21st Century Learning

It is amazing to see how innovative education has become!  To think learning can take place at all hours of the night from any place in the world is absolutely fantastic.  It amazes me to think how technological advanced the world of education has become.  However, this does not dismiss the value that can be gained from sitting in a classroom and learning face to face. 

Face to face learning environments can be beneficial to students who are still maturing and learning how to be responsible.  I say this because working with 10 year olds face to face teaching is necessary.  As I reflect on my own experiences in college, I would have still struggled not being in the classroom with my professor.  I believe a lot of these feelings stemmed from my lack of confidence and insecurities I felt without the guidance of a professor being there to show and teach me what I needed.  A face to face environment can be useful especially for students who need immediate assistance with a concept. It also makes developing a classroom community and relationship with the students easier. In a face to face environment to teach new literacies in my content area is important.  While I do not believe this should solely be relied on, it is the most effective classroom interaction for 10 year olds.  However, I do believe that with face to face teaching an integration of web 2.0 and 3 D virtual worlds is important.  At 10 years old, my students are still in need of direct instruction which makes face to face teaching necessary.  However, content that is taught can be reinforced with the use of the virtual world.  For instance, my students use the internet to blog about trade books that they read, interact with content taught in the classroom at an inquiry level through webquests, and create voki avitars to depict their learning.  Integration of all learning types is important.  I have found that using the internet allows for students who do not actively seek opportunities to share in the classroom open up online.  I noted in an earlier blog that when I incorporated student blogging with a novel project, students who claimed to hate writing were producing quality reflections.  It must be noted that the internet was not the prescription needed to ‘cure’ these students; however, it was the catalyst that encouraged them to see their own possibilities.  Moreover, the integration of the internet in the face to face setting encourages students to learn in a much less linear fashion.  Additionally, students begin to learn how to develop a perspective when communicating and learning online. In video on “Participatory learning vs. de-schooling, d-skilling, and de-valuing,” I was blown away with the presenter’s passion for implementing more media outlets into the classroom. Working in the elementary setting, free use of the internet is such a touchy subject.  His passion for opening the internet gateway in the classroom makes sense, even Eric Sheninger would now agree is important and appropriate

 Teaching students how to handle inappropriate information and pop ups is important when learning in the 21^st century. I feel so torn on this debate. It is clear how valuable the Internet is for students in the classroom, but how do we ensure that students are utilizing it as an educational tool and not a means to discover inappropriate information?  Is there a happy medium? At what age should students’ firewalls be lifted? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to teach students about what to do when stumbling across inappropriate information? Based on the article “How our school adopted school media, one small step at a time” it seems that many of the changes that need to occur in the classroom will require small steps.  Like, Eric I believe that social networking is a valuable resource to be used in the classroom.  I have stated in previous blogs the interest my students display when writing is integrated with blogging.  Not only did I see greater results in student interest, the quality of the writing was much improved.  I think that integrating social networking into the classroom can encourage students who feel they can’t share their thoughts or feelings due to anxiety gives them an opportunity to shine.  Also, there is no pressure of other students waiting for you to answer.  So, students can take their time in responding to information to ensure accuracy in their understanding.  One change that Scheninger mentioned that struck me was making himself more transparent and sharing the ‘happenings’ with others. Making himself more transparent has shed a positive light on how technology can shape the students experiences in the classroom.  

 While I do not believe that either teaching strategy outweighs the other, it is important to note that for my level of students face to face interaction is pivotal in their developmental growth.  This does not go without saying the need for 21^st century teaching integration through web 2.0 tools and 3D virtual worlds.   The book notes that “text learning opportunities in multimodal environments are interactive, enhance communication, engage students in multimedia, create opportunities for inquiry…and support socially mediated learning” (Vacca, Vacca & Mraz, 2011).  These skills will be essential for students as they advance in higher education.  

Side Note: I'm about to start a book (required by Wake County) in regards to 21st Century Skills.  I'm interested to learn how the content from this class and the knowledge being shared by the author's will coincide! 

1 day vs 180 days??

