We teach during a time that promotes the practice of life-long learning
among our students. Marsha challenged MiddleWeb readers to consider if life-long
learning should also be a mantle that educators themselves need to be taking
on. That means NOT making the textbook "the Holy Grail" and not
taking the easy way out.
Does anyone else come across this problem? In the busy day-to-day planning,
the textbook seems to become the Holy Grail instead of focusing on helping
students learn curricular objectives. I know it's easier just to follow
along with a pre-determined plan. I know it's more "work" to piece
together resources and only use the textbook as a resource.
And whenever I ask a question about why we do this instead of teaching to
curriculum objectives....the look of disdain fills the room. Because, I
think, I'm asking the question that implies yet one more change and taking
on one more thing. How have we gotten ourselves to the place where we survive
by taking the easy way out? And I don't mean to imply all textbook teaching
is "bad". It's not.
Then I go and read Chris Toy's diary
entry about walking around his building and sitting in on team meetings.
I want to cry. It actually sounds like he participates in the planning
activities of his building and knows what is happening. And it makes me
ache for administrators who have the time to invest in helping us catch
the curricular vision of something bigger than getting through the material.
Administrators that aren't always being called away from their buildings
to meetings.
Rather than whine, I'll ask a question. How can we gently motivate others
to take the next step? I don't want to preach. I don't want to judge. I
would just love some company. Is lifelong learning really only for students?
What do you guys think?
-Marsha
------------------------------------
Lise offered her opinion.
I think you need to find a school that is more compatible with your
teaching philosophy. I no longer have the energy to change someone who is
so stuck. Failing that, the other option is to shut your door, and do what
you know in your heart is right for kids.
-Lise
------------------------------------------
Ivone found that "closing ones' door" in an effort to ignore
the apathy she noticed among colleagues wasn't a viable choice for her.
In her posting she explained how teaming energized the learning environment
at her school.
I tried this in my current building. I was miserable. The students were
miserable. Those teachers around me were miserable.
What we did slowly was move to a team approach. We started with 2 people
going into each others rooms when they had opposite prep periods and getting
to meet the kids. We then moved into sharing ideas of what was affective
in our classes. We then moved into a cluster award assembly for our cluster
students.
This was so positive that we added all kinds of motivators. This summer
the administration reworked the master schedule, which really helped us
become a team. I have to say every time we added something that worked we
(students and teachers alike) became happier and more willing to try something
else. I can't picture closing my door now. I can't imagine how I was able
to teach when I was so miserable or how the students in previous years even
bothered coming to school. The atmosphere is so positive on my team. The
students have benefited greatly from it, which hopefully will benefit their
academic achievement.
And yes Marsha I feel to be an affective educator you have to be a life
long learner.
-Ivone
-----------------------------------------------
Chris, the middle school principal referenced by Marsha, explained how
he manages to stay connected with the classroom happenings in his school.
Staying in the building and staying connected to the classrooms is a
conscious decision. I actually had to put it in my daily plan. I've dropped
a few "extra" things that, although important, were not as high
on the priority list. I've scheduled weekly times to be at team meetings
and made a commitment to be in rooms at least an hour a day, or was it 45
minutes. It does make a difference to the staff, students, and parents,
and to me.
-Chris
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick addressed Marsha's concern sbout the overuse of textbooks in any
given program. Here, he posted some of the pros and cons of aligning ones'
program too closely to a textbook.
I do this also. For instance, the school uses the "Passport to
Mathematics" series. This book is garbage p; a gigantic piece o'
crap. I would feel guilty starting a fire with it because a fire deserves
better.
But there is a problem with not using a book. On the third day of school,
I had three different parents call me because I had not sent home a Math
book yet. Parents seem to have a problem with not having a book.
I had to hold a conference with a parent of an eighth grader because of
this. I pulled out my ace in the hole, or so I thought. The first three
chapters of the sixth, seventh and eighth grade book are so similar, the
book was worthless to the students who have already done it. She was not
persuaded.
