Friday, March 20, 2015

A Plan for Success: Merging Literacy and Self-Regulation to Increase Achievement

Dr. Richard Cash


We are teaching students how to use tools and technologies for careers and questions that have not been invented yet. . . what does that mean?

Our job is to teach students HOW to think, not WHAT to think!  

Make connections, thinking through issues and solving problems worth solving.

Googling things and creating presentations using PowerPoint/Keynote are not developing problem solving skills.  Can we have students research a problem in our society and look at how the problem affected our culture in the past?  Can they present ideas of how we could have responded differently.  Can they apply different classes to problem solve.

Self Regulated Learning: (3 parts)
Affect
- Feelings
- Focus of Attention
- Motivation

Behavior
- Study Habits
- Listening Skills
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Literacy Skills

Cognition
- Meta-Cognition
- Infra-Cognition
- Metaphysical thinking

Esssential Questions to Stimulate Cognition
Why does conflict exist?
Why can utopia never be achieved?
Why is life so complex?
Why are we our own worst enemy?
Can we be all good/evil?  Explain.
What are the difference between the human soul and the human spirit?
Does truth really exist?  Explain your answer.

Developming Study Behavior
Planning a regular study time
Creating the right environment
Time management of tasks
Orgganization of materials
Learning type awareness
Break-time
Self-regulation responsiveness
Asking for help
Self-assessment
Reflection

Increase AFFECT by Building Self-Beliefs
Self-esteen is gained through doing something of esteem
Know strengths and limitations
Recognize ability to adapt to, shape and/or select environments where abilities will be nurtured or challenged
Model affirmative talk (eliminate shoulda, coulda, woulda)
Identify Succes
Understand that failure is an opportunity

Self Regulation and Balanced Literacy
Instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, an language be a shared responsibility wtihing the schools.

Extensive research established the need for college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex informational text independently in a variety of content areas.



Four Phases of Self-Regulation
1.  Modeling and Observing
2.  Copying and Doing
3.  Practice and Refinement
4.  Independence and Application


Phases of Engaging in a Task - We don't get to #4 often because of time.
1.  How well will I do?  - Empowering Students
2.  What will I do to do well? - Plan
3.  How well am I doing at doing well? - Do
4.  How well did I do at doing well? - Review


Preventative Strategies:
It's out of my control
Essential for survival
I won't do it because . . . 
- There is danger involved
- It is a risk
- I'm afraid
- It takes too much time
- It's not worth it
- It's too hard/challenging/beyond my limits
- I could fail or I've filed before

Promotional Strategies
It's withing my control
Essential for success
I will do it because . . . 
- There is a thrill in trying
- I enjoy the risk
- I'm driven
- It's worth the time
- It's worth achieving to goal
- I like the challenge / to go beyong my limits
- I could succed, even though I may have failed before

Strategies to "I Can": Affect
Recognize ability to adapt to, shape and/or select environments where abilities will be nurtured or challenged.
Provide accurate constructive feedback that focuses learner on strategies for improvment
Praise effort not ability
Teach challenges worth solving
Value and encourage curiosity

Strategies to "I Can":  Skill Development
Assist students in identifying learning strenths and limitations.
Use effective learning practices consistently from grade level to grade level
Use graphic organizers to set structures, gradually reduce need
Learning toward autonomy (centers)
Learning responsibility

SUGGESTIONG FOR TEACHERS
Live the Growth Mindset:
Show your studetns your love for challenges
User your mistakes as a learning tool
Discuss the effort you put in daily
Display your continued learning

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BUILDS CONFIDENCE

GROWTH MINDSET QUESTIONS?????
Tell me one thing that you were proud of in your learning today?
Tell me something you would change about your learning today?
Tell me one specific goal you will set for yourself tomorrow?
Name one thing you learned or worked hard at today?
Tell me about a mistake you made today that taught you womthing about yourself?

Growth Mindset Complements
I'm proud of how much effort you put forth to achieve what you did.
Even though you may not have achieved your goal, I can tell you tried your hardest.
Wow, you worked hard and that word paid off!
Your perseverance show in your work.
I'm impressed at how patient you are when you are met with a challenge.



Doing Assessment Right

We have beliefs of what education should be, however, does the rubber meet the road?

Upside Down
The 'upside down' assesment practices adn policies we've built in education - those time, processes, and places in which our we place barriers before our primary goals and values:

WE WANT OUR LEARNERS TO BE MOTIVATED.  
However, we cannot move at our own pace, we all do the same test, quizzes and projects.  If we finish, we can have more worksheets.

WE WANT OUR LEARNERS TO PERSEVERE AND ATTEND TO PRECISION.
We only give partial credit if they need to make changes or need extra time.

