The 8 most useful innovation tools for your elementary (and middle grade!) classroom – #3 – The Global Read Aloud

Pernille Ripp is an education goddess. She saw a need for kids to connect with books and with each other, and she created the Global Read Aloud in 2010. The GRA is about a month long, incorporates really good literature and global connections to others reading the same book(s), and is very low key. There’s no pressure to go all-in with your participation; your level of involvement is whatever you want it to be. If you feel the need to connect books and kids and kids from other places, read on!

After a months-long vetting process (all done by Pernille Ripp herself!), books are chosen in five categories: primary grades author study, primary grades chapter book, upper elementary chapter book, middle grade chapter book, and young adults chapter book. You can choose any of the books based on the level or needs of your students, and, if you get in on it early enough, you can recommend books!

This year’s books!

I’ve participated in the GRA for the past two years, and I love the way it’s presented. If you’re new, you can keep to your classroom and discuss the book there. If you’re feeling more chatty, you can get on to Twitter and hashtag the book you’re reading. If you’re feeling really ambitious, a group of teachers last year and this year (and maybe before!) have created hyperdocs for the books in order to get kids thinking deeply about what they’re hearing/reading. There are also Edmodo groups where you can connect with other classrooms around the world, as well as Facebook, Pinterest, and WriteAbout.

I’ve participated in both the author study (Peter Reynolds in 2015) and the upper elementary chapter book (Pax in 2016), and I would highly encourage this method of getting connected to other classrooms. Our Twitter responses to the text last year generated questions from other classrooms, Mystery Hangouts, and a general feeling that we were not alone in our 4th grade universe. I attempted to use the hyperdoc last year, but found it too much to manage in the way I presented it. I’ll use some of what is available this year, but try not to overwhelm my students with too much!

At the end of last year, I started reading The Wild Robot to my class. We didn’t make it through, but were already having deeper discussions about the text, and students were begging for more chapters each day. Which is another thing I love about the GRA – it puts on my radar books I might not pick up normally that kids will really get involved in. Granted, just the title is intriguing, and I love what I’ve seen of Peter Brown’s work already. I can’t wait to share it with my new crop of kids, and to connect with other classrooms worldwide.

If you’re interested in participating in the GRA, you can sign up here. Maybe I’ll see you on Twitter!

More about Pernille Ripp

More about the GRA

**Many thanks to the GRA website for the images in this post!**

How’s Your Math Mindset?

Are you one of those folks who is “bad” at math? And are you convinced there’s no way, ever, that will change? Read on, my friends!

Today’s post is a guest contribution by Dedra Downing. Dedra and I connected through the Innovative Teaching Academy, and I’m happy to welcome her to the blog! You can see her bio below her post. Enjoy!

By Dedra Downing

@DedraDowning1

I had the opportunity a few years ago to hear Jo Boaler speak at a District Presentation. At the time the district was learning more about math talks, and looking at how we teach math. Since that time I have changed some of my practices to include more math talks, eliminate timed tests, and approach math problems with students demonstrating multiple ways of thinking.

This summer I had an opportunity to read Jo Boaler’s new book,  Mathematical Mindsets, Unleashing Students; Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching, as well as take the Mathematical Mindset On-line course through youcubed at Stanford University. I am really finding the book and coursework challenging how I think about math teaching. Teaching math the old way of straight calculation is just not assisting my young students to be true problem solvers. Students who are quick to calculate stand out in our classrooms but math isn’t about being fast. I am more concerned about inspiring students to face challenges, persevere, work collaboratively, and find multiple ways to solve problems. I think one of the most inspiring things I read in Jo Boaler’s book was . . .

“I am a strong supporter of teachers, and I know that the No Child Left Behind era stripped the professionalism and enthusiasm of many teachers as they were forced (and I choose that word carefully) to use teaching methods that they knew to be unhelpful. An important part of my work with teachers now is to help them regain their sense of professionalism”  Jo Boaler

I appreciated this statement as well as her resources, books, and online coursework.

