Quiet Time

I just read this article in the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html?pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me.  It pretty much sums up the point I was trying to make with my previous post, Low-Tech.

For myself, I particularly like the idea of an Internet Sabbath.  A New Year's Resolution perhaps?

Low-Tech

I can remember in 6th grade learning how to use an Apple II computer.  I even vaguely remember using Logo to program the computer and create simple games.  It seems ever since then the use of technology in classrooms has been widely discussed and widely promoted as a necessary and critical component of a child's education.  Up until a few months ago I would have agreed.  I would have argued that teachers need to use technology to enhance student learning, increase student engagement, and allow children to become generally comfortable using technology.  However, over the past several months I have changed my thinking.  I now believe through the third grade children should not use any technology and in 4th and 5th grade the only appropriate use for technology is keyboarding.

My thinking has changed as I have thought about my own countless attempts to use technology, about how I currently use technology, and what I truly believe is best for the kids.  First, my own attempts to use technology.  In my years teaching I have had my students create power point presentations, type their stories, poetry and other writing, do research, and even use logo to solve coordinate grid problems.  Amazingly, in all my years teaching I think the only effective use of technology was when the students used Logo - basically the same program I used 25 years ago.  The students programed the turtle to draw various shapes on a coordinate grid.  This required problem solving and reinforced mathematical concepts.  Good stuff.  But creating power points, typing writing, and doing research online are all activities that I believe detract rather than add to student learning.  For example, when the students create Power Points they spend more time playing with different back grounds and slide transitions than thinking about the content of their presentations.  If you want to the students to truly synthesize information they have learned by presenting to the class I believe there are better and more authentic ways than Power Point.  Perhaps the students could write a skit and act it out, use art supplies to create a poster, create a board game or recreate a quiz show.  All of these require creativity, allow the students to synthesize information, and have opportunities for collaboration.  They also are all more hands-on, tangible, and, I suppose, real.  That is, they not some digitized abstract thing created while staring at a screen.

Which leads me to my next point: screen time.  The students in my classroom spend way too much time as it is staring at screens.  They play video games and watch TV or movies until late in the night (one student tells me he regularly stays up until midnight playing video games or watching TV).  The last thing they need is MORE screen time at school.  Moreover, with the prevalence of games systems, smartphones, and computers, the students are getting plenty of exposure to technology outside of school.
I think of my students' life outside school and, maybe unfairly but based on ample anecdotal evidence, I imagine a rather chaotic life.  I imagine violent video games, PG and R movies, shopping malls, processed food, candy, sugar, loud television, no routines, and minimal discipline.  I imagine noise.  And I think part of my job is to provide those students a reprieve from the chaos.  A quiet and safe place, with routines, expectations, and, I think most importantly, books.

While I remember my own experiences using an Apple II fondly, my best memories from school are reading books.  In my mind there is nothing more simple and elegant and peaceful than a 10 year old reading a book.

Home School

We had our parent teacher conferences on November 8th and 9th.  As any teacher will tell you, parent teacher conferences make for a long day, are difficult to prepare for, exhausting, and worth every minute.  These conferences provide valuable insights into the children, allow for celebrations, and give parents and teachers the opportunity to discuss when things are not going well for a child.  Like I said worth every minute, WHEN PARENTS SHOW UP.  This year the parent turnout was well under 50%.  This despite numerous fliers sent home discussing the details of the conferences, teachers mentioning conferences in their newsletters, and in our classroom, writing a daily reminder in student planners (which parents are supposed to initial nightly).  And to be sure language is never an issue all fliers and newsletters are always sent home in both Spanish and English.

