TTOG (As Much As I Can) - Pilot Year Reflection

I'm excited about next year because of how this year went... One class of mine gave themselves their final grade and grade-report comments each quarter, using proof from four categories.

Here's what we did...

• I was forthright with parents from the start. A letter went out the first week of school, and I updated parents with an email to our ELA class updates every two weeks.
• First quarter, we created a chart so students can fill it in with proof they've collected.
• We came up with myriad ways (and one central location) to prove our learning (this document is always changing).
• I began a document with comments I could copy and paste into the online grading system, thanks to Mark Barnes' SE2R idea. These are brief and not perfected, by any means, and I'm excited to add more this next year.
• We used a survey at midterm (which I've already edited for next year) for one check in.
• We discussed "effort," and how much impact that should or should not have on grades. Our final decision was to keep effort out of the grade. If students were putting in the effort, they should get the grade. One of the quotes students liked - "Don't be upset with the results you didn't get from the work you didn't do."
• I created sample examples of videos students could create to explain their grade.
• Students shared videos with me explaining their grade while providing proof. For students who did not prepare, or who did not develop this skill of reflecting in this way, I met with them one-on-one to come up with a final grade.
• First quarter was fairly successful, knowing all we didn't know!
• Second Quarter, students in this class gave better feedback and quality boosters than my other classes. We also decided that the final pieces for proof did NOT have to be published. Students did not want their essays about Phineas Gage on their blogs - totally understandable. This is more fuel for making our writing more meaningful for students.
• I began giving video feedback - very valuable. I've learned how to use Explain Everything and Screen-cast-ify efficiently as a result.
• The first parent inquiry was about revisions - did her son HAVE to revise his writing? This was the catalyst for the Feedback Loop, which I actually think I need to throw out or totally revamp for next year.  AUTHOR'S NOTE - Feedback Loop REVAMPED August 1, 2016: 
  
  
  
• The reason for revamping the feedback loop is that I realized third quarter that I AM STILL GRADING MY STUDENTS' WORK! Ugh.
• I created a document (and they were on the board) of Independent Writing Prompts. One step toward making writing more meaningful for students...
• I continued grading my students' work the rest of third and fourth quarter. Students were used to it, and we actually had fewer "assignments" fourth quarter due to testing, a three-day outdoor ed trip, reading The Outsiders Whole-Novels style, and presentations for Genius Hour.
• All year, I felt like I was cheating my other classes who did not give themselves a grade at the end of each quarter. I have spent the first month of this summer excited that my other classes will be taking this trip with me this next school year!

Here's all the parent feedback received...

• "I think that students have learned to reflect and improve more (w/teacher's help) minus the stress of 'grades.'"
• "Twitter account was insightful."
• "Small amount of homework is great."
• "My son seems more interested in reading than recent years. If grading himself did that, then this approach was very successful."
• "I don't know if it is luck or parent approach, that my children are, for the most part, self motivated to learn, or at least, do good in their classes. Especially ___ - she has always done a good job in school. I do like grades - I believe healthy competition for good grades is a motivation for kids (people) to raise their bar. We have a motto - Most of the time, the results reflect the effort. If tremendous effort is put forth, and child is still struggling, then intervention is needed. We don't mind As, Bs, and Cs, as long as effort is applied."
• "When it comes to grading, while it is important, it's more important that the child is learning. Grades can be somewhat subjective so as long as the child is improving on the subject, being graded is secondary."
• "Hopefully during the process the kids took more ownership of their results, they were always given a chance to correct, enhance or re-do - so if this happened grades should all be good."
• "My attitude towards the grading process has changed with the introduction of a collaborative process between teacher and student. Much like a class with a more 'traditional' grading system, students were given ample feedback on assignments from the teacher. What made this class unique, however, is that students were also given a sense of ownership in this process. It was no longer a one-way communication of grade from the teacher, but the process became a tool for ongoing engagement between the teacher and student. I would like to thank you, Mrs. Kirr, for covering not only the classics, but encouraging students to explore their individual interests. It is very apparent to us as parents that you love to teach and that you are expanding 'traditional' boundaries in an effort to encourage reading, critical thinking, and self-reflection. Thanks also to the administrators at Thomas and District 25 for supporting these new learning methods. We are grateful that ___ had the opportunity to participate in this process."
• "_____(Child) had an outstanding year in your class. He was quite uncomfortable at the process of your grading system and the responsibility on his part at the start. He shared his fears about this with me. But as the year progressed, he fully was invested and loved how the class and grading system was run. He is very independent with the process and never complains. He has grown from all the opportunities to be a leader and the responsibility that was offered throughout the year. I believe _____ enjoyed the process and understood that it's not just about grades. Your updates, communication and suggestions/insights to the parents are top notch. I learned so much from what you shared to us. Thank you! Keep doing what you are doing!

Here's what I've already changed...

• Next year we'll have THREE categories to prove - reading comprehension, writing, and grammar. I have changed the language to say "grammar" instead of "language usage" (from the CCSS) to make that section clearer to students. I have also taken out the "speaking and listening" portion, as most students proved they were "listening," and some students still never speak in class. I've read some information about introverts and reflected on my own 7th grade year when I never spoke in class. Although I will continue to encourage each student to speak up (and give myriad opportunities, of course!) and add to our class culture, I will not ask students to include this in their grade. Sometimes they over-inflated this portion of their grade, and sometimes they seemed embarrassed that they had not participated vocally. I'll try it out this way for this coming year. I will still keep track of who participates / contributes through speaking, just in case some students may want to use that to tip their grade one way or another.
• The new feedback loop in my head just says - write, get feedback from a peer, revise, get feedback from a peer, revise, turn in to teacher for feedback, revise, etc... I'll add it here when I complete this version.
• I will not put a "NI, D, P, or M" (Needs Improvement, Developing, Proficient, Mastery) on student work, rubrics, or the online gradebook. I will continue to keep these notes in my own paper gradebook, just in case students need guidance giving themselves their final grades.
• Effort... A gray area. I have decided to keep track of many aspects of student behavior, including but not limited to being prepared for class, and speaking up with contributions in class. These will only come into play in regards to students' grades if they bring it up on an individual basis. We'll address effort at that point.
• Our plans for genius hour (to be renamed?!) will be moved to the end of each quarter, as I will now be involved in one-on-one conversations about grades with EACH student at the end of each quarter. This past year, I only needed to meet with a few students. Next year, I plan to meet with all of them, even if they choose to create a video ahead of time. I found this time to be very valuable.
• We'll have a "plus/delta" chart up in the room every day for students to add what went well and suggestions for change.