The on-line course had a wonderful interview with Carol Dweck, a pioneering researcher from Stanford on Growth Mindset. They talked about the research that especially shows a fixed mindset around mathematics and how many parents and teachers can send messages to students that perpetuate the feeling that math is a gift you either have or don’t have.  The online course can be done slowly with many videos and time to give and get feedback from peers.

The book has been wonderful, filled with research and examples. It talks about the struggle of mistakes and the fact that your brain will recognize a mistake even if you are not aware. The brain shows more activity and more synapses.  She talks about math tasks that meet learners at all levels eliminating the need to track students. She guides teachers to look at assessments and feedback carefully. She has made math seem beautiful and filled with possibilities of adventure and discovery.  The youcube webpage also has activities available to teachers to use and her ongoing research that she continues to do in the area of teaching math.

But don’t just take my word for it . . . listen to Jo Boaler in this Ted Talk

http://viewpure.com/3icoSeGqQtY?start=0&end=0

Dedra Downing is a 24 year veteran teacher in California. She has taught primary grades. She has a Bachelors in Child Development and Masters in Educational Administration. She enjoys playing her harp, crocheting, and creating lessons that inspire her students to grow.

The 8 most useful innovation tools for your elementary classroom — #1 and #2: The Reading and Writing Strategies Books

As my 4th grade team and I moved into the final quarter of last year, we realized we were REALLY tired of teaching writing the way we had been. WE came up with a genre, taught lessons that helped kids understand what that genre encapsulated, then let them choose their topics. Most of the time. Sometimes, we chose the umbrella topic (famous Americans prior to 1800, a personal story, a story that had to involve fantasy elements) and let them go from there. It was how we’d taught writing for years, and it just wasn’t getting it done for us anymore.

Or the students. Every time we’d say, “We’ll be starting a new writing piece today,” kids would groan. Not the best moments in a former journalist’s life, having 9- and 10-year-olds actively express their disgruntlement at writing.

Enter the Strategies books. We had seen The Reading Strategies Book earlier in the year, and expressed our undying appreciation that someone had written a book that wasn’t a curriculum, but a well-thought out collection of mini lessons a person could use anytime, anywhere, with almost anyone. For example, in The Reading Strategies Book, you’ll find lessons on vocabulary (“Say It Out Loud”), themes and ideas (“Compare Lessons Across Books in a Series”), and text features (“Cracking Open Headings”). All of the lessons in Jennifer Serravallo’s books are ONE PAGE. Already, a huge weight is off of your shoulders; you don’t have to read the entire chapter to get to the good stuff! On that one page, you’ll find the strategy, language you can use and/or adapt for your lesson, prompts to get kids engaged, and an anchor chart you are welcome to copy and hang in your own classroom.

When we heard there was a Writing Strategies Book, we had to have it. And it informed that fourth quarter of our teaching. Instead of telling kids in what genre they had to write, we brainstormed what kids COULD write. With the kids! Topics and methods of presentation were discussed. We created a Personal writing proposal sheet that had to be filled out, and made sure everyone knew how much time they had left to write their masterpieces. Our expectations were laid out from the beginning: you must write at least one piece, you must follow the writing process, you must fill out a proposal sheet and be approved for every piece you write, and you must confer with teachers and students. A few kids were given more direct instructions (our sped kids, and those who wrote about the same topic all year long), but otherwise, we gave complete freedom of choice.

It was love. My colleague of almost 15 years looked at me and said, “Why haven’t we ALWAYS done it this way?!?” We were excited about what the kids were choosing to do, and they were excited about being able to do it. The Writing Strategies Book was key to this entire process; without the focus of mini lessons, our kids would have had pieces done, but not improved their writing. With it (and the freedom of choice), the quality of writing improved exponentially. Examples of lessons I taught to individuals, small groups, and the entire class were “Organize in Sequence” (also a way to include transitions), “Nonfiction Leads”, and “Create Urgency”. Targeted lessons when kids needed them were much more effective than the lessons I’d been teaching whole class before.

We also discovered that our conferring was less critical and more productive. After reading this post from George Couros, I realized that this way of teaching writing would help my students grow instead of stifling them. I’m a Grammar Hammer (admittedly; I even have a t-shirt!), but I try my best in student conferences to put aside editing in favor of content. This book really helped me have a focus, and helped me FIND the focus I needed for different kids and groups.

