This I Believe Now

In this class, I've learned to be love the idea of being flexible with assessment tools and to understand that formative assessment is a key element, as things change rapidly in school, yearly, daily, and down to the minute. I've enjoyed having time to reflect upon my own ever-changing idea of what learning is and what we need to do, as teachers, to cultivate and appreciate our students' learning process. So, one might say, I've learned to "let it go" and let assessment be this wonderfully ongoing and enlightening process. 

Enjoy! And best wishes to my peers who are reading this and moving on to other things now that we have completed this course :)

Inquiry Project

Hi all! My project was to find out whether peer editing is a worthwhile in-class task during the writing process.

Click and see what I found out! Enjoy :)

http://present.me/view/174263-edit

But really...

“The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.”- Eric Schmidt

Assessment is Everywhere: Both Awesome and Scary.

It's been a long week. One that feels like it was actually three weeks. I'm thankful to have a group of peers in this course that presented some wonderful questions and observations about the readings that brought me back to "normal" life after the tragedy that struck our region on Wednesday. 

Aside from the rough patch of days that we all faced as educators this past week, the content of the readings couldn't have come at a more perfect time in my semester of teaching. I just started teaching the college writing course this year, so I'm still making things my own and getting things organized, so to speak. So when I started reading the articles detailing the importance of the electronic portfolio, I immediately felt inspired to enhance the end-of-semester portfolio project I require for my seniors. Right now, they evaluate their writing style and the class structure and, in a sense, self-assess and teacher-assess (scary but useful!). This is all typed and printed and put into a three-ring binder, but, as I mentioned in the discussion, this has been done this way since I was in the same school. Hmm...what to do? Seems like an easy solution. So I hoped to get some guidance on this. But what I found to be so interesting was that the Hicks, et al, piece included so much information about the teaching portfolio. I had approached this week of readings thinking that this would be more focused on students, but here was a reading almost solely dedicated to how to approach the teaching aspect of the portfolio. And I learned that this wasn't entirely a bad thing. We do need to model and let students assess our work in order for them to be able to structure their own products. That's common sense. But I digress...

Now, if you'd ask any teacher in PA these days about their portfolios, they'd probably say, "What, from when I got hired?" Or...some in certain schools might grumble and sound frustrated as they explained that an end-of-year portfolio must be assessed, evaluated, and signed off on by a building principal, as per Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements. As if we have time for more paperwork, some might say. As if we need to re-interview for our jobs at the end of the school year, others might say.  It can be scary to be "graded," so to speak, but it can be humbling, as well, to put ourselves in the shoes of our students. But in reading these texts and reviewing the video, I feel like some frustration might be quelled. This isn't just busywork (although it might take some time); it's a celebration (excuse the cheese of that word choice) of our lives and what we spend x-amount of hours doing each week. If I can work to get behind the importance of creating a personal yet professional online teaching identity using the concepts of reflection (as explained in the video), then I feel that I can convey these feelings to students to help them understand the importance of this as related to their 21st century student lives. 

Of course, among these feelings of revelation, I also feel the same uneasiness that we discussed throughout the week: I just have to wonder how much I am willing to divulge about me and me being a teacher out there for the world to view. In the world of social media, we post things online that we hope others will "like" or even just read. But the problem really lies with those out there who want to look for the negative. Unfortunately, as educators, we are under constant scrutiny. So I'm just hesitant to be too wide open on anything. I hate to say this...but is it really worth it? I guess we have no choice in the matter--if something is going to be said about us, it's going to happen. But again, why should I put it out there for public knowledge if I don't have to? Certain circumstances might be useful, like if I was looking for a job in a different field or if I was a celebrity whose job description is being in the public eye. The idea of audience is so prevalent in this topic; we (the teacher) are NOT the only ones assessing these online designs (as Aram states, "I had to be" in relation to being aware of the idea of a wide cyber audience. Page 456). 

In terms of hesitation, I don't see my students having the same problem. In fact, I think they're almost leaning too far the other way. Their tweets are going to live forever, screenshotted on someone's phone, somewhere, and they don't seem to care. I'm generalizing, because not all teenagers are buying into this, and some are really starting to learn the consequences of their cyber decisions, but for the most part, they're just kids and consequence isn't part of them biologically yet. So I feel like for them, working on an electronic portfolio with them could be the answer...helping them cultivate and create an appropriate online identity that will aid them in furthering their future goals and plans could be a great send-off lesson as they enter the real world. I like that this is so tied in with reality, and the world is truly their oyster as they explore different modes and methods of digitization. They're worlds ahead of me, and I don't feel like I'm that far behind, technologically speaking (but I am...I so am). They could come up with some really great stuff, and like we talked about last week, it's important to differentiate the "stuff that looks cool" versus the important content information, and that's where we come in! Goodson relays the notable movement toward more online portfolios in teacher education and "periodic evaluation" (484), so the more we learn about this, the more this movement can trickle down to our lesson plans to help students do this, as well. 

As my favorite Criminal Minds FBI agent, Prentiss, suggests, "The internet never forgets." This is both awesome and scary at the same time. Because it's not just us (the teacher)...assessment, in many forms, is truly everywhere. 

Art is Art is Art is English is Literacy

I like this, but it scares me. I'm no artist. However, I see myself as someone who thinks like an artist. We all have Bachelor of ARTS degrees...so hey, maybe the experts are right; English language is an art after all!

