5 Questions I'll Ask Myself on the Last Day of School

Today was the 1st day of school and MAN, it FLEW by!  I had a blast with my new Red 4 learners! #rjlred  I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.  Despite my need for rest and sleep, I still knocked out my weightlifting exercises for today! Win!!

Got my workout in!

Today my learners' reflections were to ask themselves 5 questions that they'll answer on the last day of school to show their growth and possible changes throughout the year.  The questions were meant to be open-ended, no yes or no questions.  On the last day of school, they will answer them interview style.  

Got the idea from #CISDconvo16 @gcouros 

I decided to do the same thing as my reflection for today.

Here goes:

1. What is something that has surprised you about this year?
2. What was your favorite moment with your class from this year?
3. How did the club you want to start this year (more information to come) go?
4. What are some ways you coped with stress and stayed positive this school year?
5. What is something you learned about yourself as an educator? 

My Favorite Teacher

It's about that time of the year.  This next week signals the end of summer, where teachers get together for professional learning, and are asked to reflect on why they decided to become teachers.  One thing we are usually asked to do is to remember our favorite teacher from when we were in school. The question posed to us is, what about that teacher made them our favorite?  This reflection activity helps to remind us to be an inspiration to our students, to develop strong relationships with them, and really make the effort to show that we care about each and every one of them.

In the 9 years as an educator that I will have had the opportunity to reflect about my own favorite teacher, it has always been (and will always be) Coach Booe.  He may not even remember me now, I know I was but one of hundreds of students that he has taught and known, but I will never forget the impact he had on my life.

So what is it, you may wonder, that makes him my favorite? Who was Coach Booe?  He was my social studies teacher in 7th and the beginning of 8th grade (before I moved from Lubbock to San Antonio). 

Me in my 7th grade year book

Kevin Booe in the same year book

He made learning about Texas history enjoyable.  He had high expectations of each and every one of us. I strove to do my very best in his class because I didn't want to disappoint him. I remember there were some times when I might not have been my normally happy and upbeat self.  Maybe I just sat there zoned out.  He picked up on it and would take the time to pull me aside and ask if everything was okay.  He simply cared.  

He was a coach as well as a social studies teacher.  On top of that, he was involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).  I was involved with this organization as well. There was just something about this educator that made it easy to see that he genuinely cared about his students.

It all sounds so simple doesn't it?  You may be thinking, that's it? That's why he's your favorite?  My answer is, yes.  He just took that extra step and made a little more effort than all of the rest of my teachers.  I can't really remember any of my other junior high teachers (aside from some of my coaches as I was in athletics).  

I was a volleyball champ!

There are only a few teachers from my entire education from Pre K through 12 grade that stand out.  Some of them were educators that had a positive influence like Coach Booe, and some were teachers that never should have been in education.  The fact that Coach Kevin Booe did so many extracurricular things already set him apart.  As an educator who has done extracurricular activities in school like Student Council, I know that doing anything extra besides your normal duties can be very time consuming.  I also know that it is the most rewarding experience and that I have developed life-long friendships with some former students and their families as a result.

When I was in 10th grade, I went back to Lubbock to visit family with my mom (as I do at least once every year).  While we were there, I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could find Coach Booe and go say hi to him?  My mom agreed it would be pretty neat.  So, after calling my old junior high school, Atkins, and finding out that he no longer worked there, we finally found him at Coronado. I got to tell him in person the impact he'd had on my life and that I would never forget him.

Visiting Coach Booe 3 years after he was my teacher sometime during the '00-'01 year

Well, now it's been almost 20 years since I had Coach Booe as my teacher.  What impact has he had on my life now that I've had even more teachers and have gone through college as well? The answer is, there's no way to know for certain.  One important thing to note is, I am now a teacher myself.  Sometimes those influential people that you come across in your life can inspire you to follow in their footsteps.  He was a wonderful role model.  Another thing that can't be a coincidence is that I also develop strong bonds with my students and their families.  This has always been a strength of mine.  Perhaps it is because I know how important it is to develop strong relationships with students because of my interaction with Coach Booe.  

I looked him up online to see if he is still in education, and found that he is now a Principal of an elementary school in Lubbock.  That makes total sense to me.  He always had leadership potential and it makes my heart happy to know that he gets to touch so many people's lives.  I may have to go back and see him again, next time I visit Lubbock.