When we finished, we had more products than we had ever imagined. Stories and list articles and persuasive essays, yes, but also internet quizzes (Which book character are you?), how-to books (How To Avoid Embarrassment Due to Flatulence), advice for annoying younger siblings, and the beginnings of an interactive slide show pitting fictional monsters against each other “Celebrity Death Match”-style. It was amazing to see the creativity expressed when there were no preplanned expectations for the end product. One of the main differences was that kids had a different audience in mind for these pieces. Instead of writing for the teacher, they were writing for specific folks in the world. Lightbulbs, big time.

From this entire experience, we have decided to run our writing workshop this way ALL YEAR. Yes, we’ll occasionally need to let kids know what they need to write. Yes, we’ll need to make sure that all kids write in all of our learning-goal-driven genres. But will kids love writing more? YES. And with authentic audiences for their pieces, this switch to kid-driven writing will create better people, better able to communicate their ideas to the wider world. And isn’t that the point of innovation?

 

Cleanliness is next to innovationness

 We bit the bullet this week and hired a professional housecleaning service. Our time seems to be dwindling away now that the girls are older, and it seemed like the right time. After a few hours of “straightening”, I felt like the house looked good enough to have someone else come in and take care of the rest. Although the consensus from the smaller people was that it now looked “weird” (read: no visible signs of children living in the house, i.e. Barbies, bits of paper, and Lego everywhere), I found myself more relaxed already.

I’ll admit, I felt weird having other people take care of a job I can do myself. I know how I judge, and I’m sure there was internal judging going on with the four folks who showed up, but they had a job to do, and this wasn’t a courtroom. They did the “deep clean”, which means they looked at and tackled things we hadn’t considered since we moved in 8 years ago. I had some skepticism – could it REALLY be better than we could do, or were we just throwing in the towel because we’d gotten too far behind?

The results were more positive than negative. It was TERRIFIC to have everything done. We generally hit a few things on the weekends and let other things go, but this was everything. (My baseboards are gleaming! It’s amazing!) There were a few spots that were missed, but we were pleased with the end product. And we have no cleaning to do this weekend, which is a load off of our minds. We can actually have FUN and not worry about all the chores that need to be done!

All of this made me think about how hiring someone to clean is like trying a new tech tool, or other “innovative” product. Sure, I could do what I’ve always done and be partly satisfied, but is there someone or something else that could help make my life easier/better/more complete? There is a great possibility the answer will be yes. Will there be things I don’t like? Of course. Will I need to do some things to maintain the status quo, things I’m comfortable with and have done for years? Yes. But, overall, will my life be better because of this tool/product/experience? Absolutely.

I’ve also started to reevaluate my definition of innovation. In my mind, innovation has been that HUGE thing you do to make a HUGE change in your classroom. Going 1-to-1 was like that for me. Huge change, and therefore, innovation. But was it? Or was it just substitution? Now, I’m thinking innovation is what you do in increments, trying new programs, apps, and systems, in order to make things run more smoothly. Which means I’ve been innovating for years, and just didn’t know it. And so have you.

Below is a list of the 7 tools* I use all the time, and that I feel have helped me innovate in my classroom. The plan is to discuss each in more depth in future posts instead of extending this one further, but feel free to investigate or comment if you wish.

1. Google Classroom  
2. Google Drive  
3. Twitter 
4. Remind 
5. Flipgrid 
6. Global Read Aloud 
7. The Writing Strategies Book,  and
8. The Reading Strategies Book 

I’d appreciate hearing about anything you use that you find indispensable, as innovation is all about getting better all the time!

 

*I am not being compensated for advertising, I just love these!