How else should it be addressed other than THE TEST!!  Oh, how I despise what you represent.  To me, the idea of standardized testing has always left a bad taste in my mouth.  I was the student who developed test anxiety which led me to psyching myself out of the knowledge I knew I had.  As a teacher, I look back and want to console my younger self.  Thankfully, my parents were supportive and realistic of the measure produced from the test!  However, this did not always mean my teachers were.  I was aware of my abilities as a learner.  I worked hard and did my best, but that was not what the score results showed.  As an educator, I feel I have developed empathy for students like myself.  It is important that my students always know that one day and one test will never define what they are capable of doing.  From the beginning of school, I share with them how important each day of their 5^th grade year will be.   I have always struggled with the importance and impact gained from implementing a standardized test.  Even though a tremendous amount of data can be gained from a standardized test, that can provide insight into major difficulties suffered by students, it does not accurately represent what my students are capable of doing every day.  After reading the article “How Students Learn,” I am reminded of this fact.   Often, I feel that the test is a better measure of a student’s test taking and strategy usage.  I was quite moved by the following question addressed in the book, “Who is better equipped to observe students, to provide feedback, and to serve as a key informant about the meaning of classroom events?” (Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, 2010).  This rhetorical question is easily answered, but I ponder how policy makers would answer this.  Often, I feel that so much is expected of us, as teachers, and we are inspected under a microscope by people who may never have stepped foot into a classroom.  I become extremely passionate about what I do and to think that someone who doesn’t know my kids or have been in a classroom is going to tell me what is best for them often seems absurd.  By no means am I dismissing their hope to rectify a more educated society, but is often frustrating to hear opinions of people who can’t honestly say they have done my job!  While I agree that standardized test can offer insight into student learning, it cannot be solely relied on.  However, like the article by Reiss states, we are often left guessing how we can improve student performance. Therefore, using portfolios is a great way to ‘assess’ student achievement. The Berkely study states that the “Teachers can scale down to examine how students learn during a single exercise, assignment, or class period, or focus on how they learn a specific concept, skill, or ability” (Reiss, 2009).  I have learned a lot about my students by mere observation.  The article offers simple strategies that “…that probe the learning process offer close up views of students grappling with new material, engaging in complex thinking and responding to instruction in the classroom” (Reiss, 2009). By incorporating portfolio use in the classroom, students begin to learn how to evaluate their own progress, thus developing their reflective judgment.  Moreover, by developing a portfolio, it forces the teacher to learn about his/her students for who they are and what they bring to the table.

As I was reading about performance based assessments and portfolio assessment, I had to remind myself that there will not be a model that works for all students.  Unfortunately, there are numerous variables to take into account when working human subjects.  Therefore, developing a one size fits all model will not work.  Integrating performance based assessment practices in the classroom is a marvelous idea for all teachers.  As I approach this upcoming school year, I plan to give this more attention.  While I keep student work, I rarely involve the students in assessing their performance based on this work.  Therefore, I hope to incorporate some of the suggestions offered by the book.  I really like the idea of interviewing the students.  Who better to ask how they learn than the student!  I plan to develop a Reading Comprehension Interview to begin my literacy development this school year.  I think this can provide a clear picture of the students’ perceptions.  Moreover, using the cloze reading strategy can offer insight into the students’ prior knowledge in relationship to the reading task.  I question how effective this would be when teaching from a novel.  I like the idea and hopefully I can find a way to implement it before I begin this upcoming school year.  By incorporating the cloze strategy in content area like science and social studies, I will potentially have a more clear representation of the students understanding.

Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of assessments.  I can see how appropriately implementing portfolio assessments may positively impact test scores and develop self –efficacy in student achievement.  Ultimately, it is important to utilize class time to do what is best for the child.  As educators, our number one goal is the student.  I strongly believe that if a teacher genuinely cares about the student and their achievement the student will learn and show growth.  It always amazes me to see how demanding this profession is and how little recognition we receive for the hard work we put in.  It is tough to recruit and retain teachers when such little recognition is given for all the hard work teachers put into their classes.  Therefore, I leave with this final question what are policy makers doing to ensure highly qualified teachers remain in the field?

