I'm working my way through The Art and Science of Teaching by Marzano, and want to review some of the most useful bits of the first half. The book is highly usable. It's maybe a bit dense to wade through the first time, like everything with a healthy dose of research and statistical analysis, but it's set up such that a reader looking for something can find it very easily, and I haven't even looked at the index yet. As my exposure to books on education practice increases, I'm finding that that's important: if you're going to tell me to do something, tell me what it is you want me to do. Don't hide it in the middle of a bunch of soft squishy feelings about how you love being a teacher. I love being a teacher, too, and if I didn't, reading your book probably wouldn't make me love it. But this book is set up, as the subtitle of the book says, as "a comprehensive framework for effective instruction." Each chapter title is a question about an element of instruction, and is set up to provide a definition of the issue, an example of that element in a classroom, research to explain why the element is important, and specific steps that a teacher can take to implement that element into his classroom.
Chapters 1-5 deal with issues in instruction--respectively, using learning goals, acquiring new knowledge, practicing and deepening understanding of new knowledge, generating and testing hypotheses of new knowledge, and engaging students. The later chapters deal with issues of classroom management and community-building, and more about these when I've read them.
Having read some other of Marzano's work and derivatives of it, I'm a little surprised to see so little talk about building background knowledge and vocabulary. This is disappointing, because of all the in-class strategies I've read, the work with vocabulary was the most immediately applicable th the language classroom. I'll have to sit down and think a little more about language learning and how it's different from learning, for example, science.
Some of the suggestions I intend to implement follow.
Have students identify their own learning goals: Upon introducing a new chapter / unit / some other division of learning, students will write down what they hope to be able to understand (language-wise), recognize, and be able to communicate about by the time they finish. Throughout the unit, students will revisit that goal to see how well they're progressing, and whether the course and I are addressing their objective. Part of the final assessment will be a a self-assessment on their learning objective.
Identify critical-input experiences: The word "input" has a special meaning in language acquisition, but the two meanings run parallel. Of course, ALL classroom time is an input experience, especially in courses conducted entirely in Spanish like I strive to conduct. But some moments are more important than others, require greater coordination of forces, and really are (or should be) the anchors of a unit. I can do a better job of separating these experiences from the textbook, and then bringing the necessary resources to bear on them.
Homework: I don't give anywhere near enough homework. As someone who was never very good at getting it done myself, I've always questioned the wisdom of it. But it's important, and there's a right way of doing it. And when college happened right in my face, and I had no idea how to deal with the work load, I recognized what I'd missed. So, vocab practice, reading comprehension practice, drawing--more of it.
These are obviously not all of the things I should be doing or could be doing better, but it's a place to start. And, as I'm learning, a small number of effective goals you can work towards is better than a lot of goals that you'll work on once and then forget about.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
PBS links
Picking away at the positive behavior project. I've read the manuals and done some research online, and my first big question is, what happens after education and re-education? Part of the project is a positive consequence for appropriate behavior, but I've heard little in the way of steps between educating and supporting students in positive choices, and intervention processes. What should a teacher do if a student chooses to behave contrary to expectations (so as not to say "break a rule")? Obviously, not turning papers into the correct spot is not the same order of magnitude as swinging at another student, so there's some differentiation that needs to occur as well. I'll have to write to my contact to ask about that.
However, I've successfully outlined the agenda for the PD day, which will work as sort of a checklist to work on things in order. The biggest task, of course, will be coming up with ways to teach expectations to each student. I'm trying to make instruction such that we're modeling the behaviors we want to see, not only from the students, but also from the teachers. We'll be using multiple intelligences, maybe some mutual teaching, etc.
Some links that may be helpful to this project:
http://www.bridges4kids.org/PBS/
This site is a collection of information whose primary purpose seems to be to sell the program, and get schools and families involved in positive behavior support. Few of the articles have the sort of implementation suggestions I'm looking for now, but provide good background information.
http://www.pbis.org/main.htm
This is sort of where it all began, and I'll need to spend some more time looking through here. I'm using the blueprint form implementation that this organization created.
http://www.pbis.org/implementationExamples.htm
Links to examples of statewide (mostly) implementation of Positive Behavior Support programs. These will definitely be helpful when it comes time to map out long-term goals, and maybe some ideas for assessments of behaviors.
