Monthly Archives: March 2014

The Keys to Classroom Engagement

When it comes to engagement, you might think that some teachers are born with inherent skills that get kids to buy in, while others have to struggle at every turn. While some factors can be helpful (Are you relatively young? Are you the same gender as the majority of a certain class?), anyone can generate classroom engagement. Here’s how:

The Keys to Classroom EngagementShow some interest

This is the first and most critical step. If the kids don’t think you care about them, they won’t care about you—or your objectives.

You don’t have to be a surrogate parent, although some teachers can’t help themselves in that regard. You simply have to be interested in their life. If you work in a school in a neighborhood different from the one in which you live, make it a point to visit the local hangouts. Go to some of the local junior sports events, like Little League or Pee Wee football.

Most importantly, ask them about their day and then listen. You wouldn’t believe how many teachers don’t think to do this simple act. You might be the only person in their entire day that takes this step. It means more than you know.

Keep up-to-date on latest trends

Students are always amazed when their teachers (who they assume to be, like, 100 years old) are familiar with their favorite TV shows, sports teams, and musicians.

You might think that keeping up with these things will make your brain hurt, but it really doesn’t take much. Just tool around on some entertainment websites and watch Sportscenter occasionally. Ask your own children or nieces/nephews what’s cool now. You don’t have to become a fan.

Not only will this buy you some street cred, but you’ll also know part of their code language. That way, when they refer to your hair as “looking like Nicki Minaj’s”, you’ll know not to take that as a compliment.

Creatively leverage this information

A teacher recently made a bit of news for using spoilers from the TV show Game of Thrones as a correction. Knowing her students were obsessed with the show, she told them that she would reveal a person who dies in the show for every bit of unruly behavior. They shaped up.

The knowledge you acquire about them can be used as both the carrot and the stick. Rewards can be as simple as the ability to listen to their favorite (clean) music during classroom transitions. A correction can be listening to your music.

Everything here is about building rapport. With rapport, they will be just as likely to listen to you during instruction as they would be when having these “off the record” conversations.

Writing in the Common Core: More Important Than Ever

Writing in the Common Core: More Important Than Ever

How can you prepare your child for Common Core Writing?

The goal of the Common Core State Standards, above any other, is to prepare our students for the world of college and career. For perhaps the first time, the states will have standards that accurately reflect the skills needed to compete on the international stage. One of those key skills is the ability to communicate, specifically through writing.

Think about it. A student entering the workforce in this century can expect to work with people from around the world, usually through email. If that person lacks writing skills, the message can be lost.

Writing in the classroom

So we can expect English/language arts teachers to spend more time than they usually do on writing instruction, right? Maybe, but they also have to teach reading (shifted toward non-fiction, so a new curriculum there as well), as well as research and speaking. But something having to do with English isn’t the only job field where you use writing skills.

That’s right. Math teachers (and the other subject areas, once their standards come online) will be expected to have students write, just like ELA teachers. It’s the easiest way for students to demonstrate their critical thinking skills, which is another key goal in the Common Core.

What does this look like?

A sample assessment item released by Smarter Balanced, one of two consortia charged with designed assessments for the Common Core, handles this skill quite differently. There is an animated video of five swimmers.

“Five swimmers compete in the 50-meter race. The finish time for each swimmer is shown in the video. Explain how the results of the race would change if the race used a clock that rounded to the nearest tenth.”

Then there is a text box. You heard that right. Not only will the students have to write in a math test, but they will also have to explain their reasoning regarding the skill at hand, much as if someone would have to do if rounding digits was part of their job.

How you can help

Instead of asking them questions that simply call for them to recite facts and figures, ask them to explain to you why they think what they think and where they came up with their ideas and conclusions. Knowing how they came to a particular solution is a lot more valuable in class these days than simply having the right answer.

 

What the New SAT Means for Parents

What the New SAT Means for Parents

The focus of the New SAT is changing to add in more problem-serving and critical thinking.