The pressure on teachers to perform has never been higher.  Thanks to the Race to The Top funding, The Gates Foundation, and No Child Left Behind states all across the country are looking for ways to more thoroughly evaluate teachers.  Some of these efforts are thoughtful, comprehensive, well intentioned, developed with union and teacher input, and will ultimately result in better instruction and higher student achievement.  However, none of these evaluations take into account the effect parents have on student achievement.  Interestingly, the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development studied 14 countries, interviewed 5,000 families, and analyzed the achievement of those students on an international test - The Program for International Student Achievement or PISA.  The PISA is a rigorous test which tests reading comprehension and the ability to solve real world  math and science problems.  The group identified three main findings:

1. Fifteen-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA 2009 than students whose parents read with them infrequently or not at all.  On average the difference is 25 points, the equivalent of well over half a school year.
2. The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family's socio-econmic background.
3. Parents' engagement with their 15-year-olds is strongly associated with better performance in PISA.  Fifteen-year-olds whose parents discuss social and political issues at least once a week scored 28 points higher on average than those whose parents did not discuss social and political issues.

Thomas Friedman has an excellent column in yesterday's Sunday NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-about-better-parents.html) with a more thorough analysis and discussion of the results of the study, but I say, "no duh."  To illustrate the importance of parents I will share a few stories about parental involvement.

• We were having a classroom discussion recently about bedtime.  I asked a student, AG, "when is your bedtime?"  He replied, "I dunno, I have to be home by 8."  AG is ten.
• We were discussing books and video game systems.  I asked AG - different student, same initials, "How many video game systems do you have in your house?"  He replied, "six."  "How many books?" I asked.  "None."
• The same student walks in late, "AG, why are you late?"  "My alarm didn't go off."  "How come your mom didn't get you up to go to school?"  "Oh, I get myself up and come to school by myself."  AG is ten.
• A mom came into our classroom one morning with her daughter and says she didn't see the fliers or information about parent teacher conferences.  I said, "no problem let's find a time to meet."  We settled on Wednesday morning, 30 minutes before school starts.  Wednesday morning rolled around and mom didn't show up.  I saw her after school and asked, politely and respectfully, what happened.  She says she was busy and couldn't make it but is there another time?  So we settle on Friday after school.  By now you know what is coming.  Friday afternoon and no mom.
• At a conference with a 5th grade student who barely reads at a second grade level, but who was absent 35 times last year and has been absent 10 times already this year, not counting times the student went home early, which I estimate to be at least 5 - I bring up his chronic absenteeism.  Mom and dad say to the child in a babying voice, "Do you hear that?  You're not going to miss anymore school OK?  How about we offer you a reward if you don't miss anymore school?"  I was sitting there thinking, "Wait, who decides if this child goes to school, the parent or the child?  A reward for not missing school, really?"  The child has been absent two days out of eight since that conference.

These are only a tiny fraction of the stories I could tell.  While sometimes parents have legitimate excuses for not always being able to sign their child's planner or initial his or her reading log all too frequently there is simply no excuse.  And the findings of the PISA study show the critical role parents play in their children's academic achievement.  Moreover, the findings of the study show that there are just a few simple things parents can do, regardless of income levels, to increase their children's achievement:

• Read together frequently (at least once a day) especially when the child is young.  Read together even when the child is a newborn.
• Talk about school with the child and talk about things he or she did during the day.
• Tell stories to the child.

And I would add a few of my own:

• Assist the child with organization.  Make sure the child has systems and routines in place to keep track of his or her supplies.
• Frequently discuss the importance of school and education.
• Limit screen time.
• Make sure the child makes it to school.
• Make sure the child has a bed time.
• And, of course, attend the child's parent/teacher conference.

Again, these are simple things parents can do, regardless of income levels, to help their children learn.

Friedman concludes his column by writing, "To be sure, there is no substitute for a good teacher. There is nothing more valuable than great classroom instruction. But let’s stop putting the whole burden on teachers. We also need better parents. Better parents can make every teacher more effective."

I agree whole heartily.  Parents are their children's first and most important teachers.

Heroes

This post is not about the bureaucracy of education or lack of public support for education or about the countless other issues educators face day in and day out.  No this post is about the students and the work we do in our classroom.  We just completed a non-fiction reading unit focused on reading about social justice heroes.  The unit was built around the following two essential questions:

1) What qualities do heroes have?  Who is someone you consider a hero and why?
2) Why is it important to connect what you read to your prior knowledge?