Edited to add implementation examples link and labels.
However, I've successfully outlined the agenda for the PD day, which will work as sort of a checklist to work on things in order. The biggest task, of course, will be coming up with ways to teach expectations to each student. I'm trying to make instruction such that we're modeling the behaviors we want to see, not only from the students, but also from the teachers. We'll be using multiple intelligences, maybe some mutual teaching, etc.
Some links that may be helpful to this project:
http://www.bridges4kids.org/PBS/
This site is a collection of information whose primary purpose seems to be to sell the program, and get schools and families involved in positive behavior support. Few of the articles have the sort of implementation suggestions I'm looking for now, but provide good background information.
http://www.pbis.org/main.htm
This is sort of where it all began, and I'll need to spend some more time looking through here. I'm using the blueprint form implementation that this organization created.
http://www.pbis.org/implementationExamples.htm
Links to examples of statewide (mostly) implementation of Positive Behavior Support programs. These will definitely be helpful when it comes time to map out long-term goals, and maybe some ideas for assessments of behaviors.
Edited to add implementation examples link and labels.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Status report
An overview of the various projects I'm working on at the moment, and a brief analysis of where I stand and what happens next on each:
1.) Don Quijote in the 1st and 2nd-year classroom. As part of the a teachers' workshop I attended this summer, I've started working on a module to help people who have never read Don Quijote introduce this work into their early-Spanish classes. When it's finally polished, with luck in time to test-drive in the fall, it will include TPR vocab acquisition, comparisons of culture, authentic materials, and barf jokes. I'm also trying to get good enough at Google Earth to map out one of the various hypothetical routes that Don Quijote took on his various trips. That's probably the next step, because although it's the least important (being only one of many activities that need designing, and not the best), it lets me play with Google Earth.
2.) Analyzing Data Protocol. This is not so much a unique product, as it is synthesizing all the professional development I've been hit with in the past 2 years and fitting it into a note card that I can laminate and carry around in my pocket. It's also probably something that all successful professionals in all fields ever know already, and that makes me surprised that I'd never been formally presented to it before.
It boils down to this: Decide what you want to know. Find out about it. Based on that, decide you want to happen. Find ways of making it happen, and if none already exist, make them yourself. Do it. After a while, take a look and see if it's working.
This isn't rocket science, and on a small scale, we as people do it all the time. But it's a sound process for making decisions of all kind, and I've seen it in a few different contexts. The State School Improvement Framework lays out this protocol for all of its areas of concern. A woman from Minnesota is making an okay, if travel-intensive, living, showing people how to use this process to look at student work in the way it's supposed to be used. The positive-behavior program I'm working on (more about that in a mo) uses the same structure to analyze itself. In short, it's a way of taking self-improvement out of the realm of whim, and for someone as fundamentally whimsical as I am, that's important.
3.) Spanish Department 3-5 year development plan. There's a lot to do in the Spanish Department, and thinking that I'm going to get it done over the summer is foolishness. So I want to write out a plan for where I want the department to be in the next few years. It will, of course, follow the above protocol, but I know most of the information. That doesn't exactly lead to measurable results (important in any scientific or even pseudoscientific undertaking), but it's where I'm going to start.
4.) Positive Behavior system. This is not just the elephant in the middle of my living room, it's the monster drinking my espresso. There's so much work to do, I really have to start doing one thing at a time. The story so far: My school is one of many in the State that has decided that we're not doing all we could to promote behaviors that supplement learning--we could, for example, teach behaviors that supplement learning. As part of this process, our school took a year to decide what we'd most like to see our students to do in class, out of class, everywhere in and out of school and at all times at a school-related event. I had a meeting and a couple e-mail exchanges with a woman from the county school district who knows infinitely more about this than I do, and to whom I'm going to go with questions, just as soon as I'm smart enough to ask them. And now the ball--at least as far as the teacher side of things--is in my court. My principal for discipline is working on "intervention" techniques.
