Adventures in MTSS

RTI Innovations Blog Post

I had the opportunity to attend the RTI Innovations conference in Salt Lake City recently, which is self-proclaimed as a conference “by doers for doers.”  As an Edcamp fanatic, I knew this sounded good!  I chose to attend the secondary strand since there is so little research and writing on what works in secondary interventions.  I went fully expecting to compile a list of research-based interventions that worked perfectly in high schools and that I could go back to Ingham County and implement easily!  My second session was on scheduling in the secondary building and again, I planned to come back with the “perfect” schedule that would cure all of the problems in our secondary schools.  It was going to be great and as a new hire at the ISD, it was going to help me establish myself within Ingham County!

However, the bulk of what I experienced during the first day was on core instruction.  No talk of interventions, but how one school district in Utah saw remarkable gains by improving their core instruction.  They established a common curriculum that was aligned to the CCSS, hired academic coaches to assist teachers in implementing this curriculum, focused heavily on literacy in all grade levels and subject areas, and used common formative assessments to guide their teaching and learning.  It was remarkable simple in it’s notion.  No crazily concocted schedule, no schlepping kids from one intervention to another without any electives or recess, just good, solid, quality teaching.  What an idea!

It occurred to me that much of the MTSS implementation I have been a part of has been focused on Tier 2 and Tier 3 kids.  We threw together interventions and even used data to place kids into those interventions.  We spent hours planning those interventions and discussing how to align them with our standards based grade intiative.  But, we rarely talked about the core instruction piece.  How could we improve our teaching?  Was there a standard that my collegue’s kids outperformed mine on?  How could I learn from what he or she had done?

What I heard from Anita Archer on the final day of the conference just served to confirm what I had already realized.  Our money, time, and effort should be spent on helping teachers get better at their craft!  Now, this is hard work!  This is not as easy as simply plugging in an intervention program.  It takes data, reflection, and a willingness to see teaching with a growth mindset!

So it is with this in mind that I begin my new work as an Academic Consultant.  I hope to work with teachers as they improve their instruction for all students.  It will not be an easy task, but one that is incredibly worthwhile for our future student success.

John Hattie and the Flipped Classroom

Within Ingham County, John Hattie's work is a frequent topic of conversation.  In fact, the Leadership PLC has spent the last two years unpacking two of his books and will be spending this year unpacking the third! (see pictures below).  As I have read parts of these books and watched his video lecture, I can't help but think about the flipped classroom and how it relates to his research.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Hattie synthesizes over 800
meta-analyses relating to student achievement in his Visible Learning book.  He developed an effect size for each influence on student achievement and ranks them in Appendix B.  He discusses the fact that simply by living, students show an achievement effect size of .15, so we must look at least above that threshold.  He sets the bar at .40 as the average effect size.  He discusses his "winners" as those above .50 effect size or so.

As I looked through the list and heard him talking about the list, I was truly amazed at how well these influences are linked to the  flipped classroom.

Here's a few that are particularly impressive and are directly tied to the flipped classroom and flipped learning (Hattie, 2009)

• Providing formative evaluation (.90)      
• Acceleration (.88)
• Feedback (.73)
• Formative evaluation of programs (.90):
• Reciprocal Teaching (.74)
• Direct Instruction (.59)
• Teacher-Student Relationship (.72)
• Teaching learning strategies (.62)
• Classroom discussion (.82)
• Spaced versus mass practice (.71)
• Classroom behavior (.68)
• Self verbalization/self questioning (.64)
• Surface level homework (less than 1 hour for secondary has largest effect size).

In the Visible Learning for Teachers book, Hattie lays out a "Checklist for 'visible learning inside.'"  I thought about my own flipped classrooms as well as those that my colleagues within the #flipclass community describe in their blogs and conference presentations and highlighted the items on the list that are present in a well-done flipped classroom (Hattie, 2012)

Planning

• invoke appropriate challenges that engage the students' commitment to invest in learning.
• capitalize on and build students' confidence to attain the learning intentions.
• lead to students having goals to master and wishing to reinvest in their learning.
• have learning intentions and success criteria that are explicitly known by the student.

Starting the Lesson

• The climate of the class, evaluated from the student's perspective is seen as fair: students feel that it is okay to say 'I don't know' or 'I need help'; there is a high level of trust and students believe that they are listened to; and students know that the purpose of the class is to learn and make progress.
• The classrooms are dominated more by dialogue than by monologue about learning.
• The classrooms are dominated more by student learning than teacher question.
• There is a balance between teachers talking, listening, and doing; there is a similar balance between students talking, listening, and doing.
• Teachers and students use the power of peers positively to progress                                               learning.
• Teachers choose the teaching methods as a final step in the lesson planning process and evaluate this choice in terms of their impact on students.