Here's what I still want to do...

Make every "assignment" relevant to the world - something students can put on their blogs for the world to see. Since many students do not come up with writing on their own, I need to create more writing options for them throughout the year. I am currently reading Kelly Gallagher's In the Best Interest of Students: Staying true to what works in the ELA classroom. I'm hoping for more writing workshops and fewer larger assigned pieces of writing.

Give feedback in chunks - which means not one assignment coming in to me from all students at the same time. A year-long project would be great for this. Again... another idea from Mark Barnes in ROLE Reversal... I also need to provide students with more time to give feedback to each other! I'm collecting resources here to figure out how to best use our time.

Get my coworkers on board. However, I can empathize with why they don't want to do this. I am also tired of hitting my head against brick walls. So I will continue to speak of our successes and tribulations, but getting other staff on board right now is not a priority of mine, especially those not within our ELA circles.

Continue to keep tabs with the language I use with students, other teachers, and parents. I need to make sure they know I'm most interested in how students use feedback for reflection and revision in all four areas of ELA - reading, writing, grammar, and speaking.

Phew! What a glorious mess! Please comment with your favorite student-to-student feedback tool, and add any hints or advice or words that show we are in the same boat! Or... please challenge these ideas, as I, personally, learn best when my ideas are challenged!!

My resources so far: "FaR" tabs of our classroom Weebly
                                    Feedback Instead of Grades LiveBinder for parents to inspect
                                    My own reflections on this journey

Designs for this post were created using Paper and Explain Everything.

Quick Tip #23 - Teacher Motivation

Get Connected

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Don't Blink

As we write this (June 20), we are at a KOA in Poudre Canyon, CO, just north of Fort Collins. We've taken daily drives, alternating between town tours and landscape tours. We took our travel trailer on this 1,000 mile trip west, and Bob drove the entire way (with two-night stops in Omaha and Ogallala, NE) through all the wind and hills on our way here. (We did get somewhat of a friendly wind heading east...)

Today (Day 11??) was the ride up route 14 - the Cache la Poudre (hide the powder) Canyon. It goes right from our campground up and over the Rockies. The Cache la Poudre River is Colorado's first nationally designated "Wild and Scenic River." We decided to make it up a ways, eat our packed lunch, then head back down.

The canyon doesn't disappoint.

We've been in awe this entire trip. We've used myriad ways of saying the same thing - marvelous, miraculous, awesome, breath-taking, beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, unbelievable - all for something, to us, is indescribable. At one point today, Joy said, "At every turn, there's something new." Bob responded with, "Don't blink."

There's so much to see that looking to the right, you miss everything to the left. If you look down, you miss everything that's up. It's hard to take it all in. There's no way to take it all in, as long as you're moving.

We took "slow-vehicle turn offs" and drives that led to parking lots, and then we tried to take in more. As long as we were driving, however, there was no way to take it all in. If you've ever driven on a mountain road, you know it is required to keep moving along most of the road.

Last week (Days 1-3 of our first vacation this summer), Joy was feeling like a slacker when it came to learning with her PLN. You can only do so much without a laptop! This trip has reminded her that time with loved ones is an "all-in" gig. There's a time for work, and a time for play, and when we are together, it should be OUR time.

Joy is reminded of Dave Burgess's Teach Like a Pirate lesson on "immersion." Bob knows she is "all-in" when it comes to teaching. She has learned the lesson (again!) to be "all-in" when AWAY from school. Today's ride was another reminder of the reasons WHY you should immerse yourself where you are. Sure, we'll miss some things to the left or above if we keep moving, but if we STOP... stop and take it in when we have places to "pull over"... we'll have more fulfilling experiences.

For all of you who are #NotAtISTE, soak in where you actually ARE. Immerse yourself with the people around you. Yes, you will miss some ISTE lessons, but if they are good, teachers will share them and they'll come back around to you.

Just because we're on vacation does not mean we stop learning. What are lessons you are learning (or being reminded of) this summer?

~Co-authored by Bob and Joy Kirr

2015-2016 Year in Review

My 21st year of teaching...

June
I started the summer off with a BANG! Headed to University School of Milwaukee's Summer Spark conference and watched, enthralled, as Dave Burgess was on FIRE for two hours! More about the conference in this post...


I hosted the AHSD25 Genius Hour Workshop on 6/18 - only six people came, but I gave it my all, and my wish is they will incorporate student-driven learning into their days.

July
BOSTON! BLC15 Conference led by Alan November's great team. Presenting and attending, and enjoying the town! I held a "Master Session" on Genius Hour, and three hour-long sessions for the next three days!
I put my blood, sweat & tears into creating the "FaR" tabs of our class Weebly.

August
I was invited BACK to Boston for BLC16!
I was able to create and implement our first QR Code Scavenger Hunt!

September
Survived Parent Night - parents in my last class are on board with students grading themselves!

October
Attended and facilitated sessions at EdCampIL in Northbrook
Helped organize, then attended and facilitated sessions at EdCampChicago in Libertyville
My last class of the day graded themselves for the very first time! Wrote a portion of what I learned from these students and this experience in this post.
Sally Doulton was inspired by my scholars and wrote about it here.

November
The Best Lesson Series: Literature was published! Yes, I bought one for my mom for Christmas!
Gallit and Denise had their Genius Hour book published! And I was honored to write the Afterward!

December
Nothing spectacular happened. I am grateful for the consistency in my life!

January
Enjoyed another birthday. I like my 40s!
Received another signed copy of Teach Like a Pirate from a parent of a previous student! (She told me, "I was listening to him, and I thought - 'This is Joy! This is Joy!'" What a compliment.)