The next tasks I've identified are these: a.) Designing a positive behavior reinforcement system, so we have a school-wide way of telling kids they're doing a good job. I don't really know where to go with this; I'm going to see if I can get the other school teachers in my district to help me. I can do it, but I know a number of other teachers who already have this sort of thing, and if I don't have to reinvent the wheel, why would I? b.) Coming up with a way of teaching students these behaviors over the course of two days, so everybody's crystal clear on what they're being rewarded for (or intervened towards). I hope to design an outline, and farm out bits of this to a bunch of other professionals. However, ultimately it's my PD presentation. So, after all that's done, I'll need to figure out a way to teach that to the teachers and other involved parties. c.) Putting together a leadership team. The truth is that this should have happened much more formally months ago, and it very briefly did. I know who to ask to join--all the people who were at the first meeting in October who worked on the first draft of the behavior matrix--but that group hasn't gotten together as a group since then. It may be a little hairy. Some sort of protocol (see project 2 above) would be good to have in place as well. d.) Well...let's finish the first 3 before we get into long-term projections and assessment methodology, and all the other 67 things that need to get done.
5.) Spanish curriculum redesign and Standards and Benchmarks realignment. This is the first of the Spanish Department improvement projects I'm working on. It's the first, because I've been working on it since the day I started working at this school. The State has recently published some Standards for World Languages that look a lot like the National Standards, and have made them legally binding on the class of 2011, so the high school classes need to be brought up to snuff. In addition, the elementary and middle schools have been running on standards for years. The standards I'm currently working with in K-8, however, aren't tied as tightly to the State's standards as they need to be. I've been trying since day 1 to bring everything up to speed, not to use lesson plans unless they meet higher standards, that sort of thing. The results have been piecemeal and thoroughly unsatisfactory, so this summer I will be working on it. The current game-plan is this: Take a look at last year's Spanish I class (the first high school class to have standards attached), decide what went right and what went wrong, and change the plan for next year accordingly. That shouldn't be too work-intensive, and I should have success. That will help me put the Spanish II class into standards mode, which will be much more work-intensive. And then, starting at kindergarten, design a curriculum that uses the Standards as the baseline, instead of whatever system was used before.
6.) The Art and Science of Teaching. The 2007 book by Bob Marzano is my principal's new go-to book; past experience with similar literature suggests that we'll be hearing a lot about this in the next year. I'd like to have a leg up. Expect commentary as I go through it.
If anybody reads this, probably on accident on your way to somewhere more interesting, I'd appreciate thoughts on any of this.
And now, for the dishes.
1.) Don Quijote in the 1st and 2nd-year classroom. As part of the a teachers' workshop I attended this summer, I've started working on a module to help people who have never read Don Quijote introduce this work into their early-Spanish classes. When it's finally polished, with luck in time to test-drive in the fall, it will include TPR vocab acquisition, comparisons of culture, authentic materials, and barf jokes. I'm also trying to get good enough at Google Earth to map out one of the various hypothetical routes that Don Quijote took on his various trips. That's probably the next step, because although it's the least important (being only one of many activities that need designing, and not the best), it lets me play with Google Earth.
2.) Analyzing Data Protocol. This is not so much a unique product, as it is synthesizing all the professional development I've been hit with in the past 2 years and fitting it into a note card that I can laminate and carry around in my pocket. It's also probably something that all successful professionals in all fields ever know already, and that makes me surprised that I'd never been formally presented to it before.
It boils down to this: Decide what you want to know. Find out about it. Based on that, decide you want to happen. Find ways of making it happen, and if none already exist, make them yourself. Do it. After a while, take a look and see if it's working.
This isn't rocket science, and on a small scale, we as people do it all the time. But it's a sound process for making decisions of all kind, and I've seen it in a few different contexts. The State School Improvement Framework lays out this protocol for all of its areas of concern. A woman from Minnesota is making an okay, if travel-intensive, living, showing people how to use this process to look at student work in the way it's supposed to be used. The positive-behavior program I'm working on (more about that in a mo) uses the same structure to analyze itself. In short, it's a way of taking self-improvement out of the realm of whim, and for someone as fundamentally whimsical as I am, that's important.