Connecting what you read to your prior knowledge is a well researched strategy that good readers use to deepen their comprehension.  I'll quote from Mosaic of Thought, a teacher book, "We know that children are far more likely to retain and reapply information if they think about what they already know related to the new information (p. 72)."  And because I believe so strongly in the importance of  teaching for social justice - especially for the population in my classroom who face social justice issues related to poverty, immigration, language, and race - I planned the unit so the students would read about heroes who fought for social justice.  I collected books about numerous social justice heroes from well known heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez to lesser known heroes like Claudette Colvin (if you haven't heard of her check out the book Twice Toward Justice, a really fascinating read www.nationalbook.org/nba2009_ypl_hoose.html).

Everyday the students wrote about their connections to their prior knowledge and how those connections helped them understand the texts better.  The students focused on writing about new ideas they are having, new information they learned, or how their thinking is changing.  Below are some highlights (I made made some minor grammatical and spelling edits):

•  "I can connect Rachel Carson to Eleanor Roosevelt because they both did their best to save people or nature.  One thing I learned today is that if they can follow their own dreams we can follow and try to accomplish our dreams too." - EJ
• "Mohandas Gandhi was an important person because India was ruled by a country called Britain.  Gandhi believed India should be free.  British people in India did not treat Indians as equal.  I connect this book to Claudette Colvin and Martin Luther King Jr.  This helps because I know what the problem is and the problem is that British people did not treat the Indian people equally." - J
• "One think I learned is that if you want something you really have to work to get it.  Especially if is equality." - AF
• "I think this is text to self because I had to be taken from my parents for two years and now I live with one of them.  So I connect the boy to me because it happened to me before.  One thing I learned in reading today is because I've been through it all so I've been through that life just like that boy in the story.   I can add to my file cabinet that even though this has happened between us we still got through it." - MS

The culminating projects for this unit were an illustration where the students had to show their thinking about the two essential questions and an essay with the following prompt: Write an essay describing your favorite hero.  Be sure to describe what the hero accomplished, what character traits that person has, and what you learned by reading about that person. Be sure to include a thesis statement and details to support your thesis.

I selected a few quotes from these essays:

• "Ruby Bridges is my hero because she showed the value of education by standing up to white people." - MS
• "Martin  Luther King Jr. is my hero because he was really brave and fought for social justice." - MT
• "My favorite hero is Martin Luther King Jr. because he fought for social justice and people's rights." - JBB
• "I learned that violence is never the answer to anything." - DJ
• "My favorite hero is Gandhi.  He is my favorite hero because he fought and protested peacefully." - D

Below are some pictures of the students' illustrations showing their thinking about the two essential questions.

Grow your brain...

Notice the qualities that heroes have in the upper left.

I agree.  We all need to fight for justice.

It is important to keep your knowledge organized!

I think Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks belong in the same file.

Model student

Better put the new idea in the right place!

Your schema is your prior knowledge.

A filing cabinet of heroes...

Grace Skis

My passion for teaching is probably equaled by my passion for skiing.  So while most posts will be about education and teaching don't be surprised to find the occasional post about skiing and adventures in the mountains.  This winter I am fortunate enough to be working with a new ski company based in Denver, Colorado.  Founded by David Liechty, Grace Skis is all about making the highest quality skis on the mountain, using the best materials available, manufactured in an sustainable manner, and creating a community of like minded people. The skis are handmade in David's shop in Denver.  He sourced environmentally sustainable bamboo for the core and the top sheet.  He works to minimize waste, reuses scraps (for business cards), and instead of rushing out to buy new tools he uses his grandfather's tin snips to cut metal to make the ski molds.  And the best part is the skis are really really good.

Below is some video of our first days at A-basin.  I'm on the Kylie 186 and David is on the Kylie 196.  Notice how the skis can go from edge to edge quickly but are also rock solid when making big fast GS/Super G turns.

Check out the Grace Ski blog at: weskigrace.blogspot.com and the website at www.skigrace.com.

And a picture:

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Reap what we sow...