February 
Presented a 50-minute session regarding Genius Hour in LaGrange
Presented a 3-hour workshop on Genius Hour at ICE
Attended my third EdCamp Madison (#edcampmadwi) and created my first memes!

Parents Enjoying Presentations

March
Enjoyed actual REST during Spring Break.
Finalized my NBCT renewal submissions!

April
Was spotlighted in the Daily Herald
Enjoyed helping to organize and then attend EdCamp Chicago in Elmhurst
Enjoyed the half day of EdCamp DuPage at Wheaton North H.S.

May
Enjoyed attending and facilitating sessions at EdCampIL in my own district
Celebrated when ten parents came to Genius Hour presentations
According to student and parent feedback (blog post to come), I successfully (?!) had one class of students give themselves their final quarter grades for a full year.
Ended the year sending out 266 good notes home to parents. (130 last year!)

This upcoming year...
I've got nothing but VACATIONS scheduled for the summer, a couple of edcamps to attend in the fall, and my focus for the next school year will be on making those student connections once again.

Genius Hour - Year 4 Reflection

I am going to begin with this: I was not as focused on Genius Hour this year as I had been in previous years. My focus was on students grading themselves. Since I just can't do it all, I believe our time in Genius Hour suffered because of this. I will add, however, that at least two other seventh grade teachers also said that this year was tougher on them and their students, as well.

What I wish I had done:

• had more one-on-one conversations... Students were so independent this year, I left many of them alone. It showed when they presented.
• posted more of students' learning in the room
• asked students to share their findings and ideas more often with others
• given more examples of presentations and ways to present

  

  Some presentations were very interactive!

Changes we made this year:

• We slowed down when it came to introducing Genius Hour. We did not have a project the first quarter, except for the Cardboard Challenge.
• We added "Teach Me Your Talent," which went well. It could have gone better, of course. Sadly, I did not write a blog post reflection on this event. We WILL be doing this again.
• We added a week's worth of speaking practice to prepare for "Teach Me Your Talent" and their final presentations.
• We asked students to present during ELA class once again (having them all on one day last year was demanding, and I missed many of my students' presentations). We had many complaints about it, but felt it was great speaking practice. 

I gave students a three-page survey this year. I received 43 responses. Included in this survey were these five questions. (Thank you to Adam Schoenbart for many of these questions!)

I think Genius Hour was valuable.

     Strongly Disagree   O     O     O     O     O   Strongly Agree

                                     1      2      9     14     17     <-- The results (out of 43)

Students were asked on this survey - "What value did you find in Genius Hour?"

• Getting to do things you usually do at home in class.
• Learning and perfecting new skills and ideas.
• Time to find out what you like.
  
• It taught me to stay on task.
• It let us learn about ourselves.
• I learned a lot about myself.
• I learned to not give up.
• Creativity.
• None.
• You got to learn exactly what you want to.
• It helped me learn to be more responsible.
• It was time for me to do what I like.
• I became a better reader.
• I found a talent that I didn't know I had.
• I found it valuable researching a topic that I enjoyed.
• I researched something I've always wanted to know.
• I found I was able to be creative and happy doing something in school.
• I learned more about a topic I liked.
• It showed us what we want to learn and what we've learned.
• It was a good opportunity to work on personal projects.
• I got to choose what I wanted to learn about.
• I learned about time management.
• We could show people what we did.
• It helped me challenge myself.

I enjoyed Genius Hour.

     Strongly Disagree   O     O     O     O     O   Strongly Agree

                                     1      3      6     13     20     <-- The results (out of 43)

Students were also asked, "What advice do you have for teachers who are giving students time for Genius Hour in the classroom?"

• Keep them busy and don't let them not work.
• Make sure you check up on them and give suggestions.
• Let them free.
• Make sure they do Genius Hour, not homework.
• Give them some ideas about what to do.
• Give them a checklist, checking off stages of accomplishment.
• Give them more outlines for what to do.
• Make sure kids are focused on their work.
• Maybe give more time.
• Give them full periods. (We used 60 of our 80-minute block.)
• Start earlier than we did.
• Maybe allow 10 minutes of free time.
• Leave the students to work at their own pace and let them learn.
• No grading.
• Present in your own classroom.

Students were also asked, "What advice do you have for STUDENTS who are given time for Genius Hour in the classroom?"

• Use it to your advantage.
• Make sure you use the time given.
• Use your time wisely. x 6
• Think hard about your project.
• Don't just play games when you actually have work to do.
• Focus and pick a topic that will really help you.
• Work as hard as you can.
• Do what you actually enjoy.
• Always work on your project. Procrastinate AFTER you finish.
• Brainstorm ideas that you are good at doing or want to be good at doing.
• Take this time seriously. It's really fun if you do it correctly instead of goofing off.
• Choose something that means a lot to you.
• Really commit and pick something you actually want to do.
• Don't play games. Mrs. Kirr will catch you.

A few successes I want to document:

• We had our first rocket launch during a presentation - nobody even came CLOSE to getting hurt!
• TEN parents showed up to watch presentations.
• More actual products were shown during presentations. 

Changes I'm considering for next year:

• After four full days of presentations and then reading Tony Klein's reflection on his year of Genius Hour, I'm going to try a gallery walk of some sort for presentations at the end of the year. I'd like to include the other teacher on my team, and maybe even the other TEAM of 150 more students! As long as we have more time in class for students to present short bits, I'm not too worried about losing the aspect of students speaking in front of many other students. We'll still focus on the message and how it's communicated.
• Also because of Tony's post, I'd like to add a couple of categories for awards! Most interesting topic, most informative...... what else?! I think we'll see some themes develop once they start their final projects.
• Because I'm implementing students grading themselves with all of my classes next year, I'm going to need time during the last week of each quarter to have conferences with my students about their grades. This means I'm thinking of four days of Genius Hour-type learning in a ROW, at the end of each quarter. I can also include three to four more days prior to these days, spread throughout the quarter (or the last 3-4 weeks before the end of the quarter). It would still be about eight days per quarter, just at different spots.
• The first quarter I'd like to focus on creativity and collaboration. We'll end it with the Cardboard Challenge.
• The second quarter we'll focus on ourselves. We'll begin with "Teach Me Your Talent," and end with a 20-day challenge (inspired by Matt Cutts). We will work on speaking skills this quarter.
• The third quarter can focus on research. We'll work on the "how to," and end with our own research question that we can use for fourth quarter.

