ones they wanted to include in their final project.  Some notes had gotten pulled out of a book without a complete thought being written.  I think the lesson was learned.  Two groups worked on the computer to see if they could answer a question that still lingered for them.  Another group thinks they are ready to begin their poster, and the last group thinks so, too. 

I have taken pictures of the students at work.  I want to get some video clips, but forget to request the flip camera when we meet.  I have interacted with students throughout, but find it difficult to write notes on their individual evaluation sheet that I have for each of them.  I also need to be documenting reflections of this process.  I will get the poster board and we will discuss what makes a great presentation.   Students will need to plan out their presentation before beginning their final project.