REFLECTION ZONE: AR Presentation Reflections

Action Research Presentation Reflection

          April 24, 2012 was a good day.  It was the day I shared my action research presentation with my colleagues, principal, and curriculum coordinator. The day began with my team members bringing me a vase of flowers with a good luck note.  Hugs were exchanged all around, and I felt so good that they supported me and acknowledged my hard work. My advisory students helped disinfect all the desks and tidy the room up, so it was ready for the presentation.  Later that day my husband stopped in with my daughter Harper.  He had made and brought in chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies that were in the shape of graduation caps.  It was so nice he came to wish me luck on my big day.  I also enjoyed showing Harper off to everyone at school.  My superintendent also came down to meet Harper.  Many students wished me good luck as they left for the day.  I also received a text message from my sister telling me that I would do great.  All the positive energy was well accepted.

My presentation was scheduled to start right after school, so staff were able to attend and still work the middle school track meet.  I had a total of ten people attend, including my accountability partner and another community member.  I felt very prepared, as I had practiced many times.  I created note cards to help remember the most important points, but I did not end up using them much.  I felt confident sharing a topic I knew quite a bit about.  I was asked questions at the end, and many seemed genuinely interested in my topic.  I received positive feedback and there was even mention of creating a hex class next year based on my project.  I felt very proud of accomplishing a large project that ended up being very positive for students. 

Presentation: Determination of the Effects of Cultivating the Growth Mindset

REFLECTION ZONE: Accessing YouTube at School

This school year I wanted to show my action research group a few short video clips from the Brainology website.  However, the clips were originally from YouTube, and this site is blocked on my school computer.  I really wanted to still show them, so I inquired about it by sending a helpdesk to our technology department.  I learned that there was a way to do it.  I needed an offsite connection to "capture" the video, so I used my computer from home. Next, I needed a way to grab the video.  I watched another YouTube video on how to do that using KeepVid. The link for the how-to is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFoYQJbC-O4

I needed to copy the url of the site I wanted to show and then go to the website keepvid.com.  I then pasted the url, hit download, and saved it with a .flv in the name.  This works for any site that I would want to save and bring in to class.   I thought this was helpful, and I was so glad I was able to share these video clips with my students. I learned something new and shared this information with other teachers on my team.

REFLECTION ZONE: Teacher Leadership

Teacher Leadership

"Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success.  Whether these roles are assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school's capacity to improve. Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their peers" (Harrison and Killion, 2007).

ü    Resource Provider – Share Instructional Resources

o       Websites

§        Classroom website

§        Shares websites with others

o       Materials

§        Best Practices 

·Everyday Advisory

·Developmental Designs (Tab Out, UAS, Social Contract)

·Teacher Language

·UbD Lesson Planning

§        Interventions 

·Rocket Math

·Do the Math

·Compass Learning

·MAP website

·Help Signal

§        Technology Tools

·        Google Docs

·        LIVE@EDU

·        Activ Boards, Active Slate, Activ Expressions

·        Ipods/Ipads

·        Classroom Tablets

o       Professional Journals

§        Teaching Tolerance

§        Educational Leadership

§        Technology Horizons in Education

o       Action Research

§        Learning Targets

§        Growth Mindset

o       Educational Reads

§        The Energy Bus

§        Six Thinking Hats

§        The Essential Enneagram

§        Ubuntu

§        Teaching With Poverty in Mind

§        The Alchemist

o       Learns new things and SHARE with team, co-workers, principals  - Share grant opportunities

o       Communicates with Parents- Share resources, make phone calls, send emails, update webpages, message center, homework hotline

ü    Mentor/Coach

o       Works well in a PLC

o       Mentors new teachers about curriculum, instruction, and others

o       Help long-term sub and daily substitute teachers

o       Offers support to other teachers

o       Demonstrates a lesson – for Literacy Coaches

o       Observes a lesson

o       Provides non-judgmental feedback

o       Co-teaching – Team Taught Math

ü    Data Coach

o       Analyzes data from test scores – WKCE & Math Data Days – Create working chart of MAP Data

o       Backwards Planning - Understanding By Design

o       Analyzes data from action research

o       Uses data to drive instruction & select students for interventions

ü    Curriculum and Instructional Specialist

o       Implements Differentiated Instruction

o       Research-based strategies

o       Plans instruction tied to assessment

o       Understands Common Core – researching math materials

o       Understands Response to Intervention – Problem Solving Comittee

o       Works with others to create shared assessments

o      Collaborates and shares knowledge and new learning with colleagues and principal.