Tuesday November 1st was Election Day here in Colorado.  It was a small ballot.  Here in Denver just a couple school board elections and a sick day proposition to guarantee new workers 10 days of paid sick leave.  Statewide we had Proposition 103, a proposed sales tax increase that would have restored tax rates to where they were for most of the 1990s.  103 would have raised an estimated $2.9 billion over 5 years to fund K-12 and higher education.  As with most states education funding has been slashed the last several years.  Earlier this year the legislator cut school funding by $200 million and Governor Hickenlooper just announced plans to cut an additional $89 million for K-12 and $60 million for high ed.  Hickenlooper was neutral on 103, but had the gall to announce the plans for additional cuts ON Election Day.  Needless to say 103 was soundly defeated.  Not even close.  I'll give most people the benefit of doubt because I imagine most people want better schools.  They just don't want to pay for them.  

Those against prop 103 called it a "job killer."  The thing is education leads to jobs.  The data unequivocally shows the importance of a graduating from college.  High school dropouts are significantly more likely to be unemployed than those with a college degree.  Data from 2009 show that less than 46% of young adults ages 16 to 24 who dropout of high school are employed versus an employment rate of nearly 87% for college graduates.  The same data also demonstrates that high school dropouts are much more likely to be incarcerated.  Nearly 10% of young adult men who dropout of high school spend time in prison or jail versus just 0.2% of those who have a bachelor’s degree.

While young women who dropout typically do not end up in prison, they are having children at a young age.  Young women who dropout are six times as likely to have a child as compared to their same aged peers who graduate from college.  A staggering 23% of single mothers ages 16 to 24 are estimated to be high school dropouts.  Just 2.6% of young single mothers are estimated to have a bachelor’s degree.

The economic costs of high school dropouts are substantial.  A high school dropout has a lifetime net negative economic impact.  Data show that the average high school dropout will cost taxpayers approximately $292,000 more than a high school graduate over the course of his or her lifetime.  Compared to a college graduate the average high school dropout will cost taxpayers nearly $800,000 more.  Given the current economic situation and federal deficit, our society can hardly afford to support the current 6.2 million high school dropouts.  Nor can our society continue to support the nearly 3 out of 10 students who will not graduate from high school in four years.

So because we refuse to invest in education now, we'll have to invest in prisons later.  Reap what we sow...

Steve Jobs - Intelligence, Intuition, and Genius

I just read an interesting piece written by Walter Isaacson reflecting on the intelligence and genius of  Steve Jobs.  Isaacson is Jobs' biographer.  The article struck a chord for two reasons.

First, Isaacson wrote about how Jobs' learned to trust his intuition over data, focus groups etc.  Isaacson writes "Mr. Jobs came to value experiential wisdom over empirical analysis.  He didn't study data or crunch numbers but like a pathfinder, he could sniff the winds and sense what lay ahead."  We live in a data driven world and the push in education is for more data, more spreadsheets, more progress monitoring, more meetings about data, more ways to analyze data.  Never mind that a lot of this data is obtained in questionable ways (see recent admissions of widespread cheating by teachers, administrators in DC, Atlanta, and NYC) but what about the professionalism of teachers?  Teaching is an art.  Teachers are professionals.  Any teacher worth his or her salt (which is most of us) can sense what lay ahead for our students and use our  intuition and experiential wisdom to determine the best way to guide our students.  Teachers are spending way to much time studying data and crunching numbers and not near enough time listening to our intuition and experiential wisdom.  I promise to do more of the latter and less of the former.

The second reason the article resonated with me was the final paragraph.  Isaacson writes, "China and India are likely to produce many rigorous analytic thinkers and knowledgeable technologists.  But smart and educated people don't always spawn innovation.  America's advantage, if it continues to have one, will be that it can produce people who are also more creative and imaginative, those who know how to stand at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences."  I'd say that is one big IF.  Seems to me our schools should be developing and fostering students to stand at that very intersection.  Tough to do when we don't teach civics, we don't teach social sciences, and we don't teach science.  All in the name of generating more data.

Here's a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/steve-jobss-genius.html?_r=1