Sunday, March 22, 2009
Hiatus
I haven't been posting as I am very busy with report cards and planning for my upcoming trip to Europe. I'll be gone until April 19, but I'll be blogging about the trip! Rest assured, I'm still Power Teaching and it's still going great, and I will begin blogging again when I return.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Best of the Forums
I've been really active on the forums on the new website lately, and there have been some fantastic ideas shared so far. Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order (sorry, I can't link to the specific posts, so you'll have to scroll through the thread to find the appropriate post):
1. Tetris and Battleship games for teaching area
2. Silent-Focused-Thinking (SFT) technique for micro-independent work
3. Geometry gestures (including one for isosceles triangle that is one of the best I've seen for anything)
4. Course Questions game to use as a warm-up activity
5. Gestures for animals and their needs
Hope you enjoy them. My ulterior motive for making this list is that it's my To Do of things to use in my own classroom. :-)
1. Tetris and Battleship games for teaching area
2. Silent-Focused-Thinking (SFT) technique for micro-independent work
3. Geometry gestures (including one for isosceles triangle that is one of the best I've seen for anything)
4. Course Questions game to use as a warm-up activity
5. Gestures for animals and their needs
Hope you enjoy them. My ulterior motive for making this list is that it's my To Do of things to use in my own classroom. :-)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
My Teach-OK Routine
I'm going to take a break from reflecting on my own teaching and share something I feel I've gotten good at with any new Power Teachers that might be reading. This is my exact routine for teaching any concept using Power Teaching strategies.
1. Give the "Mirror" command and present the concept as concisely as possible and with very simple visual aids if necessary. Perform any necessary gestures as you explain and make sure everyone is mirroring.
2. Have the class Teach-OK with their partners. I usually leave it open, but sometimes I will specify 1s explain to 2s if it is especially difficult or 2s explain to 1s if not.
3. Yell "Switch!" once they've had about enough time to get through 2/3 of the concept, if that makes sense. You don't want them to just have to repeat themselves when they switch, but rather actually pick up where their partner left off.
4. After Teach-OK is done (no more than 15-20 seconds usually), regain the class with "Class-OK," and choose a student (not from a show of hands, you choose the student) to explain the concept to the class. I usually phrase it as a question ("think you can do it?"). You and the class mirror their gestures. Choose the student carefully; for an advanced concept choose a high student, and for a basic one choose a low student.
5. If the student fails, give them an "It's Cool," and repeat the above before asking a different student to explain. If they succeed, give them a woo!
This whole process should take 2-5 minutes at the most. Keep it really fast-paced. By that I don't mean talk fast, but always be ready with the next step. Don't take any time to think as this will give the students gaps that they will fill by losing focus and possibly misbehaving. After this 2-5 minute routine, I would bet that at least half of my students have the concept cemented already; no independent work needed. Enjoy!
1. Give the "Mirror" command and present the concept as concisely as possible and with very simple visual aids if necessary. Perform any necessary gestures as you explain and make sure everyone is mirroring.
2. Have the class Teach-OK with their partners. I usually leave it open, but sometimes I will specify 1s explain to 2s if it is especially difficult or 2s explain to 1s if not.
3. Yell "Switch!" once they've had about enough time to get through 2/3 of the concept, if that makes sense. You don't want them to just have to repeat themselves when they switch, but rather actually pick up where their partner left off.
4. After Teach-OK is done (no more than 15-20 seconds usually), regain the class with "Class-OK," and choose a student (not from a show of hands, you choose the student) to explain the concept to the class. I usually phrase it as a question ("think you can do it?"). You and the class mirror their gestures. Choose the student carefully; for an advanced concept choose a high student, and for a basic one choose a low student.
5. If the student fails, give them an "It's Cool," and repeat the above before asking a different student to explain. If they succeed, give them a woo!
This whole process should take 2-5 minutes at the most. Keep it really fast-paced. By that I don't mean talk fast, but always be ready with the next step. Don't take any time to think as this will give the students gaps that they will fill by losing focus and possibly misbehaving. After this 2-5 minute routine, I would bet that at least half of my students have the concept cemented already; no independent work needed. Enjoy!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Weakness in Power Teaching?
I've been going for about a month now, and I've noticed something. I seem to be able to do really effective Power Teaching for concepts that have discrete "chunks" that can be easily micro-lectured - i.e. content like science or vocabulary (vocabulary has definitely been my biggest success with it so far). However, I am having difficulty using it with skills teaching - things that can't be boiled down to a quick sentence or two that needs to be memorized.
For example, in math we just finished a money chapter in which students needed to learn to calculate change, then express it in terms of coins. I had great difficulty trying to find a way to structure this in a way that would allow students to Teach-OK or do gestures the way they have done in, for example, science. The same type of thing happens in language arts, when I want to teach something more complex like how to edit a paragraph.