OK, I pull out another reason not to use the book. Chapter Three in the
eighth grade book deals with adding and subtracting two digit numbers. Really,
things like 57+24, 96+ 12, 87-35. Crap like that. She still thought "if
the book has it in there, it should be taught." Our school objectives
state that these should be MASTERED by fifth grade. Long division, that's
chapter four in the eighth grade book. Seriously, we would be into the second
semester before eighth grade learned anything they did not learn in sixth
and seventh grade.
It is a lot of work to create unique units. Students realize this. They
might resist doing a worksheet, but they will always do a handwritten worksheet.
(I have no idea why this is.) The students also realize that there is no
book to fall back on. They are much more willing to take notes in class
and refer to those notes.
Despite the nasty conference and telephone calls, tons of extra work, making
your own units are really worth it. You know much better than any textbook
company what your classes need to do. My eighth graders want to be challenged.
The book does not offer that. They want meaningful projects - not something
thrown together by some textbook publisher that has never set foot in a
classroom.
Maybe if my text was a little better, I would not have such a bad attitude
about textbooks in general... Maybe not, I never really used one when I
taught English either...
-Rick
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nancy shared how her district makes teachers accountable for maintaining
standards and innovation in their programs.
Marsha, one way to do it is to mandate it at the state and district
level. It isn't always comfortable, but it does work.
In Corpus Christi ISD we have Academic Standards for every core subject,
K-12. They adhere to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) which
are state-required curriculum for all subjects K-12. (Remember that George
Bush started his educational reforms here!)
Every student in CCISD has to pass every standard in order to pass to the
next grade level. The standards are NOT based on the textbooks; in fact,
in middle school science there is nothing to address the physical science
components of the standards in the textbooks we now have. Teachers ARE forced
to pull together resources to teach what is not covered in the text. Furthermore,
the standards leave out a lot of what is included in the text, and there
really isn't time to cover everything in the text, so we have to be pretty
selective. It's the same in just about all subjects except maybe math.
As for participating administrators, one of them shows up in team planning
meeting at least once a week. We also get weekly visits and input from our
parent facilitator and our instructional coach.
As part of our covenant with the More Accountable Schools (an EdTrust
thing connected to the McConnell Clark Middle School Reform grant), we are
all about literacy on our campus. We are REQUIRED to show evidence in our
classrooms, our lesson plans, and our planning meeting conversations of
the elements of more accountable schools, such as academic rigor, accountable
talk, clear expectations, etc. We MUST all incorporate literacy strategies
on a daily basis in our lessons.
Sound harsh? Actually, it isn't too bad. I love it myself, and few teachers
complain. Our principal brags on folks who are doing a real good job of
it, like the piano teacher who has the kids reading poetry and setting it
to music.
So to get back to your question, yes you can get everyone on the band wagon,
but it takes a big push from a committed administrator, and some folks won't
like having to do things a new way.
-Nancy
-------------------------------------------
Marsha had a number of questions to ask Nancy.
What is a parent facilitator and an instructional coach? How do these
roles relate to what the principal does?
It sounds like you have a terrific system in place. Wow. And it sounds like
you have all pulled together to work as a team.
I was wondering what effect you have seen on student learning. And what
was the most significant thing that you now do that has effected that student
learning. Would you think it could be replicated elsewhere that didn't have
all the pieces you were talking about?
Thanks for sharing.
-Marsha
---------------------------------------------
Lori asked readers to share ideas that she might be able to use in her
role as staff developer.
I am (by election/appointment of the Principal) the staff developer
for Middle Level Education this year, and not very happy about it. I am
coaching full time, teaching full time and taking graduate courses in Middle
Level Education and on top of that once a month I have to prepare lessons
on Middle Level Education for the staff Meetings-GRRRRR! Any Suggestions
I have until 1 October for my first lesson!
