The Difference a Few Miles Can Make

Last Friday, Lisa and I took two of the kids and drove up Interstate 65 to Chicago.  The Windy City was living up to its name.  We fought head winds all the way there and met up with Noah, our oldest son.  He lives in Wriggleyville but teaches chemistry at Prosser Career Academy, a Chicago Public Schools high school.

To get to Prosser, we drove north on Lake Shore Drive, past the Magnificent Mile with its high rise apartments and high dollar stores, and out along frozen but beautiful Lake Michigan.  We took a left at Irving Park Road and headed west through re-gentrified Chicago and  hit less-gentrified Chicago several miles before arriving at Prosser Career Academy.

Prosser is housed in an older building in the middle of a mixed residential and industrial neighborhood.  It has three floors, tall ceilings, and lots of wood trim that is typical of its era.  (I can personally relate to this building since it has seen some wear and tear since it was built in the late 50’s.)  Walking the halls of this school was a bit surreal.  As we moved through the corridors, kids would call out “Hi, Mr. Lederach,”—and they weren’t talking to me! 

You would recognize much about Prosser Career Academy.  It has a front office manager/mom, who knows everything and everybody, the students wear their Falcon gear with pride, the teachers are passionate and compassionate, and there is lots of laughter and talking in the halls during passing periods.  We visited the History Fair in the gym, and one of Noah’s students showed us with pride his project on one aspect of Chicago’s checkered past.  My favorite projects, however, were from the Psychology class.  Students had identified the psychoses of cartoon characters or famous fictional characters.  (Ron Burgundy suffers from Pervasive Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and you should see all the issues Popeye has!)

Prosser has its differences from our experience as well.  There is very little parking, since students don’t have cars.  In fact, many of the teachers, including Noah, use public transportation to get to school.  The neighborhood is also very different from the one surrounding us here on Olio Road.  The science department chair who has been at Prosser for twelve years after transitioning to education from the world of art—a significant change of vocation—pointed out one big difference.  She spoke passionately about her effort to start a community garden housed at Prosser.  The school sits in a “food desert.”  There are no grocery stores nearby, and she has major concerns about what this means for her students’ dietary habits.  In comparison, I believe we have at least three grocery stores within a mile or two of HSHS.

During our time together, our son also shared his experiences as a first year teacher at Prosser.  He says he sometimes eats at the only restaurant in the neighborhood, The Shrimp House.  It advertises itself as the “Fourth Best Shrimp House in Chicago.” Judging only from the exterior, this may not be a sterling recommendation and begs the question of what numbers five and six might look like.  On the way back to his apartment after school, we drove by a science supply warehouse where Noah often spends his own money to buy supplies to use in his classes and labs. 

He would really like to have equipment to monitor water quality in the Chicago River and Lake Michigan because he wants his students to see and experience the tremendous natural resource that is so close to their homes.  He says that very, very few of his students have taken the short bus ride down Irving Park to see one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world.  (It would be interesting to know how many of our HSE students have seen one or more of the Great Lakes.  The percentage might be higher in our classes than in Noah’s.)  This past week he sent me a grant for proofreading.  He is trying to find money to buy portable equipment for the chemistry classes which are taught in regular classrooms because of the limited number of science labs.

Level Playing Field?

There is no question that public education comes under fire almost daily.  If you have been teaching for any length of time, you can testify to the increased pressure on and criticism of public education that was not evident even a decade ago.  They feel this pressure at Prosser even more than we do here.  Our trip to Chicago solidified my belief that all educators need to be in this together.  Our HSE kids are our primary concern, but in the larger picture, those students at Prosser and schools like Prosser are “our” kids, too.  They need our support, and their teachers and administrators need it as well. 

Schools are schools, teachers are teachers, and kids are kids, but not all schools compete on a level playing field.  Walking the halls of Prosser was a good reminder for me that inequity exists.  Prosser is a great school with great kids and teachers, but they fight battles that we don’t. 

Speak Up: If Not Us, Who?

Away from school we sometimes find ourselves in a position to support public education, to bash public education, or to remain silent.  These conversations and opportunities sneak up us, often when they are least expected.  It is easy to blow with the prevailing winds and say, “We are doing fine, but those other schools….”  And it is even easier to stay quiet.  I encourage you to fight this temptation.  When given the opportunity, we need to have the courage to recognize the significant efforts of our fellow teachers locally, regionally, and nationally, especially those who work in schools facing even more difficult challenges than we do in Hamilton Southeastern.