It could be that I wasn't able to think of a way to "chunk" these concept appropriately for the students. Maybe I just need to start anticipating these difficult topics and actually write down each micro-lecturing "chunk" before doing the lesson. On the other hand, it could be that some things simply can't be chunked in this way... I'll have to keep experimenting with this.
For example, in math we just finished a money chapter in which students needed to learn to calculate change, then express it in terms of coins. I had great difficulty trying to find a way to structure this in a way that would allow students to Teach-OK or do gestures the way they have done in, for example, science. The same type of thing happens in language arts, when I want to teach something more complex like how to edit a paragraph.
It could be that I wasn't able to think of a way to "chunk" these concept appropriately for the students. Maybe I just need to start anticipating these difficult topics and actually write down each micro-lecturing "chunk" before doing the lesson. On the other hand, it could be that some things simply can't be chunked in this way... I'll have to keep experimenting with this.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Independents, pt. 2
Friday went well. I was pretty harsh with my independents (they got to watch the other students get 10 minutes of extra recess), and one of them asked to be taken off. Donald came to me and seemed pretty penitent, so I have high hopes. Timothy didn't ask, but I think he forgot (he's in for a nasty surprise Monday morning).
I'm not sure what to do about Teach-OK with Timothy on Monday, since he won't have a partner. He really likes doing it, so it might be a good punishment to not let him participate (he's a high student, so his learning wouldn't suffer much. I could partner with him, but that would probably feel like a reward. I could also have him join another partnership during Teach-OK, but that would defeat the purpose of Independents in the first place...
More on Monday about whether I see a change in either student. If anyone is reading who is experienced with this strategy, I'd love some feedback.
I'm not sure what to do about Teach-OK with Timothy on Monday, since he won't have a partner. He really likes doing it, so it might be a good punishment to not let him participate (he's a high student, so his learning wouldn't suffer much. I could partner with him, but that would probably feel like a reward. I could also have him join another partnership during Teach-OK, but that would defeat the purpose of Independents in the first place...
More on Monday about whether I see a change in either student. If anyone is reading who is experienced with this strategy, I'd love some feedback.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Independents, pt. 1
Well, today I ended the day by putting Timothy and Donald on Independents. I kept them after school, sat them down and quickly but sternly explained that they were not following the rules, they were disrupting the class (citing a few examples), and that basically half of the "frowny" points were due to them. That wasn't fair for the rest of the class, so they were going on Independents. I explained the concept (if you haven't read it it's in Teaching Challenging Students) to them and they moved their stuff from their desks to the floor next to the desk they will be sharing (it doesn't have book boxes underneath).
My basic strategy for tomorrow is to make their lives as uncomfortable as possible and make sure they lose the Scoreboard game while the rest of the class wins. Wow, I feel mean. :-) More on how it works out tomorrow.
My basic strategy for tomorrow is to make their lives as uncomfortable as possible and make sure they lose the Scoreboard game while the rest of the class wins. Wow, I feel mean. :-) More on how it works out tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Honeymoon's Over
I was worried today.
I kind of feel like Power Teaching got off to a good start, but a few things are kind of stagnating now, and some things aren't getting better. The biggest issue is engagement. I don't always have everyone with Class-Yes, or even with Hands and Eyes (this is particularly bad; some students do it for like two seconds and then just space out again). I've tried stopping and doing scoreboard points, then having the class repeat it. This improves it a little in the short term, but I don't see general improvement yet. I'm just going to keep at that.
I also have some problem students. Two students, Timothy and Donald, are often talking or out of their seats, and will sometimes just smile about getting a "frowny" point on the scoreboard. They don't give me guff, so I'm not bothering with a guff counter, but I think these two might be ideal for trying out Independents with. I will be doing that for them soon, I think.
My other issue is with Eduardo, who I've blogged about before. Eduardo is one of my favorite students, while also driving me completely insane. He has a lot of social problems, and does not relate well to the other students. He also has great difficulty paying attention in class and following class routines. That said, he is very intelligent and generally has a great attitude. He has lots of difficulties with Power Teaching routines, but the most detrimental I think is that he just doesn't do partner sharing at all. He will either ignore his partner (he didn't even hear me do Teach-OK), talk extremely slowly (he's got a lot going on in his head and it's hard for him to get it out sometimes), or do playful gestures completely unrelated to the topic at hand. This is all to the great chagrin of Eduardo's poor partner Johnny.
With Eduardo I don't think putting him on Independents will help, as he will probably enjoy being on his own, and not even notice if the rest of the class gets a reward and he doesn't. One of Eduardo's biggest issues is that he doesn't realize that he's not fitting in or following the rules. To help him with this I'm going to go straight to the Bull's Eye game. This will give me a chance to mini-conference with him, and hopefully help him in reflecting on his own progress. I did it with him the first time today after school, and it went fairly smoothly. I still have to think of a reward for him though...