Of course there has been much research done out there to determine that literary thinking taps into the creative realm. Look at this--there's even a degree out there dedicated to the synthesis of art and literature! http://www.reading.ac.uk/Study/ug/ArtEnglishLitBA.aspx

So the connection is quite clear: there is much overlap in these worlds. But then, the problem arises, do we technically need to become experts in both in order to fairly and equally assess students when we deem it relevant and useful to incorporate one within the other for an assignment and performance of understanding? I took some time to read and think about this from the NCTE reading:

Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the 21st century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities, and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Active, successful participants in this 21st century global society must be able to

• Develop proficiency and fluency with the tools of technology;
  
• Build intentional cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought;
  
• Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes;
  
• Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information;
  
• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts;
  
• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments.

 
In the third bullet point, I think the language makes much sense to me... "...to meet a variety of purposes." It's pretty broad in terms of phrasing; I see it as open interpretation for the entire spectrum spanning from objective to subjective assessment. For example, if I have students create a podcast, the "purpose" might be to give a book talk on The Giver. My rubric might include just the understanding of the theme and plot. There is no getting around that subjectivity in the teaching of ELA, but just because one student understands enough technology to create a cool sound background and add some Giver-inspired sound effects (not even sure what those would be...?), does that mean they understood the book more? I don't know the answer to that. BUT what I DO know is that based on what I just explained, and on the purpose I originally gave, I'm not grading the podcast based on those sound effects. Cool? Yes. Necessary for this specific purpose of assignment? No.

I think if we present students with our guidelines in the beginning, that can certainly help. Not that we don't do that anyway, but for the incorporation of new media, I think we need to be even more explicit in terms of our expectations. They're used to the expectations we teachers have for essays. There is, of course, some varying degree of assessment with the different teachers students encounter, but basically it's on a somewhat similar level of framework. But this...this newer style of learning/teaching; the incorporation of new media technology and the understanding, for both teacher AND student, that learning literature (and all things ELA) has multimodal possibilities, is less ingrained in them in terms of the teacher's assessment procedures. If we say at the beginning, "I will be grading you on creativity. No pencil. All must be done using Adobe Photoshop. You must incorporate color. Must be aesthetically pleasing," yes, there is certainly some subjectivity in there, but at least the students know it's there.

It's also an ongoing process. I think we need to take time to make the new media assignments part of the classroom activities instead of assigning them and leaving students to their own devices. They need to learn these 21st century learner habits now so that they're prepared to utilize them in college and careers in the future. If we set them up with highly detailed expectations for the assignment and then work through it with them, it makes them more comfortable with the entire process. They end up seeing more value in it rather than just busywork that is "just another PowerPoint," which I do everything in my power to avoid! I think the basic explanation of the purpose is so valuable (in general) while teaching and assessing new media. The students' ownership is vital as we move forward with these new technologies.

.................Of course, they know it already; we're the ones who probably need to be taught to feel more comfortable with technology, right? Sigh. Full circle!

Is This A Redo? ;-)

I am working hard to avoid making a broken-record post based on last week’s. So instead I’ll take a cue from our fearless leader and base my rant/rave on my own personal issues and musings on the subject of differentiated instruction.

Oh, I remember a time when I did not know the phrase “differentiated instruction;” alas, it was a time when it did not roll off my tongue like the morning dew rolls off my windshield as I scurry my car along the cold, dismal highway to school before dawn. But then, hark, the principal at my very first teaching gig said something that resonated: “Differentiation is something that good teachers do without even realizing it.” Ok, cool. Now how do I make sure I’m a good teacher? I remember thinking. I’m not sure that I’m there yet, but I guess I see what he means: differentiation is natural. When I speak to others, I speak how they’ll understand me. For example, when I speak to my friends’ small children, I use different conversation and language than when I speak with my sarcastic adult friends. It’s about making others feel included and comfortable.

In my own words, here is how I break it all down:

• Students will feel more comfortable.
• The kids can do what they’re capable of without feeling pressure.
• They can work at their own pace.
• They can have fun! (Because they can choose to do things they like)
• I can see lightbulbs go off above the kids’ heads. even the shy, unsure kids.

But then...I have an entire chapter (ten) marked from Wormeli’s book to add to my syllabus next year. This is surprising to me. I have always thought of myself as an anti-redo teacher.  This chapter covers the concepts of redos, an issue with which I have many, many questions. But when I started the chapter and read the quote at the beginning, I suddenly felt differently: “Yes, I had a lot of paperwork at first [from grading and re-grading, etc.], but after awhile, it actually decreased. Students began analyzing their mistakes before turning in their tests” (131). I think that I really like this. My problem as a whole, though, is that I almost don’t see this as differentiating instruction; in fact, I almost see it as a cop-out. But Wormeli presents some ways to fix this and adapt our way of thinking. For example, on page 132, he says, “If it’s a charcter issue, such as integrity, self-discipline, maturity, and honesty, the greater gift may be to deny the redo option.” So if students slack off for the entire essay unit because they know they “have an extra week and can redo it,” this won’t apply to them. I also appreciated Wormeli’s comment: “Do not allow any work to be redone during the last week of the grading period” (135). He added that just to help with teacher sanity. Thank you, sir. I need to incorporate this into my life asap. I am currently still chasing two students down for essays that they didn’t turn in during the LAST quarter! Why am I doing this? And further, on the subject of DI, is this really any kind of DI? These students just did NOT do their work. How am I being fair and/or equal to the other kids in my classes then? Sigh.