The teachers’ summer slide (and no, it’s not a water slide)

As summer vacation really begins to sink in, I found myself thinking about teachers, and what we’re REALLY good at. I came up with a bit of a list:

1. Holding it. For terrific lengths of time. Ask any teacher when his or her breaks are, and they’re able to tell you instantly. Why? Because we’ve conditioned ourselves to be – ahem – “ready” at those specific times. One of the best things about summer break? Not needing to worry about that particular aspect of our jobs!
2. Letting you know – gently – that your child is a talker. Or disruptive. Or not a great friend. Or not on top of the stack academically. We’re great at breaking news gently while maintaining your vision of your (really? not even close to perfect!) child.
3. Splitting kids into groups. Whether we use sticks, cards, an app, or just looking at a class list, we get the job done. Fast.
4. Thinking ahead to the next lesson/day/week/month/year.

This is truly the point of this post, the thinking ahead part. We tend to dwell on past failures instead of successes, but that just makes what we think of next even more brilliant!

I’m working on my classroom layout for next year. I’m pretty picky about where things go, and I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to this particular aspect of planning. I started making scale maps of my classroom (with grid paper; 1cm:1ft) in my 3rd or 4th year of teaching, mostly because I couldn’t draw a desk to scale by hand. I’d make this beautiful arrangement, get in my room, and not be able to make everything fit. After pushing, shoving, swearing, and sweating, I’d figure out a way to make things work, but be disappointed. Hence, the maps. I’m made fun of by many in my school, but it works for me because I’m not quite as spatial as other folks. And, despite my generally good physical fitness, I’ll not be dragging around my 30 pound tables more than I need to, thanks. 

As I looked at my arrangement from last year and how my students used it, I found myself thinking about the use of the space. I feel like there’s so much of the room I’m not using, and need to make a better plan for the coming year. I had hidey holes. Bad. I had no table to work with small groups. Bad. I managed to trim down my belongings for my personal space, but still didn’t use everything I left there. Bad.

My first impulse is always to bring more stuff IN – shelves, benches, tables, floor pillows! – and not take it OUT. Bad again! Instead, I’m trying to figure out what I want my students to do in the coming year, and help design a space that allows for them to work productively. I want my room to be a place of ideas and innovation, not just rote learning. I want kids empowered, not just engaged. I also want to have a skeleton of what it could be, and to have my students help me make some of the decisions. Which leads me to #5:

5. We’re very good at telling people what to do. I say that to my bossy students (“You want to tell other people what to do? Be a teacher!”), but is me telling kids what to do the best way to approach everything? Of course not. So. Flexible seating? Doing it already. Bulletin boards? Reorganizing for better flow and function. Figuring out the best place for the tables and random desks in the room? Maybe the students have better ideas than I do. I’ll never know unless I try it.

As for the innovation aspect of this, I see possibilities everywhere. Kids helping set up the room (not just the classroom library, which, in my experience, is a hit-or-miss proposition) could lead to more collaboration, which could lead to innovation. It will certainly help me understand what they think is most important. We may find problems as we progress, and we’ll need to find solutions for those. The real world implications are many. Current room, future apartment, lifelong career… Knowing what you want out of your space is a key in many aspects of life.

Now I’m thinking PBL for this. I’ll think of a driving question and plan the schedule!

But next week. After all, it’s still summer.

It’s Limbo time!

We’ve entered that magical last two weeks, one day, and four hours of school. That time when kids and teachers and parents can see the end, and they’re happy/sad/wound up/depressed/excited. A time when we should be coasting, enjoying each other’s company and knowing exactly what each day will bring. A time to reflect on the year and everything we’ve learned together.

Instead, I feel conflicted. My battery is simultaneously being drained by what’s happening in the time we have left and recharged as I look toward next year. Figuring out how to fit in the last 4.3 science objectives I have to teach, finish up book clubs, make math worthwhile, grade final writing pieces, and power through the last spelling unit, all while making time for the talent show, a fun run, a field trip, and Innovation Week has me stressed. When I get to my room, though, I’ll start thinking of all the possibilities next year holds. How can I rearrange things to make it more comfortable? What if I got a futon? How can I run 20% Time better? How can I make every subject more project based? What new challenges will I have to overcome?

In the midst of all of this, I want to keep my kids engaged. Trying to innovate in this limbo time is tough. Most of the innovation comes in the form of scheduling. What can I move where to maximize my time, keep kids focused and learning, but not overwhelm all of us? The part of my brain looking ahead makes it difficult to do this at times. I still want to try new things, and my class knows me now. What better time to push them ahead?