I kind of feel like Power Teaching got off to a good start, but a few things are kind of stagnating now, and some things aren't getting better. The biggest issue is engagement. I don't always have everyone with Class-Yes, or even with Hands and Eyes (this is particularly bad; some students do it for like two seconds and then just space out again). I've tried stopping and doing scoreboard points, then having the class repeat it. This improves it a little in the short term, but I don't see general improvement yet. I'm just going to keep at that.
I also have some problem students. Two students, Timothy and Donald, are often talking or out of their seats, and will sometimes just smile about getting a "frowny" point on the scoreboard. They don't give me guff, so I'm not bothering with a guff counter, but I think these two might be ideal for trying out Independents with. I will be doing that for them soon, I think.
My other issue is with Eduardo, who I've blogged about before. Eduardo is one of my favorite students, while also driving me completely insane. He has a lot of social problems, and does not relate well to the other students. He also has great difficulty paying attention in class and following class routines. That said, he is very intelligent and generally has a great attitude. He has lots of difficulties with Power Teaching routines, but the most detrimental I think is that he just doesn't do partner sharing at all. He will either ignore his partner (he didn't even hear me do Teach-OK), talk extremely slowly (he's got a lot going on in his head and it's hard for him to get it out sometimes), or do playful gestures completely unrelated to the topic at hand. This is all to the great chagrin of Eduardo's poor partner Johnny.
With Eduardo I don't think putting him on Independents will help, as he will probably enjoy being on his own, and not even notice if the rest of the class gets a reward and he doesn't. One of Eduardo's biggest issues is that he doesn't realize that he's not fitting in or following the rules. To help him with this I'm going to go straight to the Bull's Eye game. This will give me a chance to mini-conference with him, and hopefully help him in reflecting on his own progress. I did it with him the first time today after school, and it went fairly smoothly. I still have to think of a reward for him though...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
My Valentine's gift from my kids: 96.9% average on their vocabulary test. Thanks to micro-lecturing, gestures, and the new game I described yesterday, that's the best my class has ever done! Only seven problems were missed COMBINED! Teacher Heaven! :-)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Vocabulary Fun Game
Today I started a new vocabulary game with my kids. It's actually based a game that I have played with adults before called Family Fun Game (lame name, great game). An Outdoor Educator friend of mine taught it to me a little while back. Here's the original game:
You need a group of at least four. Everyone writes two or three clues on pieces of paper, folds them and puts them in a hat. The clues could be pop-culture related, just words, names, whatever (think the kind things that would be answers in Pictionary or Trivial Persuit). Then divide into teams of at least two.
The first team chooses a player that gets a minute to get their team to guess as many clues as they can (they can say anything except any part of the word or phrase itself). They keep the clues that they guess (these are points). Then the hat is passed to the next team. Repeat until all clues are gone and tabulate the points.
Then you play another round exactly the same way, except the person can say only one word as a clue (remember though that we've already been through the clues once, so everyone has heard them before). Then you play a third round only now you can't say anything but can only do one gesture. You are allowed to pass by putting the clue back, and this is important if your team doesn't get it in the second or third rounds.
Anyway, that's the basics. If I was unclear, feel free to email me.
Now, for my class I didn't play exactly this. Instead we played Vocabulary Fun Game, which was the same except you skip the first part where everyone creates the clues. Instead you just make the clues yourself, and each one is a vocabulary word. I did this today to review the week's words and it went fantastically! The only downside was that my next door neighbor popped in to complain about all the noise (and she's a Power Teacher too!). Sorry about that! :-) The whole game took about 20-25 minutes, and that was with all the explanation and everything. It can be shortened by only doing one or two rounds. Try it and let me know how it goes!
I was also going to post about my first stab at the Crazy Professor today, but this has gone long so I'm going to skip that for now.
You need a group of at least four. Everyone writes two or three clues on pieces of paper, folds them and puts them in a hat. The clues could be pop-culture related, just words, names, whatever (think the kind things that would be answers in Pictionary or Trivial Persuit). Then divide into teams of at least two.
The first team chooses a player that gets a minute to get their team to guess as many clues as they can (they can say anything except any part of the word or phrase itself). They keep the clues that they guess (these are points). Then the hat is passed to the next team. Repeat until all clues are gone and tabulate the points.
Then you play another round exactly the same way, except the person can say only one word as a clue (remember though that we've already been through the clues once, so everyone has heard them before). Then you play a third round only now you can't say anything but can only do one gesture. You are allowed to pass by putting the clue back, and this is important if your team doesn't get it in the second or third rounds.
Anyway, that's the basics. If I was unclear, feel free to email me.