Truly, though, what resonated more than anything else in this book, was Wormeli’s paragraph at the end of this chapter on page 136:

“Our world is full of redos. Sure, most adults don’t make as many mistakes requiring redos as students do, but that’s just it--our students are not adults and as such, they can be afforded a merciful disposition from their teachers as we move them toward adult competency.”

And this is not just letting them do what they want with no consequences or sense of independence; this is just making them feel like they are cared for; like we, their teachers, want them to succeed; like we aren’t trying to trick them into harsh grades with any kind of demotivational spirit. Strike a balance with this...and THIS is differentation.

Differentiating my Differentiation.

I have run a small gamut in the world of education so far. It's not overly impressive, but as far as my certification goes, it stretches. I started by teaching 7th grade language arts five years ago, which covered reading, writing, and grammar in one curriculum and it was c-r-a-m-m-e-d but I loved every second of it. Now I'm teaching college prep seniors in a semester-long four-essay base module writing course in which students can earn college credit.  When I saw that this and next week's readings would encompass the thoughts of differentiation as it pertains to assessment, I started to think back to my teacher cert program and how much we learned about this. I thought back to my student teaching experience, where my wonderful cooperating teacher modeled many examples of this, from the simple to the quite complex. I thought about my lovely co-teacher from my years in 7th grade who would do anything for her learning support students in my inclusion class. I thought back to when I taught 8th grade gifted language arts (a class of 12) and how I had to come up with frequent ways to differentiate in order to make it more challenging. And I thought about how now I don't noticeably differentiate. 

But then I read.

And I let myself breathe; I let myself take it all in and I finally felt my footing for this new year of teaching. (If you're doing the math, yes, I have taught something new four of the five years I've been a teacher. I'm assuming many new teachers go through this, yes? Please? Anyone?) 

I felt at ease reading about the definition(s) presented to us by both Wormeli and Moon-- they made sense; I had seen this and done this many times. But seeing some new tactics and thoughts behind these things was comforting. I hadn't, pardon me, crapped out at doing Think-Pair-Shares and the like. The nicest thing I came to understand from Moon's text is that now that I'm more comfortable in my teaching and have relaxed  a little (well, as much as we can relax in this profession...), I'm able to really utilize the data that I create with the assessments that I give, either formative or summative (or pre-). I noticed that I'm just starting to really dig in and change things up for the better. 

I learned from Wormeli that it's okay to question and discuss our methods of differentiation. I really pondered over his theories and thoughts on mastery. I think this is such a hot-button issue in education right now. Well, at least for ELA. Perhaps other content areas have it easier, but in all honesty, how do we judge mastery in English class?! I know we've talked about this in previous discussions, but I liked seeing it alongside the idea of differentiation. Whew---mind blown, I'm totally scattered now. Is mastery different for each student out there? And where do standardized tests fit in? 

Annnnnnnnd now I'm having English teacher anxiety. It's a good time to pause and grade some essays, right?

Preassessment Data: Grammar Unit

Thankful for the Peace and Balance (*see last sentence)

I have been so lucky this semester...I get to read and comment on 40 student reading journals that are shared with me via Google Drive. My old self would find this daunting; frustrating, even. You mean...I have to log on throughout the week and comment on every single one...and then GRADE them? Put the grade into a grade sheet?!  Ok and let me admit to something. That "old self" was about three weeks ago and one day after I assigned this project. I suddenly wondered what I got myself into. I thought that this would put more onus on the kids--they could read and do some analysis and we could do a cool debate about the stuff they read. I loved the choices they made; all the books were controversial, hot in topic, and culturally popular. So when I sat down to start reading those 40 shared documents, I felt defeated: where did my enthusiasm go? I probably heaved a sigh at that point...and started in. But something happened shortly thereafter. I really, really, really started to enjoy them. (Not all of them......such is life!) But take a look at the response below; the student's novel is Of Mice and Men. (My question is right after the number "2" then his response is after) 

I loved reading the complexity here. It's simple yet gives me so much insight as to how the student feels about the book. At the same time, I feel so connected because I loved reading this book. I like being able to get into the minds of readers; I think back to the W-RN that we analyzed a few weeks ago. It's such a great way to get personal insight. 

And this week, I really started to take that to the level of my own thoughts and how I will give constructive, thoughtful, caring feedback. And then from that, I started asking myself how I was grading these pieces of writing? As you can see from my comment, I gave this student 20 out of 20. Using theories from this week's readings, I have started now to think more about how I incorporated behavior AND content knowledge into the grading. I have students who turn these journals in late and I immediately take off two points per day. Moving on from just these journals, the readings also made me think about other bigger assignments in different classes...I have students who didn't turn in a huge college research presentation yet. It was due in late January!!!!!!!! (argh.)  But one tried to turn it in to me Monday. Um. How do I keep my frustration out of that grading? I feel like that's a combination of the Ferriter piece AND the Namaste piece. I have to try to remain peaceful and thankful but at the same time having some sort of balance showing that the behavior displayed here is NOT acceptable, but at the same time, he did the work! Ack. ..............Upon further reflection, I am just so very thankful to have the Namaste piece this week. I feel like it was a nice, relaxing way to try to find peace and balance while reading other pieces about creating grading balance. (How many times can I say "thankful," "peace," and "balance" in one blog posting? Going for the record here! Although, if you give that some deeper analysis, I kind of like that those three key words were floating around in my brain this week. Again: a nice mid-semester mentality to be faced with.) 