3.) Spanish Department 3-5 year development plan. There's a lot to do in the Spanish Department, and thinking that I'm going to get it done over the summer is foolishness. So I want to write out a plan for where I want the department to be in the next few years. It will, of course, follow the above protocol, but I know most of the information. That doesn't exactly lead to measurable results (important in any scientific or even pseudoscientific undertaking), but it's where I'm going to start.
4.) Positive Behavior system. This is not just the elephant in the middle of my living room, it's the monster drinking my espresso. There's so much work to do, I really have to start doing one thing at a time. The story so far: My school is one of many in the State that has decided that we're not doing all we could to promote behaviors that supplement learning--we could, for example, teach behaviors that supplement learning. As part of this process, our school took a year to decide what we'd most like to see our students to do in class, out of class, everywhere in and out of school and at all times at a school-related event. I had a meeting and a couple e-mail exchanges with a woman from the county school district who knows infinitely more about this than I do, and to whom I'm going to go with questions, just as soon as I'm smart enough to ask them. And now the ball--at least as far as the teacher side of things--is in my court. My principal for discipline is working on "intervention" techniques.
The next tasks I've identified are these: a.) Designing a positive behavior reinforcement system, so we have a school-wide way of telling kids they're doing a good job. I don't really know where to go with this; I'm going to see if I can get the other school teachers in my district to help me. I can do it, but I know a number of other teachers who already have this sort of thing, and if I don't have to reinvent the wheel, why would I? b.) Coming up with a way of teaching students these behaviors over the course of two days, so everybody's crystal clear on what they're being rewarded for (or intervened towards). I hope to design an outline, and farm out bits of this to a bunch of other professionals. However, ultimately it's my PD presentation. So, after all that's done, I'll need to figure out a way to teach that to the teachers and other involved parties. c.) Putting together a leadership team. The truth is that this should have happened much more formally months ago, and it very briefly did. I know who to ask to join--all the people who were at the first meeting in October who worked on the first draft of the behavior matrix--but that group hasn't gotten together as a group since then. It may be a little hairy. Some sort of protocol (see project 2 above) would be good to have in place as well. d.) Well...let's finish the first 3 before we get into long-term projections and assessment methodology, and all the other 67 things that need to get done.
5.) Spanish curriculum redesign and Standards and Benchmarks realignment. This is the first of the Spanish Department improvement projects I'm working on. It's the first, because I've been working on it since the day I started working at this school. The State has recently published some Standards for World Languages that look a lot like the National Standards, and have made them legally binding on the class of 2011, so the high school classes need to be brought up to snuff. In addition, the elementary and middle schools have been running on standards for years. The standards I'm currently working with in K-8, however, aren't tied as tightly to the State's standards as they need to be. I've been trying since day 1 to bring everything up to speed, not to use lesson plans unless they meet higher standards, that sort of thing. The results have been piecemeal and thoroughly unsatisfactory, so this summer I will be working on it. The current game-plan is this: Take a look at last year's Spanish I class (the first high school class to have standards attached), decide what went right and what went wrong, and change the plan for next year accordingly. That shouldn't be too work-intensive, and I should have success. That will help me put the Spanish II class into standards mode, which will be much more work-intensive. And then, starting at kindergarten, design a curriculum that uses the Standards as the baseline, instead of whatever system was used before.
6.) The Art and Science of Teaching. The 2007 book by Bob Marzano is my principal's new go-to book; past experience with similar literature suggests that we'll be hearing a lot about this in the next year. I'd like to have a leg up. Expect commentary as I go through it.
If anybody reads this, probably on accident on your way to somewhere more interesting, I'd appreciate thoughts on any of this.
And now, for the dishes.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
And now, for something completely different...
I staked out the cyberspace for this blog some 7 months ago, and have done almost nothing with it. I thought I would use it as a way to connect to students through the Internet, but that hasn't happened. First, other tools exist for doing this: in Moodle, I can password-protect copyrighted material, and keep myself safe under fair-use law. I can make a MySpace or Facebook account and connect a lot more directly to most of my students. I can Twitter reminders to most of them, and have the reminders show up on their phones--in some cases, during my actual class. (I've always wanted to text to one of my students, "Stp txt in cls.")