Now, for my class I didn't play exactly this. Instead we played Vocabulary Fun Game, which was the same except you skip the first part where everyone creates the clues. Instead you just make the clues yourself, and each one is a vocabulary word. I did this today to review the week's words and it went fantastically! The only downside was that my next door neighbor popped in to complain about all the noise (and she's a Power Teacher too!). Sorry about that! :-) The whole game took about 20-25 minutes, and that was with all the explanation and everything. It can be shortened by only doing one or two rounds. Try it and let me know how it goes!
I was also going to post about my first stab at the Crazy Professor today, but this has gone long so I'm going to skip that for now.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Double Post Today!
Rub your hands together and tell me "I can't wait for my second blog post!" :-)
OK, I have been hitting the forums, and checked out a few videos I hadn't seen before, and this is my PT To Do list for the next week:
1. Start requiring more energy and gestures from my kids when they are doing Teach-OK. They are great at this already, but I think the energy and gestures will make it even better.
2. Start doing Q&A Teach-OK (for example, "1s, quiz 2s on as many vocabulary words as you can; helpsies are allowed").
3. Start using Switch more (also, I was having them respond with "OK" for switch, and I'm going to change that to them echoing "Switch").
4. Require my students to mirror me better, and start planning better gestures rather than just using on-the-spot ones.
5. All this will be introduced as "You guys are ready for the NEXT LEVEL of Power Teaching!" :-)
OK, I have been hitting the forums, and checked out a few videos I hadn't seen before, and this is my PT To Do list for the next week:
1. Start requiring more energy and gestures from my kids when they are doing Teach-OK. They are great at this already, but I think the energy and gestures will make it even better.
2. Start doing Q&A Teach-OK (for example, "1s, quiz 2s on as many vocabulary words as you can; helpsies are allowed").
3. Start using Switch more (also, I was having them respond with "OK" for switch, and I'm going to change that to them echoing "Switch").
4. Require my students to mirror me better, and start planning better gestures rather than just using on-the-spot ones.
5. All this will be introduced as "You guys are ready for the NEXT LEVEL of Power Teaching!" :-)
Awesome New Power Teaching Website!
If you haven't yet, make sure to check out the new Power Teaching website! It has a very clean design, and compiles all the online Power Teaching resources into one place. It also has some new features, like a forum. Get on that thing if you're not already, it's great. OK, so I kind of like the new website. I'll give it a rest now.
One strategy in Power Teaching that I'm having trouble with is Please-OK. I've got my kids doing it pretty well, but when I taught the "neener neener neener" part, NO one remembers to do it (even my snottiest little GATE kid; just kidding, I love him). They generally remember OK, but it's just not that... snappy I guess, which is what you really want from it. Also, I haven't even bothered with guff, as talking back is just not a problem with my third graders (I guess I should thank my lucky stars for that one).
Here is a cool gesture I figured out today:
This is a method for differentiating between titles that are underlined and titles with quotations marks.
For underlines, we make a nice long underline with flat hands moving out, reminding us that LONG things (books, movies, albums, collections of poems, etc) are underlined.
For quotation marks, we make quotation marks with the fingers of both hands, and scrunch our arms and shoulders together a little as we curl our fingers, reminding us that quotation marks are for SHORT things (poems, short stories, songs, etc).
One strategy in Power Teaching that I'm having trouble with is Please-OK. I've got my kids doing it pretty well, but when I taught the "neener neener neener" part, NO one remembers to do it (even my snottiest little GATE kid; just kidding, I love him). They generally remember OK, but it's just not that... snappy I guess, which is what you really want from it. Also, I haven't even bothered with guff, as talking back is just not a problem with my third graders (I guess I should thank my lucky stars for that one).
Here is a cool gesture I figured out today:
This is a method for differentiating between titles that are underlined and titles with quotations marks.
For underlines, we make a nice long underline with flat hands moving out, reminding us that LONG things (books, movies, albums, collections of poems, etc) are underlined.
For quotation marks, we make quotation marks with the fingers of both hands, and scrunch our arms and shoulders together a little as we curl our fingers, reminding us that quotation marks are for SHORT things (poems, short stories, songs, etc).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Great Day!
I had a fantastic day today. Things are really coming together, and I continue to be amazed by the effect Power Teaching has had on my class.
I started teaching math from the front of the room today. I was noticing that my language arts lessons were much more effective than my math lessons, and that the Power Teaching strategies were working more smoothly during that time. The biggest difference in my teaching style between the two times was that I taught math from the back of the room on the document camera. While this was very comfortable, I found that it was much less engaging for the students, which was really killing me since math takes place during the food-coma-fest that is after lunch for me.
Anyway, today I toned down the number of examples, and taught from the front (I'm losing my fear of turning my back on a class :-)). This allowed for a faster pace and kept the students more engaged, even during a three-step mother of a word problem that took like ten minutes to work through.