During the lesson: learning

• Teachers provide differentiation to ensure that learning is meaningful and efficiently directed to all students gaining the intentions of the lesson.
• Teachers are adaptive learning experts who know where students are on the continuum from novice to capable to proficient, when students are and are not learning, and where to go next, and who can create a classroom climate to attain these learning goals.
• Teachers are able to teach multiple ways of knowing and multiple ways of interacting, and provide multiple opportunities for practice.
• All students are taught  how to practice deliberately and how to concentrate

During the lesson: feedback

• Teachers are aware of, and aim to provide feedback relative to, the three important levels of feedback: task; process; and self-regulation.
• Teachers provide feedback appropriate to the point at which students are in their learning, and seek evidence that this feedback is appropriately received.
• Teachers use multiple assessment methods to provide rapid formative interpretations to students and to make adjustments to their teaching to maximize learning.

The end of the lesson.

• Teachers provide evidence that all students feel as though they have been invited into their class to learn effectively.  This invitation involves feelings of respect, trust, optimism, and intention to learn.
• Teachers create opportunities for both formative and summative interpretations of student learning and use these interpretations to inform future decision making about their teaching.

Mind Frames

• Teachers want to talk more about the learning than the teaching.
• Teachers see assessment as feedback about their impact
• Teachers believe that it is their role to develop positive relationships in classrooms.

Works Cited

Dunn, Jeff. Flipped-Classroom1. Digital image. Edudemic. Edudemic, 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2014. 

            <http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/flipped-classroom1.jpg>.

Hattie, John. Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge, 2009. Print.

Hattie, John. Visible learning for teachers: maximizing impact on learning. London: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Hattie, John . "Influences on Achievement." Open Universiteit Nederland. Open Universiteit. Open Universiteit, AT Heerlen. 1 May 2011. Lecture.

Saying Goodbye and Thank-you to my students

I recently accepted a new position as an academic consultant at the Ingham ISD.  I have spent the last couple of days cleaning out my classroom.  For those who do not know, I spent the last 9 years teaching math and social studies at Charlotte High School.

My favorite class to teach was always AP Government.  I developed this course as a second year teacher and have continued to teach it ever since.  Ever since my undergraduate days, it was my dream to teach AP government since I loved this subject so much.  However, looking back over my 8 years of AP government, it was the students who truly made this class what it was.  I was taking down senior pictures from my "wall of fame" and each face was a story.  The girls who "googled me" during my second year of teaching and came in knowing my parents and all of my extra-curricular activities in high school.  The group that bought me my beloved Constitution scarf.  The group that let me pilot the flipped classroom.  The ones that taught me how to play 2048 after the AP test.  I could go on and on.   The ones who gave me the nick-name T-Becks.  The kids I took across the country to Harvard Model Congress.  Those that I coached in volleyball.

I was especially fortunate to have many students for more than one class since I often taught freshmen algebra and junior AP Government.  The relationships I built with these students have lasted long after the class thanks to social media.  It was these relationships that made my time in the classroom so rewarding and now, so hard to leave.  I only wish I had stumbled upon the flipped classroom earlier in my career as it made building relationships so much easier.

So, to my students (every last one of you), THANK YOU!  You will never know how much you impacted me as a person and as a teacher.  Your insights, humor, and passion are inspiring.   You are the ones who kept me in the classroom for 9 years and are the ones that I will continue to think about as I work with other teachers.  Please keep in touch as you go out and change the world!

Create a classroom community...but it'd better be differentiated!!!

It's no secret that I love flipped learning.  One of the things I like the most about it is the many forms that it can take on in K-12 classes.  In fact, the two flipped classes that I teach look incredibly different from each other.  I teach AP Government and Algebra 1, and they don't just look different because of the content.  AP Government follows the traditional flipped model where all students are on the same video each night and we discuss that one topic in class the next day.  Due to the collaborative nature of this course, it really has to be done this way.  I can't run Mock Congress with the 3 kids that are at that standard on a certain day.

However, math is a different beast.  This year, as the MTSS math coach, I co-taught with several teachers who were flipping their algebra and geometry courses.  I would pull out students who were struggling, often from multiple classes during one block.  This means I might have students from up to 3 different teachers who were all on different sections due to absences, not doing their homework, etc.  Students naturally paired up with others who were in the same class and were on the same section as they were, but it was pretty individual.  There was not a lot of time for group collaboration in this type of setting, but no student ever felt rushed or left behind.  If a student did not understand a section, they knew they could spend an extra day on that topic.  If a quiz (0% of the grade) went very well for a student they knew they could continue to move on and even get "ahead" of the class schedule.

So I guess what I struggle with is knowing which is best for a general education class.  Should we be pushing collaboration with the risk or pushing kids along when they are not ready?  Or, should we allow each student time to work through the material at their own pace, knowing it will limit the amount of collaboration time is available.