This is the plan for now. Of course, I need to talk with my cohorts, and two of the four of us will be new to 7th grade next year.  What always rings true with Genius Hour-type learning is that there is NO ONE WAY. My motto when it comes to Genius Hour is still, "Just keep tweaking, just keep tweaking..." It will be a challenging and fun year, and I'm looking forward to it!

Making Thinking Visible

It took me a few months, but I just finished Making Thinking Visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison (2011).

I let a lot of these ideas percolate, and my classes even tried two of them ("See - Think - Wonder" when we read Where Children Sleep and "Chalk Talk" renamed "Marker Talk" prior to trying gamification).

Here's the gist of what I KNOW I need to do with these thinking routines:

1. Prior to trying any routine, let students know the reason WHY.
2. When sharing the goal for the day, or activity share the THINKING goal, not the ACTION goal.
3. Choose a routine and content you BELIEVE in, and be INVOLVED in the process.
4. Have a student (or facilitating teacher) document the learning (notes, photos, videos...).
5. Use the language of thinking and reflecting throughout the day (make the language just as routine as the routines themselves). Continually notice and NAME the thinking.
6. Keep asking, "What makes you say that?"
7. Take the time to reflect on the process, while setting goals for next time.
8. DOCUMENT this learning, reflection, and goals so it's all visible to the students.

Favorite ideas from the book that I'll need to keep addressing...

• Group success is dependent on the group’s ability to listen and respond to one another’s ideas. Successful groups engaged with the ideas of the group members, echoing back the ideas that were presented and asking clarifying and probing questions of one another. p36
• When teachers capture students’ ideas, they are signaling that those ideas and thoughts have value and are worthy of continued exploration and examination. p39
• These thinking routines help students to find their own voices and value and respect the voices of others. p213
• I want my classroom to be a place “where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members." p220
• ...without the benefit of others, our thinking would be severely curtailed. ... Our individual thinking benefits from being challenged, from the need to articulate ideas clearly and concisely to others, from the presentation of alternative perspectives and insights through others’ presentation of logic, the raising of questions, and so on… p220
• The kind of modeling that creates culture is more subtle, ubiquitous, and embedded. It is the modeling of who the teacher is as a thinker and a learner. p242
• Understanding benefits from listening to and taking in others’ ideas and viewpoints, evaluating them, making connections to one’s own thoughts, and then presenting one’s thinking to others, knowing that it, too, will be challenged and must be backed by evidence and reasons. p245
• Learning is an active process that entails getting personally involved. p262

Online Resource for Thinking Routines

My Notes from the Book

Feedback for ME: End-of-Year Surveys

It's the end of my 21st year of teaching and I still will not end the year without getting feedback from my students. Their feedback helps form my teaching! Instead of waiting to blog about how they responded, I thought other teachers might want feedback as well, so I'm sharing the documents now. I decided to not put student surveys on a Google form this time, as I didn't know if I'd have the technology available in class. (I also like to sit on the living room floor organize the papers into certain groups when I start looking at the feedback!)

Many thanks go to Aric Foster (the survey he shared is HERE), Jarred Amato (his survey is HERE), and Adam Schoenbart (his survey is HERE), for sharing their surveys via Twitter in the past two weeks. These acted as the catalyst that got me modifying my own. I stole many questions from them (all high school English teachers), and merged them with questions I've had from previous years.

These are on Google Docs - feel free to copy and modify to make one your own.

General End-of-Year Survey for ELA Class

(If you have a co-teacher, make sure you put his or her name on a version of this, as well!)

There is one question in this EOY survey that asks about students' favorite books. The day I hand out these surveys, we'll spend some time looking at the books we've read (I collected them HERE from our in-class independent reading log). We'll talk about our favorites and come up with a few to recommend to next year's seventh graders. I'll either cut out or type up their explanations on this survey for their favorite books, and add a photo of the book to go with it for our first bulletin board of the 2016-2017 school year.

General End-of-Year Survey for Parents 

(this one is a Google form I email)

Survey for Students (in just one class of mine) 

Regarding Grading

Survey for Parents (of students in one class of mine) 

Regarding Grading

I'm excited to pour over their brutally honest answers, and learn from them once again.

Update: Need more encouragement? 

"Why Teachers Should Seek Feedback from Their Students" by Richard Bruford 7/8/16

4 Pieces of Feedback that Teachers Should Collect From Their Students by Richard Bruford 7/13/16

Quick Tip #22 - Teacher Motivation

Read Professional Literature

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Gamifying CRASH

Crash by Jerry Spinelli...

An "easy" read. Short but sweet. I think reading it at the beginning of the school year would be better than now, but... I decided to read it now because I'd like to try out a few new things with this familiar book... Notice & Note review of ideas, Making Thinking Visible ideas, and I'd like to dip my toes into aspects of gamification...

Plus, we needed more work on how the author develops theme, and this book would be a good way to pursue that.

Preparation:
I didn't want to spend all of Spring Break on creating challenges or quests for the kids, so I waited. What I did do was to create teams - three teams per class. I have at the most 21 students (I am so very fortunate, I know!), so the groups are of six to seven students each.

I was very familiar with Crash, so I just took a copy home to look through while I prepared. I'm also pretty familiar with Notice and Note, so I just updated the notes sheets I'd had already created on those. A quick FYI - The notes I've written here are not our entire plans. We had more going on in our 80-minute blocks than reading Crash.