One more reflection before I sign off. I am NOT an energetic person by nature, and I never thought I would be a very energetic teacher. I definitely prefer a classroom on the more quiet side. I'm finding that Power Teaching gives me a structure that helps me be more energetic during teaching times while still being very in control, and that this leads to MUCH more calm and peaceful independent work times. The students get some energy out with gestures and partner sharing, and SSR (Sit Down, Shut Up, and Read) isn't such an alien concept to them anymore. Ahhhh... Teacher Heaven.
Oh, and if you're reading this, comment so I know I'm not talking to a wall!
I started teaching math from the front of the room today. I was noticing that my language arts lessons were much more effective than my math lessons, and that the Power Teaching strategies were working more smoothly during that time. The biggest difference in my teaching style between the two times was that I taught math from the back of the room on the document camera. While this was very comfortable, I found that it was much less engaging for the students, which was really killing me since math takes place during the food-coma-fest that is after lunch for me.
Anyway, today I toned down the number of examples, and taught from the front (I'm losing my fear of turning my back on a class :-)). This allowed for a faster pace and kept the students more engaged, even during a three-step mother of a word problem that took like ten minutes to work through.
One more reflection before I sign off. I am NOT an energetic person by nature, and I never thought I would be a very energetic teacher. I definitely prefer a classroom on the more quiet side. I'm finding that Power Teaching gives me a structure that helps me be more energetic during teaching times while still being very in control, and that this leads to MUCH more calm and peaceful independent work times. The students get some energy out with gestures and partner sharing, and SSR (Sit Down, Shut Up, and Read) isn't such an alien concept to them anymore. Ahhhh... Teacher Heaven.
Oh, and if you're reading this, comment so I know I'm not talking to a wall!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sick Power Teaching
I've been getting progressively more sick over the past couple days (hence no blog entries), and today I was a mess. Power Teaching--like most things--is definitely more difficult when you are tired or sick, but there is kind of a nice effect I've noticed. The call-and-response and silliness of Power Teaching not only energize the kids, but can energize you as well. Still, I'm sick as a dog, and can barely think. :-(
After just over a week of Power Teaching, I strongly feel that Teach-OK is the absolute most effective part of the program. I just watched few videos, and realized that I haven't implemented several things that I need to. First of all, I'm using "Woos" pretty infrequently, and I could easily use them much more often. Secondly, I have only used "It's Cool" for myself! This is good, since I make plenty of mistakes, but I totally forgot that this is supposed to be used MOSTLY for students, to create a safe learning environment for them. Woops!
Give me an "It's Cool." :-)
After just over a week of Power Teaching, I strongly feel that Teach-OK is the absolute most effective part of the program. I just watched few videos, and realized that I haven't implemented several things that I need to. First of all, I'm using "Woos" pretty infrequently, and I could easily use them much more often. Secondly, I have only used "It's Cool" for myself! This is good, since I make plenty of mistakes, but I totally forgot that this is supposed to be used MOSTLY for students, to create a safe learning environment for them. Woops!
Give me an "It's Cool." :-)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
English Learner Training
I'm sitting in an EL training right now, and as I'm thinking about EL strategies I learned in my credential program and other training days like these it occurs to me how well Power Teaching works for English Learners. My view on English Learner teaching strategies has always been that "differentiating" instruction for ELs more often than not doesn't mean we actually have to do something different for these students. The more I learn about SDAIE strategies and other EL teaching techniques, the more these techniques sound like good teaching practices for all students.
A great example is gestures (especially mirroring). In addition to providing context for learning new language for ELs, mirroring keeps all students engaged, allows them to think about concepts with multiple parts of their brain simultaneously. As a result of this, students can remember the material presented more effectively. This second benefit applies equally to all populations of students, so no modification has to be made especially for some. I believe this kind of thinking creates a classroom that is more equitable, and easier on the teacher to boot!
A great example is gestures (especially mirroring). In addition to providing context for learning new language for ELs, mirroring keeps all students engaged, allows them to think about concepts with multiple parts of their brain simultaneously. As a result of this, students can remember the material presented more effectively. This second benefit applies equally to all populations of students, so no modification has to be made especially for some. I believe this kind of thinking creates a classroom that is more equitable, and easier on the teacher to boot!
Friday, January 30, 2009
A Light Friday
First off, after an email from Chris Biffle I decided to start calling on students that I choose rather than having them raise hands or using sticks, and it worked pretty well for the most part today. Math was rocky again, but I blame that more on poor lesson planning than any management issues. I was teaching extended form with decimals, and for some reason that concept is just really hard to teach. I'll have to keep looking for better methods.
Anyway, I wanted to end the week on a light note. Here is a top ten list of different voices I've used for Class-Yes, Oh Yeah, etc. this week:
10. Loud
9. Whisper
8. Pinocchio
7. Raising volume (like you're annoyed)
6. Lowering volume (like you're bored)
5. Robot
4. Old hag
3. Growl
2. Snake
and the number one voice (this one was Eduardo's idea):
1. The Kool-Aid OH YEAH! (remember the commercials in the eighties when he would bust through the wall? well, for some reason my third-grader does)
Have a great weekend. I'll do a reflection on the first week sometime during it.