Thoughts are welcome!

An open letter to the class of 2014 ap gov students

Thank you!  You were my first AP Government class with the iPads and the first to have the course for 27 weeks.  I came up with a pretty crazy idea the summer before you started the class to flip the class.  It was because of you that this little experiment went so very well!  You started the class with an open mind, you gave me incredibly helpful feedback, and you took ownership of your own learning.  It was because of this effort that I have evolved into the teacher that I am today.

Not only did you DOMINATE the AP exam in May, well above the national average with 25% of you receiving the top score of a 5, but the flipped class helped me build a stronger relationship with all of you than in any other year.  Normally, I would have been the one talking all block rarely listening to your thoughts and opinions.  However, last year, you were the ones talking and I simply got to listen. I loved our 10 minute Q/A at the start of the day where I could talk to everyone.  Your thoughts, insights, and questions deepened my understanding of our political system.  Your humor and wonderful personalities made the 27 weeks fly by!  I will always remember the heated Mock Congress debates, jokes at Saturday review session, and cleaning the courtyard/eating food.

I hope that experiencing a flipped classroom in high school will help you in college, as it seems many are going towards the flipped method.  However, I know you will succeed in all that you end up doing because of your humor, intelligence, curiosity, and hard work!  Thank you for all you have brought to my teaching career.  I can't believe what a different (and better) teacher I am because of your willingness to work through the first year of the flipped class!

Congratulations!!!!

Letting go...post AP Test

The AP Government test has come and gone!  Whew!  As any AP teachers knows, the post-test AP classroom is much less stressful!  However,  since I teach mostly juniors, this means I have a month to "fill" with economics (this course counts as their government/economics credit).

I use google presentations that are shared with all of the students to give an outline of what I want to cover including links to any resources that are necessary.  To be honest, this is usually a tough time to really get kids to engage.  They have worked hard for the last 24 weeks to prepare for the AP test and now they are basically ready to ease into summer break.

However, as we were covering cost benefits analysis yesterday (doesn't it just sound thrilling??), I asked students if they had any questions.  One young lady asked, "What is the stock market?"  Before I could answer, several students were chiming in with what they knew about the stock market.  We had a great class discussion including concepts such as stock, corporations, board of directors, NASDAQ, retirement accounts, etc.  The kids were tuned in and using their iPads to research questions that came up.  One of the kids suggested an App called Stock Wars, which as it turns out, many of them have played on their iPads.

Since it was near the end of the block, I asked the students to download the app (and downloaded it myself) to start the block with the next day.  I had good intentions to play with it last night and get it all figured out so that I could plan out a great lesson with it, but that didn't quite happen.  So, I went into class without a plan or an understanding of how to use this app.

I started the block by telling the kids to play with the app for ten minutes and asking those who have already used the app to raise their hands.  I had a little trouble getting logged in and so couldn't really monitor the room to help kids who were struggling.  But, a funny thing happened.  The kids who had used this app turned into the facilitators.  They were excited to help anyone (myself included) who was struggling with the app.  By the time I got logged in and ready, the kids were engaged in the app. The kids were shouting out what stock they were buying and how it was doing (the app operates in real time right with the various stock markets).

I am not a fly by the seat of my pants type of teacher, but this block really helped me see exactly what happened when I let go of control for a little bit and gave that control to the kids.  Since I told them I didn't know how to use the app, the kids took complete ownership of the room.  I hope to incorporate parts of this into my freshmen algebra class as well as next year's AP government class!

a plan is hatched!

I had the pleasure of carpooling with the one and only Stacey Schuh yesterday for a training in Clare. For those who don't know her, she is an Instructional Technology Consultant at the Jackson ISD.  She and I were talking about the disconnect that sometimes exists between consultants and teachers because of the difference between the ideal world of educational technology and life in the trenches with 34 freshmen in an algebra class (or really any other class).

So, in an effort to merge those two worlds, Stacey and I are going to pilot a co-written blog that will be shared via Twitter.  Stacey is going to first write a blog that explains an ideal version of technology in the classroom.  This might involve one specific tool or app or multiple apps.  The emphasis will not be on the tool itself, but how this technology will improve student-centered learning in a 1:1 environment.

I then, will implement this technology into one of my courses.  Right now I serve as the math coach, where I pull struggling students out of their math classes.  I also teach a Pre-AP class for freshmen and AP government.  After I have implemented the lesson, I will add to the blog how it went with my students and hopefully a summary of what the students thought about this particular lesson.

Finally, both of us will give it a thumbs up or thumbs down.  This way, we can create a repository of lessons that are instructional-tech and teacher approved!

If anyone wants to join in, let us know!