o      Communicates with Parents

o      Creates School and Classroom Community

§       Responsive Classroom

§       Developmental Design

ü    Catalyst for Change

o      Visionaries 

o      Always look for an improved way of doing things 

o      Strong commitment to continual changes

o      Asks questions and challenge co-workers

o      Willing to learn and try new ideas in the classroom

·Promethean board

·Tablets

·Math Duty

ü    School Leader

o      Participates in committees

o      Aligns professional goals with school and district goals

o      Extracurricular Activities

·Coach – basketball, volleyball, track

·Mix It Up Day Leader

·Math Masters Coach

o      Familiar with the Seven Norms - Share with teams

o      Completes tasks with integrity

o      Supports school initiatives

o      Shares in the vision of the school 

o      Has a Professional Vision Statement

o      Conducts action research

o      Maintains Professionalism

ü    Continual Learner

o      Reflective Practice

o      Demonstrates Life Long Learning – take classes, Masters Program

o      Models continual improvement

o      Applies their learning to help all students learn

o      Communicates and build relationships with other districts – CESA days, Math Meets

o      Stays current on educational topics

o      Reflects/journals on teaching practices  - Blogspot

o      Takes risks & tries new things

o      Works to further education - Professional development, Continuing Education Courses, Master Degree

Harrison, C., & Killion J.(2007). Ten roles for teacher leaders. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 74-77.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders.aspx

 

 

REFLECTION ZONE: Seven Norms of Collaboration & Effective Meetings

Seven Norms of Collaboration & Effective Meetings

1.     Pausing

2.     Paraphrasing

3.     Posing Questions

4.     Putting Ideas on the Table

5.     Providing Data

6. Paying Attention to Self and Others

7. Presuming Positive Intentions

What could I use from this information that would be helpful in my work setting?

I could introduce the seven norms to my team.  The norms might help to enhance the quality and productivity of our team meetings.  Personally I could work on pausing and paraphrasing.  Pausing and taking time to understand someone's comments before I respond can be very beneficial.  If everyone did this, the conversation may go deeper at a quicker pace.  Paraphrasing someone's ideas proves to clarify any misunderstandings before we get too far.  It also acknowledges that I am listening to the speaker.

What barriers could hold me back?

Possible barriers include the time to implement the norms with integrity and making sure everyone wants to follow the norms.  It seems taking this on would mean everyone has to be on board.  If everyone is not in agreement I do not see the norms making a positive impact.  Getting everyone interested might be a barrier.  The time to introduce, follow, and reflect would be a barrier at first.  Once established, time would not be a barrier as following the norms would become more routine.   

REFLECTION ZONE: Live @Edu

 I introduced my 6th grade advisory team to a collaborative online document at Live@Edu(Office365).  I was going to create this on Google Docs, but our tech. dept. responded that it would be easier to use WindowsLive as all staff members already had an account created for them.  The tech. dept. offered to provide a how-to session for our team, but I played around with this as it is a little different than google docs, and I was able to share it with my team. I created an online spreadsheet where each advisor recorded notes from Parent Teacher Conferences.  My team did not have experience with this piece of technology, and they were happy with its ease, that they could access it from any computer, and the fact that it automatically saved. :)  We display this document on the promethean board. We are planning to use it at our Students of Concern meetings to keep records on kids that anyone can access.  We are also using it in preparation for the next time we have conferences.  It was fun to introduce something new to my team that they found helpful.