Introductory Day:
We started with an activity called "Chalk Talk" from Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchart, et. al. I wrote a different question on four pieces of construction paper that I would place on four different table groups. I prefaced this activity by explaining that we're trying something new... We're calling it "Marker Talk," because we're using markers (have them available for everyone), and we're not talking with our mouths. We're only writing in response to the question, then responses to each other - all about the topic at hand. ("What thoughts or ideas come to mind when you see the word 'team?'" "What thoughts or ideas come to mind when you see the word 'points?'" "What thoughts or ideas come to mind when you see the word 'competition?'" "What thoughts or ideas come to mind when you see the word 'game?'") When they heard the signal, they would move clockwise to the next question, and respond to it and the other responses. I'd decided that we'd start with four minutes at the first station, then move down to three, and then try two for the last two questions. (Next time, I'd put the word "lose" on one of the questions, and then recap by talking about the differences between "game" and "competition.") Click here to see a video of how "marker talk" went.

We then read this introductory article on gamification, annotated, and asked questions to each other about it (student-driven). This got the ball rolling on what we're going to try, and I got a feel for how students would enjoy it (or not).

Day 1:
After reading the first three chapters of Crash, we had this challenge:

Names included "Milkweed" (a book that Jerry Spinelli wrote), "Party Crashers" and "Crashinies."

Day 2:
After we had a few facts from the book, a game of "Crumple and Shoot" was in the plans. This game, explained by Jennifer Gonzalez (@cultofpedagogy) here, is one that is conducive to facts. I realized as we went on that many of the gamification games themselves are more conducive to memorization or review. This doesn't bode well for the teacher who likes discussion questions more than facts.

Day 3:
Observations: Today the kids decided they could not ask for points. THEY decided this. One thing we all noticed was that they were asking, "Can I get points for this for my team?" for many things. It sounded much to me like, "Can I do this for extra credit?" I guess their peers didn't like the sound of it either, because they nixed it from class themselves. :)

Teams of 6 or 7 may be too much. Today we had a couple of kids absent, and the groups that worked the best together were groups of FIVE. Our challenge today: Choosing the most significant events and putting them in order.

Day 4:
I loved today's challenge - finding similes and metaphors. I thought I made a mistake in not telling them what the challenge would be before we read our chapters, but they played so very well! I then realized that it was a GREAT review of these terms. The teams that split up the chapters performed the best.

Day 5:
We didn't have a group challenge this day. We did have a comprehension check, however, so I used the scores on these questions to add points to each team. Not having a group challenge was easier for me to handle during class, but harder to add up points after class was over. I decided to take the top five scores from each team, since there were a different number of players in each team.

Day 6:
Today our group challenge focused on character traits. One thing I love about gamifiying at the end of the year is that I can review literary terms and ideas we've been hitting all year. This challenge hit the spot, as students really dug deep to describe the characters. They also were given the option of challenging a trait if it was not obvious to the class why one team chose a particular word.

Day 7:
We did not get the results of this group challenge (coming up with a title/name for an important chapter in the book) until the next day, when all classes voted for their favorites. I liked this one, even though it took a bit of planning. While the students were voting, there seemed to be a sense of power in the room. I think they liked deciding which were the best from the other titles. They knew their votes had weight.

Day 8:
This challenge was my favorite, as it helped us to write about the theme the next day.  The mini lesson went well, and their answers reflected their learning.

Bonus Points: I was excited to have them create paper footballs and flick them through goal posts (which we made), but it never happened. Students wrote about the theme choosing from all of their answers combined, but they never had the thrill of flicking the paper footballs.

Overall Reflection...
I'm glad I waited until the end of the year to try this. This way, students don't expect me to try these all year long. When motivation was lacking, this came at just the right time of year. I don't know if I can do this for every unit, but I think group challenges throughout the year for review of what they've learned in 6th grade could be worth it - with SMALLER groups! Groups of four would be what I'd try next.

I didn't like how kids started wanting points - much like they want grades. The good deeds that suddenly came about (with eyebrows up, asking for points - without saying a word!) reminded me of Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn. What was good, however, is that when this unit was over, students just accepted their group's ranking and moved on with life.

We did try side quests - They were somewhat received well. The first one was searched for more than the last two, for sure.

One challenge I never got to - one that seemed just like "beer pong." My middle class really wanted another "throwing" challenge ("Crumple and Shoot" was a favorite of theirs), and so I told them I'd try for our next novel. Weeks later, it still hasn't happened. I've got it on my list of to-dos, and need to figure out when before the end of the year.

Questions I still have... If I tried this more, I'd create the groups again. However, does there ever come a time when I can let them create their own groups? Should teachers tie this into behaviors (plug in computer, push in chair, no complaints)? I can see the points being a pain to keep track of. Also, tying it to behavior doesn't seem right. I get a bad feeling in my stomach when I think of gamifying behaviors. I'll pass on that.

Plans... Find a way to incorporate more of these ideas. I don't need to plan an entire unit or an intricate year-long game. I do, however, see us trying small games every so often to keep kids on their toes and engaged in lessons.

Quick Tip #21 - Teacher Motivation

End the Year Strong

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It's Called "LIVING"

No, I am not having a mid-life crisis.
No, I am not simply "lucky."
No, it didn't cost as much as you think.
Yes, I do deserve it.

My husband and I will forever be madly in love. You can't help it when you're soul mates. However, we've both been enjoying an affair with this hot chick...

I keep asking my seventh graders to think before they speak. Consider before they judge. And yet, I feel like many adults need these same reminders. I'm not writing this because I'm upset. I'm writing it because this car is just one way I'm really living this life I've been given.

"You must be having a mid-life crisis." 
I looked it up...

"Early middle age." I guess that's about right. But do I have an "identity" issue? Not really. I know who I am better than I have at any other point in my life. Then I found symptoms of this "crisis!" Ah, yes. Buying a "fast red sports car" is #11 on this list. Ah, well, then. I must be having a mid-life crisis.
NOT!
I am LOVING life. I am LIVING life. I had the perfect opportunity to purchase a new car, so I considered my options. Hmm... not fortunate to have children of my own. That means no toys, college, marriages, etc. to spend on children. No real need for a back seat, even. We've already got a pick up truck, so why not get something fun, instead of "early middle age teacher" car?