Anyway, I wanted to end the week on a light note. Here is a top ten list of different voices I've used for Class-Yes, Oh Yeah, etc. this week:
10. Loud
9. Whisper
8. Pinocchio
7. Raising volume (like you're annoyed)
6. Lowering volume (like you're bored)
5. Robot
4. Old hag
3. Growl
2. Snake
and the number one voice (this one was Eduardo's idea):
1. The Kool-Aid OH YEAH! (remember the commercials in the eighties when he would bust through the wall? well, for some reason my third-grader does)
Have a great weekend. I'll do a reflection on the first week sometime during it.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Class Discussions
OK, Teacher Heaven moment of the day: the look on my kids faces when I explained that they get to SKIP FIVE WORDS every time they get a zinger in Superspeed 1000. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the game, this just means they have to read more words in the list (because skipping five moves them farther down), but they bought it hook line and sinker that they got to CHEAT every time they got a zinger. This game rocks.
One habit that I'm having trouble breaking is taking answers from students by having them raise their hands. It's not that I don't see the argument against this, but there are some situations where I just can't find a better solution yet. For things where any student should have the answer, like a warmup or math assignment, or repeating what was just shared with their partner, I use sticks with the students' numbers on them, and that is working fine.
However, one of my biggest strengths as a teacher is my questioning. I'm pretty good at working through something with the students and getting them to figure out the answer for themselves. The thing is, I don't really know how to do this without asking questions and taking answers from hands raised. I can't call on a random student, because these questions are difficult and intended to be so (I want them figuring it out for themselves, so they won't all have the answer right away). I'm pretty good at not just picking the smart kids, but I still can't get away from choosing a volunteer.
I'll have to keep exploring this.
Oh, by the way, math went really well today. I kept it much faster paced, using lots of Class-Yes and Teach-OK, and the students were more engaged. I was able to get through two lessons!
One habit that I'm having trouble breaking is taking answers from students by having them raise their hands. It's not that I don't see the argument against this, but there are some situations where I just can't find a better solution yet. For things where any student should have the answer, like a warmup or math assignment, or repeating what was just shared with their partner, I use sticks with the students' numbers on them, and that is working fine.
However, one of my biggest strengths as a teacher is my questioning. I'm pretty good at working through something with the students and getting them to figure out the answer for themselves. The thing is, I don't really know how to do this without asking questions and taking answers from hands raised. I can't call on a random student, because these questions are difficult and intended to be so (I want them figuring it out for themselves, so they won't all have the answer right away). I'm pretty good at not just picking the smart kids, but I still can't get away from choosing a volunteer.
I'll have to keep exploring this.
Oh, by the way, math went really well today. I kept it much faster paced, using lots of Class-Yes and Teach-OK, and the students were more engaged. I was able to get through two lessons!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Rocky Math
Today was generally another successful day. I let the kids win their scoreboard today (I rigged it against them yesterday), and they got to play Beat the Teacher for the last ten minutes or so of the day. We had a rocky time during math today though.
I was really tired before and during lunch, and this probably contributed to general grumpiness on my part during math (which is right after lunch). Power Teaching-wise, I think I could have increased the pace of the lesson a little bit to decrease the talking that was bugging me during it, and this would have been easier if I had thought the lesson through more thoroughly before teaching it. I haven't successfully used much Teach-OK during math yet, though it has been extremely successful in language arts and science.
After reflecting some, I think I just needed to use Class-Yes more often too during the lesson, rather than getting frustrated with a kid that was talking to his neighbor. The beautiful thing about Class-Yes is it takes literally a second and you don't need to target it at all, it refocuses everyone. I also find that if I do it and then still hear some talking, I just quickly do it again (maybe with a different voice), and after the second I've got everyone without having to comment at all on the fact that I didn't get everyone the first time.
On a side note, I have a great story. Several other teachers from my site (in fact all of them, though there are only seven) have adopted Power Teaching this week too. I was just chatting with one of them on Facebook who happens to have two of her children at our school, one (Adrian) in my class, and the other (Lindsay) in first grade. She says that as we speak, Lindsay and Adrian are down the hall "playing Power Teaching;" of course, first grade Lindsay is the teacher. Thanks, Lindsay, for training my student when I'm not even around!
Seriously, though, I've heard all kinds of stuff like that from kids around the school. It speaks to the real magic of Power Teaching: kids think it is a game!
I was really tired before and during lunch, and this probably contributed to general grumpiness on my part during math (which is right after lunch). Power Teaching-wise, I think I could have increased the pace of the lesson a little bit to decrease the talking that was bugging me during it, and this would have been easier if I had thought the lesson through more thoroughly before teaching it. I haven't successfully used much Teach-OK during math yet, though it has been extremely successful in language arts and science.