One of the big news stories of last week was the College Board’s announcement that they are reformulating the SAT test, which hasn’t been updated in more than a decade. This story had a lot of moving parts to it, but they all have an effect on soon-to-be high school seniors and their families. Let’s look at the changes and sort out the consequences to students and parents.

College and career readiness

Although not specifically aligned to the Common Core, the new SAT and the new standards share a similar goal. The Common Core wants to prepare students for college and career. The SAT wants to predict how successful a student will be once they get there. This mindset gave rise to many of the specific changes to the test.

Useful vocabulary

Gone are the words that SAT testers force themselves to study for the test but never use again in their lives. Vocabulary questions will focus on words that students can actually be expected to use in school and in their career. While this might still mean endless flashcards, at least the student can expect to see the word again.

Optional essay

An essay was added to the SAT starting in 2005. While it’s universally agreed that writing skills are important for college and career, the essay questions were usually something vague and having nothing to do with college and career performance. The College Board feels that the writing done in the new Evidence-based Reading and Writing section will accomplish this goal more completely. The essay, while still available, will be optional and the colleges will decide whether they want to see those scores or not.

Non-fiction and informational reading passages

Like the Common Core, the SAT is moving toward using more informational reading sources and less literature. Again, this is reflective of what students can expect to see when they leave high school. Very few jobs require workers to analyze literature; almost every job requires workers to analyze information.

Reimagined math

Math questions will come in three varieties: problem solving and data analysis; the heart of algebra; and passport to advanced math. There will also be a section where the students will not be allowed to use calculators, a departure from the previous version where calculators were accepted throughout the test.

No wrong answers

Students will no longer be penalized for wrong answers. Instead, they simply earn points for questions they get correct. Therefore there is no penalty for guessing and students should feel free to pick the answer that makes the most sense.

Free test prep from Khan Academy

The SAT has always viewed itself as fair to all students, no matter their economic background. That perception has changed over the years as the test prep industry has grown. Students of limited means rarely have those options. Recognizing that, the College Board has partnered with online courseware developer Khan Academy to create test prep materials for the new test that will be free for all.

What Parents Need to Know About the Next-Gen Assessments

What Parents Need to Know About the Next-Gen Assessments

Assessment changes are coming to a school near you!

As you are no doubt aware, most of the country is moving toward assessments that are aligned to the new Common Core State Standards. These tests are a vast departure from the assessments you might be used to from your state. Although they are just being field tested this year—with full implementation scheduled for next school year—here’s what you need to know about this brave new world. The consortia Responsibility for authoring the next-gen assessments fell to two consortia organized by the states, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced. Generally, the northern half of the country formed Smarter Balanced, while the southern part works with PARCC. PARCC is having a much rougher time. A few of its states, shocked by the class time taken up by the proposed testing calendar and the technological needs to administer the test, have decided to drop out and make their own tests. Smarter Balanced is still on schedule, with field-testing currently underway. Check with your state Department of Education to see which one your state belongs to and what their status is with their consortium. The vision Both consortia envision tests that make use of the latest technology to deliver assessment items that are interactive and performance-based, as the Common Core itself dictates. Paper-based tests will still be available, particularly for students with special needs. For the online tests, students will be asked to click-and-drag, view animations, listen to audio samples, and other advanced tasks. Practice tests are available. In these early days, a teacher would be wise to make use of them so students aren’t surprised. If your child’s teacher isn’t practicing, ask why. What you can do to help Many of the assessment items on the new tests are process-based. They give the student a set of data or an informational report and ask the tester to work through the process of analyzing that information using a series of 5-7 questions that build on each other. Give your child a choice based on information and ask them to work through the process of making a decision. Also, critical thinking skills are at the forefront of the Common Core, and therefore play a key role in the assessments. Building these skills can be as simple as asking open-ended questions. Instead of “Did you have a good day?” try “What was your favorite part of the day? Why?” Finally, you might want to focus on patience. Before they get the kinks worked out, the testing process is bound to have delays, disconnections, and other problems that can get a tester out of “the zone”.