Also, since spring break, I've thought a great deal about the way my class is set up, the way it should be set up, etc., and I've done heaps of research about classroom management and school behavior and language education methodology. I'm finding my old notebook system insufficient for keeping it all in order. This, of course, means I can't find anything.
So, as of today, I'm going to completely change the theme. It's no longer related to the classroom, and will be much more geared towards looking at how to make schools, specifically MY school, work better. Since it helps to start off with a statement of goals (a constant theme in the research), I'll list mine here. My goals with this blog are to: 1.) organize my sources and informal thinking process about school into a searchable form, so I can find ideas after I have them; 2.) receive commentary from anyone who's ever participated in a class, particularly in a language class; 3.) make the process of thinking about schools more of a process, instead of something I do in the margins of my notebooks, next to doodles of me in revolucionario outfits.
I'll start off later with a running description of what I'm working on at the moment. My readership right now consists of 0--my wife doesn't read my blog--so at first it will be a sort of electronic spiral notebook. But I hope to encourage others to read, and more important, comment on the posts later, so the tone will grow more interactive in the weeks to come.
Also, since spring break, I've thought a great deal about the way my class is set up, the way it should be set up, etc., and I've done heaps of research about classroom management and school behavior and language education methodology. I'm finding my old notebook system insufficient for keeping it all in order. This, of course, means I can't find anything.
So, as of today, I'm going to completely change the theme. It's no longer related to the classroom, and will be much more geared towards looking at how to make schools, specifically MY school, work better. Since it helps to start off with a statement of goals (a constant theme in the research), I'll list mine here. My goals with this blog are to: 1.) organize my sources and informal thinking process about school into a searchable form, so I can find ideas after I have them; 2.) receive commentary from anyone who's ever participated in a class, particularly in a language class; 3.) make the process of thinking about schools more of a process, instead of something I do in the margins of my notebooks, next to doodles of me in revolucionario outfits.
I'll start off later with a running description of what I'm working on at the moment. My readership right now consists of 0--my wife doesn't read my blog--so at first it will be a sort of electronic spiral notebook. But I hope to encourage others to read, and more important, comment on the posts later, so the tone will grow more interactive in the weeks to come.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Spanish Club outing
Spanish club members:
1.) Are you going bowling on Thursday?
2.) Can you get there?
3.) Can you take other people?
--Sr. Cosby
1.) Are you going bowling on Thursday?
2.) Can you get there?
3.) Can you take other people?
--Sr. Cosby
Friday, December 21, 2007
La Navidad en el mundo hispano
La Navidad
EN ESTADOS UNIDOS: La Navidad es un día importante. Claro, es un día sagrado para los cristianos. Pero también para muchos no cristianos, es un día para estar con la familia. El 24 de diciembre, la noche antes de la Navidad, es una época de mágica para los niños. Esperan a Papá Noel, o Santa Claus, y escuchan emocionadas el sonido de renos y campanitas. Dejan galletas y vasos de leche para el elfo gordo.
A la medianoche, muchas iglesias tienen misas, o servicios, para honrar el nacimiento de Jesús. En la mañana, los niños abren los regalos que Santa Claus trae en la noche. Las familias comen una comida grande, y disfrutan estar con sus seres amados.
EN EL MUNDO HISPANO: La Navidad es más una celebración religiosa. Muchas personas en el mundo hispano son cristianos, y la mayoría de las personas es católica. El 24 hay reuniones de familias y amigos, fiestas, y una cena a la medianoche. Gracias a la influencia de la cultura estadounidense, muchas casas tienen árboles navideños, y muchos niños latinos esperan a Papá Noel.
Sin embargo, la Navidad no es el gran día para dar regalos. Los niños en España, México, Argentina, y otros lugares en el mundo hispano esperan a los 3 Reyes Magos. Los Reyes Magos vienen el 6 de enero. (Los 12 días de la Navidad son el 25 de diciembre a el 6 de enero.) La noche del 5 de enero, los niños dejan sus zapatos al pie de sus camas. Dan agua a los camellos de los reyes. Los reyes magos dejan pequeños juguetes y dulces en los zapatos.
