Focus on Impact
I recently attended a virtual session on Visible Learning with Dr. John Hattie. He talked about what works best in order to cause dramatic increases in student learning during face to face and virtual instruction. Turns out, just about everything we do as educators causes students to learn. However, he said there's no evidence that teaching more results in more learning. In fact, through his vast meta-research, there is evidence that highly impactful teachers don't focus so much on what they or the students will do. Instead, they focus on their impact on student learning. According to Dr. Hattie, it's how teacher think, not what they do, that has the most impact on student learning. This thinking is student-centered and ensures that everything we ask students to learn or do is intentional and designed to move students forward. Dr. Hattie explained that as much as 50% of what is taught, students already know, so there is little impact or forward movement. Rather than following a program or lessons written by someone who doesn't know your students, ask yourself "What can I do to cause my students to learn?" Small teacher moves can result in big learning gains.
As I reflected on this, I came up with several key areas that highly impactful teachers think about as they plan and deliver meaningful instruction. Over the next few months, I will be sharing ways to inform our thinking in order to have more impact on learning. Each idea I share requires that we go slow and teach less in order for students to learn more.
Whether you are virtual or in-person, at the beginning of the school year, start by thinking about how you can build a trusting relationship and gather data about your students' strengths, interests, challenges, and strategies that might work best for them.
Our students need an advocate. They need to feel safe, cared about, and a part of a community of learners. Think about how positive relationships are built between:
- students and teachers;
- students and other students; and
- teachers and the families of the students.
Here are a few ways to establish a positive relationship from the start.
1. Start by taking 2 minutes a day for the first few weeks to share something about yourself. Talk about who you are, other than the teacher. Then give students opportunities to share about themselves.
2. Invite students to join you for lunch (or breakfast) at least once a week, especially during the first few weeks. This can be done virtually or in person.
3. Set up a class FaceBook page or Twitter to celebrate the learning with your students' families. Ask students to share in writing the posts and selecting pictures for posting.
4. Use Google Forms for interest inventories. A few simple questions can help students express their interests and preferences for learning.
Focus On Strengths, Interests, and Challenges
High impact teachers don't start teaching until they know what students need to learn. From the first day of school, teachers begin learning about each student by looking for strengths and asking students about their interests.They ask students to talk about what they already know and watch as they perform skills. This helps to determine the students' challenges and entry points for learning. All instruction is based on student strengths, interests, and challenges.
During a conference session with Nicole Dimich this summer, she shared a "one pager" where information is gathered for and with each student. This helps to form theories about how the student learns best and why the student might struggle. Many students will have gaps this year, so gathering the data and working off what the student already knows is a critical starting point.
Over the summer, I created a digital reading conference notebook so that all the information can be kept in one, online document.
Establishing Culture and Community through the Houses Systems
The Why
Professional collaboration was at play two weeks ago when I went to my fellow teacher (and sister-in-law) Christe Montgomery to ask for ideas for building community and managing behavior. She suggested the Ron Clark Academy house system that her school implements. It sounded fun and engaging, so I rallied the troops in 4th grade and we went for it. It was a hit very quickly. The house system teaches teamwork, responsibility, teamwork, friendship, and leadership.
The What
The house system comes from the Harry Potter book and movie where students are sorted into four houses. We decided to go with the Harry Potter houses and theme for our students. We sorted students randomly and placed them into either Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. We did this so that they would be in a house with others from different homeroom classes. We showed a 2 minute clip from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to show students what we were doing. Each teacher on our team leads a house. I am the Ravenclaw house lead.
Each student came up to the Smartboard and pressed play to hear a clip from the sorting hat (on Harry Potter) to hear which house they had been selected for. The students were SO excited to get their time in the spotlight. Students were congratulating new housemates as they were announced. It was really cool to see.
We are also using Ron Clark’s Essential 55 rules during our morning meeting each day. We focus on two rules per week. Rules range from #1 "saying yes ma'am and no sir when speaking to adults" to #9 "always say thank you when something is given." Students can earn points when we see them demonstrating the essentials.
The How
When our amazing team decided to implement a house system, we first created a board in our hallway to display house points. We update it every Monday morning before students arrive to show whose house is leading. Students are so excited to come on Mondays and see who is in the lead. We also have point boards in our classrooms that we update daily. We add all of our points together (4 classes) on Friday afternoons and that is the totals that go on our community board in the hallway.