So I’ll try a few things in the coming weeks. Have them turn in a video instead of a worksheet. Try to have student-run book clubs. Move some furniture around. But in the 15 years I’ve (almost) got under my belt, I’ve also learned not to change things up too much this time of year. Kids need structure, need to know that when they come in the morning the routine will be about the same as it was the day before. This keeps us all sane and happy, and I don’t want to mess with that.

Okay. Maybe just a little. You can’t stay in limbo forever.

And next year’s kids? I can’t wait to get my ideas on them.

Y-presses, Jeff Goldblum, and innovation in classrooms

As I was moving from one station to another at my kickboxing gym this morning, I noticed that the next station called for Y-presses. Imagine you, with hand weights, extending your arms diagonally out from your shoulders. Like a Y. Y-presses are my new nemesis, and I have vowed not to do them again. My left rotator cuff (and doctor) agree with this decision.   As my husband says, “That’s not a natural position for anyone!” I asked the trainer on duty to please come up with something else I could do.

Once he formulated a satisfactory substitute, I started thinking of Jeff Goldblum and “Jurassic Park”. You know the line: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” I feel that way about Y-presses. SHOULD you actually do them, or is it just something a sadistic trainer came up with?

“Hey! I’ve got a great idea!”

Many innovations begin that way, but as an educator, I feel I need the healthy skepticism of Dr. Ian Malcolm. Just because we CAN doesn’t mean we SHOULD. One-to-one technology K-5? Terrific. Kids on their iPads or Chromebooks all day long? Not so much. Technology is seen as innovation so often in the elementary school setting, when it truly is a means to an end. If a student is working on a writing piece, Google Docs isn’t innovation; it’s just another way to publish what we used to do on Word or (gasp!) paper. A reading program on the computer isn’t a substitute for me sitting and reading with one of my students. The computer helps identify those skills kids need, but it will not take my place. We run the risk of changing our factory method of schooling to the screen method of schooling. Same content, different delivery.

That said, I don’t want the skepticism to hold me back. I started flexible seating in my room this year, much to the dismay of my long-time teammate. She was thinking logistically (which I tend to overlook at times), and I value her opinion. She made me think of things I hadn’t before (where WILL I put all of their stuff?), but I also realized we are very different educators. I can handle a bit more chaos than she can. I’m willing to try more things that just might fail, just to see if they won’t. I love Project Lead the Way, and project based learning, and 20% Time, and our DIY Lab (until it’s time to clean up, that is). I love kids thinking to solve problems, to design better ways of doing things, to prepare for the real world. That’s what I believe innovation should be – making this thing that we’ve done for so long fresher. Better. More interesting and applicable to the world our kids will live in. And I also believe that the learning standards can follow us there.

I am, however, willing to leave the Y-presses behind.

What’s so hard about starting a blog?

That was my thought 9 days ago when I first started designing this blog. Then I got busy. And worried. What would I write about? Who would want to read what I’d have to say? Would I be able to figure out a way to write more than just two posts? Could I start this during state testing and not just write about how much I dislike state testing?

So. Here’s what I’ve learned is hard about starting a blog.

1. Getting over yourself. I’ve decided that this will be about my journey toward more innovation in my classroom and school. If you like it, great. If you don’t, you don’t have to read it. I’ll just keep plugging away, trying to improve my small corner of the world.
2. Finding the time. I know I need to set aside time each week (more than one day a week?) to write. As a part of the Innovative Teaching Academy, I know I’ll have support and people who will be more than happy to help me along. I’ve always been a procrastinator, though, and I’ll have to get around that. See number 1.
3. Deciding what to write about. As this is my first post, I’m just getting by on how to begin. A decent topic, but now what? I am really starting to feel strongly about what people think innovation is (apps and technology), and what I think innovation is (making strides toward improving and changing things for the better). I think that’s where the title of the blog came from. At times I feel like I’m moving against the stream of what I’ve always done, hoping that I’ll get far enough for the new ideas to become as comfortable as the old.

Now that I’ve begun, let’s see if I can keep it going. Thanks for reading.