After reflecting some, I think I just needed to use Class-Yes more often too during the lesson, rather than getting frustrated with a kid that was talking to his neighbor. The beautiful thing about Class-Yes is it takes literally a second and you don't need to target it at all, it refocuses everyone. I also find that if I do it and then still hear some talking, I just quickly do it again (maybe with a different voice), and after the second I've got everyone without having to comment at all on the fact that I didn't get everyone the first time.
On a side note, I have a great story. Several other teachers from my site (in fact all of them, though there are only seven) have adopted Power Teaching this week too. I was just chatting with one of them on Facebook who happens to have two of her children at our school, one (Adrian) in my class, and the other (Lindsay) in first grade. She says that as we speak, Lindsay and Adrian are down the hall "playing Power Teaching;" of course, first grade Lindsay is the teacher. Thanks, Lindsay, for training my student when I'm not even around!
Seriously, though, I've heard all kinds of stuff like that from kids around the school. It speaks to the real magic of Power Teaching: kids think it is a game!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Day One
My first day with power teaching was awesome! I stayed on the strategies, kicked a few old bad habits (like repeating myself), and my kids had fun. Teach-OK was a little rough at the beginning, but we reviewed the expectations, and by the end of the day almost all the students were doing well with it. I even did a few gesture mirroring exercises, which I hadn't intended to attempt at first.
Looking back at the plan I made, I actually did everything from Tuesday and Wednesday, and I didn't feel overwhelmed or like I was overwhelming the kids at all. It all was actually pretty easy. I found teaching from the board came pretty easily, and the times that I was still in the back by the computer/document camera I was able to keep up the power teaching just fine (though I was always losing my stupid white board marker; "It's Cool").
My biggest challenge in this class is a student named Eduardo (not really, I'm not using real student names in the blog of course). Eduardo had been home-schooled for a few years before joining my class this year, and has great difficulty following routines and listening to directions. He still had many issues today (he held up the speed of most of the routines, and had to be reminded individually of what to do sometimes, though I tried to avoid this; the kids reminded him pretty well), but I'm pretty sure I saw some improvements. I have high hopes for him. He's very smart, and not at all rude or disrespectful, just difficult to keep focused on class activities.
Looking back at the plan I made, I actually did everything from Tuesday and Wednesday, and I didn't feel overwhelmed or like I was overwhelming the kids at all. It all was actually pretty easy. I found teaching from the board came pretty easily, and the times that I was still in the back by the computer/document camera I was able to keep up the power teaching just fine (though I was always losing my stupid white board marker; "It's Cool").
My biggest challenge in this class is a student named Eduardo (not really, I'm not using real student names in the blog of course). Eduardo had been home-schooled for a few years before joining my class this year, and has great difficulty following routines and listening to directions. He still had many issues today (he held up the speed of most of the routines, and had to be reminded individually of what to do sometimes, though I tried to avoid this; the kids reminded him pretty well), but I'm pretty sure I saw some improvements. I have high hopes for him. He's very smart, and not at all rude or disrespectful, just difficult to keep focused on class activities.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Anticipated Difficulties
1. I teach from a document camera and LCD projector a lot, and my room is currently set up so that I sit or stand in the back of the room a lot of the time. I don't want to put the scoreboard in the back (kids need to be able to see it), but I also need to be able to get to it very frequently for it to work. I'm thinking I will reorganize the classroom so that I can get to the board more easily, and change my habits some so that I am in the front of the room more often.
2. I'm worried that I will have difficulty remembering to use the strategies. I got a dog recently, and learned a lot about dog training. In dog training, you realize quickly that you aren't really training the dog, but rather training yourself. I think this will be similar, and I'm trying to look at it that way.
3. I like the idea of "rigging" the scoreboard so that there is never more difference than three points, but I will probably find this hard. I'm not used to thinking about giving points this way. Currently, I use table points, and give them as they are deserved, not as I want to give them.
2. I'm worried that I will have difficulty remembering to use the strategies. I got a dog recently, and learned a lot about dog training. In dog training, you realize quickly that you aren't really training the dog, but rather training yourself. I think this will be similar, and I'm trying to look at it that way.
3. I like the idea of "rigging" the scoreboard so that there is never more difference than three points, but I will probably find this hard. I'm not used to thinking about giving points this way. Currently, I use table points, and give them as they are deserved, not as I want to give them.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Plan
Here is a rough idea of when and how I plan to implement Power Teaching during my first week. I'm not including explanations of what all the jargon means, as I don't want to be redundant. I've put links on the sidebar that describe Power Teaching in detail.
Monday (no students): Print signs, reorganize room.