The most rewarding part of my job is when my students come back years later to visit and just reminisce.  Soon, I'll get to go see my first class of students from the 2008-2009 school year graduate from high school!

Some of my first year students came back to visit me 5 years after I had taught them and I had the opportunity to ask them what they remembered about our class.  One of them said when I played frisbee with them at recess and the other mentioned a read aloud I read them, The Phantom Tollbooth.  Both of those activities were examples of when we got to bond through a love of reading or just plain fun and games.   

For those educators out there, ask yourselves, what will your kids remember about you 20 years later?  Will you be their "favorite" teacher? What can you do to show you care about your students as individuals?  Remember that we only have them for a short time.  What will your impact be?

Reflecting on Chapter 3: Characteristics of the Innovator's Mindset from The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros

Here are my main take-aways from Chapter 3: 

• Don't let expectations or limitations stop you from being innovative!
• Lead with empathy and meet others where they are and help them find or create solutions that work for them
• There are 8 characteristics that are needed to have an innovator's mindset
• Have empathy
• get to know your kids and find out what they are passionate about
• Learners should be able to not only find the solution, but the problem too
• Take risks-
• try new things and find better ways to teach
• Get networked
• If you blog about what you learn it makes you clarify your thinking
• Learn from others and share what works for you
• Be observant
• pay attention to what's going on around you and let inspiration come
• Be a Creator- 
• "Consider how much deeper learning could be if "creation" was a non-negotiable in the learning for both us and our students." -G. Couros 
• Be resilient-
• When you fail, get back up and keep striving for success.
• Believe in yourself and your ideas.
• Be reflective- 
• Question what works, doesn't work, what needs to change
• Take time each day to think about what you learned and how it impacts your next steps.
• My role as an educator is to "empower students to see themselves as innovators who take responsibility for their own learning and leading." -G. Couros

Looking at the 8 traits above, I am on the right track, but have a little bit of work to do.  I have great relationships with my students, which I am very proud of.  I am also very observant, just ask anyone who knows me.  I soak everything around me in like a sponge, then I try it out in my own classroom as soon as I have a chance.  I am still working on networking more.  I like George's point about blogging giving you an audience to pay more attention to what you are actually writing.  I am excited about learning more from others through Twitter Chats this year and from observing and working with amazing educators at my very own school.  My main area to grow in is to be more reflective on a daily basis.  This is a goal that I am making for myself.  I won't set limits on how I reflect, just that I will.  I can journal about it, blog about it, talk about it with a peer, or when I prepare for another day- just let the reflective process lead the way.  Getting feedback from learners will also play a role in my reflections.  

In response to the questions for discussion:

• What risk might you take to change learning experiences?
• I still need time to process this question.  I think co-teaching this year (for the first time ever) will definitely allow my partner and I to take lots of risks that will change learning experiences.  I will let you know once I try it out.
• How might you create an environment that fosters risk-taking?
• I need to model what I want my learners to do, so I will take risks myself.   Also, I want to teach what it means to have resiliency and grit. I will give my learners opportunities to take risks, but also the support that they'll need if/when they fail.  We will celebrate when they do succeed after their hard work and effort!
• How do you exhibit the innovator's mindset in the learning and work that you do currently?
• Well, this one was an easy one for me! I love to learn new things and how to do what I do in new and better ways.  Then, once I try it out, I share it with as many people as I can so that they and their students can reap the benefits too. I am open-minded and willing to take risks which will help me this year especially with some changes that I'll experience and learn from.

Reflecting on Chapter 2: The Innovator's Mindset from The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros

My main take-aways from Chapter 2 are:

• Having an innovator's mindset is more than just having a growth mindset
• An innovator's mindset is: "the belief that the abilities, intelligence, and talents are developed so that they lead to the creation of new and better ideas."
• Focus on creating something new with our new knowledge.
• Innovation is a way of thinking rather than all the "stuff" that you may or may not have the budget to purchase
• "We need to learn to innovate inside the box."
• Resiliency and grit are important traits to have as an innovator so that you can get back up after a fail and have the courage to try again until you succeed.
• Critical questions for the innovative educator:
• Would I want to be a learner in my own classroom?
• Is this how I like to learn?
• What is best for THIS student?
• education should not occur by a  one-size-fits-all approach
• What is this student's passion?
• Identity Day- to learn about what students love outside of school
• What are some ways we can create a true learning community?
• Everyone in the classroom is a teacher and a learner!
• How did that work for our students?
• reflect and get feedback
• To have an innovator's mindset, you must have empathy for your students.
• How fitting that I am currently reading Unselfie, a book about empathy by Michele Borboa!
• We should be able to look anew at what we do and ask ourselves, "Is there a better way?"