"You are so lucky!"
Yes, I consider myself a lucky person. I am very lucky to have taken the paths (planned or not) I have. These have led me to my soul mate. I am also very lucky that no huge, unexpected bills or tragic events have come my way (so far). However, I'm not lucky to own this vehicle. I worked my fanny off to be able to afford this vehicle. I saved. I have been known to have more than one job. When money is tight, I still make sure I save, and then make PB & J sandwiches for lunch. I do not spend on a whim. I manage my income wisely. And gosh darn it, I've wanted a Mustang since I was a little girl. My dad said, "You want a Mustang? I'll go to the junk yard and buy the horse off of one and put it on any other car you get." I do consider myself lucky to be able to share this purchase with him.

"How much did that cost?!"
First of all, you're not supposed to ask that question. Second of all, I'm happy to tell you how much I was given for my low-mileage five-and-a-half-year-old Escape ($8,000), how much I saved after the Escape was paid off ($7,000), how my husband got us the "A plan" because he is a proud Ford retiree, and how I put enough money down in order to get 0% financing. It's not the top of the line Mustang. It's just happens to be a beautiful vehicle.

"You deserve it."
Yes.
And I'm going to love her until she is run into the ground. I live each day as fully as I can already. Every day I can put the top down, I will. I will enjoy each ride to the fullest. This is how my life is meant to be lived. Suddenly, I LOVE to drive! When asked, "Do you want to drive?" My answer is now, "Of course!"

Oooh! I'm finished with my blog post! I'm heading out for a drive... Want to join me?

(I learned about Bitmoji at EdCampDuPage last week!)

Reflection is Vital

When done right, reflection can make ourselves see the good, the bad, and the ugly. I get that. I try to reflect by way of this blog. How often, however, do I give my students time to reflect? Not enough.

I try to mix things up - I don't like to give the same reflection more than two weeks in a row, or students will just fill it out quickly without much thought. Sometimes we do "thumbs up, sideways or down," sometimes it's sticky notes on a graph, sometimes it's smiley, straight and frowny faces, sometimes it's "Hold your hand up - how much effort out of 5 did you put in today?" Last night I came up with yet another one for this week's genius hour (which was today). We'd pitched our ideas for fourth quarter two weeks ago, and I wanted students to get moving, as we only have seven or so more days worth of work in class.

Today I gave this 1/2 sheet to students - the front half was to reflect on what they've accomplished so far towards their fourth quarter genius hour project.

This was to be used as a guide - so students were focused today on one thing they had written down as a plan.

With the last five minutes of class available, I asked the to use the back of the sheet to reflect on their progress for today.

The last line was added last night as I was putting together this 1/2 sheet for students. I needed just one more thought. It turned out to be the line that gave me the most information about each student's progress. "I feel ______ about my genius hour project because ___________."

Here are those seventh graders that feel "good," because...
     "I have a good start."
     "It's coming along."
     "I'm sure about what I'm doing."
     "I know what I need."
     "I like doing it and I'm doing well."
     "I'm making progress."
     "I'm planning it well."
     "It is fun."
     "It is a topic I like."
     "I enjoy my subject."
     "It's not that stressful right now."
     "I love what my project is on."

Some chose different adjectives that made ME feel good...
     "...excited...I think it could really help people."
     "...confident...I think it will be a unique and effective way to show what I learned."
     "...confident...I have a friend in Utah who is helping me..."
     "...confident...Other people will be able to get a strong message out of it."
     "...proud...I am accomplishing a lot so far."
     "...great...I get to do something without my mom's help." (cooking)

And some were red flags that will get more attention...

     "...bad...it seems boring."
     "...hopeful...It is very difficult to achieve."
     "...bored...I'm getting tired of my topic."
     "...uneasy...It's moving very slow."
     "...IDK...I kinda wanna do something else."

The last line was the most powerful for me. I hope it also got the students thinking, as reflection is meant to do.

I Lied - My Students Aren't Grading Themselves

I teach 7th grade ELA. I used to write all over students' papers - telling them everything they need to correct. Then I shifted to only leaving one positive comment and one comment regarding a revision suggestion. I then became much more specific with my comments. I thought I was doing well. Now my last class is giving themselves a grade at the end of each quarter. I'm learning so much, constantly reflecting on so many aspects of it!

This year, I began to leave video feedback using Explain Everything or Screen-cast-o-matic during second quarter. I had one student say he really liked the video feedback. "It's like you're right here talking to me." I had another that, when it came time to give himself a grade, didn't know what he has earned because he "never looked at the links" (to the feedback).

I checked one of my videos this morning, and I saw that students had not watched the video feedback I diligently left for them. I came up with this conclusion: I need to provide time IN CLASS for students to watch the video feedback I've given. Here is my proof - NO VIEWS on 80% of this sampling:

Which made me pretty upset. Just ask my husband, who had to spend an hour in the car with me after I noticed these stats.

I've taken the time to create the feedback and upload it. The time it takes to give the feedback is actually the same as the "old" way - leaving a positive comment and a revision suggestion on Google docs or even on paper takes 5 minutes. It's the uploading that makes video feedback take twice the time on my end. And then copying that darn link and pasting it on the student's document, my master document, and in the online gradebook = more time than I've taken previously.

And then I got to thinking some more...

• If students don't look at the video links I leave for them, do these same students ever look at the Google Doc comments I leave for them?
• The ones that had been viewed multiple times have been REVISED multiple times (which is the goal).
• I'm a fake. I say my last class is grading themselves... I lied!

I need to stop here and explain. I figured something out. I figured out something that Mark Barnes in Assessment 3.0 had already told me last year.

** I cannot leave ANY type of "final" "grade" on any assignment I expect them to revise. **

Here's what I do lately...

• Give feedback on an assignment (video, on a Google Doc, or even in person) - what the student did well, and suggestions for the student to work on / revise.
• Highlight on the rubric where the student's assignment currently resides ("needs improvement," "developing," "proficient," "mastery").
• In the box for the grade online, I have been putting the link to the video feedback, or simply copying / pasting the typed comment.
• ALSO in this box for the grade online, I have been putting the rubric feedback (ex: "Developing: Describes some explicit or inferential parts of evidence, but not both. I have to make some jumps to follow your reasoning.").