Otras tradiciones:
Las Posadas son una serie de fiestas en México y Colombia. Estas fiestas ocurren el 16 al 14 de Diciembre. Conmemora el viaje de José y la virgen María a Belén.
Los villancicos son canciones para la Navidad. “Noche de paz” y “Feliz Navidad” son ejemplos de villancicos.
Los Belenes son modelos de las figuras del Nacimiento. Incluyen figuras de san José, la virgen María, los animales, y los pastores. El 25 de diciembre, se añade una figura del bebé Jesús, y el 6 de enero, se añaden las figuras de los Reyes Magos.
Links externas:
http://www.navidadlatina.com/
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/xmasindex.html
http://www.inside-mexico.com/featurenavidad.htm
http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/spanish-festivals/christmas-in-spain.htm
http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-spain.htm
EN ESTADOS UNIDOS: La Navidad es un día importante. Claro, es un día sagrado para los cristianos. Pero también para muchos no cristianos, es un día para estar con la familia. El 24 de diciembre, la noche antes de la Navidad, es una época de mágica para los niños. Esperan a Papá Noel, o Santa Claus, y escuchan emocionadas el sonido de renos y campanitas. Dejan galletas y vasos de leche para el elfo gordo.
A la medianoche, muchas iglesias tienen misas, o servicios, para honrar el nacimiento de Jesús. En la mañana, los niños abren los regalos que Santa Claus trae en la noche. Las familias comen una comida grande, y disfrutan estar con sus seres amados.
EN EL MUNDO HISPANO: La Navidad es más una celebración religiosa. Muchas personas en el mundo hispano son cristianos, y la mayoría de las personas es católica. El 24 hay reuniones de familias y amigos, fiestas, y una cena a la medianoche. Gracias a la influencia de la cultura estadounidense, muchas casas tienen árboles navideños, y muchos niños latinos esperan a Papá Noel.
Sin embargo, la Navidad no es el gran día para dar regalos. Los niños en España, México, Argentina, y otros lugares en el mundo hispano esperan a los 3 Reyes Magos. Los Reyes Magos vienen el 6 de enero. (Los 12 días de la Navidad son el 25 de diciembre a el 6 de enero.) La noche del 5 de enero, los niños dejan sus zapatos al pie de sus camas. Dan agua a los camellos de los reyes. Los reyes magos dejan pequeños juguetes y dulces en los zapatos.
Otras tradiciones:
Las Posadas son una serie de fiestas en México y Colombia. Estas fiestas ocurren el 16 al 14 de Diciembre. Conmemora el viaje de José y la virgen María a Belén.
Los villancicos son canciones para la Navidad. “Noche de paz” y “Feliz Navidad” son ejemplos de villancicos.
Los Belenes son modelos de las figuras del Nacimiento. Incluyen figuras de san José, la virgen María, los animales, y los pastores. El 25 de diciembre, se añade una figura del bebé Jesús, y el 6 de enero, se añaden las figuras de los Reyes Magos.
Links externas:
http://www.navidadlatina.com/
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/xmasindex.html
http://www.inside-mexico.com/featurenavidad.htm
http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/spanish-festivals/christmas-in-spain.htm
http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-spain.htm
Sunday, December 9, 2007
¿Qué tiempo hace?
¡Descubre un paraíso! ¿Qué tiempo hace en el mundo hispano...o en el mundo general?
http://espanol.weather.com/
Selecciona una ciudad a la izquierda. Déjame una breve descripción del tiempo en los comentarios....
En San Juan, Puerto Rico, va a llover durante la semana que viene. Va a haber tormentas hasta miércoles, y chubascos (un poco de lluvia) dispersos por la semana después. Va a hacer calor durante todo este período.
¡Diviértete!
--Sr. Cosby
http://espanol.weather.com/
Selecciona una ciudad a la izquierda. Déjame una breve descripción del tiempo en los comentarios....
En San Juan, Puerto Rico, va a llover durante la semana que viene. Va a haber tormentas hasta miércoles, y chubascos (un poco de lluvia) dispersos por la semana después. Va a hacer calor durante todo este período.
¡Diviértete!
--Sr. Cosby
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