-Lori
-------------------------------------------------------
Emily offered a few words of encouragement for Lori.
I have no advice to give you. I just wanted to say, that you have made
the first step in recognizing there is more that you want to do. You have
shown that you care and are not apathetic. I am sure you will find a balance.
Good luck!
-Emily
-----------------------------------------------
Michelle offered Lori a concrete suggestion:
I would go to the website www.mgforum.org and pull out the four tenets of
high performing middle schools. Tell your faculty all four, talk about how
there has to be a balance among the four to have a high performing school.
Then separate them out and talk about each one specifically at four different
faculty meetings, always being cognizant that each supports the other.
The four tenets are: High performing schools are academically excellent,
socially equitable, developmentally responsive, and have organizational
structures in place to support the three. I would probably do the academically
excellence piece first, then the developmentally responsiveness piece, then
social equity, then the organizational structures.
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle
Grades Reform is the organization that advocates these, and they are
a good organizational tool for look at where we should be going as middle
schools. There are also tours of virtual four schools they have deemed "Schools
to Watch" that you can pull specific examples from.
You could have the staff brainstorm what things you are doing under each
indicator under the bigger topics (i.e., academic excellence) and then brainstorm
things you could do as a school. These go hand in hand with Turning Points
2000, which would be a great book to do a study group with to finish out
the year of faculty meetings.
Hope this helps! From one who is passionate about middle level education!
Michelle Pedigo
-----------------------------------------------
Marsha responded after visiting the Schools
to Watch site:
I love the opening page of this site. It articulates the "how"
so well. Plus the tour is awesome. I think I might have even seen a familiar
face????!!!!!
Thanks for listing this link.
Marsha
-----------------------------------------------
Michelle shared principals' perspective on lifelong learning and textbook
usage.
Isn't it ironic that we are in the business of learning and we educators
sometimes want to take a hands-off approach to lifelong learning?
As a principal, I received my greatest joys from watching adults learn new
ways to teach children, and like Chris I had to block off time in my calendar
to make being the classrooms a priority. I was gone from building approximately
two days a week, the last year I was there, helping other middle schools
with improvement, with speaking engagements, and with my own learning at
other meetings. However, being in the classrooms were still a priority.
It also meant that I checked e-mail in the evenings after my kids went to
bed, and I had to become very efficient with my computer. My secretaries/support
staff assumed more responsibilities as well.
It's all in priorities, and you are right; we don't need to just use the
book, but our first task is to help educators realize that these kids don't
learn like we do. Many educators joined our profession because "school"
was comfortable to them; the schools of writing and arithmetic, using books,
only. Not all...but many. Now, we are expecting them to change their beliefs
and move out of their comfort zone. As I've said so many times, change is
hard. I'll also say that Nancy is right. It does help when things are mandated
by the state to a degree. We've experienced that in Kentucky, as well as
additional funding for professional development and extended school services.
Keep the faith. You are "thinking and learning" for the sake of
the children.
Michelle
---------------------------------------------------
Joanne felt that textbooks, when properly used, could help inexperienced
teachers get started.
As a new, yet mature teacher, I find I am having the opposite problem.
After 5 weeks of trying re-invent the wheel, I am discovering just how useful
our textbooks are!!! Never fear, I will never be the type to use the textbook
solely, but I started out trying to be so creative and "different"
that I was ignoring so many well-thought out ideas and lessons in our grammar,
spelling, and literature textbooks. I actually have gotten feedback from
students who are missing the worksheets they are used to!
My task now is to peruse the texts, pick and choose the really good and
useful material that supports my lessons and stop wasting my time recreating
lessons and questions and tests that have been thought up already. Isn't
it ironic how differently we all approach teaching? The dyed-in-the-wool
teacher who ONLY uses the text and bores his kids to death (I subbed for
one of those!), the teacher who is always on the lookout and incorporating
new approaches, but knows the text is a good springboard and valuable resource,
and the naive new teacher who makes 10x the work for herself because she
naively thinks the text is boring!!! It is only boring if that is the ONLY
thing one relies on.