Final SRE

Introduction:
This scaffolded reading experience was designed based on current End of Grade reading test data.  From this data, I concluded that students struggle in answering questions that pertain to the application and extension of content.  While I have found that students are able to recall basic information on characters, setting, and plot it is delving deeper into the author’s choice of words and tone to best understand the motivation of the characters that pose a challenge for the students.  Therefore, I chose to focus on an unconventional form of fiction that is often challenging for students.  Poetry is a form of writing that requires the students to break apart the author’s word choice to dig deep into the meaning and application. This lesson was designed to take place in a 5^th grade classroom for this upcoming school year based on EOG data obtained on my previous years students (2010-2011) in which 91% of my students were white, 8% were multiracial, 38% were serviced in either the academically gifted reading and/or math class, and 12% of the students were pulled for resource assistance (Special Education or Intervention).  Based on EOG data 80% of my students passed with a level 3 or higher on the reading test.  Although this percentage depicts the strong reading abilities of these students, I was astonished with the results obtained from the questions regarding higher level application skills.  Therefore, this lesson is designed to be implemented with this upcoming class in order to dig eeper into my student’s conceptual understanding of content to determine their thinking and connection to content being taught.     

The main text for this lesson can be found at:

1.        http://www.metrolyrics.com/firework-lyrics-katy-perry.html

2.       http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-road-not-taken/

The supplementary text was chosen because of the imagery created through the author’s word.  These sensory engaging poems will encourage discussion of imagery and require the students to break apart the author’s word choice, the meaning, and how it can be applied to their life.  Prior to this lesson, the students will have had experience with a variety of poems.  Although the Road Not Taken will challenge them, they will have strategies to help them comprehend the content.  Whole class and small group discussions will assist in supporting their understanding.  There are a couple of vocabulary words that may cause the students some difficulty like diverged and trodden.  To ensure that I have planned to review the challenging words, I will have the students circle unfamiliar or confusing words.  From research, it seems that the poem is for higher level readers (9-12).  Based on early data obtained from AIMS web data on fluency and reading comprehension from previous students, it is safe to assume the students can handle this passage.  Moreover, using data obtained from the STAR reading test many students average 7+ grade level.   Furthermore, the to the Katy Perry song was chosen because of the simple and relatable content.  After reading through the lyrics and comparing this to other selections my students read, they will understand the content.  I foresee some of my ESL learners struggling with the slang words such as ‘em.’  Overall, both selections are accurately chosen for the level of students I have in my class.   

My philosophy:

I believe that all students can learn with the guidance, support, and dedication of a committed teacher.  My role is to create engaging and motivating lessons while at the same time remain patient with my students as they travel through states of disequilibrium.  In order to meet all my students needs, current research based differentiated strategies are used. My job is to build self awareness of their learning and the “I can” attitude needed to overcome challenging learning experiences.  Bringing awareness to students of this self efficacy trait prepares them for becoming lifelong learners (Vaca, Vaca, & Mraz, 2011).   My commitment to student understanding and learning requires me to stay up to date on strategies and research by regularly attending professional development seminars.  As the book states, students who are left to understand the text using their own strategies are increasingly seen to have gaps between content and their understanding.  Therefore, it is my responsibility to provide necessary scaffolds that help them “…make sense of texts while showing them how to use strategies that will, over time, lead to independent learning” (Vacca, Vacca,& Mraz, 2011).Moreover, I believe that learning is a lifelong process.  Therefore, I encourage my students to seek out opportunities to better themselves.  This pertains to increased interaction with content material and immersing themselves in the stories shared by their peers.  

Objective: 2.042 Interpret elements of fiction using support from the text to determine the message being portrayed by the author’s word choice.  

Time Frame: This lesson was designed for 2 fifty minute class periods.

Materials

1.       CD player and CD of Katie Perry’s Firework song (Before)

2.       Firework Lyrics (1 copy per student=25 copies) (Before)

3.       Chart paper (Pre-reading)

4.       IEPC charts (2 sets of 25)

5.       Semantic Feature Analysis for Figurative Language Vocabulary (1 per student=25 copies)

6.       Smartboard to post discussion questions for the students (Before)

7.       Graphic organizer for making meaning of the Road Not Taken (1 per student=25 copies)(During Reading)

8.       Reader Response Journal (After Reading)

9.       Computer paper for sketching (Before, After)

10.   Copies of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (During)

Inquiry Question:

How can you apply the author’s message, through his or her word choice, to your own life experience?