Show Your Spirit, Be Bold! (But Watch for Commas.)

This week has made me think a lot about how I grade student writing (obviously...?). I have been bouncing around in my brain on these ideas, and it's like the ping-pong effect:

• I should grade for voice! Forget conventions; that's just disheartening to them!
• Buuuuut wait, so am I just communicating that grammar is pointless? Write however you want as long as your message is good?

and

• Rubrics are the devil when it comes to giving writers feedback! They make us too reliant on form so that we are not focused at all on what the reader is really trying to say! 
• Buuuut wait, so should I scrap all the boxes of my rubrics and just make one that says "Writer got point across well." ??? What does this tell students about all the years of grammar they've encountered? Can we send them to the real world just blatantly disregarding sentence structure and basic conventions?! Eek, that frightens me!

Yup. Ping-ponging here. I know we've talked in our discussions about the idea of striking a balance; of learning to promote our positive notes while adding in constructive criticisms. For me, this rang true while I read Anson's piece with the many different styles of teacher feedback. I think that many if not all of those instances occur for me with each stack of papers I am grading. Maybe one for one paper, two or three for another, you get the idea...but the point is that we can have this idea of what the paper means, but how to we assess with equality then? How do we avoid subjectivity and give each student a fair shake? Or is that even possible? Is it right? 

I recently started grading my 87 personal statements. I picked up the first one. Oh, good! I worked with John* a lot on this. I can't wait to read his story!  (reading) Great intro! I like how unique it is. Sets me up for the rest of the story! (reading) Gah. Oh dear. 

 Let's just say it was one where I flipped through the pages thrice before burying it in the stack. Fragments everywhere...ideas just recklessly splatted into paragraphs...a random one-sentence paragraph about how he's a team player...oh dear. This saddened me because he had a great story to tell! I knew this because during our peer conference, he talked it out with me and he decided he really wanted to explain how sports had changed his life. "Awesome," I told him. "Show me, don't just tell me." I even gave him an example from a previous student who did something very similar. But something, so it seems, is lacking when it comes to making that mental story (which was very interesting, I might add) translate into sensible, meaningful sentences. He's a great student--steadfast, caring, sincere, and funny. So how the heck did this paper happen? 

That right there is why I can't just assess for the story. Because now I'm being head-over-heels subjective if I decide to grade solely upon that. We talked and he told it to me, so how can I possibly leave out that knowledge when I'm assessing for a score? And can I send him off to college with him thinking it's ok to produce fragmented sentences and thoughts as long as you tell the prof your story first? (Apologies for cynicism there...but you get my point) No, this just won't do. I have to teach him (and all of them), but really, really teach them that voice is important, but if you can't make your story clear, sensible, transitional, narrative, descriptive, and well-worded, then the voice can't be heard. It's like when you watch two versions of a movie: the old one and the remake. Same basic tale, but somehow one is always better than the other. The old version of The Great Gatsby loses something for me; I didn't ever see the spark between Daisy and Jay like I do in the Leonardio DiCaprio version. As in, holy hell, that "thing" between them is beyond words and moves me to tears in many scenes. That's the difference. HOW we get there...HOW we portray the story is half, if not more than half, the battle. JK Rowling could have written a 100-page book about an unfortunate kid who realized his courage and became a hero; she could have written about all seven years at Hogwarts in those 100 pages; she could have said things like, "Harry killed Voldemort." But instead (and luckily for us), wrote this:

                   Harry Potter: "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important                              things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?
                   Voldemort: "Is it love again? Dumbledore's favorite solution; love, which he claimed                          conquered death [...]? So what will stop you dying now when I strike? [...] If it is not                          love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or                        else a weapon more powerful than mine?"
                   Harry Potter: "I believe both."            

                         (Harry and Voldemort face off in the Great Hall in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

And without Rowling's (and all the other authors out there in the universe) keen attention to structure and word choice and her editors' focus on correct conventions and usage, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now, typing this in my "School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" shirt I purchased at Universal Studios' Harry Potter World Gift Shop, now would I? 

Alas, I feel a little cheated and cheap coming off of this week, after all of the insightful, though-provoking chock-full resources we encountered and scoured, as I concluded thereof that I just feel like we need students to realize that it's a battle of balance. You can't have the amazing voice...that spark...that "something" without also formulating sentences of grammatical awareness. But that's not everything. At all. Good news: grammar can be fixed! So tell your stories, students! Fear not the grammar queen--go forth in your tales! Show me your spirit! Be bold, be unafraid! But...and there has to be a "but," at what point is voice lost because of missing conventional accuracy? 