So speak up for yourselves, HSE, and speak up for other educators, whether they work in Hamilton Southeastern, in one of the Indy township schools, in Indianapolis Public Schools, or in Chicago Public Schools.  We are, after all, in this together, doing the best we can for all of “our” kids.

Have a great week, HSE.  Keep fighting the good fight.

Phil

Gold Medal Mindset

We like to think of our champions and idols, as superheroes who were born different from us.  We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary.”  Carol S. Dweck

Like many of you, I have found myself glued to the TV these past few weeks, watching the Winter Olympics from Sochi.  As always, the backstories of the athletes are as fascinating as the competition.  They remind us over and over again that many, maybe even most, of these competitors have faced failure, heartache, and disappointment numerous times in their lives.  Yet, they picked themselves up, strapped on the skis or skates again and went back out on the mountain or on the ice.

Even the commercials during the Olympic broadcasts tend to show the long hard struggles of athletes and the obstacles they have faced.  None of these athletes have had an easy road to reach their goals.  Certainly they have had support, but the childhood video footage of the future Olympians often record countless hours of practice, struggle, and hard work.

Mindset

When watching the Olympics, I can’t help but think of Carol Dweck and her fabulous book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.  In this book she makes the argument that there are two mindsets: Fixed and Growth. Below is a quick summary that doesn’t do justice to her research and work, but it is a starting point to the ideas about Mindset:

Fixed: People with fixed mindsets operate from the belief that their qualities and abilities are set or carved in stone.  “I am who I am, and that’s all there is to it.”  Those with fixed mindsets avoid challenges because failure would say to themselves and others that they aren’t capable.  They see effort as an indicator that they aren’t naturally gifted and ignore or are even offended by any feedback that isn’t positive.  They want to be praised for who they are, not for their effort and hard work.

Growth: People with growth mindsets operate from the belief that their basic qualities can be cultivated and grown through effort.  They relish a challenge and actively seek out feedback so they can learn and improve.  They see obstacles as challenges that will make them stronger, and they see life as a journey of growth.

(Side Note: Nigel Holmes created a nice diagram to illustrate the differences between Fixed and Growth Mindsets.  I have included it at the end of this blog.  Take a look at it and let me know if you want more information.  I have access to summary materials—and the book.)

Our Challenge

Great teachers, says Dweck, need growth mindset and must be determined to create growth mindset students.  They make sure students know they have talent, but that more skill can be acquired.  The message to students: “Don’t expect success to come to you.  You have to go get it.”  Great teachers both challenge and nurture their students.

In the future, I would like to explore what Mindset might mean for Hamilton Southeastern High School.  For now, however, let Dweck’s thoughts on fixed and growth mindsets percolate as you connect it to what you have seen of the Olympics.  As the Olympians return stateside, we will see and hear more about them.  They will talk about twizzles, sliders, death drops, Telemark landings, and cork 5’s, and if you listen closely, they will make connections to growth mindset.  When you hear them speak, I hope you also think closer to home about how mindset impacts the students you see daily.

Questions to Ponder:

• When the Winter Olympians speak, where do you hear indicators of growth or fixed mindsets?
• As you interact with students, where do you see and hear indicators of growth or fixed mindsets?
•  What would it be like to teach at HSHS if all students and staff had growth mindsets?
•  How can we help develop growth mindset in our students?  In ourselves?

I hope your week is full of rewarding challenges and growth this week.  Good teaching can be as difficult as a Cab Five Double Grab, and you may never see a gold medal for your work, but it is without question as important to our students as any acrobatics on the slopes of Sochi.

Phil

“Did I win?  Did I lose? Those are the wrong questions.  The correct question is: Did I make my best effort?  If so, you may be outscored, but you will never lose.”  --John Wooden

Fixed and Growth Mindset as illustrated by Nigel Holmes in Dweck’s book:

Tipping the Balance

Dylan Wiliam often includes in his speeches and in his writings the old joke about schools being places where children go to watch teachers work.  There is a bit of a bite in that joke, because teachers do work incredibly hard.  Our goal, of course, is to be able to say the same for our students.  It is a balancing act, but we need to tip the balance towards the students as much as we can.

One way to ensure the kids are “doing the doing” is through the use of performance tasks.  By definition, when students perform, they are doing the work. 

Consider the following list of performance tasks you created last Friday afternoon using the SAMR model.  In order to create these, most of you took traditional multiple choice or short answer assessments and turned them into student-centered tasks by Substituting, Augmenting, Modifying, or Redefining the current assignment. 

