REFLECTION ZONE: RtI

Response to Intervention Reflection

By Abby Marish

Our district is preparing to be ready for when the RtI model needs to be completely in place by the 2014 school year.  Our district has created a problem solving team at each building.  This team consists of the building principal, guidance counselor, teachers who are delivering interventions, a special education teacher, and an aide.  The team received training and met one school day each month the first year.  The second year the team met after school until 7:00 four times as well as three days in the summer. The middle school team has also met at numerous morning meetings before school as we went through the complete problem solving team process with a selected student. 

I am one of the teachers who is responsible for delivering math interventions to sixth graders who are at least one year behind grade level.  This is my second year working with the RtI model.  I have one hour a day called math duty.  I meet with a small group of students, usually around 5 or 6 students for a hex, or 6-week period.  Students attend three days a week for intervention and two days a week for specific math help on the current topic they are studying in math class.  The interventions students work on are Rocket Math, Daily Oral Math, and Do the Math.  This year we are also adding Compass software.  Our curriculum coordinator and special education director are currently looking for research-based math interventions as there are very few research-based interventions identified, and that will be what we must use by 2014.  Besides changing to research based interventions, we will also have to change how the hour is set up.  The law states that a student must receive two 30-day research-based interventions for each subject area he/she is struggling in.  Currently students receive interventions three days a week for six weeks, so this is only 15 days.  This will need to change to 30 days, and students will need to attend for two hexes. 

RtI can be an advantage and a disadvantage.  An advantage is that students are getting extra instruction during the school day in a small group setting. Because the groups are small, students get more individual attention and help.  Their math confidence boosts as they can see and track the progress they are making. It is a good opportunity to help the students who really need extra help understanding and not let them fall through the cracks.  They can make gains if the intervention matches the specific need. Currently the interventions we are using are not tailored to meet the individual need of each student.  Once we have more research-based interventions to choose from, we can do a better job of making sure each student is getting the individualized help in the specific math strand they need.  Another disadvantage is that two 30 day interventions seems like a long time to have a student with a learning disability go without receiving the special education services they need to be successful.  There are both advantages and disadvantages to RtI.  There are changes our school will need to make to be ready to comply with all rules and regulations by 2014.  While there are many areas that we can improve upon and pieces of RtI that need to be ironed out, we are definitely working to help students grow and learn, and that is positive piece of RtI.



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. 

REFLECTION ZONE: Classroom Management

I read the article "Classroom Management: Whose Job Is It?" by Robert Marzano from the October 2011 edition of Educational Leadership.

The main point of this article was that teachers, administrators, and students all have an important role to play in effectively managing behaviors in school.  Teachers must provide clear direction and create a positive learning atmosphere where students feel valued and challenged.  Teachers must have rules and procedures that are continually referenced and consistently reinforced.  Administrators must establish a schoolwide foundation, and they must enforce guidelines that safe and respectful behaviors occur between teachers and students.  All students, not just student council representatives, must have a voice and help design rules for their school and classrooms. Students also must help support enforcement of the rules.  Teachers, administrators, and students all have shared responsibilities to manage school behavior.  Classroom management is necessary before effective teaching or learning can occur. 

I agree with this article.  We have had students help create our Social Contract, and it has been effective.  I have it posted in my room and reference it as needed throughout the year.  It helps that the entire school has the same contract, and all the kids are on the same page.  It takes EVERYONE to make a successful school. 

REFLECTION ZONE: Single Gender Classrooms

This past Thursday I attended an after school section on single gender classrooms.  Our guidance teacher and 7th grade English teacher recently attended and presented at an educational conference in Florida.  Currently at our middle school, both 6th and 7th grade English students can choose to participate in an all boys, all girls, or mixed English class. After they came back they wanted to share some of their findings and new learnings.  Their main point was that teaching the male brain is different than the female brain.  Females need to help to focus on persistence when problem solving and boys need to focus on getting started.  It was recommended to bold or darken the first word of each direction for boys and to model persistence for girls.  One review game shared was called Fastest and Best for boys.  Boys are partnered up and groups are given a note card with a problem.  Once they figure the answer they have to run it up to your desk with their answer. If they are correct, you give them their second problem card to work on.  It involves movement and competition.  I don't teach single gender classes, but I am interested in trying this review method with one of my classes this week. 

REFLECTION ZONE: Best Practices Group Work

Best Practice
KAMPers
Karen, Abby, Mary, and Paula

Student Expectations:
By Oct. 20
Go to www.interventioncentral.org
Click on RTI Help and read the introduction paragraph
Click on Defining Student Behavior Problems: Best Practice (5th link)
Read background information on RtI and the elements of effective interventions
Go back to home page and click on Academic Interventions and/or Behavior Interventions
Read through these intervention options
Choose a student who possibly could benefit from a tier 1 intervention
Select an appropriate intervention (academic or behavioral) from the site to implement

By Oct. 27
Share your scenario - Include a brief description of the student situation, the reason for selecting the student, and why you chose the intervention. What are you hoping to accomplish?
Post this on D2L under the Best Practices Link
Implement your intervention with the identified student.

By Nov. 22
Final D2L Post under Best Practices Link -
Reflect on your progress.  Share your data and results. What happened because of your intervention? Why or why not would you be willing to try this intervention again with a different student?

Template for Backward Design of a Curriculum Unit

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TITLE--Best Practice!  It’s not only for geniuses! :)

I. What are the Big Ideas you want students to take away from this unit? Tier 1 interventions are something teachers implement in classrooms every day, so it's important to have a large repertoire to draw from. Being able to identify student needs, and select an appropriate intervention to meet those needs is a skill teachers will need as the RtI process becomes a larger part of our classrooms. Teachers will differentiate interventions to students based on a specific need/needs.