Lunchtime Rubric Chat

This past week's readings really got me talking. I was curious to see how my colleagues felt about and approached the use (and theories behind NOT using) of rubrics. I am constantly struck by how much I can relate to the concepts discussed in this course, and this week was no exception. I remember reading last week in Murray's piece that he told his students that every piece of writing is a draft. That stuck with me, and I aggressively highlighted the section in Spandel's "In Defense of Rubrics" that said, "Writing is revision" (20). How completely honest and true is that? She goes on to explain how she tries to encourage students to hit that "wow" moment when writing; when they create something so meaningful that people are moved by it and exclaim, "'You've got to see this'" (20). Those words kind of helped me in trying to construct a way of thinking where rubrics weren't the end all, be all, but instead worked as a piece of scaffolding for students to adhere to in terms of guidelines/benchmarks/checkmarks, but not so much as a rigid structure in which they had to follow exactly.

I do think that all students need some sort of guideline, though, because most of them have to work toward achieving success using the state mandated Keystone rubric. Problem is...right now this is simply a 4, 3, 2, or 1, and if you think about it, the way one of my English teacher friends put it, either an A, C, D, or F... As unfortunate as that is, how are we supposed to widen that to help them feel achievement and success if they make a few mistakes and all the sudden have a "C" grade on a piece of writing? This is what my friend and I talk about during prep period and lunch duty. I mean, once in awhile we slip in gossip of who is more authentic: Jay Gatsby or Nick Carraway...or why JK Rowling shouldn't have ended the HP series with an epilogue and just kept writing out the story instead...But this week I got her chatting about rubrics. She teaches 10th grade, smack dab in the middle of Keystone, dare I say..."training," and she had some interesting perspectives on this. She gives her kids more of a detailed rubric than this (from the PA Dept. of Education) so that they have more grading flexibility, because, and I agree, she feels that giving kids a "C" as the punishment for not being "perfect" with a "4" seems a bit intense.

That's where I believe rubrics [should] have some flexibility and be catered toward the prompt or assignment genre. There is almost no way, the way I see it, that I could be told to write an essay on a piece of literature with absolutely no guidelines and promise to be successful. And I'm an English Writing and Literature degree holder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a big enough panic attack when I had to write a25-page lit analysis on Invisible Man during senior year of undergrad. And for that, I even talked through a basic rubric and scoring sequence with my advisor in order to get some sense of stability.

So I agree that rubrics need some work, some nurturing, some love...but I think that we can't abandon the idea altogether (or, like in Wilson's eyes, let them be a work in progress--that makes me think of chaos and mayhem, actually). I mean, realistically, this more of a conversation to have with the state than with teachers in the classroom who have basically no control over whether or not rubrics are used, because if we don't use them and get kids used to them, how-oh-how will they possibly be ready when they face them on the Keystones (which are required in order to graduate...............)???

Color Analysis of Rough Draft Week

Like I mentioned in several comments throughout this week's discussion, I happened upon a coincidence of scheduling rough draft writing/conferencing for my students during the same time frame. So I am going to use this blog posting to kind of talk my way through my week and give you a play-by-play of what my thought processes and experiences were. (For a better frame of reference, my students' assignment is to write a scholarship essay, which parallels a personal statement, based on a prompt for a scholarship contest of their choosing.)

MONDAY:
I had read the articles by this point and was delighted that I could try some new things right away. By this day, students had chosen scholarship prompts and had outlined what they wanted to say. They were drafting today, so I gave them free reign to start typing from their outlines. Free reign, as I have learned, often scares students. So I spent most of my time talking through the prompts with students and trying to get them to come up with unique ways to answer them. I tried to employ some of Murray's techniques and just sit and listen as they posed their problems to me. This worked okay, but they really needed an adult to explain the expectations of a scholarship review committee. I wasn't completely sure, since I've never been on such a committee, but I think I lessened their confusion somewhat.

TUESDAY:
Still drafting. They were less nervous and spent more time just typing. I had to stop halfway through the first class period and make a quick announcement after addressing four or five students to not get hung up on creating some extraordinary hook intro right away. It made me think about how Kittle explained she doesn't give them a rubric right away...this might be a perfect opportunity, in the future, to make this part of a checklist that students help to create. (Vision: "Class, we are going to make a checklist and I'll keep a running tab of important things we talk about during our drafting week. We'll write ideas on the board in a list and by the time we finish the drafts, we'll have the framework of a rubric ready to go." Am I on the right track here?)

WEDNESDAY:
Last day to type before a printed rough draft is due tomorrow. Nothing exciting happens except for the paper jamming in the printer every other time.

THURSDAY:
No computer lab today; we are in the regular classroom, and about 95% of them roll up with a printed copy of their drafts. Not bad for second semester seniors. (The other 5% mysteriously all forgot their flash drives at home.) I think about the readings from this week and the discussion we've already been involved in, and I ask them, "Ok, be honest, who could tell me right now what is wrong with their draft and how they would like to fix it." Slowly, most of the hands are raised. They look a little satisfied with themselves. This is good. I go on: "Exactly. Just remember: every piece of writing is a draft. I bet if you put one of Stephen King's novels in front of him and asked him what he'd like to fix, he could tell you right away." They smile. They get it. On the editing sheet I give them, it asks them to read their own essay backwards, sentence by sentence, and they do this, reluctantly and quipping, "This is sooo weeeeird!" once in awhile. But success!!! They find "soooo many" more comma errors and flow inconsistencies. Cool. I also had them answer six of Murray's questions from page 151 of the article. The one that stumped them? "Where is this piece of writing taking you?" (most said "to pick up a check once it wins me the scholarship." Funny stuff.)