REFLECTION ZONE: Stakeholders

I think all teachers are stakeholders, but I specifically chose the team of 6th grade teachers as a group of stakeholders in our district.  This is a group of people who have a stake in our school and greatly impact our educational system. 
One thing this group of teachers does each year is the cookie dough fundraiser. These teachers double check each student's order and count the money that each of their homeroom students bring in.  One year, when I had 28 students in homeroom, I alone had over $10,000 sitting in my desk.  It took quite awhile to count the money (each time I picked up an envelope and felt or heard coins jingling I would cringe), call the parents of the students who are short or over to make sure everything was accurate, and to record how many dimes, quarters, $1, $5, $10 bills, $14 checks... were collected for the records of our district office.  It is a pretty time consuming project. 
The profit we make is quite large. Money earned from this fundraiser is used for MANY things and experiences that greatly impact our students. It pays for the gas needed for buses for fieldtrips so students pay $0 for the fieldtrips and the food they eat on these trips during their 6th grade year.  Specifically the money is used for the Camp Wapo experience where students attend camp, eat breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and spend the night in cabins.  This is an expensive fieldtrip that is funded entirely by the cookie dough fundraiser.  We usually have money left over.  This money has gone towards the purchase of the following things for all students in the middle school.

• sleds for recess
• recess equipment
• a large tv for the media room
• equipment for the workout room and phy ed. dept.
• Some years we put the extra money in a cd that would come due during their junior year, and they could use this for their prom.

There is a great deal of extra time and energy that goes into this fundraiser.  The impact of this fundraiser and the benefits reaped from this group’s hard work are also great. Primarily the sixth graders receive the most benefits, but so do other middle school students.  Students are impacted by this group again as juniors in high school.  I view the 6th grade team of teachers, as well as all teachers, as a group of stakeholders in our district. 

REFLECTION ZONE: Grants

Here are two grants I shared with the learning community. 

Become a Mathematics Teacher-Leader
http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=1310


The purpose of this grant is to increase the breadth and depth of the mathematics content knowledge of one elementary school teacher who has a demonstrated commitment to mathematics teaching and learning. The applicant must have the support of the school principal in becoming a mathematics teacher-leader within her or his school or district. For the 2012–2013 school year, grants with a maximum of $6,000 each will be awarded. Only one teacher per school may receive the award. The desired outcome of the funded project is the development of an elementary school mathematics teacher with mathematics content expertise.

Provide Movement Activities for Children with Disabilities

http://info.cvscaremark.com/community/our-impact/community-grants
CVS Caremark Community Grants provide funds of up to $5,000 for public school programs that promote a greater level of inclusion of children with disabilities in extracurricular activities.
Proposed programs may include either physical activities or play opportunities for youth
under age 21 and should address the specific needs of the population served.

REFLECTION ZONE: Common Core Standards - Osceola

I too along with Tony and Rick attended the Common Core Workshop at transition in Turtle Lake last year for middle and high school math teachers.  I received a binder that outlines what each grade level math teacher will "own" as their responsibility for their students to master. There are topics I currently teach that are not included in 6th grade of common core, so I will need to remove them.  I also believe there is some checking for understanding that will need to be completed or topics taught or retaught in order to begin teaching the concepts we are responsible for kids to master in 6th grade.
I am concerned about how this will be implemented.  It sounds like all grades will just say 1,2,3 jump, and everyone will start fresh with the Common Core standards.  It is my thinking that some topics will be lost for some kids with that kind of transition.  It would take much longer to start at Kindergarten the first year, and then K and 1st the second year, and so on,  but I'm just worried about all starting the same time. Maybe I just need to have more faith in the people who created the standards.  :)



REFLECTION ZONE: Communication Alert

Two weeks ago middle school teachers held a Communication Alert night for parents.  We put together a power point presentation on 6th grade subjects, expectations, ways to communicate with your child's teachers, and ways to help your child succeed.  We divided up the slides between all the 6th grade advisors present and spoke from the slides.  The slide show was shown on the promethean board in my room from 6:15 - 7:45.  We also fielded questions when we were done.  We had 26 6th grade parents attend and received positive feedback.  They appreciated seeing us and hearing us explain our classes and certain expectations.  Some were happy to learn more about Advisory, Family Access, Homework Hotline, Message Center, and which teachers had webpages.  Overall, I feel it was a great benefit for those parents in attendance.  It is only our second year, so we are hopeful participation will increase next year as well.