That's my problem!!

Students are seeing a "grade" of sorts online and on the rubrics! Why look at the feedback, then? Why do I expect they'll WANT to revise?! As Hubby says, "Revising is hard!" DUH! Every year we have students who revise because they're grade-driven, and then we've got students who really don't care about the grade or doing the work, so they don't revise. What makes me think that would change?! I haven't been able to change their mindsets about grades (yet), and I've been blinded by my own visions.

In order for students and I to truly shift our thinking to "It's not about the grade; it's about the learning," I need to only give them information on what they did WELL, and suggestions for improvement. NO "needs improvement," "developing," "proficient" or "mastery." (Well... maybe I can leave "mastery" on work that is at that level!)

Here is what I NEED to do...

• Include in our curriculum articles about grading and mindset at the beginning of the year. Really set it up and have students discuss and reflect.
• In each assignment, give students a summary of what they did WELL. What did I notice?
• In each assignment, give suggestions for improvement (biggest impact stressed; minor suggestions can wait).
• Change the feedback loop I created in December. I realize now that that loop was another STEP in the right direction, but still not focusing on learning, learning, learning.
• Write grade-related information (NI, D, P, M) in my paper gradebook in case the student is not mature enough to grade him/herself at the end of the quarter, or in case we need "numbers" of some sort for problem solving or benchmarks.
• Ask students to revise all work and turn it back in for more feedback.
• Leave the summary and suggestions for improvement on the online program that kids and parents see (whether this is video feedback or written).
• Make sure students know they can come to me at any time to assess together how they think they're progressing.
• Give time in class for students to watch / read / listen to feedback.
• Give time in class for students to revise and resubmit.
• Ask students to reflect on what they learned from assignments - about themselves, their habits, their beliefs, or their learning. (How often would this be needed?)
• Continually ask -->  "What did you learn...?"
• Leave a week (3-5 days?) at the end of the quarter for one-on-one conversations with students about their grades (since they will virtually have NONE).
• Plan for another activity to take place during that week (one idea is to move Genius Hour to one week at the end of each quarter, another is a reading or writing project of choice).

Here's what I still WANT to do...

• Make every "assignment" relevant to the world - something students can put on their blogs for the world to see.
• Give feedback in chunks - which means not one assignment coming in to me from all students at the same time. A year-long project would be great for this. Again... another idea from Mark Barnes in ROLE Reversal...
• Have students truly grade themselves (since a final grade is still expected).
• Get my coworkers on board.

Teaching is tough. I just want to know what to do and how to do it right. And yet the challenge is what keeps me coming back for more. I've jumped in to this glorious mess. I am still learning.

My resources so far: "FaR" tabs of our classroom Weebly
                                    Feedback Instead of Grades LiveBinder for parents to inspect
                                    My own reflections on this journey

Meme Maker Me

Taking my own advice from my last "quick tip," I needed to write about one take-away from EdCamp Madison...

I was sitting in the "Google Sheets" session after lunch. The session had taken such quirky turns, it was entertaining, even if the session wasn't applicable for me anymore. I would stay just for the entertainment alone. One part that made it better was Jason Bretzmann sharing a meme with Andrea Kornowski, and then Andrea sharing another...

Heading into the next session about "Learning Targets" (grades, SBG, how to get kids to shoot for the targets), Chuck Taft heard that I had never created a meme. Why not? Because I don't have anything funny to say! So he created one on the spot, before the session even began.

Finding this absolutely hilarious, I took a screen shot of his Twitter handle and waited to hear this...

The explanation for this is that his learning targets are numbered one through four. Three is his goal for students, as a three means they've hit the target.

I decided to keep trying...

And, because I was encouraged with feedback from Ashley (who was in kahoots with Andrea!) and Trisha who was watching the hashtag from afar... 

...I had to try again.

This morning, I retweeted an idea about inquiry, and Phillip Cowell tweeted me a picture of cavemen, with the words under it "The Inquiry Cycle - (it's not a new idea)" - looked like he created it with theEasyAppCompany.com.

It reminded me of those motivational posters, so I found the motivational poster creation site and created this:

I've seen teachers ask students to create memes for books (such as Lord of the Flies), and I've cracked up at what they've created. I'd love to ask students to create some for our next larger piece of text! I'll be trying to add some creativity, wit and humor to class using memes...

Already making memes? Please leave me a comment as to where we can find YOUR favorite memes and your favorite meme tool! Want to make your own? Google "meme generator" for many free tools.

Quick Tip #20 - Teacher Motivation

Joy headed up to Madison to attend another EdCamp? You betcha.
If I look tired, it's because I had great fun learning with fellow passionate educators!

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Hacking Assessment

I'm already "hacking assessment" by asking one of my classes to grade themselves. How could this book help me improve? I was excited to get my copy from Starr Sackstein to see what gems I would be able to use...

Validated what I was trying...
     Ask students, "What did you learn...?" (25)
     "How we spend our time in class is indicative of what we prioritize in education" (78).
     "...make sure that all assignments are purposeful and aligned to a standard" (46).
     "...keeping notes about progress...in a grade book that only a teacher sees seems counterproductive" (88). Make the learning transparent! Do this for students and parents.
     "Check in with students..." on a regular basis (91). We are now doing this every quarter of each quarter - thanks to students reflecting enough to be able to ask for it.
     "It doesn't really matter what I thought, so much as it matters what you [the student] learned (29).
     "If the teacher doesn't agree with the student, then a longer conversation needs to happen. ... If in the end, the student really believes he or she deserves a particular grade ... let him or her have it. After all, the grade itself doesn't mean very much" (113-114).
     From Sarah Donovan (who shared a story that sounded SO MUCH like mine!): "...by not focusing on grades, there was more learning and achievement" (38).
     From Aric Foster: "...this process...encourages learners to take risks and challenge themselves, as they know there will be no punitive words or numbers for their performance - only observations and suggestions for revision. ... No longer are learners trying to earn points or 'get a 3.0.' Instead, they are trying to Answer the Question and Use Style and Cite Evidence to Support a Claim" (53).
     We need to change our vocabulary. When I was reading Choice Words by Peter Johnston in 2014, I started shifting my vocabulary to be more precise. Instead of saying "turn it in so I can grade it," I now say "turn it in if you would like feedback from me." Starr writes about a "no-grades vocabulary." I have already started adding these words to my repertoire. Bonus - I then noticed students starting to use the same vocabulary. As Starr states, "...words are powerful, so I am starting by changing the language we use to talk about learning" (41). This is a great place to start.