Before Reading

To introduce this lesson, the students will listen to Katy Perry’s Fireworks song.  To help them organizer their thoughts and encourage connections with the song, they will complete an IEPC chart.  This graphic organizer will help them extend their thoughts by connecting them to images, elaborating, making predictions, and confirming their thoughts. Before I play the entire song, I will play one verse, so they can complete the IEPC chart.  The lyric sheet will also be passed out as they listen, so they can reference it for their IEPC chart.(20 minutes)

I:Students will be asked to close their eyes as I play 1 verse from the Firework song.  They will think about what comes to mind (images, words, experiences etc.) and write it under the I portion of the chart.

E: The students will be asked to elaborate on what they hear by adding details associated with the scene

P: Students will use the images in their head in addition to any elaboration they made to predict content of the rest of the song

C: After listening to the rest of the song, they will confirm their predictions.

 

a.       The students will be asked to share how it made them feel (Name 3 emotions). Why do you think the song makes you feel this way? (Analysis)
The students will then be asked:
What form of writing do the song lyrics look like?  (Remembering)

How might someone feel empowered by the lyrics of this song? (Evaluate)

If Katy Parry wanted to write a sequel to this song, what ideas would you give her? (Create)

b.      After having the opportunity to listen to the song and read the lyrics, the students will be encouraged to sketch an image from the poem that coincides with the emotions they shared.  The sketches will include emotional words to help bring meaning to the picture.

c.       Sketches will be posted for a gallery walk.  Students will share in their table group the message they took from the song/poem.  Post it Note chart paper will be given to each table group for them to write their thoughts down.  Volunteers from each table will share what their group wrote. (b & c=25 minutes) Time will be given for students to walk around and look at the other students drawings.

The teacher will then hand out the following semantic feature analysis to assist students in the recall of figurative language vocabulary. (10minutes)

	Metaphor	Hyperbole	Simile	Personification	Onomonopia
Compares 2 things using like or as
Giving human qualities to non living things
Compares 2 things not using like or as
A representation of a soundà POW, CRACK
An exaggerated statement

During Reading:

Today we will be looking at one of my favorite poems “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.  The students will complete an IEPC (imagine, elaborate, predict, and confirm) chart to support their analysis and application of the poets message. (A chart will be created at the front of the room for me to use as a guide.) I will guide the discussion, by asking volunteers to share their thoughts.  Everyone’s visualization/elaboration may be different so, I will encourage students to put their own thoughts down for this.  I will compile responses to create the class IEPC on chart paper (20 minutes)

I: Students will be asked to close their eyes as I read part of “The Road not Taken.” They will be asked to think about experiences related to feelings, sights, smells, and tastes they associate with the passage. They will write this under the ‘I’ portion of the chart and share with a partner.

E: Once they have shared their visualization with a partner they will be asked to think of additional details associated with the scene.  Questions like “What does the author mean when he says “sorry I could not take both?” “Why did he take the road less traveled?”

P: The students will use the images they created in their head in addition to their elaboration to predict how this can be to the rest of the poem they will read.

C: As we are reading, the students will confirm their predictions. 

Finish reading the poem and partner discuss what meaning they take from it.

Discussion will follow using the following questions (10 minutes)

1.       Have you ever taken the road less traveled? (Applying)

2.       Did it make any difference? (analysis)

3.       How might this poem be different if the traveler had taken the other road? (analyze)

4.        Why do you think Robert Frost chose to send the traveler down the less traveled road? (evaluate)

5.       Is it safer to travel a path everyone takes or does not take? Why or why not? (evaluate)

6.       How might you apply the following saying “The acts of this life are the destiny of the next” to the  to the message in The Road Not Taken? (applying)

I will connect the meaning of their answers to the author’s purpose by passing out the following note sheet.  On this they will see that it is divided into 3 sections to help the them make meaning of the message. (15 minutes)

Author’s Viewpoint	Author’s Word Choice (If you support the viewpoint with figurative language be sure to label it correctly.)	The meaning I make.

I will provide guided instruction as necessary.

After Reading/Assessmentà (30 minutes)
Once the students have had guided and partner practice with identifying author’s view, word choice, and meaning, they will respond to the following prompt in their reader’s response journal.  