WE WANT OUR LEARNERS TO TAKE RISKS AND MAKE THE MISTAKES NECESSARY FOR DEEP UNDERSTANDING.
We define academic achievement with a grade and we employ a grading system that is rife with inconsistencies.  
We have individual grading criteria that involves personal preferences (participation, compliance, ability, attitude, effort, etc . . . )
We creat inconsistencies within a specific measure that is interpreted to represent a single truth.

WE WANT OUR LEARNERS TO DEMONSTRATE RESPONSIBILITIES
**Self Reflection:  I was a believer that allowing them to turn in late work made them procrastinators.  I am looking for the balance.  No, we don't want them to procrastinate, but we want them to follow through.
We often do not require them to be responsible.  
We do not offer points for late work which discourages learners from following through or completing a task, like responsible adults would do, even if it is late.  (Don't bother turning in your mortgage payment, because it is already late).


Upside Right"  
Assessment practices must build hope, efficacy, adn achievement for learners and teachers.  In this learning environment, the following tenets ground all assessment policies and practices.
1.  STUDENT INVESTMENT occurs when assessment and self-regulation have a symbolic relationship.
2.  The COMMUNICATION of assessment results must generate productive responses from learners and all of the stake holders who support them.
3.  ASSESSMENT ARCHITECTURE is most effective when it is planned, purposeful, and intentionally sequenced in advance of instruction by all of those responsible for the delivery.
4.  Assessment PURPOSES (formative adn summative) must be interdependent to maximize learning and verify achievement.
5.  INSTRUCTIONAL AGILITY occurs when emerging evidence informs real time modification within the context of the expected learning.
6.  The INTERPRETATION of assessment results must be accurate, accessible, and reliable.

A learning rich culture provides opportunities for risk taking, productive failure, and celebrated successes.

ASSESSMENT
Create a culture conducive to growth midsets.
Engage the learner in the following activites:  Set true goals that can be monitord over time. monitor progress with on going data, celebrate small wins along the way..
Isolate and diagnose errors in a manner that provides the learner with the KSAs to address and close the gap.
Allow for revision and precision.
Score for proficiency at the end of the learning.


A learning rich culture provides opportunities for risk taking, productive failure, and celebrated succes.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Poverty Resources

Connecting People  and Communication Across Barriers

Teaching students in poverty resources.  wwww.combarriers.com

If you judge, you can't connect.
If you can't connect, you can's communicate.
If you can't communicate, you can't educate.

If you cannot educate, you cannot help students and families move forward.


You cannot judge the students or parents that do not get homework done, you have to figure out what to do with the 6 hours you have them in class.

Celebrate the little victories.  Allow students to see progress.  Not just the major milestones.

Talk about the necessity of education after high school.  Talk about colleges in your daily conversations with students.  Do not assume that because their parents did not go to college the children will not attend college.

Name your rooms or areas of the room after colleges.  That way you can say Joe, go to Harrvard and get those books.

Wednesday College Day . . . everyone wears something from a college.  Talk about the college, share information.

This time of year as we are pumping up students to do well on end of the year assessments, the need for this becomes even more clear.  If students believe we believe in them, they can achieve and they will try hard to show us they are worth believing in them.

Friday, March 13, 2015

MCA Benchmark Reports

The Mathematics MCA Benchmark Reports are now available on PearsonAccess. The Mathematics Benchmark Report compares school-level performance on MCA items from each benchmark against the performance expected given student scores on the entire test. The reports are a tool teachers can use to identify benchmarks and standards on which students in their school show performance above, below, or at the same level relative to expectations based on overall test performance. A synthetic measure of expected state performance is also included as a reference for interpretation of school performance.
Grade 3–8 Mathematics Benchmark Reports are available for schools that tested online in 2014 and where at least 20 students were tested in a grade. Benchmark Reports will not be available for 2014 Reading MCA or for 2014 grade 11 Mathematics MCA. 

PearsonAccess users can view Benchmark Reports by logging in to PearsonAccess and selecting Published Reports on the Test Results tab. Change the test administration to 2013–2014 in the School Year drop-down menu, and then select “Minnesota Spring 2014 Reporting.” 

Interpretive Guides are available for both Mathematics MCA and Science MCA Benchmark Reports on the Manuals tab of the PearsonAccess Resources page.View the Manuals tab of the PearsonAccess Resources page (PearsonAccess > Resources > Manuals tab).
If you have any questions about accessing or using the Benchmark Reports, please contact the Pearson help desk at 1-888-817-8659 or MNHelp@support.pearson.com. If you have questions about the contents of the Benchmark Reports, please contact mde.testing@state.mn.us


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Pearson Perspectives

Pearson Perspectives is a tool that matches students strand scores with activities for practice.  You can create assignment sheets and assessments with this tool!

Thousands of learning resources for teachers and students
Assignment sheets for students by teachers

Learning locator to get targeted material based on student’s performance


You can go in and set up an account with the following Pass Phrase.  




Here is the information from the state on Pearson Perspectives for educators and parents.