Made me think of Genius Hour which was the catalyst for all we try in class...
     "...conversations were invaluable" (19).
     "Teachers need to involve students in choices and provide opportunities for them to modify a teacher's assignment or to create their own. When we say 'Yes' to our student ideas, we encourage autonomy and empower them" (44).
     "...their decisions help drive their learning" (45).
     "...honor student input" (45).
     From Adam Jones: "...you've succeeded when you...know the students no longer need you" (93).

Reminded me of why I'm doing this...
     "Grades are [too] often used to motivate or punish..." (114).
     "Grades ultimately end up being a power tool that serves the teacher but not the student" (37).
     "...we were talking to students about a system that they had no control over" (40).
     "All learning is subjective..." (50).
     "The scores, which are often averaged, give a poor explanation of what students know and can do" (121).
     "...just because work hasn't been completed, doesn't mean learning hasn't happened" (115).
     "...there is a deprogramming process that still occasionally causes me to pause" (16).
     "...change is challenging, but that doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile" (27).
     "Attention gets focused on the learning..." (37).
     "...not worrying about grades made them [students] more excited and eager to try things" (30). In my case, I'd say it made them less stressed, and complaints about doing the work were few and far between. They know they don't need to use every piece for proof of what they know, so they feel free to try it without fear of judgment.

When it's challenging, I need to remember...
     "With daily informal conversations and formal conferences, assessment and feedback loops naturally develop" (85). And then we start all over with a new group of learners...
     "...routines facilitate success" (81).
     From Adam Jones: "All assignments are opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and refine" (95). "It is an essential component of enduring learning that students revisit their work" (96).
     "If we are going to tell students this is an important activity, we can't assign it and expect them to do it on their own. Make time for students to work independently, with classmates, and with the teacher to ensure a more successful experience" (124).
     They know I care about their learning. (85)

Pushed me further...
     When introducing reflection, find out what students already KNOW about reflection! Ask THEM what it looks like and what it should include! Take time in class to allow them to create or add to a checklist to be included in a reflection. (101-102). Then make reflection time a routine. I've just started to implement this with D.I.R.T. (Dedicated Improvement and Reflection Time).
     Portfolios, Joy. Portfolios. I need to stop using the excuse of not having 1:1 tech for not having students organize their work. (Oh, how spoiled was I last year to have that iPad cart?!) I need to reserve those laptops and give students TIME in class to gather and organize evidence. Yes, using a class set of iPads and something like Fresh Grade or Seesaw would be a dream, but I can do without - since I need to - and it's good for the kids. With that being said, "Teacher comfort is important; it's a matter of finding a tool that will easily collect and transfer artifacts each year" (123), and a tool that teachers in grades below and above me would use. Even though portfolios are not for the teachers, students in middle school probably won't revisit them unless the teachers ask them to.
    Do you know Mike Stein? (Meaning - Are you connected to this teacher via Twitter or some other media?) He teaches English at the high school level. His students experience Genius Hour. His students grade themselves. He's now considering adding a gamification piece to his year. What if? What if? What if? How could it all go together?

This text, along with Mark Barnes's Assessment 3.0 and my original favorite regarding grades, ROLE Reversal, shows teachers WHY and HOW it CAN BE DONE. Yes, there will be pushback, and yes, it will be tough. Why not try it anyway, if you know of the effect it has on learning?

Go ahead - make the process transparent. Let others in on the conversation. It's how we grow.

Explore Like a Pirate

Michael Matera, a great EdCamp adventurer and cohort, finished his book about gamification. I have told him - repeatedly - in person, no less - that I could NOT attend one of his gamification sessions at edcamps until I was READY to implement it in my classroom. I knew, just from the type of teacher he is, that his wealth of resources and his passion for doing this in the classroom would push me over the edge and into the high seas. If I was not ready to practice my swimming all summer (planning for an extensive year-long game), I would NOT attend one of his sessions. (I did attend a TINY session at USM Summer Spark last summer - right after seeing Dave Burgess in action!)

Well... I guess he was done with me not attending his sessions.
He sent me his book!

I have read the book, marked it up, asked questions, added sticky notes, and dog-eared the pages.

Now what?!

My brain is reeling.

I'm steeped in students grading themselves this year, and still on the Genius Hour bandwagon, of course. I'm still trying to figure things out with these two HUGE ideas. And now? Now I want to offer experience points (XPs) to my students for doing side quests. I want to have a big jar of water in the room with a small target at the bottom so kids can drop pennies in. I want to have teams in the class. I want to have more...... fun.

My kids are always up for trying new things. (I think that's why we're pretty loud - we're still figuring things out.) I believe I can incorporate my first efforts when we read The Outsiders at the end of the year. I've already switched those plans to work the Whole Novels way. I know what we're doing for that unit. Just think about it - the Greasers against the Socs... Girls against the boys. I could do it up right. I have enough time to plan (??), and we could end the school year with something they'll really remember. Stay gold?? Hmmm... Golden sunsets? Blue Mustangs? There's a lot I could do here... I hope to see Michael at EdCamp Madison this February so I can pick his brain, and then again in April at EdCamp Chicago so I can update him with my progress and get tips!

Until then, I think I'll get that big jar and some pennies ready... Or should I pack the golf ball, putter, and cup? You don't have a clue why I would? Time to pick up Explore Like a Pirate... Not too intrigued - yet? Time to join the weekly Twitter chat #XPlap on Wednesday nights at 7pm CST to catch the sparks so you can ignite those ideas.

And, no. I don't get paid to review books. Michael is a caring, innovative teacher who loves to share his ideas - in person, and now in paperback.