2. What are some Essential Questions that will help them grasp the Big Ideas? Why is differentiation important? How can we help our struggling students be as successful as possible? How do we choose an appropriate intervention?

3.  Assessment(s):  How will you find out whether students understand the Big Ideas? Students will share the plan they implemented, any data they collected throughout the process, and the results from implementing their intervention.  They will reflect on the process by sharing why or why not  they would be willing to try this intervention again with a different student. Final assessment posted on D2L Best Practices Strand by November 22.

4.  What Learning Activities will prepare them for the Assessment(s) you will use?  How are these activities related to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards? Read the background information on Response to Intervention, the elements of effective interventions, and examples of academic and behavioral interventions. Select one student who you feel could benefit from a tier 1 intervention. Choose an intervention from www.interventioncentral.org to try with this student.   by Oct. 20 Document the reason for choosing this student and any data that you have for identifying him/her. Include a brief description of the student situation, the reason for selecting the student, and why you chose the intervention. What are you hoping to accomplish?  Post to Best Practices Strand on D2L by Oct. 27 and begin implementing intervention Related to the following Wisconsin Teacher Standards: #3: Teachers understand that children learn differently. #4: Teachers know how to teach. #8: Teachers know how to assess student progress.

5.  What Learning Activities can be used as Formative Assessments? Become more familiar with interventions by perusing the website www.interventioncentral.org and choosing one intervention that you believe to be applicable to one of your students.  Share which intervention you are selecting with a brief summary of the situation and why that intervention seems applicable. Post this information on D2L under the Best Practices Strand by October 20.

6.  How will you differentiate your instruction to meet the needs of all students during this unit? Students will have choices to make as they complete this assignment. They will choose which student they will be working with, and they will choose which intervention best meets that student’s needs.

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REFLECTION ZONE: Understanding By Design



Chapter 5

Essential Questions: Doorways to Understanding

This chapter focused on the importance of essential questions, what makes a question essential, and topical and overarching essential questions.

Essential Questions pg. 105-108

• aim to stimulate thought, provoke inquiry, spark more questions
• are not answerable with finality in a brief response
• are broad
• uncover the real riches of a topic
• create deep and transferable understandings
• serve as a launchpad for examining big ideas
• elicit alternative views
• cause students to focus on their reasoning, not just if their answer is “right” or “wrong”
• spark meaningful connections from prior life experiences
• lead to more questions
• open up thinking and possibilities for everyone - experts and novices

Four Connotations for Essential Questions pg. 108-109

1. includes important questions that recur throughout our lives (perpetually arguable)
2. point to core ideas and inquiries within a discipline
3. help students effectively inquire and make sense of important but complicated ideas
4. will engage a specific and diverse set of learners (need to hook and hold attention of your students)

Essential Aspects of Essential Questions pg. 1109

1. cause genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas
2. provoke deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, new understandings, and new questions
3. require students to consider alternatives, support ideas, justify answers
4. stimulate vital ongoing re-thinking of big ideas
5. spark meaningful connections with prior learning and experiences
6. create opportunities for transfer to other situations or subjects

One cannot tell if a question is essential by just looking at the wording, out of context.
One needs to look at the whole design, especially the assessments, in order to determine if the question is essential or not.

Topical Essential Questions pg. 113-117

• about a specific topic
• lead to specific topical understanding
• stimulate inquiry and deep understanding of important ideas
• can seem to seek a “right” answer, but not expected the will be answered by the end of a unit

Overarching Essential Questions pg. 113 - 117

• broad, deep, more general questions
• remain open and alive... maybe forever
• create broader, transferable understanding that cut across the unit
• frame courses around the big ideas

It is recommended to include sets of both types of these questions. Both types should be matched or related to each other. Teachers sometimes ask how many essential questions they should have for a unit.  It is recommended to follow a variation of the Marine Corps recruiting slogan: “We’re looking for a few good questions.  If they are truly essential, they can (and should) establish priorities and help uncover all key ideas.  Do no state questions that you do not intend to activley investigate through discussion, research, problem solving, and other means.”  pg. 119

REFLECTION ZONE: Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment Examples

Class Paddles - Individual Dry Erase Boards   When reviewing concepts we learned, I will give each group of two students a small dry erase board, a marker, and two kleenex - one wet and one dry.  I then ask a math question.  The group has time to think, discuss it, solve it, and put their final answer on their board.  They wait until I say, “Paddles Up” and then they hold up their paddle to display their answer.  I reveal the correct answer and choose a group who answered it correctly to explain to the class how they solved they it.  I can walk around the room and listen to the groups discuss their answers, and I can also check for understanding when I see their answers on their boards.  Students clean their board and are ready for the next question.  They seem to like rotating the duty of writing and cleaning the board.

                                                                    

Inside/Outside Circle  Sometimes before I will correct an assignment I will divide students into two groups.  One group is the “inside” circle and one group is the “outside.”  Both groups make circles with their chairs or desks..  The outsides make up the outer circle, and they will stay put for this activity.  The insides form the inner circle, and they face the outside circle people. They will be the ones to move on my direction.  Each inside person is paired with an outside person.  If there is an odd number a group of three is fine. Everyone needs to have their homework with them as I will then give them a problem from their homework to discuss with their partner.  They each need to explain their thinking and show their partner their work.  If a person wants to change or make corrections, they are allowed to do so.  While students are sharing I walk around and listen to their conversations.  I choose a group who understands the problem to show their thinking on the promethean board for others  to see.  Next I will have the inner circle students rotate two spots to their right to find a new partner to discuss a new problem.  We usually rotate 3-5 times so students have the opportunity to work with new people.