Listening to Student Voice

 

Dr. Ronald F. Ferguson of Harvard University has spent a decade developing reliable predictors of and measures for effective teaching that go BEYOND observations and test scores.  The Tripod Project captures and provides a framework to measure components of effective teaching. Classrooms that score higher on the 7 Tripod measures have consistently happier, harder working students and they learn more.  His research affirms what educators have long known: students know...they really know.

So let's listen to what students are telling us.  Education Week provided a status report on the newer, Smarter Balanced assessments.  Remember, these assessments have been billed as a "total shift in thinking, teaching and assessment." Teachers across the country, and in our own district, have been concerned about the increased rigor and expectation, wondering how our students would perform.

Of special concern were the more challenging performance tasks, which, "drew the warmest comments from students.  'They enjoyed those the most because they were using academics and applying them to content situations, things they were connected with.'" 

Math presented some additional challenges because it required students to "blend skills together to solve a problem, instead of regurgitating facts"(Gewertz, 2014).

Students noted the rigor.  Some, as we might expect, said they'd rather have the old test because it "was easier" (Gewertz, 2014).

We're finding our students understand that the rigor more closely matches the expectations of life after high school, and, affirming Dr. Ferguson's research, know that they grow the most in classes that require them to:

• Care: Show concern and commitment.
• Confer:  Invite ideas and promote discussion.
• Captivate:  Inspire curiosity and interest.
• Clarify: Cultivate understanding and overcome confusion.
• Consolidate:  Integrate ideas and check for understanding.
• Challenge: Press for rigor and persistence.
• Control: Sustain order, respect and focus.    (Tripod Project^®Framework)                             

These verbs, which are active and speak to a level of challenge that engages students, are found throughout the lessons crafted by SPS teachers, and reflect our adoption of the Missouri Learning Standards. 

As measures, in conjunction with a rigorous, literacy rich curriculum,  they continue to guide our efforts to equip students for life beyond high school.  

So we keep listening.

Gewertz, C. (2014, May 5). Early reports suggest few field-testing snags: Exams aligned with the common core are seen as harder than state assessments. . Retrieved May 15, 2014, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/05/06/30fieldtest_ep.h33.html? 

The Tripod Project. Retrieved May 23, 2014, from tripodproject.org

 

Taking ACTION to Impact Learning

“Never mistake motion for action.” Ernest Hemingway

I started hearing about "common college- and career-ready standards" in 2000.  Since I entered the profession in 1980, I'd seen my fair share of adoptions.  I was hopeful in 2010 when I saw the first drafts of these standards which were IMMEDIATELY adopted by Kentucky.  Deep review provided evidence that these standards,  which outline the minimum content required for all students before graduating, lived up to their hype and truly were "fewer, deeper standards."  They provided a thoughtful continuum of content and skills across grade levels that wove in rich literary experience and practice.

The standards resonated with teachers who knew that if students were to truly master the "mile high and inch deep" standards, their K-12 education would need to become K-20.

At professional learning opportunities, more than one teacher would whisper and nod, "This is what GOOD teachers have ALWAYS done."

It is now 2014.  Four years and two adoption cycles later legislation has been introduced to make Missouri the second state to reject Common Core.  Work groups will be formed to develop standards for English language arts, math, science, and history.  Each work group would have 16 members, 8 selected by legislative leaders, 5 selected by educational groups and the state board, and 1 selected by the governor, commissioner of education and lieutenant governor.  Four of the members must be parents. These standards must be in place by the 2016-17 school year.

More money and countless hours will be spent making these "Missouri's standards."  
Will the standards be better?  Maybe...maybe not.  Certainly lots of folks will be busy "working for kids."

In classrooms across the state, though, teachers and students will still be reading, analyzing and responding to text.  Students will still be preparing to compete with a workforce outside of Springfield, outside of Missouri, and outside the United States.  

Funds that could have provided increased supports for our most struggling students will be tied up in binders and committee reports.  Motion, but not much ACTION that impacts learning.

Authentic Literacy

College and career readiness has never been more important for Missouri's students. Too many students graduate from high school unprepared for higher education and have to spend time and money on remedial classes before they can begin college-level work. Too many employers express concerns that the work force is coming to them unprepared. 

In order to meet these challenges, teachers in Springfield Public Schools have focused on systematically defining and building systems to ensure that ALL children develop and hone the literacy skills that ensure their future success. 

Springfield teachers know that these 7 steps have ALWAYS been an essential component of sound instruction:

http://www.springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/pages/SPSMO/About/Departments/Educational_Services/General_Info/SPS_ELA_Common_Core_Video

It's Called Problem Solving For a Reason

There is an amazing book called Adding It Up:  Helping Children 
Learn Mathematics.
It is not a new book (copyright 2001), nor is it an easy 
book to read. I waded through it once a few years back.  The book 
takes a hard look at the state of mathematics instruction in the United 
States through the lens of the Third International Mathematics and 
Science Study (TIMSS) conducted in the mid-1990s.  Throughout the 
book, comparisons are drawn between mathematics instruction 
in the United States, Japan, and Germany.  One finding of the 
TIMSS that I found particularly striking, and that has really stuck 
with me, is the use of applied problem-solving in United States 
classrooms.  They studied the types of problems used in classrooms 
in the three countries and, actually,the problems were not significantly different.  
What was different was the way in which the teachers in each country allowed 
students to solve the problems. Not surprisingly, Japanese teachers typically allow 
students to struggle the most with problems. Teachers in Germany stepped in to help 
a little quicker than the teachers in Japan.  In the United States, however, teachers  typically offered assistance at the first sign of struggle or frustration.
 
Wait, isn't it called problem solving?

Missouri's new math standards will require us to teach 
perseverance with problem solving along with math computation 
so students can experience success with the multi-step problems. 

Students may struggle with the increased rigor.

We will provide them with tools that assist them as they grapple with these authentic problems.  

But kids won't learn to solve problems if we always give them the answers. 
And we might be surprised at the solutions they come up with!

Building persistence with problem solving instills a confidence that 
sets students up for success beyond high school...count SPS in!

It's NOT a Multiple Choice World

I don't know what a typical day looks like in your job, but I spend a considerable amount of time making and defending decisions based on current research and information. I have to read and process complex text in my discipline, distill the information to the key concepts, and apply it to our district and our students.  There are days I wish I could bubble a circle and move on.
Not surprisingly, employers in our city and state, as well as those across the country have noted the importance of critical thinking and problem solving.  Forbes magazine recently listed the top ten skills that employers are seeking.  The list is similar to those put together by higher education.

1. Ability to work in a team
2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems
3. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
4. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization
5. Ability to obtain and process information
6. Ability to analyze quantitative data
7. Technical knowledge related to the job
8. Proficiency with computer software programs
9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports
10. Ability to sell and influence others

To prepare students to meet these demands schools must be sure that they consistently provide ALL students with learning opportunities that mirror authentic tasks.

Springfield Public Schools has been working to embed these learning experiences into our adopted curriculum.  Teacher teams select aligned materials, draft document based questions that require the use of higher order thinking skills, create common rubrics to score student work, and discuss student work together in professional learning communities or whole faculty study groups.  SPS utilized these rich learning opportunities prior to Missouri's formal adoption of the Missouri Learning Standards.  Teacher teams led this work based on their "up close and personal" view at the classroom level.  Our teachers have known for a long time that we don't live in a multiple choice world and have responded to the challenge of preparing students for THEIR futures.