Think of the difference in the level of work and engagement taking place when students complete these tasks, as opposed to bubbling in a Scantron.  This is just a partial list of what you created:

• Environmental Science: Have students take a tour of our building to identify potential causes of “Sick Building Syndrome.”  Prepare a presentation on solutions, cost, and benefits. 
• A scenario-based writing in Government: A recently naturalized citizen comes to you and asks about the differences between the two major American political parties….
• Project Lead the Way: Students will design the two sub-systems that make up a complete traffic light controller.  It must meet the following design specifications….
• English 10: Students will conduct an ongoing “anthropological study” of a character during the reading of The Great Gatsby, ending with geographical home search based on the proper market for their characters.
• Piano: Given specific chords, students will create a melody and identify intervals.
• Speech: Students will complete a self-assessment on their progress from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester on a specific set of skills.
• World Language: Students will write emails to students in a French-speaking country using epals.com.
• Chemistry:  Students will use a virtual learning tool (an applet from Colorado University) to make virtual solutions, take measurements, and calculate quantities. 
• History: Students will “carve up” Africa during a simulation based on the historical events during the Berlin Conference.
• Trigonometry: Students will complete a multi-step process of figuring Annual Temperature Change for a city of their choice.  The task involves research, creating a spreadsheet and model equations, and using a Sun Calculator from www.timeanddate.com.
• World Language: Instead of a writing prompt on the final exam, students will complete a semester-long project that includes blogging in Spanish.  Students will be required to comment on classmate’s posts.
• Biology: Instead of completing multiple choice questions about a diagram of a pedigree, students must design a pedigree for their own family for at least two generations.
• Foods: Using actual lab equipment and food models, students will identify, label, and correct hazardous situations.
• World Language: Instead of repeating canned conversations, students will be given wordless picture books and they must tell the story in German.
• Chemistry: Rather than short answer exam, all students will receive a molecular formula from the teacher.  They will identify structures and use atom kits to create a model of the chemical substance.  When completed, students will discuss its shape with the teacher, referencing the model.
• Ceramics: Students will create works of art that show physical evidence of the artist’s process which involves risk-taking.
• Design: Students will improve aesthetics and/or functionality of a product by using computer software to redesign a product or create prototypes.

Final Thoughts

I once heard Harry Wong speak.  He has been around for a while (and so have I) so this was more than a few years ago.  His words are still memorable—and true.  He told the story of a revelation he had early in his teaching career.  He found himself going home at the end of the school day exhausted.  Then it dawned on him why that might be: He was doing all the work.  In person, Harry is very animated, entertaining, and energetic.  I’ve paraphrased below what I remember him saying, but it isn’t the same as hearing him in person.  You have to imagine a loud voice full of laughter.  Add arms swinging and lots of movement back and forth across the stage, and you might get a bit of the impact of Harry’s presentation:

“The reason teachers are so tired at the end of the school day is that they have been working.  If I worked as hard as many teachers do, I’d be tired too.  But have you noticed what happens at 3:00 when the students leave?  “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”  Kids are running everywhere.  They are full of energy.  Why are they so full of energy?  Why aren’t they tired?  It’s because they have been sitting in school all day doing very little while the teacher is doing all the work.  Remember, the person who does the work is the one doing the learning!”

There is no getting around the fact that teaching takes effort and energy, but the list above can help tip the balance back toward the students.  Keep up the good work, HSE.

Phil

Miracle Worker

“I like these cold, gray winter days.  Days like these let you savor a bad mood.”  --Bill Watterson

February is a tough month.  Most of us are getting tired of the snow and cold, and spring seems like a long way off.  Perhaps you agree with Bill Watterson and are enjoying a mid-winter sulk.  Or perhaps you, like me, start looking to rekindle the spark about this time of year.  This past week, I collected thoughts, ideas, and/or strategies that resonated with me and may help get me through the February Blues. 

If you could use a pick-me-up about now as well, take a look at these:

An Approach from Dan Rockwell on Staying Motivated: Find the Three C’s

• Clarity: Can you define your hopes and dreams in one sentence?  Determine what your life is about and focus on that.  Live in the moment but keep an eye on the future.  Center your vision on people, not projects, products, or programs.
• Courage: Have the courage to say “no” to some things, so you can say “yes” to really important things.
• Consistency: Focus continually on what matters.  It’s not always about doing less.  It’s about doing more of what matters.