As for the discussion questions at the end of the chapter, I need more time to ponder them.  Especially the question: 

• If you were to start a school from scratch, what would it look like?
• All I can say to this question as of now is I kind of get to live this question out since I have been at Richard J. Lee Elementary since year 1.  I am feeling very inspired while reading this book, and I know that my administration supports innovation at our school.  Great things are going to happen this year! #RJLYear3 #RJLlearns

Reflecting on Chapter 1: What Innovation Is and Isn't from The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros

After reading chapter 1, my main take-aways about innovation are:

• The point of education should be to develop learners and leaders (which can be teachers, students, and administrators)  that will create a better present and future.
• Innovation is: a way of thinking that creates something new and better. 
• Innovation is not really about using digital tools just to use them but rather how we use them.
• The question all educators should ask each and every day is "What is best for this learner?

-All points above are from George Couros

• Technology is a tool, not a learning or leadership outcome! Bill Ferriter & George Couros
• "Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." - John Maxwell

In response to George's questions for discussion:

 

What is an example of a practice that YOU consider to be innovative? How is it new and better than what you had before?

An example of a practice that I consider to be innovative is taking learning about the life cycle of plants outside of the classroom and into the school garden. We can start a garden at the beginning of the school year and chart its growth on blogs, Twitter, and using other tools such as science notebooks. We can share our learning with a large audience that includes the entire school, parents and families, and even the world. Learners would also learn what types of vegetables to plant when, how to compost, how to care for a garden, what tools to use in a garden, when and how to harvest, how to work together, how to learn from a master gardener, how to chart and document their observations, etc. 

It is new and better than what I had before in that it provides an opportunity for kids to learn by doing in an authentic setting rather than solely learning about it in pictures, articles, videos, or books. We would be using our school as a tool! By having learners take charge of the gardening, they will still have to do research about their vegetables and gardening practices, but it will be for the specific purpose of helping them with their own garden. This could be a Challenge Based Learning experience for sure! The skill of knowing how to maintain a garden is something that they can apply in their own lives now and as they grow up.

How can YOU create opportunities for innovation in your leading, teaching, and learning?

I can create opportunities for innovation in my:

• Teaching by allowing learners to take risks in their learning and giving them more opportunities to connect with others around the world. I can continue to provide Challenge Based Learning experiences that allow them to think of ways to make the world a better place and to actually try their solutions out. It will be important for me to always remember and consider how, what, and why I teach specific lessons to that I can ensure authentic learning experiences for my learners.
• Learning by attending or participating in professional development that will inspire me to think of ways to design learning experiences that are new and better for my learners. I want to empower and inspire them to change the world, so I need PD that will do those things for me as well.

What has changed in our world today that not only makes innovation easier to do, but is also necessary for our students?

What has changed in our world today that not only makes innovation easier to do, but is also necessary for our students is utilizing the various resources such as technology and other tools that we have at our fingertips in ways that encourage us to learn, grow, and connect with others near and far to improve the world we live in. It is so much easier now than at any other time to make these connections and have an audience to hear us. There is an abundance of information just waiting to be discovered, shared, and acted upon.

After reading this chapter and reflecting on it, I feel inspired and ready to take on this new school year that approaches so rapidly. I can't wait to see what amazing things my learners will dream up and do! I also can't wait to have inspiring conversations with my co-designers at Lee about this book! #cisdlearns #RJLlearns #RJLYear3 here we come!

If you're a visitor to my blog and are reading this post, what are your thoughts about the learning that I've shared with you about innovation in education?

Blogging Challenge: Try out some technology resources in the classroom

This week I incorporated 3 different technology resources into my science lessons.  

1. I used Padlet for learners to type their main ideas and summaries about a science passage they read about adaptations of a plant that lives in the desert. Having them all submit their summaries here, I am able to see who understands main idea and summary with a quick read/glance.  