Having had the opportunity to better analyze the author’s message through his/her word choice, you should have an idea of how meaning and connections can be made to the content.  Therefore “How can you apply the author’s message, through his or her word choice, to your own life experience?”

 (applying)

After responding to the prompt, the students will be asked to write an authentic poem that depicts and event or experience from their own life.  They may model their writing style like Robert Frost or the writers of Katy Perry’s Firework Song.  Once students finish they will pair up with a partner and read their poem.  Their partner will be asked to draw a sketch of what they felt as they heard the poem being read. (creating)

Reader Response Rubric

4: The student was able to apply his or her understanding of the poet’s message.  He or she was able to connect the idea on multiple levels (ie: text to text, text to self, text to world).

3. The student was able to apply his or understanding of the poet’s message to a single life experience.

2. The student was able to explain the author’s message, but struggled to connect it to their life.

1: The student was not able to explain or connect the author’s message to his/her life.

Authentic Poetry Rubric

4:  The student used a variety of figurative language (at least 3 examples) to convey a clear message that was accurately sketched by the listener.

3: The student used figurative language (at least 2 examples) to help convey a message that was easily sketched by the listener.

2: The student was able to use figurative language (1 example) but did not convey a clear message for the listener to sketch a picture of the main idea.

1: The student did not use figurative language to help depict a clear message making it difficult for the listener to sketch a picture of the poem.

Evaluation:

Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a classroom of 5^th graders to complete this SRE.  However, I was able to use two young ladies that were in my class for the 2010-2011 school year.  Both students are Caucasian and have been identified as academically gifted in language arts.  Prior to implementing this lesson, I had some apprehensions of its success.  It must be noted that my results only reflect the abilities of these students and if implemented with a class of 5^th graders, I would expect my results to be different. 

At the start of the lesson, both girls were excited to be chosen to help me.  There energy was great and ultimately resulted in a positive experience.  Before implementing this lesson I had a strong feeling for success in using the Katy Perry song.  This feeling was validated through both girls’ body language and statements like “I like this song.” and “I have heard this song before.” The IEPC chart was purposeful and engaging.  As they were sharing their images, that were conjured as they listened to the song, one of the girls said “I pictured real fireworks, but it also made me feel important.”  From this statement, I was able to see that she was connecting to the power of the author’s word choice.  They enjoyed having the opportunity to sketch their feelings.  This took longer than expected, so I will be sure to plan for more time when I implement with an entire class.  Both girls did well imagining, predicting and confirming but struggled to produce a coherent elaboration independently.  Therefore, I provide examples to help them.  This proved to be beneficial because they were then able to complete the chart.  Following the IEPC chart, they participated in a Semantic Feature Analysis to review figurative language.  They completed this independently with 100% accuracy.  To ensure they could apply the vocabulary words, there were asked to share examples.  A few examples given were “The ground is on fire, she eats like a horse, the wind whistled through the tree branches.” 

As we moved into the Road Not Taken poem, I was apprehensive the poem would be too challenging.  While it posed some problems for them, with my guidance the participants did a great job.  If I teach this as a whole class lesson, I will read through the poem and briefly discuss their thoughts without before doing the IEPC.  I will be sure to this with caution so that there will be no jeopardizing authentic statements for the IEPC chart.  At times, the girls were confused with the language that was used and clarification of vocabulary  words like diverged, trodden, and hence were needed.  Next time, I know to address these words prior to reading the poem.  The girls shared a time they took a road less traveled and an insightful discussion occurred.  Neither girl tool this literal; both were able to understand the metaphorical meaning and apply it to a situation in their life.  Following the IEPC, both girls needed some guidance in breaking apart the author’s word choice.  Therefore, next time I will be sure to provide more examples of my expectations.

Finally, the girls were excited about the opportunity to write their own poem.  From what they learned, both girls were able to draw on a previous experience and use language that conveyed a deeper meaning.  One participant chose to share about a time she shot the winning shot at a basketball game while the other girl wrote about the day she found out she was going to be a big sister.  The reading response assignment prompted insightful discussion and will be something I keep for next time.  Overall this SRE was successful. 

Reference

Vacca, R.T., Vacca, J. L., Mraz,M. (2011). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the
          curriculum. Boston, MA: Pearson.