Then they all had to do a teacher conference ("I've never had to do a teacher conference before!" one student exclaimed. She seemed nervous. NERVOUS! To get one-on-one help from an English teacher. I was a little taken aback on this one...)

It was strange...they all seemed bored by the peer conferencing idea, but then so many of them said they were glad to get another pair of eyes on their essays. Kids. Can't figure that one out. 

I also started a few teacher conferences today. Like I said, this was intimidating for the first ones on the (voluntary) list. But I was determined to try to be like Murray and Kittle and focus on the fact that they KNOW what's wrong with their drafts already...it's just about talking though the issues and guiding them in the right direction. But anyway, it went like this:

• Me: "Ok, tell me what you think about your draft."
• Student A: "Um...well............(pause)......I really don't like how I went from the intro to the first body paragraph."
• Me: "Why?"
• Student A: "Um....well...........(less of a pause this time) It's just, it goes right into why I should get the scholarship but I don't really talk about it up here much. What should I do?"
• Me: "What do you think you should do?"
• Student A: "Welllll maybe fix the introduction. I guess it doesn't really make sense. Does it?"
• Me: "I like the meaning behind it; I like that you are telling a story, but you're right, you could work on cleaning up the wording."
• Student A: "Yeah! Ok!" (Scribbles down some quick changes)

....and so it goes on for about five more minutes. He leaves and says, "This is the best help I've ever gotten on an essay."  I can't make that stuff up. Class ends and I feel victorious. They're actually improving using their own knowledge! Wheee!

FRIDAY:

Despite yesterday's successes, and probably due to shortened periods, students aren't as excited about teacher conferencing as I am. They wait...and wait...to sign up. Blank sign up sheet. Blank. I'm offended! C'mon, didn't you talk to Student A yesterday about how rewarding the experience was?! I reiterate that the teacher conference is required. One saunters up. 

• Me: "Hi, so, what do you think needs work?"
• Student B: "Idunno, you tell me (nervous laughter)! I don't like it...I'm confused."
• Me: "Ok, show me specifically what you don't like."
• Student B: "Ok, ok...I don't think I'm answering the prompt, but I really like how I told the story about what inspires me, and I don't want to lose that part."
• Me: "So how can you incorporate the answer to the prompt within the story? A sentence maybe?"
• Student B: "Ummmmm.........idunno, what do you think?

It was clear he wasn't going to respond like Murray's students did. He needed more guidance. He wanted me to just tell him how to fix it. I knew how to...and I told him that arguably, I could go around and "fix" everyone's essay and win them all. I mean, I should be able to: I have an English writing degree, journalism degree, and English teaching certificate. I remember reading about that this week. But that's not the point, I tell him; the point is for him to identify and learn how to improve his own writing. I don't want to take from his "voice," I say. I want his own style to shine through. 

Aha! He likes this! He smiles. "Thanks. yeah..imean, I worked really hard to tell this story...ilikeit, ido. So yeah." And he goes to work. "Mayyyybeee....I need to add this sentence and move this over here...." and he's off. It took a little longer, but he gets it.

Success. 

OVERALL...

I like this method so much and saw so much success in just a few days. I highly recommend you all give it a try. Students want to do it themselves. It's the generation of "gimme it. now" and this allows them to own their education, not just borrow what I tell them and forget it again by tomorrow. Kudos to the authors this week, Gardner, Kittle, and Murray, for instilling some great theories in my mind and allowing my students to benefit from them. 

Inspiration!!!!!!!!!!

I'm wondering if anyone out there is feeling like I am. Being an English teacher, I'm a reader and writer at heart and chose to pursue a career where I could encourage these loves unto students. So when I read this book and perused the samples within, I felt a deep sense of guilt for not writing more myself and pursuing my original life's dream of becoming a published author.

I saw the way that Rief structured her Writer's-Reader's Notebook and immediately felt an urge to get out one of my many 3% full journals from a plastic bin buried deep within my closet and start writing (again). Forgive me for getting existential here for a bit, but in reality, when we leave this earth, all that will be left is the memories of us, and if we are so inclined, lucky, and motivated, our written word. (And the way things are going, an in-depth timeline on social media!) I feel it is irresponsible of me to neglect a daily journal for future generations to peruse. This may border on way too sentimental and even macabre, but in reality, I enjoy the thought that someday, my great-great-great grandchildren could read about my day, the way things were, and how I felt.

I think that, in the case of the W-RN, this is a small step toward achieving the goal of making a memory and truly making an impact on a student's life. When we get our students to dig deep and just write about their feelings, about a novel, article, event during lunchtime, birthday present, whatever, they are actually becoming skilled at writing, even if we aren't explicitly teaching this. I know that for me, the more I write, the better it becomes. Might I say "duh" to this. Because it's an age-old practice in ELA teachings to give students many opportunities to improve their written pieces with drafts, conferences, edits, you name it, so obviously the idea of writing--a LOT--can be so beneficial not only in writing skill/ability/quality, but in expressing oneself in all basic areas of communication. (Which, as we know and have discussed, translates to all subject areas and interests.)