What Matters? Thoughts and Ideas about Why I am in Education

• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”  –Nelson Mandela
• “If kids come to us from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier.  If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important.”  –Barbara Colorose
• “Teachers, you’ve got a million parents behind you whispering together: ‘We don’t care about the damn standardized tests.  We only care that you teach our children to be brave and kind.  And we thank you.  We thank you for saving lives.’”  --Glennon Doyle Melton, in an open letter to her son’s teacher who retires at the end of the year
• “In a completely rational world, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.”  –Lee Iacocca
• “Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.”  –Joyce Meyer
• “Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher’s help.”  –Bodhidharma

A bit of eCard Humor

• “Every time I see a math problem, it looks like this: If I have 10 ice cubes and you have 11 apples, how many pancakes will fit on the roof?  Answer: Purple, because aliens don’t wear hats.”  –Arrg!  e-cards
• “I’m all caught up,” said no teacher ever.  –Someecards

From Taylor Mali—I Saved My Favorite for Last

• This is the link to “Miracle Worker," a video worth watching at this time of year--or any time, for that matter: Miracle Worker
• If you like that one, try watching Mali recite “What Teachers Make.”  (It’s a bit raw, but it will fire you up!)

It takes more than a polar vortex or two to knock a good teacher down.  Keep fighting the good fight HSE. 

Phil

Assessment of the Assessment

Last week I wrote about types of assessments in the Understanding by Design framework.  The essential question about assessment in UbD: How will we know if students have achieved the desired results?  The “desired result” in UbD is understanding—being able to transfer the knowledge and skills to new situations and contexts.

With this essential question in mind, take a few minutes to read the background and look at two hypothetical assessments.  The first is a fairly traditional school assessment, and the second is a Performance Task.  Both would give information about skills and knowledge, but only one would give information about transfer. 

The Background:

We have a fairly clear directive from central office that Understanding by Design is a framework we will implement K-12.  You can see it referenced in letters going home to parents, on the HSE website, in our TEDS rubric, and in the HSE21 initiative.  Our central office administrators have many, many options for gathering evidence about the degree of understanding HSHS teachers have about UbD.  To be honest, I’m not sure how they will gather this information to report to the school board, but I am sure they will want to know about our progress.

Here are two options:

First Scenario: A Short Quiz/Test

Directions: Answer the questions below.

1.  What is the order for planning an Understanding by Design unit?

     A. Plan the learning experiences, determine acceptable evidence, identify the desired results

     B. Identify the desired results, determine acceptable evidence, plan the learning experiences

     C. Determine acceptable evidence, identify the desired results, plan the learning experiences

     D.  Identify the desired results, plan the learning experiences, determine acceptable evidence

2.  Acceptable Evidence in the UbD framework includes:

     A.  Tests and Quizzes

     B.  Academic Prompts

     C.  Performance Tasks

     D.  Formative Assessments

     E.  All of the above

3.  Short answer: Describe briefly the difference between knowing and understanding.

4.  Extended Answer: Explain the difference between an Academic Prompt and a Performance Task.

5.  Include an explanation of how you decide when to use an Academic Prompt and when to use a Performance Task.

Second Scenario: A Performance Task

Directions: Work with others in your department or in a course-alike group to complete this task.  During this semester, plan one UbD unit and use it in at least one class.  By May 1, as a group, answer the following questions and send the results to your primary evaluator.  Include a copy of the UbD unit plan and any other information that would help your evaluator map the results to Domain 1 (Purposeful Planning) in the TEDS rubric.

1. What was the strength of this UbD unit?
2. How did you assess “knowledge and skills,” and how did you assess “understanding”?  (Can students transfer the knowledge and skills?)
3. What changes, if any, will you make to this unit when you use it again?

Assessment of the Assessment

Both of the assessments given above provide information about your knowledge of UbD, but only one gives evidence of understanding.  I contend that you might be able to answer all of the questions in the first scenario correctly and have no understanding of how to create and implement the UbD framework.  The second scenario isn’t a perfect assessment, and it is certainly possible to game the system, but it could give solid evidence of whether or not the knowledge can be transferred to action.

In your classroom, both approaches are needed.  They serve different purposes, but both are necessary.

Let me know if these hypothetical assessments prompt your thinking about how Performance Tasks and traditional assessments can be used most effectively in your classes. 

Have a great week, HSE.  Enjoy the heat wave.  (Any temperature above zero seems warm right now!)

Phil

Here is one final thought about assessment from Rick Stiggins. It is a bit scary and a bit encouraging at the same time:  “You can enhance or destroy students’ desire to succeed in school more quickly and permanently through your use of assessment than with any other tools you have at your disposal.”