It also works the other way around, where they can see what other classmates are putting as their main idea and summary, so it can serve as a scaffold to help them write theirs.

The Padlet-in case you want to read their responses

2. The next technology tool I used was the Explain Everything App on my teacher ipad.  I didn't realize that the kids wouldn't be able to access the app on their 1-1 ipads at the elementary level.  So, they took turns on my ipad {writing/drawing/talking } explaining an aspect of our science menu that I assigned them to discuss/explain.  

Here were the questions they had to somehow represent their answers to. Each student was assigned 1 question and had 15 minutes on the ipad:

Here is what they came up with. Here's a PDF of it as well: (Disclaimer: This is the first time they have used the app before. It was kind of a rough trial run, but I anticipate that now that they've spent a little bit of time on it, they will be more comfortable with it in the future. )

3. The third tech tool I used was Blendspace.  I created a Blendspace that they used to learn a little bit more about adaptations, inherited traits, and learned behaviors.  Once they got through the information, I created a quiz at the end to let me know if they really "got it." They enjoyed navigating throughout the various resources I gave them. 

Above are some of the quiz results.  When they all finish, I can look at the entire class results and see which areas I need to review in either small or large group lessons.

Overall, I think the tool that I am most excited about is Explain Everything because I have never even heard of it, and it does some amazing things.  I highly recommend it.  There are so many ways to use it! I plan to take my ipad home this weekend to practice using it.  Who knows, maybe I'll create something for my kids for next week's lessons!?

Writing Camp

Fourth grade writing camp was last week, and it was a blast!  My favorite thing that we did was sing/rap in the morning.  It got me hyped up about the day full of writing- camping style. I also thoroughly enjoyed the chance to conference with my students 1 on 1 and see some amazing growth.

What is writing camp, you ask? Well, it is 4 days of intensive writing lessons and practice to hone in on specific writing skills that learners need more practice with, as well as time to write an expository and conference about the writing piece EACH DAY. 

We split up the entire 4th grade into 4 groups so that teachers could deliver 1 hour writing lessons to their group each day.  The next day, the group rotated to receive a new lesson from a different teacher.

My lesson was about revising and editing, but there were also lessons covering intros/conclusions, global reasons, and transitions.

Once learners returned to their original homeroom, they were given a STAAR-like prompt (made to mimic a real STAAR prompt). They then went through the entire writing process and conferenced with the teacher to see what they could improve on and what was working well in their piece.

Learners brought sleeping bags, flashlights, comfortable pillows, and even dressed up to a specific theme each day of camp. See graphic below:

Each day we also had a theme snack.

For example: Smores- marshmallows, cinnamon toast
                         crunch and chocolate chips
                         Dirt- gummy worms, oreos, coco puffs
                         Going Fishing- goldfish and pretzels
                         Trail Mix- M&Ms, raisins, cheerios
                         
                         
Ms. Knight created a writing rap, and the lyrics are designed to help learners remember what they need to do in their own writing. Hopefully my learners remember their rap when they are writing their expositories for STAAR.

Here are the lyrics that Ms. Knight in Purple 4 wrote:

Instrumental Chopped Version (use this one)

OO OO AH AH hey hey turn up (x4) (techno beat comes in)

Bet you can't write like me (drum thing in back)

Can't hook the reader like me

Can't topic write like me

Can't add transition words like me

Hey

Bet you can't write like me

Can't write reasons like me

Clarify like me

add examples like me

It's like-

Nope, betcha can't write like me, betcha can't write like me

Nope, betcha can't write like me, betcha can't write like me

Nope, betcha can't write like me, BETCHA CAN’T WRITE LIKE ME!


Ms. Knight also shared a song that 4th grade teachers at Mockingbird Elementary in CISD created to the tune of Do Your Ears Hang Low?



Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Do They Wobble to and Fro?

Can You Tie Them in a Knot?

Can You Tie Them in a Bow?

Can You Throw Them Over Your Shoulder Like a Continental Soldier?

Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Expository Song
(With Gestures)

Does your Expository explain? (hands out to side, palms up)

Is your topic really strong? (make strong muscles)

Do your details add support? (raise the roof)

Do they match? Do they belong? (put hands together 2x- like mixing dough)

Did you use the rule of three? (3 fingers out)

Is your ending interesting? (grab chin like you're thinking)


Does your Expository explain? (hands out to side, palms up)