Tuesday: Change seats, intro Power Teaching (I'm selling it as a more advanced behavior system that I think they are ready for and that will prepare them for fourth grade), teach Class-Yes, Rules, Teach-OK, Scoreboard (I will do one scoreboard for the day to begin with, and the prize will start out as Beat the Teacher, a math game that the kids already know and like). Start using Teach-OK during academics, such as introducing weekly vocab words. Try to work It's Cool (I'm bound to screw up plenty of times) and Hands and Eyes.
Wednesday: Review all content form Tuesday, intro several routines (papers, line, desks, seats), tell them their numbers (1, 2), and teach them Switch. Teach It's Cool and Hands and Eyes if I didn't have time the day before.
Thursday: Review, intro Superspeed 1000.
Friday: Review.
Monday (no students): Print signs, reorganize room.
Tuesday: Change seats, intro Power Teaching (I'm selling it as a more advanced behavior system that I think they are ready for and that will prepare them for fourth grade), teach Class-Yes, Rules, Teach-OK, Scoreboard (I will do one scoreboard for the day to begin with, and the prize will start out as Beat the Teacher, a math game that the kids already know and like). Start using Teach-OK during academics, such as introducing weekly vocab words. Try to work It's Cool (I'm bound to screw up plenty of times) and Hands and Eyes.
Wednesday: Review all content form Tuesday, intro several routines (papers, line, desks, seats), tell them their numbers (1, 2), and teach them Switch. Teach It's Cool and Hands and Eyes if I didn't have time the day before.
Thursday: Review, intro Superspeed 1000.
Friday: Review.
My First Power Teaching Conference
I've drunk the Kool-Aid.
Today I attended a short (3 hour) Power Teaching conference at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, CA with four of my colleagues. I'm a third-grade teacher at a small charter school in San Bernardino, CA. I haven't had a lot of difficulty with my class this year (certainly not compared to last year), but I was inspired by what I saw today. I'm going to start using some Power Teaching strategies and games in my class next week, and am really excited about it.
If you haven't heard of it, Power Teaching consists of a suite of classroom management strategies and educational games designed to create fast-paced, engaging, and of course educational classroom environments for students of any age. What I am so impressed with is the robustness of the approach. It starts with a basic management plan that is easy to wrap your head around, and then adds more and more "levels" as time progresses and as challenging students present themselves.
If you want to learn more about the specifics, the website gives just about anything you would ever want to know about Power Teaching. The folks that run the program don't consider themselves a business, and don't charge anything for use of the website or for attending the trainings, so it's not just like a taste; everything is there.
At any rate, as I said I've swallowed the Kool-Aid and intend to implement a lot of these strategies next week. I thought it might be a good idea to blog about it. There are case studies and testimonials available, but I didn't see any accounts of teachers recording their experience as they go, so I thought this might help others, in addition to giving me an outlet to reflect.
My first step is going to be to make a plan for when to implement which pieces, and what order and how often I will explain them to my students. I'll be working on that tomorrow, so hopefully that will be a post up then.
Should any experienced Power Teachers stumble upon this blog, I would welcome any suggestions you have; likewise any teachers thinking about Power Teaching themselves can ask me any questions about how things work out for me that I don't answer in my entries. Please comment! That is the blogger's lifeblood.
Today I attended a short (3 hour) Power Teaching conference at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, CA with four of my colleagues. I'm a third-grade teacher at a small charter school in San Bernardino, CA. I haven't had a lot of difficulty with my class this year (certainly not compared to last year), but I was inspired by what I saw today. I'm going to start using some Power Teaching strategies and games in my class next week, and am really excited about it.
If you haven't heard of it, Power Teaching consists of a suite of classroom management strategies and educational games designed to create fast-paced, engaging, and of course educational classroom environments for students of any age. What I am so impressed with is the robustness of the approach. It starts with a basic management plan that is easy to wrap your head around, and then adds more and more "levels" as time progresses and as challenging students present themselves.
If you want to learn more about the specifics, the website gives just about anything you would ever want to know about Power Teaching. The folks that run the program don't consider themselves a business, and don't charge anything for use of the website or for attending the trainings, so it's not just like a taste; everything is there.
At any rate, as I said I've swallowed the Kool-Aid and intend to implement a lot of these strategies next week. I thought it might be a good idea to blog about it. There are case studies and testimonials available, but I didn't see any accounts of teachers recording their experience as they go, so I thought this might help others, in addition to giving me an outlet to reflect.
My first step is going to be to make a plan for when to implement which pieces, and what order and how often I will explain them to my students. I'll be working on that tomorrow, so hopefully that will be a post up then.
Should any experienced Power Teachers stumble upon this blog, I would welcome any suggestions you have; likewise any teachers thinking about Power Teaching themselves can ask me any questions about how things work out for me that I don't answer in my entries. Please comment! That is the blogger's lifeblood.
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