The learning for the new teacher continues...
-Joanne
--------------------------------------------------------------
Naomi made some insightful observations about the role textbooks play
in curriculum development.
I think the point is that the book is not the curriculum. Some texts
lend themselves to supporting the curriculum, in whole or in part. Others
are useless. Some topics lend themselves to being taught with a great deal
of support from texts, other don't. Texts are one of many resources......others
are trade books, trips, movies, PowerPoint, and.....the hands on......art....music....theatre....poetry,
etc.
-Naomi
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joanne agreed with Naomi.
Excellent point, Naomi, and one I will remember well. I like our texts
because they are standards-based, aligned with the state standards that
our district follows. This makes using the text as a strong resource very
easy and palatable.
Now, speaking of movies, anyone know of any other survival movies (whole
or in part) I could show my classes (8th grade) besides Cast Away. I love
Cast Away, but want to expand my (and their) repertoire. The type of content
I am looking for is how intelligence, imagination, creativity, perseverance,
and a whole range of other skills help a person to survive in harsh environments.
Thanks in advance,
-Joanne
-----------------------------------------------------------
Mary Anne responded to Joanne's appeal for survival movie suggestions.
If you are only going to show excerpts try--Medicine Man with
Sean Connery. He survives in the Amazon Jungle searching for a cure for
cancer. Another one of my favorites is Everest.
-Mary Anne
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Annie suggested that the academic makeup of a given class might dictate
whether using textbooks was appropriate or not.
It's Annie, a return to the list after a few months' absence. My two
cents on the text book conversation: I too used to try and reinvent the
wheel until I saw how useful some of the textbook ideas could be. Another
thing I've found is that it depends on the class itself. The text and the
t.e bored my fifth grade last year (I teach social studies 5th-8th grade)
text ideas. I did much more hands on, critical thinking lessons. They loved
it and learned and grew. This year's 5th grade is a lower functioning class.
I started out the year using the same kinds of lessons I used last year,
not using the text much. I was losing them fast! They had this scared, overwhelmed
look on their faces. So now, with this class, I'm using the text paragraph
by paragraph and using some t.e. ideas and they seem to be more comfortable
and learning more. Through the year I hope to wean them off dependence on
the text, but as a teacher whose first priority is that they learn, I need
to meet them where they are, rather than where I want them to be or how
I prefer to teach. My two cents on the conference topic: I am the peer mediator
advisor for my school. My peer mediators have done an amazing job of handing
conferences with their peers about work/behavior. I'd be happy to share
if anyone is interested in that.
And Joanne, movies about "survival": I highly recommend "Brother,
Where Art Thou". Not only does it retell the Homer's Odyssey, but it's
full of tough situations that the characters have to be very creative to
come out of. It's also an auditory and visually stunning movie- and no foul
language or sex.
-Annie
-------------------------------------------------------
Joanne elaborated on Annie's reminder that teachers need to be in touch
with the type of students he/she is working with.
Welcome back, Annie. And thanks folks for the "survival" movie
ideas. I have added them to my data bank. This is an end of the year project,
but know I have to get started thinking about it now.
I will also remember the sage observation of paying attention to where the
class is so I can better plan and aim my lessons. I am discovering I have
many, many top-notch students. I easily have half of each class earning
A's right now. Then I have the ones who are struggling for a C. This differentiating
instruction is tricky. And where is parity in grading? So far what I am
planning on for spelling and vocabulary is the basic word list for the strugglers,
as well as the regular homework assignments.
I am going to have the students who ace the pretest every week write sentences,
paragraphs and stories using the words for that week. That way they don't
have to be bored doing the work they already can whip through, but instead
focus on building those words into a true working vocabulary.
Am I on the right track here?
-Joanne
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