Students earn points for their houses by:
Being on task
Completing classwork
Attendance
Kind actions
Encouragement
Working together
Listening and sharing
Above and beyond work
Focused and engaged
Organization
Using manners
We have challenges with points that our students are working towards together. Here are a few:
When all houses earn 150 points collectively = 15 minute extra recess
The first house to earn 200 points = Treasure Chest Pick in their homeroom class
All houses earn 1000 points collectively = Popcorn Party
On Fridays, we hold 15 minute meetings with each house to discuss successes, struggles, and a plan to earn more points for that house. This is such a cool opportunity to build community within a grade level and also getting meet other students who may not be in your class.
For added effect, I have a watching magic Owl in the corner of my classroom. The students love having a magic owl who is watching for opportunities to give points. The owl is from the book Harry Potter (chapter 1).
We wanted to build a learning community that was visible to all and encouraged collaboration. After all, these are OUR students and we want them to know they have an impact on the community.
As an 11 year veteran teacher, Randi Anderson is teaching 4th grade ELAR in Van Alstyne ISD this year. She has spent the last 6 years working as an instructional coach with schools across the U.S. Prior to this she taught third and fourth grade in the Fort Worth, Texas area. Be sure to follow her on Twitter @randinanderson or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Anderson-Adventures-in-4th-Grade-110838290747036
Using Brain Strategies to Impact Student Learning
By Cindy Jones
Students’ behaviors have changed a lot in the past ten years. Today’s educators need specific strategies to help keep students engaged and learning. These strategies, which are based on current brain research, also reduce boredom and acting out behaviors.
Movement: every 17 minutes
After 17 minutes, blood begins to pool in the hamstrings and Melatonin is released throughout the body. This makes you sleepy. Movement (just 6 steps) will stop this process for 35 minutes, so have students get up and move around.
Talk to your partner: Every 20-30 minutes
Have students engage in academic conversations to discuss new information. This makes learning personal and relevant. Just the act of moving your head and mouth helps the brain imprint the new learning.
Brain Breaks:
The human brain is not designed for continuous learning. The brain needs processing time and down time away from directed, focused instruction. There should be fun brain breaks to reduce fatigue and rest the brain.
A brain break could be:
• write in the air the answer to a question
• chant the main idea 5 times while patting your head and rubbing your stomach
• stand up if I read a True statement
State Changes: Every 10-12 minutes
When you “change the state," you grab the brain’s attention. Students need a state change at a rate of one minute per year of age (example: 8 year old, after 8 minutes). The maximum time that a brain can pay attention is 12 minutes, so a 16 year old would need a break after 12 minutes, as would an adult.
• A state change is done very quickly and could be changing your voice, holding up an interesting prop, or having a student give a physical response such as a thumbs up if you can tell me one thing you just learned.
Water: Every 15 minutes
The Parietal area of the brain (top of your head) de-hydrates after 15 minutes. This causes a reduction in problem solving and math abilities. Allow students to have automatically sealing water bottles on their desks and sip on water every 15 minutes to rehydrate the brain and maximize problem solving abilities. Test scores can increase by 60% when you are hydrated.
Safe Environment:
The brain is impacted by threat and excess stress. This stress will reduce higher level thinking. Vasopressin, an aggression chemical, goes up and Serotonin , a calming chemical, goes down when there is a high stress environment. Have a calming environment for you and your students.
Music:
Listening to background music in the classroom helps many students stay focused while completing certain tasks. It needs to be played at a very low volume and not have words or a heavy beat. Music by Yanni, Jim Brickman (Soothe), and Kenny G are good examples of quiet background music. Spa music or classical music can also work.
These strategies have helped me and other educators to create a positive learning climate in which students can thrive.
Cindy Jones is a 50 year veteran teacher. She has co-authored 4 books and written many teacher handbooks for the Bureau of Education and Research. Currently, Cindy provides staff development to schools and districts across the country and in Canada. She presents numerous brain and behavior seminars for the Bureau of Education and Research. Be sure to look for her all new seminar Practical Strategies for Improving the Behavior of Attention-Seeking, Manipulative and Challenging Students
Contact Cindy Jones at cindypurcelljones@earthlink.net.
Kelly Harmon & Associates
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