My concluding feelings are thus: writing often is very important to me, even if I haven't been disciplined lately. I want to portray why I feel that writing is important in a way that won't scare off my students, or bore them, annoy them, etc...and I think that some version of the W-RN is a great way to do this.

I'm feeling the urge to model this importance, much like how Rief shows us with her own examples at the end of the Appendix. As a graduate student reading this, I'm overtly inspired to the point where I want to curl up on this chilly February Saturday and write until my fingers are numb. I think something similar might happen if my own students say my own writing modeled in such a way, so I am formulating ways to do this. No more "Ok, start writing your response," while I use that "quiet time" to check make-up homework and reply to an email or two. Why not show them my though processes while I write? Give them some inspiration, like Rief gave to me?

I vow to start this on Monday. I'll keep you posted.

Jago is my Homegirl

This week, I immediately fell in love with Jago's "Testing That Teaches," and I know this because I put little smiley faces, stars, and "YES!" exclamations all over the text. In fact, the actual book this excerpt is from is now sitting on my Amazon wish list. Something about the way the author spoke really hit close to home for me. I found a lot of similarities in how she thinks about ELA assessment with that of my own opinions, and I just feel so strongly that each subject area has its own perspective on assessment so this was much appreciated. 

My favorite part is when she was talking about how hypocritical it is for us to teach students about literature as there being a right or wrong answer. My favorite English class in high school (and incidentally the one that inspired me to go on to major in English) was 12th grade AP where we sat in a circle the entire year and discussed the literature we read. I had never before felt my opinion to be so nurtured and loved; this was finally a chance for me to dig in and really show my feelings for what we were reading. I had this class with my "bff" who is still my "bff" today, and we often talk about how much we adored our teacher and the way she got us to open up about these books and stories. In fact, get this, I am now her colleague and see and work with her every day, as I'm back working at my own high school! I now have the very unique opportunity to chat with her about that same literature, plus so many more things, like essays, creative writing pieces, behavior in the classroom...I'm in my dream world, truly, and she gives me such wonderful insight unto my own teaching practices. 

Lately, she and a few other colleagues and I got caught up talking about giving those objective tests that have such a bad stigma in our subject area.  (I love the English teacher nerd conversations we have after school!!!) We all kind of admitted that we just HAVE to give those tests so that students can demonstrate that they have read and NOT just "Spark Noted" the major themes and symbols. It's unfortunate, but that's really one of the only ways. But we also all agreed that we enjoy reading the written responses so much more; the ones where students tend to bounce around and ramble on about the text, and even though the answer might not be perfect, we can work to help them get there eventually, and the next test (or essay, etc.) will have the chance to be improved upon. And that is why we all love teaching English-- for those lessons and discussions about literature or any topic, really, that get students motivated. 

And by insisting that there is a right or wrong answer, we are basically saying that their opinions don't matter; that they must have thought incorrectly somewhere along the way. It's tough for students (especially seniors in high school........) to be told what to do and how to think, so this might be a chance, in the ELA classroom, for them to really branch out and say what they want to say (ahem, to a certain degree, of course!).   So why should we discourage this? 

Preach on, Carol Jago!

FA, a Note to Follow "So?"

Any time I can incorporate a Sound of Music reference, don't doubt that I will take that opportunity.

But really, I know the first time I heard about formative assessment, it was almost like a "So? It's just how we teach, right? Like when we walk around the room, right?" moment for me. But I can tell you that in further researching and discussing the concepts and practices behind it, I have come to realize the responsibility we have to students to make these ideals a part of our daily routines.

I have come to really enjoy and appreciate the NCTE articles we read. I think they are realistic and clear, yet not oversimplified and obvious. For example, I know that when I read this week's article, I found myself relating to the visual they used on pp. 2-3. I like having some foundation-type reading before diving into texts that foster more critical analysis on my part.

I guess I need my own scaffolding and formative assessment, eh?

And therein lies the point.

Isn't the idea of formative assessment just so real-world and true-to-life? There are sometimes those "life" days that inhabit many struggles...many instances that cause me to wonder if the day will ever come to a close. But in order to maintain a full-steam-ahead mindset, we must compartmentalize and focus on the "baby steps" so that we might eventually find ourselves content and complete.

So I find that we must also think this way in teaching our students. Yes, they're all going to be able to write a research paper and annotated bibliography by April 30, 2014, but my goodness, doesn't this seem so daunting to them to hear on the first day of class? I know I feel similarly about course objectives. They actually cause me to take a deep breath and say, "I can do this." In that regard, I find it so helpful to incorporate my own experiences in creating useful and kind lessons so that students can take their own deep breaths as the class carries on. They might feel overwhelmed at first, but our job is to break the task down into smaller goals, even as small as minute-by-minute, to help them feel a sense of accomplishment, or even feel a sense of failure, so that it is apparent and we are aware enough to do something about it.

In the end, I want my own students to eye up a task, large or small, and say, "I can do this." And formative assessment can get us there.

"I Can Post In My Blog So That I Can Reflect Upon This Week's Discussion"

I have thoroughly enjoyed and been intrigued by this week's discussion. I get the notifications of a new posting sent to my gmail, which pops up on my phone, so I've had some interesting reading all week. I especially like this week because it's giving me a fresh perspective on a topic that we discuss a lot in my district. I feel like sometimes we (my colleagues) can get pretty grumbly about in-service, so this is a nice take on a topic that has much importance in the classroom.

I liked reading Shephard's article about the history and research of assessment, which ended like kind of a "where are we going and how are we going to get there" vibe for me.  Regarding this new type of assessment, I found myself agreeing that they made much more sense. But to my surprise, I also found myself coming to the conclusion that regular old summative assessment has its place, too. I know that I use those types of assessments, but sometimes I would feel guilty about it. However, this week has given me some peace in that regard. Perhaps formative assessment can be more catered to the s/c mindset, and I think it just does that naturally, and this will lead students down a path in order to be summatively assessed.

May I digress here for a second to display my amusement/concern that the word "summative" keeps getting the red squiggle for misspelling? It's a word so new for a concept so old that our computers don't know what to do with it! Ahhh!

But anyway.

So I have to admit, I kind of groaned at the thought of reading about the NCTE standards, as our district (and I'm sure many others) has been just crushing us, via the state of Pennsylvania, via the national Common Core movement, with new standards and how to align our curriculum therein. It's frustrating to reinvent the wheel, especially for teachers who have very little free time. So when I started reading these standards on this website, I immediately felt defensive, as if to set out to prove that we are already doing these things! However, I ended up liking a different perspective from that of CCS; these were broader and more life-friendly. Ending with a smile-worthy expectation that families should be involved in the process, as well. So often do they just look at the end product: the grade. When in fact, there might (and usually is) much more to the percentage on the report card. (Like a girl I had who got a 96...probably wrote at the level of 90...but just tested well and turned in all of her homework. I hope her parents get a chance to really view her individual scores on assignments so they can understand what truly made her earn a 96...this would help her in the end, and I'm not trying to trick anyone, but I would think that I would want the same for my own child someday).

Initial groan aside, I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this list and understanding a little more about these expectations. So often we get tied up in the scare of the standard that we forget to step back and view them like the NCTE details for us: in a matter of simple, yet defined, real-world tactics.

Overall for the week, I feel that I learned so much and was able to pull from things that I have filed away from previous in-service days. I like being able to reflect upon these things and think about how to use them so that my students can learn better every day!

Welcome, New Friends!

So I've been teacher-blogging for a few months, but as some new followers might be stopping by, a biographical introduction is certainly in order!

My name is Lesley and I live outside of Pittsburgh, my favorite city in the entire world, with Brussels, Paris, and San Diego all tying for second place. It was a rough roller-coaster of a year for my Steelers....sigh...pause for moment of silence... Now I'm happily cheering for anyone but the Patriots until the NFL closes out for the year and I gear up for the draft and training camp.  I'll probably watch a few hockey games in the interim, as well, but I have horrible vision so it's a struggle to keep my eyes on the puck. #annoying.

Oh, and I also speak "hashtag." Sorry in advance!

Right now I am working to complete my MEd. after earning an English 7-12 teaching certificate at Pitt in 2009. I have taught in several districts since then, starting in 7th grade language arts, then up to 8th grade, and now I'm teaching 9th-12th graders in Argumentation and Debate as well as four sections of seniors in College Writing, which they take for college credit. 

I really found myself able to finish the MEd. when I discovered the entire coursework would be online. I coach boys' high school soccer in the fall, which makes anything "extra" a little challenging, but being able to flexibly manage the work to fit my time schedule was what made it all possible.

That being said, I thrive upon the thrill of being busy. I have a journalism degree (in addition to my English degree), so I thoroughly enjoy working spontaneously and to deadline. (which tends to tie in nicely with the requirements of being a teacher!) Some other things that keep me busy are playing (not just coaching!) soccer, taking ballet classes, and running running running in preparation for the Pittsburgh half marathon in May. (Gah! Thirteen miles?!) Guilty pleasures include celebrity gossip, jetting off to Miami once a year with the girls, and this little Mexican joint in my hometown where the queso is to DIE for. Like seriously I'd request it as my last meal. Just the queso. In a bowl. Nothing thrills me more than hitting a clearance rack that's an additional 50% off (any store will do), and I can often be found on Twitter, Pinterest, and/or Facebook. But you will almost never find me in the kitchen, as I detest cooking, which is weird because I REALLY love food and eating.

Also, nerd alert, I really like going to work every day. Right now I teach mostly seniors, and even though it's a major switch from middle schoolers, which is all I knew from student teaching until this year, I enjoy them and the class so very much. In fact, seniors are why I went back to school for teaching to begin with, as I started my grown up life as a college recruiter for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, working with seniors from high schools all over the PA, OH, WV, VA, MA... it was very rewarding but I was looking for more "face time" with the kids rather than just a few moments before moving on to the next school. I have finally stumbled upon my niche: working to help students polish their writing and language arts skills as they prepare to enter college and begin molding their adult lives. Plus, I am VERY luck to have an awesome group of students who love to learn and almost always do their homework. (That's a noticeable difference from middle school!)

I'm excited to start on a new course at Pitt, as colleagues and I often discuss our methods of assessment and the reasoning behind them. I am intrigued at the idea of formative versus summative assessment, and I'm constantly trying to revamp my skills and efforts to help students get the most out of their short semester with me. I know this class will greatly expand upon my knowledge and help me understand more about these ideas and concepts.

Thanks for reading! Looking forward to a fun and rewarding semester!